HOW HAS TENNIS RACKET TECHNOLOGY CHANGED IN THE LAST 30 YEARS?

[@tedneanderthal7373]

Fiberglass is no longer combined with graphite to make it more flexible. Boron is no longer added either. Also, the early graphite racquets were all straight beam frames and none were wide-bodies. Now, vibration deadening materials are often added to the graphite.

[@BorisBecker1872]

Good observation. Why were fiberglass and boron eliminated?

[@Eliath1984]

I'd say String has made the biggest changes in the last 30 years.. I still have no issues utilizing my Wilson Prostaff 6.1 Stretch from 1995.. it Was and always will be my favorite racket(I upgraded to a RF97 last year) the 1 thing that I will say about newer rackets is they have a slightly higher spin potential and alittle more muted for the arm.. But honestly the biggest difference is really the string.. As a big hitter the longevity I get out of multifil compared to what I used to get out of the stuff we used back then is just awesome.. at the height of my very amateur career I was having to utilize Kevlar to keep from breaking strings daily.. now I can pick up some Tier 1 for cheap and not worry about it for a good 10-15 hours of play.. it might not end the 15 hours with the same feel but it's still on the racket in 2 Pieces instead of 3.

[@glenparis]

How can there be four dimensional braiding? Braiding across time? Maybe he means four directional.

[@ingemosh5430]

For sure. Four dimensional sounds better though.

[@Hexsyn]

Thank you, this was exactly what I was going to post

[@FormulaMeme]

Have you seen an increase in Pure Aero VS sales since Alcaraz has been on the rise?

[@kkt391]

I can tell you I cannot find them at grip size 2 in the UK since Miami open happened😭

[@nightowldickson]

That's a good question, I think Babolat sales-wise is in safe hands with Alcaraz

[@kikibeldandy]

Out of vs everywhere.

[@kimmorrison9169]

@@kkt391 get the size 3, remove grip and file it down to fit.

[@youngsuit]

the prince graphite from 1980 is still my go to. I'm going between that and the wilson ultra

[@kenharris7194]

The newer technology racquets over the last 10 years are more powerful than the racquets made 20 years plus ago. The graphite materials have changed a bit to enhance the power and made lighter for a more user-friendly experience.

[@BorisBecker1872]

So it sounds like there have been technological changes in the last 30 years. Harry gave us a word salad post just talking specs! 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@twinwankel]

At least that's what the marketing tells you. And of course, you believe it. I really don't care so much for the latest model. I only care if I can no longer restring the racket and it becomes unplayable so I have to buy a new model. I also change if I feel that my game has improved enough to warrant buying a more advanced racket. Currently, I'm playing with a very heavy pro racket (>12 oz.) and I will keep that as long as I can. Otherwise, I would invest in better string technology to improve my game. Which I believe has improved more within the last 30 years.

[@bernardleigh7544]

Is that white Nike jacket you had on at your store for sell? Need a large. How much?

[@TimTheMusicMan]

Several issues: First, if the 25-30 year old rackets are essentially the same as today, why then aren't players using them? No one is. There is more power in todays rackets, so there has to be changes that allowed for this, advanced technology. Todays rackets cannot be the same as 25-30 year old rackets for all these reasons. Today there are 12 year olds serving 100 mph, this is because of the modern rackets. Females players today are hitting just as hard as male players did 15 years ago, why? All because of the new racket technology, and finally Harry did not mention the real reason why todays rackets are so much more advanced than yesteryears, THE STRINGS !! Today there are hundreds of variations of strings, advanced physics go into the types of cross and mains, a racket is useless unless there are strings, todays rackets are advanced because of the racket plus the strings. My opinion it is the strings that are giving the advantages more so than the rackets. The size is only an advantage with the less than players, real good players prefer 92, 90, 85, 82 head size, just like in golf, the best players in the world play with thin tiny iron faces, called blades, 90% of amateurs use the large face irons. The drivers are truly a joke and all players get more distance from the driver head, they should be banned. So the bottom line is if McEnroe and Lendl, Sampras and Federer had a choice to play with a racket today, they would probably have to choose the more modern rackets as their competition is using it, other than that they were probably perfectly happy with the original rackets they used, the game was way better back then, more personality, exciting, strategic, S/V, touch existed. This doesn't exist today, it's all power today from the baseline. The racket manufactures also pay $$ to players to use the new rackets. My analogy is this: a MLB baseball bat is made of maple or ash etc. wood, 2 1/2 inches in diameters, 32" to 35", same exact material as the Gehrig and Ruth 90 years ago, The football Brady throws today is basically the same leather football as from 1950, basketball basically the same as from 1960, hockey puck and stick, pretty much the same materials as 50 years ago. If the players are better now, it's because of their talent, tennis and golf did not follow this, they saw $$$$ as opposed to tradition. They should have banned the rackets and large clubs from the pro ranks.

