newcomers feel the need to use professional racquets and get use to them right away,” (Howards 2). Even though that might be the case, Prince and Wilson, the two dominating forces in tennis manufacturing today, still have the edge on all other competition when it comes to the annual gross sales. “Wilson had an ever-increasing profit of $1. 4 billion in 1997, followed by Prince who earned $1.1 billion that same year,” (Wilson 4). It may seem that technology has only helped the beginners and less advanced tennis players gain an edge in their performance. After all, graphite, the material which is being used by professional on the tour and more skilled amateur players, has been implemented some twenty years ago. As much as it may appear that way, the less skilled players are not the only ones who have significantly improved their level of game. With new racquet shapes and lengths, advanced players are able to choose a racquet that will fit them best and their game. There are many different types of players today, and new philosophies on how tennis should be played are always appearing. Some racquets are designed for power servers while others are designed for players who primarily rely on their ground strokes. As mentioned, players can even choose a racquet that is more suitable for a certain type of court surface. At the same time, some racquets will be better for more aggressive players, and some for the more defensive ones. In any case, today’s tennis is much more advanced than tennis from thirty and even twenty years ago. Because players have a racquet that reflects their game the best, their hits are harder and more precise. Although intensive training and expansion of tennis around the world have been some of the primary reason for such a high level of tennis play in the past two decades, racquet technology has an undeniable and deserved right to be one of the reasons that improved the game of tennis. Indeed, ...
