Topsheet Spin

An informal term used to describe how spin is produced by a rubber with a very tacky or grippy topsheet. These topsheets are usually attached to hard sponge, which means that the ball does not sink very far into the sponge on contact, thus minimising the amount that the topsheet can wrap around the ball. As a result, more of the spin is produced by the stickiness of the topsheet, rather than the wrapping effect of the ball sinking into the sponge.

Rubbers that use softer sponges and less grippy topsheets are said to produce more mechanical spin rather than topsheet spin.