If you’ve been enjoying the tennis at Wimbledon over the past two weeks, chemistry probably didn’t cross your mind as you watched the players slogging the ball back and forth. However, a lot of science and honed materials go into both the rackets and balls used during each game, set and match. This graphic examines the key substances used and how they’ve changed over time.
References and further reading
- Materials and Tennis: Rackets – H Lammer & J Kotze, Head Sport AG (2004)
- Technological modernisation in tennis: A historical analysis of racket materials and ball design – S Singh and B C Kapri, International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health (2025)
- Advances in Composite Materials and String Technologies for Optimised Tennis Equipment Performance – A Danis, J Zhang and I I Kabir, Journal of Composites Science (2026)
- The 24-Step Manufacturing Process of a Wilson Tennis Ball: From Factory to Forehand – Sturdy Rackets (2026)
- Editorial: Of rackets and strings – M McCoy, C&EN (2023)
