Tennis racquet

Description:

A special edition wooden tennis racquet produced by Slazenger in 1937.  The wording on the racquet is a little difficult to make out in places now but on the shaft it originally said, “Specially made by Slazenger in consultation with Fred Perry World Champion and Dan Maskell Coach All England Lawn Tennis Club Wimbledon”. Fred Perry was the Men’s Wimbledon Champion in the years 1934, 1935 and 1936; the men’s title was not won again by another Briton until Andy Murray in 2013.

Although perhaps better remembered as a tennis commentator, Dan Maskell was a coach at Queen’s Club and coached the British Davis Cup team, as well as becoming British professional champion in 1928, a title he won another 15 times until 1951.  The other side of the racquet’s shaft also featured the wording, “READY!  ON YOUR TOES  CONCENTRATE  WATCH THE BALL  GET INTO POSITION  STROKE FIRMLY  FOLLOW THROUGH” – good advice to read when on court! Similarly, the different sides of the head were labelled, “forehand and service face” and “backhand face”.

The racquet is held in a wooden frame to prevent warping, this one being made by Dunlop, another well-known tennis manufacturer both at the time and today.