One moment you feel like you’ve found the one – that special racquet that you want to stock up on and treasure forever. Then it suddenly “fails you” and a new one comes around…
As my loyal readers know I play-test and hit a lot of racquets in a year. This is kind of counter-productive to my own competitive tennis level. Although I’ve become accustomed to having a new racquet (or just with a new string or lead configuration) in my hand every now and then, it’s still a struggle at times when you’re playing a match to really feel comfortable about your shots.
I’ve been in Malta for a few days and I’ve been switching between two racquets mainly because for some reason I brought two: the Wilson Six One 95S
that I’m enjoying a great deal at the moment and the Wilson Ultra Tour which I was sure was my racquet soul mate for a while. But during my sessions here I’ve played really poor with the Ultra Tour. I don’t know if I’ve put too much lead on it or if it’s something else, but it just feels unwieldy somehow – like those two extra square inches (97) compared to my Six One 95S is throwing my timing off completely.
This is a quick clip from one of my sessions in Malta.
Is this just my head playing tricks on me or is it something else? On the other hand, I’m worried that the Six One 95S will bother my wrist and arm with its stiffness rating of 67 strung because if you put a too soft string in a spin-effect racquet you will lose durability and control. Does this mean it’s time to go back to the drawing board? Am I just simple a 95 sq-inch racquet guy? Maybe I should just wait for my next bunch of reviews and see if I find my personal holy grail there?
Talking about next bunch of reviews – coming up is a test of the new Wilson Pro Staff 97 CV
, two new TENX racquets (exciting new racquet company!) and Srixon Dunlop racquets when they’re launched in Europe. Of the latter I’m especially excited about the Kevin Anderson model, the Srixon Dunlop CX 2.0 Tour Ltd
 – which has gotten great reviews, has a 95 sq inch head, low stiffness rating and a 18×20 string pattern.
So perhaps best to relax until then and keep figuring out my ideal spec? Shouldn’t I know by now after hundreds of racquets? Well, as a racquetholic, the temptation to try something new is always around the corner so it’s not easy to resist all the interesting new racquets being launched every year. I’m happy that at least some racquet companies have realised the need for more player racquets.
Or maybe I should be upset because now the choice is greater than ever…
What racquet conundrum do you find yourself in? Do any of my thoughts here ring a bell? How can we remedy and move on to become better players? Please comment below!
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5 comments
Hello !
What about the Textreme 95 ? You seemed to really like it, how would it compare to the 2 you are playing with now ?
Also, have you ever tried the vcore sv 95 ? It’s a bit stiffer the Ultra Tour (65) but less than the 6.1 95s and good for spin. Maybe it would be something in between…
Hi Anthony,
The Prince Textreme 95 Tour is an excellent racquet and I really regret selling the four I had. I think it sits happily in the middle between the Ultra Tour and the Six One 95S. Low-powered with a more open pattern than the 18×20 Ultra but not crazy open like the Six One 95S.
I’d happily try the VCORE SV 95 with some lead tape on it, but I’d more keen on the Yonex VCORE 95D right now, but they’re quite hard to find.
Thanks for the tip! Enjoy your tennis / Jonas
Hi
I faced a close situation yesterday.
I was watching robin Haase and his pt10 magic wand all week. I, – a 16×19 /16×18 fan – , started to think that my grail stick was not a prostaff 95 flat beam 16×19, with which I’ve played my best tennis recently, but a dusty, stiff, painful, absurdly wrong balanced blade blx 93 18×20, with – like robin haase – full bed of poly. 23kg.
First of all, I felt like harry potter finding the perfect one. It felt precise, elegant with the small head-size, dry and pure at impact. Now, with the distance of the day after and the pain, I realise that it wasn’t exactly the case, to say the least. I had the worst slice backhand ever, a poor forhand, a mediocre roll-over back-hand, and a terrible serve. Just good drop shots.
Morality : sometime you want a new racquet to be the one instead of really looking for the perfect tool.
Hi Arthur,
Thanks for sharing your story! Agree about the Blade BLX – it wasn’t a great racquet in my opinion. The one after that was much better. Stick to your Pro Staff :)
Good luck and agree about your lesson! Cheers / J
Hi Jonas,
Thanks for your answer ! I’ll have to try the Prince Textreme 95, I currently play with a Tour Pro 98 and quite like it, but would love to try a smaller head-sized and slightly heavier racquet with that same flexible feeling.
I also want to try the VCORE Duel G 97 (and the PJ of this racquet is gorgeous…), heard great things about it and it might fit my game well :)
Cheers,
A