Just like everything in life, tennis, too, has evolved. The measurements of the tennis court are probably the only thing that have remained constant over the past half-century, everything else has undergone a massive metamorphosis. From Margaret Court to Serena Williams and from Rod Laver to Roger Federer, the world of tennis has been in a constant flux.

1) Open Era versus Pre-Open Era:

In 1968, the Open Era was formed in tennis meaning that professionals were also allowed to compete in what have become “open” tournaments. Prior to 1968, only amateurs would be invited to participate, meaning that the field was limited and exclusive to those who had access. The Open Era guaranteed that every tennis player was given the right to pursue tennis as a career and as a living.

2) Surface Homogeneity versus Surface Heterogeneity:

Get this: The US Open was played on grass till 1974 before switching to clay for three years and ultimately sticking with hard from 1978 to the present day. The Australian Open was played on grass till 1987 before switching to hard in 1988 and never looked back. If you look up the calendars from 30 years ago, you’ll find such great versatility of surfaces: hard, clay, grass and indoor carpet. Nowadays, tennis is mostly played on hard courts with the spring / summer section of the tour providing a respite on clay and grass. Indoor carpet was discontinued on the ATP in 2009 and the WTA uses it only for one international (smaller level) event in Quebec City.

3) Modern rackets versus Wooden rackets:

From the mid-1970s, racket manufacturers started introducing larger rackets with heads composed of aluminum and later graphite which are in use today and still rapidly evolving. The modern rackets allow for better reach and better contact point or rather “sweet spot”, an essential for great timing on the shots. The wooden rackets, in contrast, were a lot smaller and while they helped players develop all-around feel and precision, they didn’t allow for maximum power off the serve and groundstrokes.

4) Synthetic string versus Natural Gut:

Currently, players are happy with a nylon or polyester composition to their strings. It gives them more power, top spin and greater durability. The synthetic material is not affected by weather conditions: humidity, dry heat or rain. It also can be restrung without compromising its effectiveness. On the other hand, natural gut, which was used predominantly in the pre-Open Era, is a delicate stringing material that is affected by the weather conditions and doesn’t have the desired durability. It does, however, respond well to the shots in tennis that require great touch, an essential in the classical version of the game.

5) Power versus Finesse:

With the court surfaces getting slower, the modern player is trained to slug it out from the baseline trading blow for blow. The game has become one of power from the baseline, a game decided by huge returns off the serve and screaming forehand and backhand winners. Even players who possess a big serve are reluctant to approach the net knowing that they might get passed. Genuine serve-and-volleyers have become extinct. Up until the early 2000s, there were serve-and-volleyers and all-rounders who exhibited great shot-making in the forecourt and all-round improvisation which did make for great entertainment and satisfied different tastes.

6) 32 Seeds versus 16 Seeds:

In 2001, the governing bodies of the Grand Slams agreed to double the number of seeds at the majors from 16 to 32. Realizing the greater depth in the current modern game, the 32-seeding system gives the top players some breathing space in the first week. The top 8 seeds can only meet a seed from 25 to 32 in the third round of the tournament. That’s a far cry from pre-2001 when the number 17 player in the world would not be seeded and thus be prone to drawing the top-ranked player in the first round. While the 32-seed system lets top players live up to their projected late-slam clashes, the 16-seed system allowed for more intriguing early round clashes.

7) The ascent of singles tennis over doubles:

As you click on the “order of play” on any tournament website, you’ll notice that the center courts and the big secondary courts are allocated for the singles matches. It’s only in the finals weekend that doubles gets to be showcased. That certainly wasn’t the case in the 1970s and 1980s as all-time great Martina Navratilova would tell you that Centre Court at Wimbledon hosted matches from all disciplines in the first week of the Championships. 30, 40 years ago, equal attention was given to all disciplines. Perhaps, the schedule of play now is an emblem of how the world values singles over doubles aesthetically and financially.

8) Crop Tops and Sleeveless Shirts versus Long Dresses and Trousers:

A talking point heading into any chunk of the tennis season is the on-court fashion. Players are becoming more and more adventurous on that front with clothing sponsors pushing the envelope even more. Who can forget Serena Williams’ cat suit from the 2002 US Open or Rafael Nadal’s sleeveless shirts and long shorts from early on in his career? Colors are more and more vibrant with numerous prints and patterns. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, there was still this sense of gentility with the strict all-white dress code preferred by the players. The women would wear long dresses and the men would feel comfy in trousers and pullovers in wintry days.

9) Fan Engagement versus Inaccessibility:

Tournament organizers and directors are now keener than ever to produce a great tennis experience for the fans. Media access, with players having press conferences and doing autograph sessions, is becoming the norm. Practice sessions are streamed in select tournaments. In 2008, the WTA introduced the on-court coaching experiment where players can call their coaches (who wear mics) for a chat mid-set or after the set is over. In addition, fans are regularly being entertained by boxing-like introductions to the players, music on changeovers and autographed balls hit into the stands by the victor. Decades ago, players mostly kept to themselves because there wasn’t quite the media access—and quietude reigned supreme between points, games and sets.

10) Battle of the sexes - Equal Prize Money:

In 2007, Wimbledon finally agreed to pay women and men equal prize money for the first time, a culmination of the vision of WTA founder and 39-slam winner Billie Jean King. It is thanks to that vision that the likes of Williams and Maria Sharapova as well as numerous other players have earned millions of dollars in prize money. But things were far tougher for King and her contemporaries: they got in the 1970s less than half of what their male counterparts would receive. And while Williams and Co. live in a very marketable and cash rich world, King and her colleagues were struggling to find sponsors. But as King has said on the 40th anniversary of the WTA in 2013: “We’ve come a long way, baby”.

And as you sit glued to your TV watching a tennis match and following up on its happenings on social media, you do have to wonder: how radically different will tennis look like 30, 40 years from now? The ever-forward rolling machine of evolution doesn’t stop.