Rafael Nadal, for those who do not know, is a right-handed person. However, he plays tennis with his left hand. Such people who have the capability to use both their hands to equally good effect, are known as, again for those who do not know-ambidextrous.

Nadal also revealed that at a very young age he used to play a double-handed backhand as well as a doubled-handed forehand. There is a specific reason why lefties tend to be more difficult to play against. As the majority of the players play with their right hand, a good leftie makes them play at their weaker backhand. Additionally, they can serve wider from the deuce side of the tennis court.

The fact remains that a left-handed Rafael Nadal will go down as one of the greatest players in history. It is difficult to determine now if his left hand played any major role in that. However, many of his fans will agree that the fuel driving Rafa is his incredible passion and determination for the sport, not a specific angle created by his left arm.

Check this video https://youtu.be/WWKtA7dfEQQ

Source: https://www.essentiallysports.com

Have you ever heard “Battle of the Surfaces” ?

Yes, it was an epic exhibition match between Rafael Nadal the King of Clay faced off against Roger Federer the GOAT of Grass.

Organisers decided to splash $1.63m to construct the court and then the two tennis greats turned up on May 2 to play in the exhibition match.

Nadal won, because there was clay involved somewhere, and the home crowd probably made a difference too, It did go to a tiebreak, though, before the Spaniard closed out a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (12-10) win.

Watch this https://youtu.be/pKub5alR4BY

Source. Baseline.com

The strings of the tennis racket were made of cow and sheep guts in the past

Really?

Tennis rackets have undergone substantial changes over the years. In the year 1874, Major Walter C. Wingfield registered his patent in London for the rules and equipment of outdoor lawn tennis. That is one of the closest versions of the game that we play today. Rackets at this time were still made of wood and had strings that were made from the outer skin of sheep intestine called serosa.

After World War II, there was a shortage of sheep, which forced manufacturers to look for other materials. In addition, the spread of tennis to humid climates made natural gut even more difficult for players to work with because the material would deteriorate rapidly, which would increase the cost of both tennis rackets and replacement strings. After extensive experimentation, cow gut ended up being selected.

Cow gut was far more effective because only three cows were required to make the same amount of material as six sheep.

Today, natural gut strings are still available for more experienced and serious players looking to have a certain quality of tension on their tennis rackets; however, synthetic strings and hybrid strings have also become commonplace in the market.

Source: https://www.tennisreviewer.com

What string tension do you use? Write down below 👇🏼