Aluminium and graphite swept away the wooden racquet that Bjorn Borg used to win 11 Grand Slam titles, but smart racquets that analyse power and spin promise a new tennis revolution.

One such intelligent racquet is already on sale in the United States and will be launched in Europe in May.

The Babolat Play will cost 399 euros ($A614.46), about twice the price of a classic tennis racquet.

Eric Babolat, head of the French company that developed the racquet — which retains the traditional shape — said “it is like Star Wars is coming to tennis.”

Sensors inside the handle record the power of a stroke, the impact of the ball on the racquet strings, the kind of stroke, the spin and game time and send the information to a smartphone, computer or other device.

Babolat, whose company is one of the oldest tennis equipment makers in the world having made the first animal gut strings in 1875, is convinced that within 10 years all racquets will be equipped this way.

The Babolat Play’s basic design is an updated version of a racquet produced by the Lyon company already used by Chinese women’s star Li Na.

The new racquet only looks different because it has a blue diode light at the bottom of the handle which flashes when the sensors are turned on.

The rechargeable racquet can be linked to a computer, tablet or smartphone with a cable or by wifi.

The application will, for instance, tell you how many balls were hit cleanly and how many were sliced.

Maybe not all players will welcome publicising their slice ratio. Babolat plans, however, to launch a social media application that allows players to compare their success rate and set challenges.

“It could be useful for an amateur, but also for a star such as Rafael Nadal,” said Babolat’s communications director Thomas Otton.

“Maybe Nadal gets some information from courtside cameras but what happens when the ball hits the face of the racquet has remained a secret.”

Nadal and French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga tested the racquets at a demonstration event. But Babolat is still waiting for a player to use one in competition.

It has been accepted by the men’s Association of Tour Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) since January 1.