Andy Murray has endorsed the HEAD Radical series for a long time. But what is actually Andy Murray’s racquet?
Andy Murray’s Racquet
Andy Murray has advertised the Head Radical
series for many years, sort of as the successor to André Agassi. Little do most people know that he actually plays with a 20-year-old racquet in a different string pattern, namely the legendary Head Pro Tour 630 made popular by Thomas Muster and Gustavo Kuerten. I did play with the Head Pro Tour 630 myself for a while, but wanted a 16×19 string pattern and finding a so-called pro stock racquet of Murray’s mold is close to impossible and very expensive.
You can find the product Andy endorses, like Andy Murray’s racquet at Tennis Only, Tennis Warehouse Europe and Tennis Warehouse.
But luckily my friend has one of Andy Murray’s actual racquets and here are the specs.
Specs
Here are the specs of Andy Murray’s tennis racquet:
Specifications ANDY MURRAY PT57A PRO STOCK
Head size: 95 sq. in. / 613 sq. cm.
Length: 27 in. / 68.6 cm.
Strung weight: 12.4 oz. / 353 gr.
Strung balance: 332 mm
Stiffness: 58
Grip size: L3 (4 3/8)
Grip type: Karakal PU Super Grip + Overgrip
String pattern: 16 Mains / 19 Crosses
Silicone: Yes
Lead: Yes
Pro stock code: Head PT57A
Pro stock code printed in throat: No
Pro player name printed in throat: Yes
Sticker player code in throat: Yes
The specs and pic below are from the website prostocktennis.com where you can actually buy Andy Murray’s actual racquet! Check out Andy Murray’s racquet here.
(If you’re interested in what racquets other ATP pros actually use…read this article about the tennis racquets of the ATP professionals).
And here’s a video I shot at Monte Carlo of Andy Murray playing some PT57A-inspired tennis.
Andy Murray’s Racquet – HEAD Pro Tour 630
The Head Pro Tour 630 (280 is the name of the US release of this racquet) has been hailed as one of the best racquets ever made by racquet experts/fans and is still played by quite a few players on the ATP world tour. Such as Murray, Simon, Cuevas, Haas and quite a few more. In pro stock tennis racquet lingo it’s called a PT57A.
Is the PT 630 or PT57A really as good as they say? Well, if you’re looking for an arm-friendly and great feeling racquet with an emphasis of control over power and spin – look no further. Most of the modern racquet technologies cannot really stand up to this beautiful blend of Twaron and graphite. It’s old school but still up to scratch (and in many cases beyond) with all the marketing hype of today’s current sticks.
Will it change your game immeasurably to the better? Nah, no racquet will do that. But it might save your elbow and wrist from a stiff thick-beamed Babolat or Wilson racquet and that’s worth a lot, right?
So if you have the chance to playtest a Head Pro Tour 630 or Head PT57A – do it, it might not make your game any better (practice is the best way to do that), but it sure is a nice and very comfortable ride. If you’re interested in other advice around buying a tennis racquet, check out the links and posts below.
Racquet buying guides
Here is a great racquet buying guide to get you started.
What tennis racquet should I buy?
Top tennis racquets to buy right now
The Gear of the Year 2016
Tennis racquets for juniors
Tennis racquets for kids
9 comments
Interesting and informative articles. My adult son and I are users of old school head racquets – Prestiges, including a made in US model, Bumblebees, Zebras, etc. I just bought a pt57e – I think. Is there a difference between a true pt57e and the general Intelligence mid plus; specifically flex. I see you have some in your collection. Don
Hi Don,
Thanks for your feedback. Great choice in racquets!
As far as I know the Head PT57E is the pro stock version of the Head iPrestige MP, this is the same mould as the PT57A (Head Pro Tour 630 or 280), but stiffer, around 63 strung (66 unstrung). You get a little bit more power, but lose some feel from the generous flex. If you have a pro stock version, it means that the racquet is lighter (300g unstrung approx) to allow for lead tape customization and silicone in the handle. It will definitely give you more room to tailor your racquet to your taste. When I used the PT630, I had a couple really heavy ones and so would have preferred a PT57A instead.
The flex can vary a bit between different PT57A/PT57E and really ALL different racquets. If you buy two brand new racquets you might get one with RA 68 and one with RA 66, it’s the nature of the racquet making business.
To get back to your question, if you’re fine with the weight of the Head iPrestige MP, you might as well that racquet, than the PT57E unless it has a custom layup with different flex (some pro’s get customized layups, but not many), but if you like to customize your racquet and would like one that swings lighter – the PT57E is your best bet.
Personally, I prefer owning retail racquets, because they’re cheaper and that’s usually where the pro, using that particular model in some form, started.
Thanks for reading and stay old school. Cheers / Jonas
Hi Jonas!
It absolutely blows my mind how Andy Murray and Tommy Haas (among others) can blast serves 120 mph+ with the PT57A. Right now I have two Head Candycanes that I’ve been playing with and I’m hitting the wimpiest serves I’ve ever hit. But the control is unsurpassed!
I’ve done some research and have found that both Murray and Haas weight their sticks up and have a balance around 3-4 points head light. Maybe I will try a full bed of poly and some weight in the hoop of my Candycanes.
I’m still hoping that one day, the average player will have access to a sweet PT57A with a 16×19 pattern. PT57A’s are hard enough to come by in my grip size (4 5/8 – 5) as it is!
Hi,
I would say the Candycane Radical Tour is one of the most low-powered racquets I’ve ever hit. Keep in mind that it’s the PT57B and for me it’s even more low-powered than the PT57A. Yes, you definitely need some weight in the hoop on that stick to open up some power. I would rather do a hybrid or multifilament in that racquet since it’s low-powered enough. Never tested a PT57A in 16×19 – would really love to do it.
Cheers / J
Hi Do you know what kind of overgrip does Andy Murray use? I noticed that many pro players kinda use the same kind of blue and purple colour overgrips. Thanks!
Hi Richard, he and many other pros use Tourna Grip. It’s very tacky and great if you sweat a lot. HEAD has a version of it as well. Cheers / J
hi, sicn eyou tried both of them, how does it compare to the 2013 tecnifibre ltd 16×19? cheers, Giovanni
Hi,
The Tfight Ltd 2013 is a good stick, but it’s not as solid in feel as the HEAD Pro Tour in my opinion. Still, a very nice racquet that will give you room to customize with weight. Cheers / J
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