Tension is an inevitable topic in tennis. In this context we naturally turn our attention to the tension of the net as suspended between the posts. This also brings us to the first official USTA comment that appears in the Friend at Court.
USTA Comment 1.1: Net cord tension. Adjusting net cord tension is recommended before the day’s first match and before each match. The ITF recommends net cord tension be between 1.8 kN and 2.0 kN with the tension of all nets at a facility within 0.1 kN of each other. This is approximately equivalent to a net tension between 400 and 450 pounds with the tension of all nets within 25 pounds of each other. Use a net tension device when available. When a device is not available, loosen the center strap, tighten the net cord until the center of the net is approximately 39 inches (991 mm) above the ground, and tighten the center strap until the center of the net is 36 inches (914mm) above the ground.
USTA, Friend at Court, 2019
Recall that USTA comments are clarifications on the ITF rules of tennis as previously discussed in “The ITF, USTA Overlord” post. These comments are only binding for USTA sanctioned events.
The word “tension” appears in the Friend at Court 6 times, all occurring within comment 1.1 provided above. I have never seen a USTA umpire check the net tension and I suspect that most facilities do not have a device for measuring it. I asked the USTA Official that I gave birth to about net tension, but she is now responding to all my inquiries with “Just take the USTA training, already.” 9 days into officially writing this blog and I have already exhausted her patience for my questions.
Net tension piques my interest in a couple of directions. First, how do I not routinely carry a socket wrench in my bag to adjust net tension. Second, what would a device to measure net tension even look like and how has the existence of this technology escaped my attention?
None of the three major online tennis equipment retailers seem to carry a tension measuring device. I did find an interesting article from ESPN published in 2012 about a device that was being used at the US Open, but that seems to be something that is permanently installed on the net. My electrical engineering brain grasps how tension is measured inline with the cable, but I am less certain if a reliable method of measuring tension externally is even feasible.
Such begins a new quest for me.
- United States Tennis Association (2019) Friend at Court. White Plains, NY
