Rackets

Rule 4 — Approval

Rackets approved for play must satisfy Appendix II. The ITF decides compliance or other approval of a racket or prototype, either on its own initiative or on an application from a genuinely interested party such as a player, manufacturer or national association. The ITF review and hearing procedures govern those decisions. SI units take precedence in Appendix II.

Appendix II(a–b) — Frame and hitting surface

A racket consists of a frame and strings. Its frame has a handle and head and may have a throat. The head is the part to which the strings connect; the handle is the part attached to the head that the player normally holds. A throat, if present, connects handle and head.

The hitting surface is the main strung area bounded by where the strings enter the head or touch the head, whichever gives the smaller area. It must be flat, with crossed strings that alternate over and under each other or are bonded at the crossings.

The string pattern must be generally uniform and must not be less dense in the centre than elsewhere. Design and stringing must give both faces identical playing characteristics. More than 1 string set on the hitting surface is not allowed, and strings on multiple planes do not satisfy the flat, generally uniform requirement.

Appendix II(c) — Maximum dimensions

• The whole racket may be no more than 73.7 cm (29.0 in) long and 31.7 cm (12.5 in) wide.
• The hitting surface may be no more than 39.4 cm (15.5 in) long, measured parallel to the handle's longitudinal axis.
• The hitting surface may be no more than 29.2 cm (11.5 in) wide, measured perpendicular to that axis.

Appendix II(d) — Attachments and energy sources

A racket must not have an attachment, projection or device that enables a material change to its shape, its moment of inertia around any principal axis, or another physical property affecting performance during a point.

Reasonably sized and placed attachments are allowed if approved as Player Analysis Technology, used to limit wear or vibration, or used on the frame only to distribute weight. A vibration dampener on the strings must sit outside the crossed-string pattern.

No built-in or attached energy source may change or affect playing characteristics. This prohibits a battery for that purpose, and likewise solar cells or similar devices.

Rule 4, Cases 4–5 — Broken strings and multiple rackets

If strings break accidentally during a point, the player may use that racket for a later point unless the event organiser specifically prohibits it. A player may not use more than 1 racket at any time during play.