Notched, slotted grommet for sports racquet

Abstract

A sports racquet includes grommet members anchoring the strings in at least the central regions of the string bed which include grommet pegs which have grommet holes that, in cross-section, are elongated in a direction perpendicular to the string bed, and preferably include notches at their distal end. The slotted grommets and notches allow the strings to deflect, in a direction perpendicular to the string bed, upon ball impact. The strings are anchored only outside of the frame proper, and their effective string length is thus substantially increased. Preferably, the grommet members include a concave lip to act as a string guide, adjacent the grommet hole entrance to prevent string movement as it enters the slot. Preferably, the sidewalls of the grommet holes are spaced slightly farther apart than the width of the string so that the string can deflect freely upon ball impact with the string bed. The string hugs one of sidewalls, however, so that vibrations are damped after the ball has left the string bed.