Can you play with classic racquets?

Hi Antonio, I’m not sure what frame Head produce currently that is like the 57/candy/zebre/PT630. Yes, there are 18/20 models…..I guess the closest thing I can think of is the Grapheme 360+ Prestige MP 98 18/20 2020 model. I heard some good things about this frame.
I know plenty of people who love the Head Speed and Extreme Tour frames.
You mention some true classic frames there! 85/95/PC600….
Max 200g sort of the generation before in terms of shaft V design, but a classic non the less.
Charlie hit with some 90sq inch frames, Wilson, Head and Dunlop and I’d be lying if I said he didn’t hit well with them. The ball still came with plenty on it.
But no…..no, no, no…..lol.
Definitely need to work harder for sure!

Oh Yeah, Popyrin!! That’s some great knowledge and also great to see that there is a wide variety of RA frames out there with some lower flex ratings too.
I have tried the Yonex VCore Pro, but at the time preferred the VCore 95…..the Prince Phantom line is certainly reminiscent of some older feeling frames.
Some really great modern frames out there, for sure!
Do you still use the 6.0 95’s or have you moved to something else as a favourite?
Thanks Antonio.

It sounds like braided graphite is your thing indeed! Yes, the Slazenger Henman….the ‘in between 6.1’…
N.6.1 quite a few people are after that and feel Wilson should have put the nCode 6.1 as the Pro Labs version….I’ve no opinion as I’ve not tried them.
Wilson still braid with Kevlar in the new PS97…..also Angell do a range of braided frames
I think Paul Angell was the tech engineer for Dunlop Slaz when they made the Pro Braided. Good frames! Lovely for volleys

The Pro Braided is a cool racquet but a bit too light, and stiff.
The one I have (the harlequin version) bought it a few years ago in a very bad shape, scuffed bumper guard, lots of mistreat marks, but I got her for 15€ or so, replaced the bumper guard with pro staff 6.1 spares (the PB is a 6.1 clone) – a bit of hair drier heat and they fit ok, restrung it, two overgrips, but the racquet weighted 328 grams only. That’s a toy in my book – my 6.0 95’s weights around 347 grams or so.
Some lead work is what it takes. I went with 6 grams at the top of the handle, and 4 grams at 3 and 9. Kept the head-light balance, and turn it to a bit more stable racquet. So, now the racquet has 338 grams, very head-light balance, but plays more solid., specially on off-center shots, or handling pace.
Recently I added a bit more lead from a leftover at 12 (under 2 grams), so she’s now close to 340 grams
It’s stiff racquet ( my elbow feels funny if I play more than 30 minutes with it), and a spin machine.
Not that good at volleys (compared with the 6.1 classic it’s a joke), but very fast through the air (the 6.1 classic has a problem for me, it’s very sluggish, this one is the opposite, very fast moving frame), but the stiffness combined with the light balance makes it a spin machine.
Not really my coup of tea, but sometimes if things are going south I make the top spin move

Well, I like 340 to 360 grams with head-light balance. I can handle the PS 85 because it’s very head-light, I hit with it for 10 minutes yesterday, that thing is demanding has hell, very easy to shank shots if you’re feet mlazy

From all 6.1’s I tried or had, my favorite is the classic in 16×18. I have the HPS, and the N-Code, both 18×20, I hit a couple of shots with the black/red BLX, and I played for 2 years with the N-Code 16×19 (and prior to that, the classic too)
My PB has Wilson 6.1 grommets, just needed a bit of hair drier and they fit ok. Henman played with 6.1 classic before signing with Slazenger, and they built a 6.1 clone for him, just like Rusedsky’s Donnay, and according to some rumors, Medvedev’s Tecnifibre.

I’m hunting for a similar to my 6.0’s, yet more forgiving 98 sq.i. for off days, and tried or bought a couple ones (PS 97, Diablo MP, Dunlop AG 300, Blades…)
Closest thing I tried was the PS 97S 2nd. generation, Boxed bead, braided graphite, neutral balance begging or a bit of weight, the 18×17 thing didn’t bother much. They are hard to find for a fair condition and price

Yes, I play this game since early 80’s, started with a Snawaert woodie, and played with lots of different racquets since. I’m also a small scale collector of 80 and 90’s graphites, have around 40 racquets, and with a couple exceptions, I have no racquets built after 2000 (and the only one I hit regularly is is my Aerogel 300 Tour 4d).
I settled with PS 6.0 95 late 90’s, I traded my first one for 6.1 classics, than had a small period with Fischer (Pro nr 1 and Pro Extreme), than N-6.1, than I had serious tennis elbow and got N-Blades (which I hated) and finally got my first 6.0 back from the guy I sold too. Since than every time I find one in fair condition I try to snag it. I had a total 12 6.0 95’s, cracked 3 of them (offered them to fellow collectors after taking the grommets, they are very rare and expensive), I have about 7 or 8 now, and a few sets of new grommets I ordered from USA (those were expensive…)

I believe Thiem used the 6.1 Team, and not RF but Dimitrov was a PC 600 mid user before Wilson (and a couple of years ago he almost went back to Head. He now plays an RF with a custom 18×17 string pattern painted as the regular 97)

Paul Angel was a Dunlop designer who created the Max 200, I thing the Aerogel 200/300 series were the last models he created for Dunlop, than he open Vantage with other guy, I finally went on his own. Never tried any Angel, but all I read is good stuff about his racquets.
I didn’t knew he was PB “father” (and probabily Dunlop pro stock option 2c, the racquet Tommy Robredo played with, and another 6. clone)

I forgot the “?”, sorry

PS 95 BLX is 16×19, 6.0 95 is 16×18, they also have different beam width. Nothing fits there

6.0 95 is a bigger version of the PS mid, as they called back than – there’s also two oversize versions of this racquet, you can google it, one with 110 sq.i. the other 125 sq.i – check here https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/wilson-pro-staff-0-125-pristine-24106783
St Vincent’s is 85 sq.i. too, the 88 you mean is the KPS developed by Sampras. I have one of those, beautiful racquet, but too beefy form my taste.

