Skip to content
Insporta Book
en
EnglishРусскийDeutschEspañolEestiSuomiItalianoFrançaisPolski日本語한국어中文
FootballCricketFutsalTriathlonTennisGolfFigure SkatingBasketballMethodologyWhy it worksTake a test

Tennis · Level 9: Master · Sub-level 9.4

The Evolution of Equipment and the Rules

4 tests · 40 facts · updated 13 October 2026 · markdown

How the tools and the rules of tennis changed: wood to metal and graphite rackets, the tiebreak, yellow balls and new strings, and the surfaces and technology of the majors.

Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.

Test 1From wood to graphiteTake a test

  1. Wood dominated until metal and then graphite took over in the 1970s and 80s.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  2. The steel T2000 became famous in the hands of Jimmy Connors.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  3. Head, who had made metal skis, patented the oversized racket in 1976.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  4. A larger head forgave mishits, which helped club players most.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  5. Noah's 1983 Roland Garros title is widely cited as the last major won with wood; graphite frames took over at the top level soon after.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  6. Light, stiff graphite composites became the standard.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  7. Faster swings meant more power and spin.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  8. Wood, then metal in the late 1960s and 70s, then graphite in the 1980s.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  9. 1967, 1976 and 1983.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  10. The oversized racket had a much larger head than the old wooden frames.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · applied

Test 2The tiebreakTake a test

  1. Van Alen, of Newport, promoted the tiebreak to shorten long sets.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  2. The 1970 US Open was the first major to use it.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  3. The first player to five points won, even at 4-4 in points.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  4. Long advantage sets made matches unpredictable in length.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  5. Wimbledon brought it in at eight games all, and moved it to 6-6 in 1979.

    Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships · recall

  6. Since 2022 all four majors use the same final-set tiebreak.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  7. Before 2022 each major settled final sets in its own way.

    Source: General tennis history references (ITF history, International Tennis Hall of Fame) · recall

  8. 1970, 1971 and 2022.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  9. It began at 8-8 in 1971, moved to 6-6 in 1979, and the 10-point final-set rule came in 2022.

    Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships · recall

  10. A red flag went up whenever a set reached 6-6 and the tiebreak began.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · applied

Test 3Balls and stringsTake a test

  1. Research showed optic yellow stood out better on TV.

    Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com) · recall

  2. Wimbledon switched to yellow balls in 1986.

    Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships · recall

  3. Most balls are optic yellow; white is also allowed.

    Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com) · recall

  4. Attenborough, as a BBC controller, is said to have pushed for a more visible ball.

    Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships · recall

  5. Kuerten's polyester strings let him swing hard with lots of topspin.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  6. Polyester grips the ball and adds spin, so big swings stay in.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  7. Grass stains made white balls hard to follow, especially on TV.

    Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships · recall

  8. Gut came first, synthetic nylon later, and polyester spread from the late 1990s.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  9. 1972, 1986 and 1997.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages · recall

  10. Wimbledon kept white balls until 1986.

    Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships · applied

Test 4Surfaces and technologyTake a test

  1. The US Championships were played on grass from 1881 to 1974.

    Source: Grand Slam tournament histories (usopen.org, ausopen.com, wimbledon.com) · recall

  2. The US Open switched to clay at Forest Hills for three years.

    Source: Grand Slam tournament histories (usopen.org, ausopen.com, wimbledon.com) · recall

  3. The new National Tennis Center was built with hard courts.

    Source: Grand Slam tournament histories (usopen.org, ausopen.com, wimbledon.com) · recall

  4. The move to Melbourne Park brought hard courts in 1988.

    Source: Grand Slam tournament histories (usopen.org, ausopen.com, wimbledon.com) · recall

  5. Pure ryegrass made the courts more hard-wearing.

    Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships · recall

  6. Players could challenge calls with Hawk-Eye at the 2006 Nasdaq-100 Open.

    Source: ATP Tour and Tennis Majors, Open Era history · recall

  7. The US Open used the challenge system later in 2006.

    Source: ATP Tour and Tennis Majors, Open Era history · recall

  8. Grass until 1974, clay 1975-77 and hard courts from 1978.

    Source: Grand Slam tournament histories (usopen.org, ausopen.com, wimbledon.com) · recall

  9. 1978, 1988 and 2006.

    Source: Grand Slam tournament histories (usopen.org, ausopen.com, wimbledon.com) · recall

  10. The clay years were a short three-year spell between grass and hard courts.

    Source: Grand Slam tournament histories (usopen.org, ausopen.com, wimbledon.com) · applied

Sources

ITF history, International Tennis Hall of Fame, the Grand Slam tournaments' own histories, Davis Cup, Olympedia and ATP. Original questions authored, nothing reproduced.

  • International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages21
  • Wimbledon, history of The Championships7
  • Grand Slam tournament histories (usopen.org, ausopen.com, wimbledon.com)7
  • ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com)2
  • ATP Tour and Tennis Majors, Open Era history2
  • General tennis history references (ITF history, International Tennis Hall of Fame)1