Evolution of Ball and Racquet
Embark on a journey through the thousand-year history of tennis. In seven chapters, we delve into the evolution of the sport and its essential tools, focusing on key developments that have shaped the game. Each chapter offers insightful narratives that highlight the development of the player’s equipment.
Chapter I
From Hand to Racquet
1000 AD - 1500
Explore the early evolution of the tennis ball, beginning around 1000 AD, and the introduction of the racquet at the end of the Middle Ages. This chapter also covers the transition to white balls and the eventual adoption of the common yellow ball we know today.
Chapter IV
From Wood to Composite
1930 - 1982
Discover the iconic laminated wooden frames used by legends like Rod Laver, Chris Evert-Lloyd, and Bjorn Borg. This chapter focuses on the peak of the wooden racquet era before the introduction of composite materials.
Coming soon
Chapter V
The Revolution -
Injection Molding 1982
Learn about the shift in racquet production when Dunlop introduced injection moulding in 1982. The Max 200G, one of the first racquets made with this process, gained fame through the successes of Steffi Graf and John McEnroe.
Coming soon
Chapter VI
Iconic Inventions of the
20s century
Chapter VI covers the key innovations of the 20th century that transformed constructions, from oversized frames to unique string patterns. These inventions pushed the boundaries of the sport and reshaped how the game was played.
Coming soon
Chapter VII
Gear from the Greats
1982 - Today
Take a closer look at the tools used by tennis legends such as Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, and Steffi Graf. This chapter explores how the tool has evolved to meet the demands of the sport’s greatest players.
Coming soon
Artefact Index – Instant Access
Chapter I Jeu de Paume and the Origins of Tennis | 1000 - 1500 AD
No 001 History of the Tennis Ball from 1000 AD
No 002 The Scanno Racquet 1555
Chapter II Court Tennis and the Rise of Racquet Play | 1500 - 1874
No 003 Racquet of the Majesty 1583
No 004 The Antique Battledore 1648
No 005 Garsault Demi-Paume Racquet 1767
No 006 The Antique Real Tennis Racquet 1789
No 007 Game of Rackets - Origins of Squash 1803
No 008 Strung Battledores - Origins of Badminton 1849
No 009 Vellum-covered Battledores - Origins of Badminton 1861
No 010 Parlour Tennis Bats - Origins of Table Tennis 1875
Chater III The Emergence of Modern Lawn Tennis | 1874 - 1930
No 011 The Racquet of Tennis Founder W.C. Wingfield 1876
No 012 London Blitz - The Last Witness 1878
No 013 Crafted by the Best - Jefferies London 1884
No 014 A Weapon in the Game - Ayres F H London 1885
No 015 A Perfect Past - The 80s Enigma 1882
No 016 The American Touch - Horsman Maker 1884
No 017 Wright & Ditson's Stunning Twist - The Surprise 1889
No 018 A Gentleman’s Choice - Ayres Handicap 1885
No 019 First Signature Racquet - Slazenger Renshaw 1885
No 020 Slazenger Renshaw - From Square to Round 1886
No 021 Slazenger Renshaw - From Round to Flat 1889
No 022 The Fish-Tail Innovation - Slazenger Demon 1888
No 023 A Woven Memory - Ayres F H Ltd. 1884
No 024 A Wooden Giant - Wright & Ditson Longwood 1895
No 025 The Virgin Queen - Steidel’s Memorial to Queen Victoria 1901
No 026 Brit Precision, German Exclusivity - Ormond Club 1896
No 027 The Wooden Ghost- Ashes of a Childhood Racquet 1896
No 028 Slazenger Renshaw - From Flat to Oval 1899
No 029 Brand Without Borders - Ormond Challenge 1898
No 030 Built for Durability - Bussey Champion 1898
No 031 The Salisbury/South Wiltshire Sports Club Racquet 1895
No 032 Revolution in Grip Design - Jefferies Fantail 1893
