I have been alerted to several videos on Instagram of the ATP player Marcos Giron testing the Yonex Percept. Will he make the switch?

Marcos Giron testing the Yonex Percept

Marcos Giron has played the Yonex VCORE 95 for a number of years and is currently ranked 64 in the world. Recently he made a switch to Yonex Poly Tour Pro strings, which man pros use, but this might be a bigger change for the American player. The Yonex Percept is the new line of Yonex control racquets, replacing the VCORE Pro. We have a first impressions video of the Yonex Percept racquets on our YouTube channel, but this coming week we start more intense testing of the new racquets. There seems to have been an issue getting the 97D and 100D models, but they should be available in October.

You can check out the different Yonex Percept racquets at Tennis Warehouse.

So is Giron testing the Percept, and which model? Sometimes companies want to move a player over to an ambassador of another line, so it could be his old VCORE 95 painted as the Yonex Percept, but Yonex seem less keen on these types of things than other brands.

I will reach out to Karue and see if I can get some insider information on this potential switch. I am curious to see how a change from, for example, a VCORE 95 to a Percept 97 (customized) can have on his game.

Have you tried the new Yonex Percept racquets and what do you think about them?

The US Open 2023 has started with some interesting results. There are also some things to note about the US Open racquets.

US Open Racquets

I have two observations so far about US Open racquets for the 2023 edition. More will come in, I am sure. Don’t hesitate to reach out via Instagram or contact us if you have seen something noteworthy. If you want to contribute to Tennisnerd with some writing, that is also possible.

Let us start with Frances Tiafoe’s racquet.

Tiafoe is back to his old VCORE Pro

We can start by noting that the cosmetic of a racquet makes a difference for the pro players. One case is Frances Tiafoe, who has returned to using his old VCORE Pro-painted racquets instead of the new Percept cosmetic. Why is this? It is hard to know unless you talk to Frances, but there could be numerous reasons. If you want to check out the new Yonex Percept racquets, you can do so from our friends at Tennis Warehouse.

1. He prefers the feel of the used racquets. The graphite breaks down after a while, and racquets get softer. This is why Del Potro did not want to play with a new batch of racquets and used his K-Factor design until they were ready to be thrown into the bin. If he got a new batch of racquets, they would be stiffer and not “broken in,” which changes the feel drastically. In the end, I think Wilson strung up the racquets loads of times (which also adds wear to the racquets) to ensure that Del Potro could play with them.

Sadly, the story about Del Potro was more about injuries than racquets in the end, but at least it relates to the situation with Tiafoe.

2. Something about the cosmetic adjusts the way the racquets play. A color changes how a string performs but can also impact how the racquet plays. He did use the Percept cosmetic during the tournaments leading up to the event but has now switched back to his old racquets. Something is bothering him, and we can only speculate what.

3. The cosmetic itself bothers him. Maybe he just prefers the old design. This is unlikely since he is “obligated” in a way to play with the new design, but it could be something superstitious.

Let me know your thoughts about Tiafoe playing with a VCORE Pro instead of the Percept design.

Tsitsipas’s new strings

I have done several videos and posts about Stefanos Tsitsipas’s string setup. I have also talked to him extensively about it. It’s not easy finding a string setup that works for you, and once you start trying new things, it can be difficult to settle. He has been experimenting for a while, but for the US Open, he uses a full bed of Alu Power (like his brother Petros).

He has always been a fan and user of Luxilon 4G, either in a full bed or a hybrid, so we will see if this change can be positive for him. His straight-sets win over Milos Raonic in the first round is a good sign of things to come.

Shelton’s new string setup

Ben Shelton has also been spotted using a new string setup. He has been experimenting with strings for a while now, as we have mentioned in previous mixed bag videos. He is now using a black string in the mains. My best guess for what it is? Yonex Poly Tour Strike, a more controlled option than Poly Tour Pro, which he puts in the crosses. Maybe this combo is excellent. Let me know if the comments if you have tried it.

Those are all the observations at the US Open for now. Thanks to you who sent your spots over Instagram. Both Lidor Almasi and Phillip Lam noticed the Shelton strings, for example.

I love that I have many fellow tennis nerds out there. So big thanks to you who sent pro player string tensions from Halle 2023. But what can we learn?

Pro Player String Tensions from Halle

These pictures are not super easy to read due to glare, but let me comment on the most interesting stuff.

Pro player string tension sheet 1

I have noticed many players drop their tension on the grass. That seems counter-intuitive, right? You would need more control and therefore you would increase tension. But there is a lot more block/touch/feel on grass, and lower tensions will help with ball pocketing, feel and getting some extra power on serve. On clay courts, you can swing like a mad man, but on grass, you don’t have time for that, so you need the equipment to help you a little bit more.

Karatsev is usually around 24 kg on the clay for example. Sonego tends to be about 20 kg with his Alu Power Soft but has now dropped below that. Medvedev is kind of like Rafa in a way that he doesn’t like to mess with his equipment too much. Sinner is another player like that who always seems to stay at 28 kg, no matter what.

Hugo Gaston‘s gut/alu hybrid at 21 kg is interesting. 21 kg gut! That will be a powerful setup, but he is a touch player, so it makes some sense.

