History of the game Essay Example for Free

History of the game Essay As the rackets of the game have changed, the style of play has changed accordingly. During the wooden racket era, before the flood of the metal and metal composite rackets, players hit groundstrokes with slight topspin but mostly flat or with underspin, particularly on the backhand side. To provide the players with the underspin or flat shots, players hit with an eastern grip (slightly east of the continental style grip achieved by sliding the V area between the thumb and index finger down the side of the frame to the grip) to help generate slice and handle low balls better. Players used this style of play to compensate for the lower bounce produced on grass courts compared to the bounce of hard and clay courts today. In effect, groundstrokes had to be long and fluid with early preparation and a long follow through to get the necessary power and control by swinging the heavier wooden rackets.  Players with wooden rackets also stood sideways to the ball and stepped into the swing to generate more power. Furthermore, the small sweetspot of the wooden racket required players to have more exact, controlled swings instead of the quick, powerful, whip-like swings of todays players. As an example, John McEnroe, a former tennis professional and Grand Slam winner, supports wooden rackets saying: I have been a proponent of the wood racketwood rackets would bring back skill and finesse to the game and would make the points longer and more fun to watch. And I could watch all those young guys cry like that little baby doll that wets herself as they try to return a serve with a 15-ounce piece of lumber. (McEnroe 1).  As a result, players could not end the point with a single shot like today and therefore games consisted of more rallies. The rackets and styles of play have evolved to the 21st Century and have dramatically changed the way tennis is played. Instead of the long and fluid groundstrokes used with wooden rackets, lighter more powerful rackets have developed quick, short but powerful swings by tennis players today. The players also use a more western or semi-western grip (achieved by placing the racket on the ground and coming from straight above, picking the racket up with one hand). These grips tend to generate more power and topspin as well make it easier to hit high bouncing balls. This heavy topspin usually causes points to end more quickly with more winners and harder shots. These changes in the game are all in relation to the development of higher bouncing courts, hard courts and clay courts, and the shorter grass court tournament season. Also, as a result to the more powerful modern rackets, serves were consistently hit over 100 mph and many clocked at more than 120 mph contributing to the quicker points. Furthermore, many serves were unreturnable meaning that it would be almost impossible for players to return or even more to hit the ball with the racket. The change in rackets in the 20th Century was not only limited to a change in the game but the tennis market was affected as well. According to Edward Tenner, the new rackets were not as profitable for racket manufacturers as the wooden rackets were during the peak in tennis popularity in the early 1970s (Tenner 3). However, shortly following this rapid growth in tennis popularity, tenniss popularity among the common people started to decline. According to the records of the Tennis Industry Association, two years before the introduction of the Prince racket in 1974, the number of tennis players reached its peak and then started a decline (Tenner 1). Later, the sale of tennis balls was evaluated and showed a drop in tennis ball usage between 1990 and 1993 (Tenner 3). A short explanation of this event could be that players were not ready to pay the higher price for newer metal rackets. The modern rackets, costing about $150, were much more expensive compared to the lower price of wooden rackets in the early 1970s. However, the introduction of the modern rackets produced a larger selection of varying rackets for tennis consumers shown in the following excerpt from Tennis Magazine, To play your best tennis, your racket has to complement your game. And with more frames than ever being designed for specific types of players, finding that magic wand has never been easier. (2001 Racket Guide 1) In addition, modern rackets are designed for all different types of players including strictly baseliners to serve and volleyers. Mark Macky, Dunlops director of racket sports, shows this in the following statement, Its no longer enough to make a racket for one ability level beginner, intermediate, advanced. Today, companies make rackets that are targeted to specific styles of play. A serve and volleyer, for example, will want a different type of racket than a baseliner. (2001 Racket Guide 1) Although while racket manufacturers may have suffered from the introduction of modern rackets, consumers seem to benefit. According to New York Times newspaper, the new metal rackets prove to last longer and need restringing less often saving consumers money (Tenner 3). Furthermore, metal rackets can last up to ten years or more contrary to the wooden rackets that were damaged by age, warping, and cracking.  In conclusion, although many tennis professionals believe that wooden rackets would increase the charisma of tennis, there is undeniable evidence that proves modern rackets to be better for the game and all levels of players. Newer rackets provide more options for tennis players, giving them more power and control than ever before therefore elevating the level of play in the game of tennis. They also appeal to lower levels of players making the game easier to learn and in effect, better for everyone. In addition, although the market seemed to be falling, it is currently rising for the game of tennis and showing this, the U.S. Open has had more viewers in the year of 2001 than ever before in the history of the game.