No 033 History Etched in Patina - London Match 1895
No 034 Gradidge of Woolwich - Redefining the Grip 1895
No 035 Innovation with a Tail - Slazenger Demon 1893
No 036 A Touch of Extra - Slazenger Special Demon 1895
No 037 Elegance meets Accuracy - Slazenger Special Demon 1898
No 038 The Ultimate Refinement - Slazenger Demon 1899
No 039 The Mermaid Brand - Ekert Club 1895
No 040 Checkered Craftsmanship - Victor Comet No. 354 1902
No 041 Time-tested - Bussey Special Champion 1902
No 042 Inspired by the Iron Lady - Williams Paris 1909
No 043 Untouched Court Supplier Edition - Steidel Practice 1900
No 044 A Pastime that lasted - Slazenger Pastime 1905
No 045 Red-Tipped Treble Beauty - Williams Favourite 1908
No 046 The Ghost in the Strings - Ormond Favorite 1904
No 047 Slazenger Renshaw - From Oval to Elongated 1907
No 048 Legendary hands & grip - Slazenger Doherty 1900
No 049 A Decade of Tennis Dominance - Slazenger Doherty 1899
No 050 Unique by design - Slazenger Ubique 1906
No 051 From Small Hands to Big Courts 1900
No 052 Symbol of Women’s Tennis Heritage - Ortrud 1901
No 053 Tribute to E.G. Meers - Slazenger EGM Special 1900
No 054 Shaped and Strung to Challenge - Slazenger Demon 1905
No 055 Ahead of Its Time. Layer by Layer - Bryn Mawr 1905
No 056 Crowned in Gold - Ormond Harlington 1906
No 057 Grace under Pressure - Slazenger Carlton 1913
No 058 A Champ’s Tribute - Slazenger Lambert Chambers 1913
No 059 Power in the Shadow - Slazenger Eclipse 1913
No 060 Made to settle the Score - Slazenger Special Score 1914
No 061 Quiet elegance with an imperial echo - Mikado II 1911
No 062 A name that stood for itself - The Bancroft 1913
No 063 Strength in Solid Wood - Club 1918
No 064 First Chapter of a German Icon - Hammer Special 1914
No 065 Precision in Every Curve - A.R. Dawson Champion 1912
No 066 A Favorite Before Fame - Ashland Favorite 1917
No 067 Red. Green. Timeless - Halley Opresto 1922
No 068 Velocity turned visible - Hammer Meteor 1920
No 069 First in Name. First in Class - Bancroft Premier 1923
No 070 Beauty in Blue - Wright & Ditson Park 1928
No 071 Berlin’s Own Favourite - Steidel Club 1923
No 072 Strike from the Orbit - Hammer Meteor 1926
No 073 The Beginner’s Choice - Wilson Popular 1927
No 074 King - Pakistan’s Tribute to George V 1928
No 075 Revolution in Metal - Dayton Steel 1922
No 076 Heart of a Gamechanger - Wright & Ditson X-Pert 1928
No 077 Innovation in Every String - S.B. Special Strung 1924
No 078 Stretched over the Limit - Darsonval No. 9 1928
Chapter IV The Classical Wooden Racquet Era | 1930 - 1980
No 079 The Legend’s First Edition - Dunlop Maxply 1932
No 080 The 50th Anniversary Racquet - Dunlop Maxply 1972
No 081 German Precision - Hoppe Dresden 1935
No 082 The Laminated Blueprint - Dunlop Corinthian 1932
No 083 30s Prime Coaches - Slazenger Perry & Maskell 1937
No 084 A Champ’s Racquet - Wilson Don Budge 1939
No 085 Relic of Hitler’s Olympic Illusion - Hammer Tauberperle 1936
No 086 Hazell’s Foundational Piece 1934
No 087 Code Blue. The Streamline Era Begins - Hazell’s Streamline Blue Star Release I 1935
No 088 Code Red. Stability Meets Style - Hazell’s Streamline Red Star 1935
No 089 Code Green. Smooth by Nature - Hazell’s Streamline Green Star 1936
No 090 The One in Shorts. The One in White - Hazell’s Streamline White Star 1937
No 091 Light Game. Blue Frame - Hazell’s Streamline Badminton Blue Star Mark I 1935
No 092 Fire in the Frame - Hazell’s Streamline Badminton Red Star Mark I 1935
No 093 The Blue Extension - Hazell’s Streamline Badminton Blue Star Mark II 1936
No 094 Built for Walls. Framed for Speed - Hazell’s Streamline Squash Red Star 1936
