Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has called for mandatory reductions in racket head sizes to refocus the sport on technique and precision rather than raw power.
The nine-time Wimbledon singles champion shared her views during media appearances at The Championships, where she works as a pundit.
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Equipment Changes and Parallels with Golf
Navratilova discussed the issue on The Big T Podcast and Tennis Channel, noting that modern rackets have oversized sweet spots that diminish traditional shot-making.
She revealed that PGA Tour star Rory McIlroy expressed a similar concern about golf equipment when they spoke inside the Royal Box at the All England Club.
Modern golf clubs have also grown larger and more forgiving, allowing players to maintain distance and accuracy on off-center strikes.
"If I was a tennis [inaudible] I would mandate smaller racket heads," said Navratilova.
She elaborated that shrinking the equipment would alter how players defend and construct points from the baseline.
"So there would be more emphasis on technique and it would make it more difficult to hit passing shots and you can still hit a volley, but you cannot just do this off balance hit it as hard as you can, technique would be more of a premium," said Navratilova.
The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion noted that golf faces an identical technological shift toward forgiveness over pure ball-striking ability.
"In fact, I talked to Rory McIlroy in my first Royal Box visit here and he said what would you do?
