| Strings - Introduction |
The interlaced pattern of string makes contact with the ball and the frame acts as a vehicle to position this hitting surface at the required velocity and time.
During a typical serve the strings impact the ball with such force that both deform extensively, yet within 5 milliseconds (5 thousanths of a second) they both recover their original shape.
In fact, the collision is not perfectly elastic and some energy is lost in the process as heat and sound. Most of this energy is lost through deformation of the ball, because the strings are much more elastic. Looser strings deform the ball less so less energy is lost and exit ball velocity is increased.
In the 1920s, the average tension of the strings was 20 kgf (44 lbs). Nowadays the tension has increased to over 25 kgf (55 lbs), with some professionals using tensions approaching 35 kgf (77 lbs). Many of the older, wooden rackets warped under the load of the strings, but the strings themselves are also subject to creep and lose tension over time.
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