No 095 Legacy Refined - Hazell’s Streamline Blue Star Release II 1938
No 096 Young Hands. Full Streamline - Hazell’s Streamline Junior Blue Star 1939
No 097 The Girl’s Pick - Hazell’s Streamline Lady Blue Star 1939
No 098 The Wimbledon Frame. Bunny’s Choice 1938 - Hazell’s Streamline All White Star 1938
No 099 All White Match Ball - Hazell’s Light Blue Tennis Ball 1938
No 100 The Last Breath - Hazell’s Streamline Aqua Blue Star 1941
No 101 Post‑War Restart - Hammer Start 1948
No 102 Crafted for a Master - Heinrich Hammer Spezialmodell Hans Nuesslein 1949
No 103 From Amateur Icon to Professional Architect - Wilson Jack Kramer Autograph 1947
No 104 Germany´s Red Legend - Becker Rot-Weiss 1950
No 105 Germany´s Blue Legend - Becker’s Blau Weiss 1950
No 106 Seal the Set in Blue - Gray Russel Blue Seal 1954
No 107 Up to the Planet - Slazenger Jupiter 1956
No 108 The Legend - Erbach Rex 1958
No 109 A Talent Lost to WWII - Hammer Henner Henkel 1950
No 110 The Germans - Hammer 1950
No 111 Walls Decide the Angle - Grays of Cambridge Real Tennis 1950
No 112 Kramer´s Pro Pick - Wilson Stylist Tony Trabert 1967
No 113 A Legend Lost Too Soon - Wilson Stylist Maureen Connolly 1966
No 114 The Game’s True King - Wilson Billie Jean King Autograph 1971
No 115 El Toro de la Pampa - Head Vilas 1977
No 116 The Double Grand Slam Champ - Snauwaert La Grande Rod Laver 1971
No 117 The Wimbledon Champ - Wilson Stan Smith Autograph 1971
No 118 Custom Line for BJK - Bancroft Billie Jean King Personal 1975
No 119 Queen of Baseline Control - Wilson Chris Evert Autograph 1976
No 120 New‑York Night Tennis - Snauwaert Vitas Gerulaitis Autograph 1980
No 121 Jan’s Luxury Tool - Snauwaert Jan Kodes de luxe 1975
No 122 Rosewall Touch, Newcombe Fire, Court Command - Slazenger Challenge No. I 1974
No 123 The Human Backboard - Garcia Harold Solomon Autograph 1975
No 124 Last Woody on Centre Court - Dunlop Maxply McEnroe 1982
No 125 Roland‑Garros Rhythm - Le Coq Sportif Yannick Noah Cesciendo 1981
No 126 First Fire Breathing Dragon - Spalding Pancho Gonzales 1981
No 127 The Last Stroke of Wood - Grays Light Blue 1985
No 128 The Class Gentleman - Snauwaert Brian Gottfried 1980
No 129 The Magician - Adidas Nastase Pro 1983
No 130 Nasty - Adidas Ilie Nastase 1981
No 131 The Bucharest Buffon - Adidas Nastase Competition 1983
No 132 The Last Breath Wood - Le Coq Sportif Concept 3 Oversize 1983
No 133 A French Blueprint - Le Coq Sportif Concept 1983
No 134 Little Hands. Big Courts - Adidas Kid, Cadet, Kid Sport Goofy, Junior ads 010 1980
No 135 Ice‑Cold Patterns - Donnay Borg Pro 1977
No 136 American Tour Benchmark - Wilson Jack Kramer Pro Staff 1980
No 137 Cambridge Walls. Davis Mark - Grays Wayne Davis Autograph Real Tennis 1988
No 138 Farewell to an Icon - The Last Dunlop Maxply 1989
Chapter V The Revolution: Injection Molding and its Children | 1982
No 139 The Revolution - Dunlop Injection Molding 1982
No 140 Herzogenaurach’s Silent Force - Adidas NTP 90 C 1990
No 141 Connors’ Next‑Gen Step - Slazenger Panther Pro Ceramic 1987
No 142 Baseline Algebra - Adidas GTX Mid Ivan Lendl 1985
No 143 Roots of Ivan Lendl - Kneissl White Star Pro 1982
No 144 Clean Beam. Clean Titles - Kneissl White Star Masters 1982
No 145 Lendl’s Path to Roland‑Garros Glory - Adidas GTX Pro 1984
No 146 Otto’s Masterpiece - Adidas Delta Club Otto Dobrounig 1987
No 147 Centre‑Court Steady - Wimbledon Stabilizer 1988
No 148 Edberg’s Weapon - Wilson Pro Staff Classic 6.1 1990
No 149 Pistol Pete’s Trademark - Wilson Pro Staff 85 1995
No 150 Power Behind Monica Seles’ Rise - Yonex RQ-380 1990
