Definition of tennis racket

The word "tennis racket" has its origins in the evolution of the game itself. The sport, originally called "lawn tennis," was first played in England in the mid-19th century. The earliest version of the racket, affectionately known as the "lass," consisted of a simple perforated flat mask made of paddle-shaped rigging stretched across wooden hoops. After several years of developing the game, the new equipment became more specialized, and in the 1870s, racket frames began to evolve. They were shaped like a "kidney-shaped" serving dish, which later lent itself to the nickname "mine's bigger than yours" for players seeking an edge. In 1884, during a match in Worple, England, the game got a breakthrough when two Frisby's shuttlecocks broke during play. The players used croquet mallets to play the game instead of rackets, and the resemblance between tennis and croquet paved the way for the new name for the game: "sponge tennis." Players started using hand-mitred nettle racket handles, and in 1883, Alfred C. Hill designed the modern racket using solid ash, covered with cowhide and lined with cat gut. The term "tennis racket" began to surface after the sport's name changed to simply "tennis." Today, the term "tennis racket," a combination of the sport and its equipment, is commonly used, representing the modern version of the game's origin, which is now played with a complex and sophisticated racket.