Pro player string tension sheet 2

Look at Carballes Baena’s 29 kg for his Luxilon Original. Wow. He is a clay-courter with big swings, but that surprised me. Luxilon Original is a softer string than for example 4G, though. And another clay courter that likes that one is Jarry. And Bautista Agut who seems to have dropped his tension in his Six One 95, though. Is Rublev not using Adrenaline anymore? I thought he was…

Altmaier is one of few Yonex players that don’t use Yonex strings and stay with 4G and gut.

Melo’s 17.5 kg makes me smile, but recently I heard Mannarino string 9 kg, so anything is possible these days!

The big takeaway is that players on average seem to drop their tensions a bit on the grass, but that, like with everything, it depends on their swing style and personal taste.

What string and tension do you use?

I got some questions about the 16-year-old tennis sensation, Mirra Andreeva’s racquet. So let’s get into it.

Mirra Andreeva’s racquet

Mirra Andreeva is one to watch. She is in the third round of Wimbledon at the time of writing. She has a record of 61-12 in matches and, at age 16 has already won six ITF titles. Does this mean she will be an automatic number one in the world in a few years? No, it depends on so many factors, but at the moment, she is the most exciting up-and-coming player on the WTA Tour.

I had a conversation with Christoper Clarey a while back, where he talked about so many female players using the Wilson Blade. This is in part correct because there are players that use the actual Blade like Aryna Sabalenka, for example. But many players that use what looks like a Blade, play with a popular pro stock racquet on the WTA Tour, the Wilson Steam 100 BLX mold.

There are many players using this racquet, but to mention a few superstars we have Emma Raducanu, Paula Badosa and Beatrice Haddad Maia.

This is also Mirra Andreeva’s racquet.

Why is this pro stock racquet mold so popular?

Well, as a pro player getting signed to a particular brand, there are not a million options unless you already have a frame that they can’t paint to look like the latest cosmetic. Wilson offer a bunch of pro stock molds to their players, but there are many retail racquet options you don’t see often or at all on the pro tours like the Clash or Shift, for example.

Many players use a Blade pro stock or a so-called H22 or Blade Pro. There are of course different versions of the Pro Staff 97 too, Dimitrov uses on style of Pro Staff with an 18×17 string pattern and Ons Jabeur uses a regular 97 customized to her specs. The H22 is more popular among men as the swing weight is higher. The Steam 100 BLX is a more powerful, Pure Drive-style racquet and that is why we see it frequently on the WTA Tour. The way you can tell on this particular model is that the four center mains have a white grommet strip.

Strings and customization

The pic above might not clearly show it, but the white grommets are there, so the mold is the Steam 100 BLX. Mirra also has four strips of lead tape at 12’o clock on the racquet face. And she strings her racquets with a full bed of Luxilon 4G (could be 4G Soft). We see many Blade players use 4G in some combination. It is one of Luxilon/Wilson’s best strings, but it’s a firm one so some players feel the need to hybrid the string with natural gut to create a softer feel. We see that with Alex De Minaur, Grigor Dimitrov, and Stefanos Tsitsipas (although recently, he has been going back to a full bed of 4G again).

I don’t know Mirra Andreeva’s racquet specs or string tension, so if you do, let me know in the comments or via Instagram.

No matter what gear she uses, she is an exciting player to watch with loads of potential to become a star on the WTA tour. Time will tell.

I have added some pro player racquet specs that are not yet on Tennisnerd. Thiago Seiboth Wild, Botic van de Zandschulp and Arthur Fils.

Pro Player Racquet Specs

Pro players are like you and me in the way that their racquet preferences can be wildly different. Not all pros play with ultra-heavy racquets. It depends on their swing style, physique, play style, and what they like from their equipment. If you are struggling for the right racquet for your game, you can check out the resources in the Tennisnerd store, like the consultation, e-book and course.

Botic van de Zandschulp’s racquet

Van de Zandschulp is the current Dutch number one. He has been ranked as high as 22 in the world, but is still chasing that elusive first ATP title.

Botic plays with a Pure Aero 2019 with the following specs (thanks to Prostringing for sharing):

These specs are pretty humane and something an advanced club player could use.

Artur Fils’ Racquet

Arthur Fils turns 19 this year (2023) but has already won an ATP title. He has an explosive game and is predicted to do big things on the ATP tour. He uses the same racquet model as Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune, the Babolat Pure Aero VS. His racquet is customized to 340 grams strung (info from Jfernandes on TW forums that owns his racquet). Swing weight and balance remain unknown for now, but he strings his racquet with Babolat RPM Blast at around 22/23 kg depending on the tournament and surface.

Thiago Seyboth Wild’s racquet

Seyboth Wild burst into fame at this year’s French Open when he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the first round. He is looked at as a great talent that has taken a little longer to develop compared to a player like Fils. He plays an even heavier spec of a racquet with his Wilson H22 pro stock (you can buy this mold as a Wilson Blade Pro). Thanks to Raquetes E Cia for publishing the specifications on their Instagram account. Strung with Luxilon 4G, his racquets are: 364 grams, 32.4 cm balance, and 358 swing weight.

There you have three pro player specs, one relatively light (Botic), one towards the middle (Fils), and one heavy (Wild). It gives you an illustration of how personal these things are, also for the professional players.