No 151 Little Hands. True Lines - Adidas Delta Club Junior 1988
No 152 Ivan’s Prime Tool - Adidas GTX Mid-T 1985
No 153 Isometric Enters the Tour - Yonex R-23 1984
No 154 The Seven-Sided Pioneer by Bosworth - Fox Graphite WB-210 1986
No 155 Boom-Boom Champ - Puma Boris Becker World Champion 1996
No 156 First Three Stripes for Lendl - Adidas GTX Pro-T 1985 | Tennis History
No 157 First Fully‑Graphite Slam Champion - Pro Kennex Black Ace 1980
No 158 Wood’s Last ATP Echo - Snauwaert Graphite Mid Miloslav Mecir 1989
No 159 Martina’s Switch to Innovation - Yonex R-07 1982| Tennis History
No 160 Țiriac’s Masterpiece - Puma Boris Becker Topstar 1988 | Tennis History
No 161 Hidden for 35 Years. Now Unve+M157:M179iled - Adidas Hammer Series 1991
Chapter VI Iconic Inventions of the 20s century | 1920 - 2000
Steely Inspirations
No 162 Revolution in Metal - Dayton Steel 1922
No 163 René’s Vision - Lacoste Steel 1964
No 164 Steely Power for Jimmy Connors – Wilson T2000 1967
Stringing Technology
No 165 Bergelin’s Revolutionary Technology - Asics Touch #1 EZE 1985
No 166 A Drive into Tennis - Carrera Autobahnen 1988
No 167 Austria’s Micro‑Stringing System - Head Comp Radial 1988
No 168 Double-Strung - Blackburne 1998
No 169 Maximum Spin. Maximum Thickness - Snauwaert Hi-Ten 30 1986
No 170 Maximum Spin. Maximum Thickness - Snauwaert Hi-Ten 50 1986
No 171 Twin‑Rail Control - Voelkl World Cup Tandem 1984
No 172 Oblique String Geometry - Hilton Javelin Diagonal 1980
No 173 As Unpredictable as John - Dunlop McEnroe Mad Raq 1993
No 174 Italy’s Micro Stringing System - Franco Cesari 1987
No 175 The Double Line Racquet - Kuebler Plus 60 1979
No 176 Diagonal & Cross–Mixed Pattern - Kuebler Plus 60 1979
No 177 Kevlar Nerve. Diagonal Bite - Voelkl Servo Aramid Diagonal 1981
No 178 Fan-out Stringing Pattern - Sports Innovations 1984
No 179 Double-Stringing Pattern - Inter Tennis 1982
No 180 The Spaghetti Lady - Davis Lady Elite 1977
No 181 Spaghetti Release II - Kuebler W. Fischer 1976
No 182 Dunlop’s Spaghetti Syndicate 7 - Dunlop Maxply 1977
Advanced Weight Stabilizing Systems
No 183 Swing-Optimised Granule Core - The Rassel Racquet 1978
No 184 Metal Plates Weight Boosters - Lendl GTX Pro-T 1985
No 185 Liquid Weight for Dynamic Balance - Dynaspot 1993
Shaft and Throat Geometry
No 186 Endorsed by Wally Masur - Emrik Autograph 1988
No 187 Yoke in Two - Winsport Boron 1985
No 188 The Rooster Above the Bars - Le Coq Sportif Signature Design 1983
No 189 Mastering Vibration Control - Adidas Contender 95 1991
No 190 The Brilliant Frame - Topway Diamond 1990
No 191 First Computer-Designed Frame - Snauwaert Ellipse Force C 1990
No 192 Crafted with McEnroe’s Expertise - Snauwaert Ellipse Touch 1990
No 193 Vibration Absorbing System - Rossignol F280 1987
No 194 The Giant - Rossignol F300 Carbon 1981
No 195 The Aviation-Inspired Racquet - Major Nazka 1988
No 196 Set-Point Crossbar - Rucanor Set-Point 1986
No 197 Big Brother - Wilson Sting 1980
No 198 Teardrop Precision - Wilson Sting 1985
No 199 Shock Suppression with Sensathane - Spalding Ellyp-Tech 1986
No 200 From Hand to Void - Chris New Tech 1988
Special Frame Profiles
No 201 Re‑Tensionable String System - Bergelin Longstring 1985
No 202 First Oversize Frame - Prince Classic 110 1976
No 203 The Tennis Shoe - Head Director 1983
No 204 The Pear-Shaped Frame - Princeton Durbin 1978
No 205 First Edition - Snauwaert Ergonom RI 1982
No 206 Second Edition - Snauwaert Ergonom RII 1983
No 207 A Design Born from the King of Snakes - Le Coq Python 1978
No 208 The Banana Handle - NeoXXline ET280 2015
No 209 Seven-Sided Powerhouse - Fox Graphite WB-215 1988
