The purpose of this paper is to review and reflect on the developments and directions of racket sport science over the last half century or so. It is not a review in the conventional scientific sense—this would be too large an undertaking—but a personal view, the reflection of a career in sports science and of a contributor to racket sport science. I divide the evolution of racket sport science into three phases but there are no firm dates which delineate them. The first phase is that in which racket sport science was evident as an interest to scientists, where many important issues were addressed, and where the underpinning methodology and the opportunities offered by technological developments were explored. The second phase is that to which I have had most direct personal experience. From an early career in sport science, through the First World Congress of Science and Racket Sports, to the necessary end point of every career, this phase has witnessed a tremendous growth in racket sport science. The third phase is that of recent years where the International Governing Federations have become actively involved in using and promoting racket sport science. This has influenced the quantity, and in particular the quality, of racket sports science to the extent that it is now possible to support special issues of journals dedicated solely to racket sport science. The reflection on the evolution of racket sport science presented here is through the eyes of a sport scientist whose main area of interest in the field of biomechanics. I have not restricted this paper to just that field however, as racket sport science is truly multidisciplinary. It does mean though that some of the scientific areas discussed will take a more overarching rather than a detailed view. It also means that there will be an imbalance in the way scientific fields of endeavour are dealt with. Inevitably some of the important fields of study that underpin racket sport science are omitted. Not because of their lack of importance, but due to my lack of knowledge and experience in these fields.
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