2002 Message to Garcia
How to Improve Tennis
By: John McEnroe
A return to wooden racquets would be a huge improvement for professional
tennis. The biggest change in the game in the last 25 years – the
replacement of wood by graphite – has been a bad one. I happen to think
that wooden racquets are beautiful aesthetically and purer for the game.
Look at baseball: kids start with aluminum bats in Little League, then move
on to graphite or Kevlar in college, and then – and only then – if they make
it to the majors, do they get to use those beautiful wooden bats that require
greater expertise for success. Why not do the same thing in tennis. I think
it looks great to have a little wand in your hand, instead of some ultra-
thick club big enough to kill somebody with. Wood to me has glamour. You
need strategy and technique. Tennis, these days, is sadly lacking all those
things.
By: John McEnroe
A return to wooden racquets would be a huge improvement for professional
tennis. The biggest change in the game in the last 25 years – the
replacement of wood by graphite – has been a bad one. I happen to think
that wooden racquets are beautiful aesthetically and purer for the game.
Look at baseball: kids start with aluminum bats in Little League, then move
on to graphite or Kevlar in college, and then – and only then – if they make
it to the majors, do they get to use those beautiful wooden bats that require
greater expertise for success. Why not do the same thing in tennis. I think
it looks great to have a little wand in your hand, instead of some ultra-
thick club big enough to kill somebody with. Wood to me has glamour. You
need strategy and technique. Tennis, these days, is sadly lacking all those
things.
