Today I hit with a cracked Babolat Pure Drive GT and it made me think of some key advice: don’t play with a broken racquet.
The session was fine, although the sensation when hitting didn’t feel a hundred percent right. On the other hand, I know a guy who hits well with his two cracked racquets (and has done for many years). Still, I would advise you to buy a new racquet if yours has a crack in it. It might lead to arm issues since the racquet will not perform as intended when the graphite has been compromised. This means: “do as I say, not as I do” because I did play with a broken racquet. But it was a one-off.
On another note, the Pure Drive GT 2009 is actually a pretty nice frame. Stiff, yes, but easy power and good control for a tweener. I can see why Marc Lopez likes this frame.
Tips for avoiding broken racquets
There are a few logical tips to avoid playing with a broken racquet.
- Take care of your racquets! Keep them in the bag and be gentle, don’t throw them in anger.
- Inspect your frames and see that they don’t have any fractures or crack. Hairline fractures can be playable, but in most cases, it’s better safe than sorry.
- If you buy a used racquet, make sure you ask if the frame has any damage and if you can see pictures of it. Some paint chips are to be expected if the frame has been used heavily, but cracks or fractures are a no-go.
- Don’t string the racquet above the listed tension (don’t string it high anyway). Stringing low is the way these days! I really recommend trying 50 lbs or lower.
Do you have any experience with broken racquets? Have you ever thrown a racquet into the ground? Share your story with us, fellow tennis nerds.
3 comments
Let me had these:
5- Use head guard tape, specially if your racquets are out of production frames, or (with the exception of Head) it will be almost impossible to find new sets, or the ones available costs almost the same as an used racquet.
This will prevent (to a certain degree) the chewing of the head guard to the graphite – this is very important on hard courts.
6- Don’t leave your racquets inside the car with hot weather. It’s not good for both strings and the racquet
Physics and Technology of tennis book is awesome! Thanks for the great video!
Hi,
I bought a used Babolat Pure Drive 2015 and have been using it for 9 month. Last week I found there was a crack on outside throat.
(Photo : https://apollo-singapore.akamaized.net/v1/files/y23v8eto26ea2-ID/image;s=1080×1080 ).
When hitting a ball with it, I did not experience any strong vibration / shock at all. Is it just a cosmetic (not structural) crack? Thank you.