Cambridge University Press &
Assessment
978-1-009-45473-5 — IELTS 19 Academic Student's
Book with Answers with Audio
with Resource Bank
Excerpt
More
Information
www.cambridge.org
© in this web service Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Test 1
16
R E A D I N G
R E A D I N G P A S S A G E 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on
Questions 1313
, which are based on Reading
Passage 1 below.
How tennis rackets have changed
In 2016, the British professional tennis player Andy Murray was ranked as the world9s number
one. It was an incredible achievement by any standard 3 made even more remarkable by the
fact that he did this during a period considered to be one of the strongest in the sport9s history,
competing against the likes of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, to name just a
few. Yet
ove years previously, he had been regarded as a talented outsider who entered but never
won the major tournaments.
Of the changes that account for this transformation, one was visible and widely publicised: in
2011, Murray invited former number one player Ivan Lendl onto his coaching team 3 a valuable
addition that had a visible impact on the player9s playing style. Another change was so subtle
as to pass more or less unnoticed. Like many players, Murray has long preferred a racket
that consists of two types of string: one for the mains (verticals) and another for the crosses
(horizontals). While he continued to use natural string in the crosses, in 2012 he switched
to a synthetic string for the mains. A small change, perhaps, but its
importance should not
be underestimated.
The modiocation that Murray made is just one of a number of options available to players
looking to tweak their rackets in order to improve their games. 8Touring professionals have their
rackets customised to their specioc needs,9 says Colin Triplow, a UK-based professional racket
stringer. 8It9s a highly important part of performance maximisation.9 Consequently, the specioc
rackets used by the world9s elite are not actually readily available to the public; rather, each
racket is individually made to suit the player who uses it. Take the US professional tennis players
Mike and Bob Bryan, for example: 8We9re very particular with our racket speciocations,9 they
say. 8All our rackets are sent
from our manufacturer to Tampa, Florida, where our frames go
through a . . . thorough customisation process.9 They explain how they have adjusted not
only racket length, but even experimented with different kinds of paint. The rackets they use
now weigh more than the average model and also have a denser string pattern (i.e. more crosses
and mains).
The primary reason for these modiocations is simple: as the line between winning and losing
becomes thinner and thinner, even these slight changes become more and more important. As a
result, players and their teams are becoming increasingly creative with the modiocations to their
rackets as they look to maximise their competitive advantage.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment
978-1-009-45473-5 — IELTS 19 Academic Student's Book with Answers with Audio
with Resource Bank
Excerpt
More Information
www.cambridge.org
© in this web service Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Reading
17
Racket modiocations mainly date back to the 1970s, when the amateur German tennis player
Werner Fischer started playing with the so-called spaghetti-strung racket. It created a string bed
that generated so much topspin that it was quickly banned by the International Tennis Federation.
However, within a decade or two, racket modiocation became a regularity. Today it is, in many
ways, an aspect of the game that is equal in signiocance to nutrition or training.
Modiocations can be divided into two categories: those to the string bed and those to the racket
frame. The former is far more common than the latter: the choice of the strings and the tension
with which they are installed is something that nearly all professional players experiment with.
They will continually change it depending on various factors
including the court surface, climatic
conditions, and game styles. Some will even change it depending on how they feel at the time.
At one time, all tennis rackets were strung with natural gut made from the outer layer of sheep or
cow intestines. This all changed in the early 1990s with the development of synthetic strings that
were cheaper and more durable. They are made from three materials: nylon (relatively durable
and affordable), Kevlar (too stiff to be used alone) or co-polyester (polyester combined with
additives that enhance its performance). Even so, many professional players continue to use a
8hybrid set-up9, where a combination of both synthetic and natural strings are used.
Of the synthetics, co-polyester is by far the most widely used. It9s a perfect ot for the style of
tennis
now played, where players tend to battle it out from the back of the court rather than
coming to the net. Studies indicate that the average spin from a co-polyester string is 25% greater
than that from natural string or other synthetics. In a sense, the development of co-polyester
strings has revolutionised the game.
However, many players go beyond these basic adjustments to the strings and make changes
to the racket frame itself. For example, much of the serving power of US professional player
Pete Sampras was attributed to the addition of four to ove lead weights onto his rackets, and
today many professionals have the weight adjusted during the manufacturing process.
Other changes to the frame involve the handle. Players have individual preferences for the
shape of the handle and some will have the handle of one racket
moulded onto the frame of
a different racket. Other players make different changes. The professional Portuguese player
Gonçalo Oliveira replaced the original grips of his rackets with something thinner because they
had previously felt uncomfortable to hold.
Racket customisation and modiocation have pushed the standards of the game to greater levels
that few could have anticipated in the days of natural strings and heavy, wooden frames, and it9s
exciting to see what further developments there will be in the future.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment
978-1-009-45473-5 — IELTS 19 Academic Student's Book with Answers with Audio
with Resource Bank
Excerpt
More Information
www.cambridge.org
© in this web service Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Test 1
18
Questions 137
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1–7 on your answer sheet, write
