Wood vs Metal

For all you golfers out there. This is not about your beloved games equipment.
Get over yourselves.

I have the real wood vs metal comparison for you. That's right "Tennis anyone?

With the Australian Open tournament just having finished up (god, didn't we all know that Federer was going to win) It conjures up memories of a time when a man just needed a hunk of wood with some cat gut to get the job done. When a players talent not his equipment proved him a champion. Damn you technology... damn you! Thanks but no thanks for the 150 mph serve and slingshot rackets.

I remember 40 kids practicing together all with wood rackets at swim club, the whole family owned wood rackets and would never think of using some flimsy new fangled racket made of some metal stuff.
Using wood gets you scrapes and cracks on your racket, we wouldn't care, we'd just tape it up continue playing.

Besides wood had cool signatures on the rackets of all the greats like, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Bjorn Borg, Doris Hart and Jack Kramer to name few.

I have now in my collection 30 plus wooden rackets, my wife thinks I'm nuts & friends think its weird. I can't explain the attraction of the wood but maybe it just keeps me on memory lane. I can tell you Moms played with an Imperial brown racket, mine was a Pancho Gonzales model. My bro always played with a Bjorn Borg model. My sisters played with Evonne Goolagong models.
Pops never played with a wood one, but a T1000 Jimmy Connor model was more his style(metal, hhhrrummpphh!)

If you ever get the feeling to watch some real tennis with rallies more than 4 shots. Take a gander at some of the videos of the greats using their wood to make beautiful shots. The mastery of Martina, the passion of Ilie Nastase, and Roscoe Tanners head band(Roscoe,ha ha.. that's a funny name.)

Wood has a feel to it. You can connect with it, Like its part of you.
I cried when I broke my favorite racket.. Why? because it was "my" racket.

I can't get enough of these rackets, even started collecting the old wooden protective braces. All shapes and sizes to protect the string heads. I used to paint these brackets but now just like them... oh naturale.


So?, the sportfreak has a few broken strings....who doesn't?