Let us look into hidden gems. This refers to under-appreciated racquets, strings, shoes, etc. First, the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Plus.
Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Plus
I have hit a few times with a fellow tennis nerd visiting Marbella. His name is Juan Cristobal, and for the first hit, he brought the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 from 2017 (the dark blue one), his main racquet, and a Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Plus.
I have never hit with the 200 Plus before, but I liked Dunlop’s Biomimetic racquets overall. Juan told me the 200 Plus is a hidden gem. And after hitting with it for a few minutes, I just nodded my head in agreement.
It is a rare spec, especially for a racquet from 2009.
Specs
| Technical Specifications | ||
| Length | 27 inches | 69 centimeters |
| Head Size | 100 square inches | 645 square centimeters |
| Weight | 11.5 ounces | 326 grams |
| Balance Point | 13 inches
33 centimeters |
4 pts Head Light |
| Construction | 20mm Straight Beam | |
| Composition | HM6 Carbon / Aerogel | |
| String Pattern | 18 Mains / 20 Crosses |
| Babolat RDC Ratings | ||
| Score | Grade | |
| Flex Rating | 65 | Range: 0-100 |
| Swing Weight | 317 | Range: 200-400 |
The specs are from Tennis Warehouse.
How does it play?
The 200 Plus is plush in feel and offers excellent control with the thin beam and 18×20 string pattern. You get a little more on your shots thanks to the 100 sq inch head size, but it is more focused on control than power or spin.
This is one of those racquets that appeals to players who like control racquets, but need a bit more forgiveness than you get from your average Prestige or Pro Staff. But it does have a more traditional head shape than a Gravity, for example. The Gravity has a larger sweet spot, but I prefer the maneuverability and looks of the Prestige-style head shape.
I also find the 200 Plus to have an excellent feel. It’s not too flexible or stiff, just perfectly in the middle. It plays like a pro stock in that way.
A very nice racquet that I subsequently looked for online. I found one for 50 euros so that one joins the collection.
This brings me to another point.
You don’t need a brand-new racquet.
Racquets from 2023 are not necessarily better than 2010. However, I do feel like the average quality of racquets have improved. There are fewer bad ones these days. But the good ones from ten or even twenty years ago, compete with the best ones of today. So, if you can find a highly respected racquet in good condition, playing with it in today’s tennis should be more than okay, and you will save some money from buying a new one.
Do you have any hidden gems to recommend? Let me know in the comments!
1 comment
How does this compare to the angell react 99 mp pro? See the specs are quite similar. The biomimetic 200 plus was one of my favourite racquets. Using a rf97 rihht now, but getting in worse shape and want to go back to somwthing lighter. Thanks!