Wilson quality control is a disgrace, all my 6.0 95 have different weights and balances, I always have to do a bit of lead job to overcome that issue

I have had and still have some Wilson Tour 90 variant types of frames and, for example, I had 4 but using lead etc I could only match 3 of them and even then they weren’t really matched.

One was so much heavier that there was just no way.

I put them all through an X ray machine to see inside the frames to see what was going on and a couple of them surprised me with what I assume we’re strips of metal or lead higher up on the pin shaft handle, that’s not unusual, Fed I believe has this on his custom RF frames, which are not identical to the RF retail frames in finished spec (mold is same but RF97 is like saying PT57)…..

What bothered me was whoever applied the strips at manufacturing level hadn’t even bothered to make them the same length, or even apply them in a straight line.

I’ve heard stories on another forum of people recieving Pro Labs frames that are 15g away from the quoted weight, but I speak without prejudice on that one as I have not had any myself. My own personal frames were the end of the line for me with that brand, if I were to ever use them again I’d literally be weighing and checking balances etc in the outlet before I purchased. But, that goes for any other manufacturer these days really too if buying multiple frames.
I’ve been VERY fortunate to have either the support of a brand who sent matched frames, or a pro shop who made the phone call to get sequential numbered frames/matched.

But even now those days are probably gone and in truth I was quite lucky.

Also I’m crap at tennis so it doesn’t matter really. Give me a cheap racket and I’d still be about as good lol.

It just annoys me, you pay for what you see and expect to get what you pay for.

Don’t forget the Belgium made ones, built by Donnay, and latter launched has a Donnay model without PWS blocks, called Pro Cynetic 1, played by Mr Sampras himself on his teens days

Finally, I got you, lol
Just watch this exo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH1EnooIkdU
On 1988, very young Sampras/Chang vs the Mcenroe Bros
Sampras is playing with a Donnay PC1. The story is Donnay built PS 6.0 mid in Europe under contract, and kept the formula once that contract was over. Once the deal was over they produced a copy without the PWS blocks called PC 1. Same racquet, no PWS, braided graphite/kevlar 85 sq.i. frame formula. Some say the PC1 feels better, I don’t know …

Lol, learn something new every day.
I knew that line of frames existed, moving on from the Borg wooden frames to the wood/graphite composites, the CTC and then GTX Graphite Borg frames that Borg never really used as he retired.
I knew they were very very good frames and I’ve also read sometimes preferred to PS85 types.
After all, when I was a kid my first ever coach had either a Donnay 825i or more likely the PC1 (very similar paint jobs)….
And my first proper adult frame aged about 12 was the Donnay Pro Ceramic 1 thing that was from exactly the same mold but probably lighter, and light blue.
What’s interesting is that means the mold possibly pre-dates the Wilson PS85.

I had no idea that Sampras used a Donnay PC1 but it’s there to see alright, even lists it on the screen.

No idea regs Belgian PS made frames, or the Donnay link.

I have held Schnauwert copies of the PS85, many years ago.

I mean, we never really know who/which company made which frame or mold. There are Schnauwert McEnroe 200g frames, Kneissl Becker type frames etc etc….

The Wilson Profile was actually a licenced design from Kuebler, a German company who pioneered the wide body frames.

Certain Babolats are allegedly Pro Kennex old Destiny molds.

Much is made of how a Wilson H22 basically stemmed from an evolution of the PT113/Djoko frame originally, and the Blade…..and the H19 stemmed from the PT57 desire, as did certain Dunlop molds, also the P10 molds….

But, essentially I wonder just how many ‘modern’ frames are either using a mold from the past or hybridising hoop and shaft molds of the past to form a ‘new’ frame.

I mean, none of it will essentially help me be a better player, and the game has changed a lot since V shafts opened out wider etc.

But I sure did love that original Donnay. There is an ‘as new’ one sitting looking at me on my screen right now. I’m getting an itchy thumb over the ‘buy’ button…..

You got me.

Lots and lots I don’t know, for sure.

Thanks Antonio

N.B, I was never a great player. Lol

Yeah I hear you, Prince and ‘new’ Donnay aren’t easy to come by testing wise here in the UK, nor Pro Kennex….
There have been a few Prince frames I adored, and quite a lot I didn’t get on with….
Prince Graphite Original or remake matte version 107/110 oversize is just a lovely lovely frame even if you are used to small headed frames. I was never too fond of the small headed version. A guy at the club has the 100sq inch version, but the OG Oversize is really the golden frame of the lot for me.
I hear good things about the Textreme95 frames with some weight added. And the Phantoms.
Rackets are so personal, when you click with one….you kind of stick with it or very near to.
Lots of variety available these days, online at least anyway
I saw a photo of Sampras using the Borg Donnay wooden frame!!!!! No idea if it was photoshopped, recent ISH photo.

Legend

Wilson K Factor Six.One 95
Limited Edition
Lighter version 315g.

Item found.

They DID make this frame. My memory was correct I knew I’d tried one once for a few mins.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/356577575764716/?ref=facebook_story_share