In short, it was found that:
1. Keeping a racket in a case and cleaning it is the most effective method for power and spin.
2. Cleaning a racket, but not keeping it in a case is the second most effective method for power and spin.
3. Keeping a racket in a case, but not cleaning it is the third most effective method for power and spin.
4. Not cleaning a racket, nor keeping it in a case is the second least effective method for power and spin.
5. Sunlight has a detrimental effect on the rubber for power and spin.
Dust was the main factor that affected the rubbers' performances in this test. Keeping a racket in a case simply kept the dust from settling on the surface while not in use, and cleaning the rubber simply removed the dust and exposed the parts of the rubber that grip the ball better. The dust reduces the contact area with the ball, and also covers up tacky parts of the rubber, thus reducing the friction coefficient of the rubber with the ball.
1. Keeping a racket in a case and cleaning it is the most effective method for power and spin.
2. Cleaning a racket, but not keeping it in a case is the second most effective method for power and spin.
3. Keeping a racket in a case, but not cleaning it is the third most effective method for power and spin.
4. Not cleaning a racket, nor keeping it in a case is the second least effective method for power and spin.
5. Sunlight has a detrimental effect on the rubber for power and spin.
Dust was the main factor that affected the rubbers' performances in this test. Keeping a racket in a case simply kept the dust from settling on the surface while not in use, and cleaning the rubber simply removed the dust and exposed the parts of the rubber that grip the ball better. The dust reduces the contact area with the ball, and also covers up tacky parts of the rubber, thus reducing the friction coefficient of the rubber with the ball.
Discussion (condensed):
The difference between rubbers on low level equipment is not as significant as it is with expensive equipment. After one week, there is only a small difference between keeping a racket in its case, cleaning it or doing neither. However, doing both is clearly very beneficial even over a short space of time. Cleaning a racket and keeping it in a case is the best method for preserving power by a significant margin. The difference between cleaning a racket and keeping it in a case is not significant (and likely would not be noticed during play) until at least six weeks have passed, when cleaning the racket preserves power better than keeping it in a case; a trend that would likely only become more significant over longer periods of time. Sunlight has an extreme effect on spin, especially compared to the already significant reduction in power and reduces spin very quickly. That being said, this method could be used as a way to intentionally reduce the spin of an anti-spin or pimples-out (although this is against the rules), as a further experiment. Figure 5 shows that after bout 8 weeks, the spin does not get any worse.
To see the full discussion, see the document on the Part 2 overview page.
To see the full discussion, see the document on the Part 2 overview page.