Tennis Racquet Stiffness and String Tension Effects on Rebound Velocity and Angle for an Oblique Impact

Abstract

The rebound angle and velocity of tennis balls impacting a tennis racquet were measured from photographic images during an oblique impact. Tennis balls were projected at three velocities toward a clamped racquet simulating three levels of stiffness and strung at three string tensions. A Kruskal-Wallis ANOV A revealed significant (p<O.OI) differences between levels of string tension and levels of racquet stiffness for both apparent coefficient of restitution for an oblique impact and rebound angle to the normal. It was noted that racquet parameters generating greater rebound velocities produced rebound angles closer to the normal.