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Small is the call

LONDON JULY 4. A group headed by former Wimbledon champions such as Martina Navratilova, Boris Becker and John McEnroe thinks rackets should be smaller.

An open letter to International Tennis Federation (ITF) president Francesco Ricci Bitti signed by 34 former players and journalists said the larger rackets made games `unbalanced and one-dimensional.'

They said the more powerful, wide-bodied rackets made players reluctant to come to the net and encouraged baseline tennis. They suggested the racket width be reduced from the present limit of 12.5 inches to 9 inches `perhaps in stages over four or five years.'

``The objective for all of us must be the restoration of variety in the playing styles of professional players so that baseliners, serve-volleyers and all-court players have an equal chance.

``Please do not ignore this suggestion which is made by responsible individuals, former players and journalists who are professional observers of our sport.''

Other well-known former players to sign included: Stan Smith, Pete Fleming, John Lloyd, Tom Okker, Ilie Nastase, Neale Fraser, Pat Cash, Fred Stolle, Sue Barker, Guillermo Vilas and Vijay Amritraj.

AP

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