Tennis - what's worth knowing…

The first tennis balls date back to the 15th century. They were made of materials commonly available at that time, such as human hair, horse hair or wool wrapped in leather. Other versions of tennis balls consisted of sheep or goat stomachs wrapped in wool and caught with a string, usually made of animal intestines. In the 18th century, balls were made by rolling pieces of wool into a ball and then tightly wrapping it with string. The "interior" prepared in this way was additionally wrapped in white fabric. In 1870, rubber was first used to make a tennis ball. The balls of that time were filled with air and were not covered with fabric. Then a ball was wrapped in flannels, and in 1890 they began to be produced in this form.  Another improvement was the addition of an outer layer of felt.White balls were played until 1972, when the ITF introduced yellow balls. The decision to change the color was made based on scientific research which showed that yellow balls are more visible...

  In 1947, the first Lacoste laminated wood racket was introduced to the market. In March 1922, an American magazine published an article about a rocket which frame was made of a previously heat-treated steel pipe, with a wooden handle, It weighed and measured the same as a wooden rocket, but had 30% less air resistance. The manufacturer gave it a one-year warranty, and considering that players needed 10 to 15 wooden rackets a year, it was more economical to use. In the late 1960s, a steel racket was created by Wilson Sporting Goods. The frame of this racket was wrapped with wire to create a stringing hook on its inner side. In 1975, the American company Weed used aluminum, which was lighter than steel. This allowed the head of the racket to be enlarged by 50% compared to the head of a wooden racket, without increasing its weight. Thanks to rackets with an "oversize" head, tennis players could give the balls more spin. Unfortunately, advanced players began to be disturbed by ...

  Initially, the game, which can be considered primitive tennis, was played with open hands. Because the balls were hard at that time, playing with hands was uncomfortable and even painful, it was often leading to injuries. Then, to prevent injuries, they started using leather gloves. Next, to increase the surface area, a net was attached between the fingers. At the same time, they also experimented with wooden floats. Around the 14th century, players began using primitive rackets consisting of a wooden frame with strings made from animal intestines. By the 16th century, rackets were already in common use. The rackets of that time had a long handle and a small teardrop-shaped head. They were more like modern squash rackets. In 1874, Walter Wingfield patented the game "Sphairistike". The "Sphairistike" racket was made from a single piece of solid wood and is considered the prototype of the tennis rackets we play today.  

On September 7, the WTA announced that the season finals would be held in Cancun in Mexico. The official announcement came very late, at the end of the then US Open. Most of the tennis players had already planned their performances until the end of the season, and eight of them had to take into account a flight to Mexico. The choice is completely illogical, because the tournament in Mexico is preceded by tournaments in Asia, and right after it, most of the top tennis players will go to Europe for the Billie Jean King Cup finals.  The women's tennis authorities chose a city that does not even have the infrastructure to host a tournament like that one. At the time of the announcement, there was no center court or stands yet. The players were allowed to train only on Saturday, and the tournament starts a day later. There will be little time to adapt to match conditions. Dress rehearsals took place while finishing works were still being caried on the stands. Congrats WTA… https://www.n...