[@twinwankel]

Players don't use 25-30 years old rackets because the racket dimensions have changed. Most people play with whats in fashion. And you can't get grommets anymore after they stop manufacturing the rackets which is usually last about one year. Grommets will break over time and they only last about 3-4 years depending on how often you restring your racket. So you have no choice but to retire rackets and buy new ones unless you buy spare grommets which I do.

[@TimTheMusicMan]

@@twinwankel I doubt it's for that reason, the new rackets/strings allow for easier play, more power, getting shots in that never went in before.

[@bousemaster3989]

What does the VS in Pure areo mean? Very Special??

[@kikibeldandy]

Yea very special, they gonna change naming to PA98 tho

[@brianjensen7985]

I will keep my C10 Pro thank you.

[@returntotennis706]

Lol, I remember when I played in H.S. everyone played oversized.

[@bowsershark]

Marketing and buzz Phrases have befuddled people for decades. Whoa, I never saw a small head thunderstruck or POG, among the recreational set. The 98/100 head size is totally dominating the market. Harry, do you see forsee the recreational set honing their skills on 98/100 racquets and trending down to 93/95 sq inches in the future?

[@BorisBecker1872]

I would be shocked if that happened. If anything the most common weights might go down to say 290 grams.

[@bowsershark]

@@BorisBecker1872 Interesting observation. I see the trend you talk about with a ton of recreational people. The increase in participation of other cultures with smaller body stature maybe a factor too. Smaller bodies, smaller hands, less racquet weight and bigger sweet spots on hoop heads between 98&110.

[@darricks2775]

Tl;dw: technology itself (in regards to racket mfg) not really, at least in any significant way. (Quality has gotten worse for some brands) Specs on the other hand, yes. Why have specs changed?- The short answer, is they changed due to the advent of poly strings and the way That alone has changed matchplay.

[@smashthestateX]

ok how has poly changed the game? swing weight? swing speed?

[@darricks2775]

@@smashthestateX in quite a few ways actually: touching on that specific era to address the question, you might have noticed that once poly became popular on tour singles tennis began rapidly trending toward much more of a baseline game as the more prominent strategy, as opposed to serve & volley where pro’s (actual prostock and not off-the-shelf-version) rackets were sometimes in the ~13oz range; more control And spin from poly affords players to be able to hit out on shots from back at the baseline, with heavy topspin forehands becoming more weaponized than previously and we started seeing less flat-hitting players (as far as ground strokes went, serves are another story). Also furthering that along was Shaped polys coming around in the past two decades, offering even More spin. The true midsize

[@escgoogle3865]

Everyone needs more fairy dust and four dimensional weaving. 🧚‍♀️ I talked about this vid to a couple of friends. PWS? Is it tech nope. Great straight shooting info.

[@silviosarunic3234]

still talking too slow..... i need to speed up video

[@UhhhhhnooOOo00oO]

Never liked PWS. Ruined the look qnd circular shape. Maybe of you practice 5 hours a day for 6 days a week. (Like my competitive days) I want the most shock/feel producing racket, because I only play about once a week or 2. (I do enjoy the throat size of the Babolat Pure Aero but, it is less Aerodynamic to me. You can hear it, when you swing it. The beefy throat with a 98sqin head would be ideal but, they don't make one) The bigger and smaller head sizes were for "professionals" to make money and marketing companies jumped on board. You take a heavy or a large oversize head and put a control string/higher tensioned for "professional" swings and more arm comfort

[@jerome_morrow]

Why aren’t you using a Hammer, Harry?

[@taytay8732]

Holy crap. No wonder why he's always wearing a hat!!!

[@robertclary1718]

wood is still best! the rest is marketing hype!