Forward rotation imparted to a ball, causing it to dip downward in flight and bounce higher and faster upon landing. Common in tennis, ping pong, and other racquet sports.
Compound of 'top' (Old English 'topp') and 'spin' (Old English 'spinnan' meaning to draw out fibers). The physics principle was understood by the 1870s, but heavy topspin didn't dominate tennis until the 1970s-80s.
Topspin revolutionized tennis by allowing players to hit harder while keeping the ball in play - the Magnus effect makes the ball curve downward, so players can swing faster without hitting long, creating today's power-baseline game!
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