Hazells Foundational Piece 1934
Streamline Master Pattern
Manuf.:
Model:
Spec.:
Year *:
Hazells
Streamline Master Pattern
Laminated wood
1934
*documented or estimated
Background facts:
This early production model of the Hazell’s Streamline represents one of the most daring departures from traditional racquet design in the interwar period. Patented by Frank W. Donisthorpe, the racquet’s distinctive triple-shaft structure embodied a radical aerodynamic vision at a time when tennis technology was still dominated by the classic wooden racquet design.
The British patent application was submitted on December 31, 1934, months before the racquet’s public release in 1935, demonstrating a strategic effort to secure intellectual property ahead of full-scale production. A corresponding U.S. patent followed on December 17, 1935, underscoring the inventor’s ambition to establish the design on both sides of the Atlantic.
The featured racquet is a patent-phase prototype, void of branding or cosmetic detailing, and provides rare insight into the material and technical considerations at the genesis of one of tennis history’s most iconic designs.
