History of Tennis Rackets: From Wood to Graphite
Contents
Tennis rackets changed very little for about a century, then went through wood, steel, aluminium and graphite within roughly 20 years.
Timeline
- 1875 Babolat is founded in Lyon and makes the first tennis strings from natural gut.
- 1870s–1970s Nearly all rackets are laminated wood.
- 1925 Babolat perfects its natural gut string and creates "VS".
- Late 1940s Aircraft engineer Howard Head starts building laminated skis in the US, the origin of the Head brand.
- 1955 Babolat launches its first synthetic string.
- 1967 Wilson launches the steel T2000, based on René Lacoste's design. Billie Jean King wins a Grand Slam with it, the first win with a non-wood racket.
- 1968 Head creates a tennis division and Howard Head patents a metal oversized racket. Spalding launches the aluminium Smasher.
- 1969 Head's aluminium tennis rackets are introduced at the US Open.
- 1970 Prince is founded in Princeton, New Jersey, as a tennis ball machine maker.
- 1971 Howard Head becomes chairman of Prince and develops its oversized aluminium racket.
- 1975 Arthur Ashe wins Wimbledon with Head equipment.
- 1979 Tecnifibre (then Major Sport) is founded in France.
- Early 1980s Graphite composite frames arrive. John McEnroe's Dunlop Max 200G (1983) is one of the best-known early examples.
- 1987 The last wooden racket is seen at Wimbledon.
- 1991 Luxilon's Big Banger polyester string is introduced.
- 1994 Babolat launches its first racket line, the Pure Drive.
- 1997 Gustavo Kuerten wins the French Open with Luxilon ALU Power polyester strings. Polyester goes on to dominate the pro game.
- 2003 Babolat introduces the Aero range for spin.
- 2004 Tecnifibre enters the racket market with T-Fight and T-Flash.
- 2012 Babolat launches the first connected (sensor-equipped) racket.
- 2013 Head starts using graphene in its rackets.
- 2017 Lacoste acquires Tecnifibre.
The International Tennis Hall of Fame racquet collection holds examples such as Jimmy Connors’ T2000.
Why wood disappeared
Wood limited head size, because a larger wooden head became too heavy and warped, and wooden rackets were inconsistent from one to the next. Metal allowed larger heads and uniform frames. Graphite then combined low weight, high stiffness and freedom to mould any shape, which made both the oversize head and today’s wide variety of frame designs practical.
Why strings changed the game
Frames made players more powerful, but strings changed how they controlled that power. Polyester strings grip the ball and let players swing harder while still keeping the ball in court with heavy topspin. That shift, from the 1990s onwards, shaped the modern baseline game. More in our strings guide.