Advancing technology-for the good of the game? (Tennis Equipment in general)

Member Name: lion

Product:	Tennis Equipment in general
Date:	21/06/01 (122 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: relaxing, day out, traditional

Disadvantages: no-one to blame, boring men's matches, watching tennis slide

I am questioning advancing technology in tennis. Has the equipment been evolved to far that the matches are really about who can use their racket the best, or how hard can you hit the ball with it going in? I think the answer to this question is no at the moment but in ten years time, the answer may have changed.

If you go to watch the final at Wimbledon as I did I think most years you come out wishing you had never gone in. Most years it seems that you see no more than 2 Raleigh’s and it is all serves. This is true for the mens game but not for the women. The women have not the power to do this so you end up seeing quite magnificent matches, although the William's sisters are showing that this is going to change.

The rackets are made out of many different fibres, mainly graphite and titanium. These two materials are light, strong enough and bring power into the game. If you look at the classic matches I’m sure, with exceptions, that you'll find they come from over a decade ago, before the introduction of graphite and titanium.

You have to be a true athlete to become a top tennis player so it is not all about the equipment. They train hard and practise endlessly but no one can return a serve over 130mph surely.

The balls have come up as an answer to solving this problem. They wanted to make the balls slower and did so at Wimbledon a couple of years ago. That is a way forward, people are recognises the wounds and healing them.

I may sound like a old man who castantly complains about modern changes and how it was so much better 'back in my day', and that I may be, but I am a man who wants tennis to progress forward not backwards. They say tennis is a spectator’s sport, it won't keep that name if the spectators can't see the ball.

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