No 210 First Step in Fischer’s Tennis Journey - Fischer Matchmaker 1974
No 211 The Oversize Woody - Snauwaert Mid-XL 1981
No 212 Teardrop‑Shaped - Kuebler Philipps More 1979
No 213 Fischer’s Signature Design - Powerwood 1980
No 214 Strikes and Looks Like Its Namesake - Bancroft Scorpion 1978
No 215 The Snowshoe - Head Specter 1980
No 216 Designed for Battle - Epstein 69 Warrior 1986
No 217 Le Coq Sportif Mini Cadet Noah Open 1982
No 218 A Well-Rounded Innovation - Topway 1989
Higher Than Standard
No 219 The 82.28 cam Genesis of the Giant - Gamma 1985
No 220 Lendl’s 82 cm of Reach - Adidas Mid‑T 1986
No 221 77 cm with Intention - Adidas NTP 105 C 1989
No 222 Siegfried’s 70 cm Stretch - Kuebler Wide Body Light 1992
Custom-Length Designs
No 223 Boris First Signature Frame - Puma Boris Becker Winner 1985
No 224 Classic with a Secret Screw - Donnay Apollo 1987
Further Notable Designs
No 225 First Metal‑Composite Fusion - Head Arthur Ashe Competition 1975
No 226 Victory Tool with Spaghetti - Head Arthur Ashe Competition II 1975
No 227 Giant from Bodensee - Kuebler Big Point 125 1993
No 228 Bosworth’s Seven-Sided Vision - Fox Ceramic WB-210 1989
No 229 Pioneering Resonance Technology - Kuebler R50 1985
No 230 Formed from One Piece of Graphite - Pro Group Tony Trabert C-6 1975
No 231 Faster Than the Ball - Kuebler Wide Body 280 Hz 1993
No 232 Global Contender - Kneissl World Star Comp 1976
No 233 Bertone’s Boarding Piece - Pirelli Technort Statos & B1 1988
Chapter VII Gear from the Greats | 1980 - today
No 234 Boris Becker - Estusa Advantech 1992
No 235 Boris Becker - Puma Boris Becker Super 1989
No 236 Stefan Edberg - Adidas Edberg Pro 1986
No 237 Stefanie Graf - Dunlop Max 200G Pro 1985
No 238 Stefanie Graf - Wilson Pro Staff Classic Light 1995
No 249 Pete Sampras - Wilson Pro Staff Midsize 85 1995
No 240 Andre Agassi - Head Radical Tour 260 1995
No 241 Andre Agassi - Head Radical Tour Twintube 1996
No 242 Patrick Kuehnen - Fischer Pro MS Vacuum 1990
No 243 Michael Stich - Fischer Vacuum Midsize Pro 1990
No 244 Michael Stich - Fischer Vacuum Pro 1991
No 245 Thomas Muster - Head Pro Tour 630 1995
No 246 Ivan Lendl - Adidas GTX Pro-T 1985
No 247 Alexander Zverev - Head Gravity Tour 2021
No 248 Novak Djokovic - Head Speed Pro 2021
No 249 Roger Federer - Wilson Pro Staff 2018
Chapter VIII History Features | 1500 - today
First and Last to ...
No 250 History Features - The First Racquet to …
No 251 History Features - The Last Racquet to ...
No 252 History Features - The First Tennis Balls
No 253 History Features - First Sticks of Related Games
Talk of the Town
No 254 History Features - Wingfield Racquet of the Tennis Founder
No 255 History Features - The Renshaw Rush
No 256 History Features - Slazenger's Fishes Demon
No 257 History Features - The Doherty Era
No 258 History Features - Wilson Sporting Goods: Rise of a Market Leader
No 259 History Features - The Maxply Legacy
No 260 History Features - Hazell's Streamline Family Reunion
No 261 History Features - Jack Kramer: Architect of Professional
No 262 History Features - The Germans
No 263 History Features - Wilson T2000
No 264 History Features - The Battle of the Sexes
No 265 History Features - The Class of Adidas
No 266 History Features - Năstase's Spaghetti Coup
No 267 History Features - The Drama of Wimbledon 1980
No 268 History Features - The Ergonom | Tennis History
No 269 History Features - Le Coq Sportif Concept Series
No 270 History Features - Boris Becker: Youngest Wimbledon Champion
No 271 History Features - The Lendl Legacy
No 272 History Features - Bertone’s Vision
No 273 History Features - Adidas Hammer: The Last Unveiled Game