A simple, one-dimensional, rigid-body model of a tennis racket interacting with a tennis ball agrees well with data taken when balls are fired at a stationary, free racket. The results are then transformed into the tennis court frame of reference, where the racket is moving. Data obtained on the rotational aspects of a tennis swing are then included in the model. For ground strokes, the results are used to predict strategies that will reduce unforced errors by players. The serve is then analyzed with respect to the current problem of the speed of the game. This paper is the third of a series of papers on tennis by this author. The two previous papers were “Physics of the Tennis Racket” [Am. J. Phys. 47, 482 (1979)] and “Physics of the Tennis Racket. II. The Sweet Spot” [Am. J. Phys. 49, 816 (1981)].

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© 1997 American Association of Physics Teachers.
1997
American Association of Physics Teachers
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