Novak Djokovic has been endorsing the Head Speed model for years. But is that what he really plays with? This article covers Novak Djokovic’s Tennis Racquet.
Like in most cases with tennis professionals, what the player endorses and what he actually plays with are different things. This is also the case with Novak Djokovic’s tennis racquet. This doesn’t mean that amateurs will play much better using a so called pro stock tennis racquet but it does mean that in most cases the racquet companies are not being truthful to the customers. This is not new in any way and a lot of people know it, but the vast majority of people playing and enjoying tennis have no idea.
The racquets of the top players are often shrouded in mystery, but once in a while it ends up in the hands of a fan or a stringer who either sells it on a tennis forum (where the specs are then revealed) or eBay or decides to keep it for himself. But let’s get back to Novak Djokovic’s tennis racquet.
Novak Djokovic’s tennis racquet – Specs
Djokovic is playing with a model called something as sexy as PT113B. It’s based on an old model called Ti/iRadical from early 2000. This mold is very difficult to get a hold of.
[Pic from TT forum poster “NikeUp”.]
Here are the specs of Djokovic’s racquet:
Strung Weight: 359g (plenty of lead – see pic)
Strung balance: 32.8cm
Head size: 95 sq. inches
SW: 370
Flex: 60RA strung
Grip: 4 3/8, custom with side bevels extended making it more rectangular. Uses two overgrips over Head Calfskin. First overgrip wrapped with no overlapping, top overgrip normal.
Lead: placement all around the hoop, under the grommets then continues inside the hoop as shown on pictures.
Novak Djokovic’s Tennis Racquet – It’s not for everyone
Very few amateur players could comfortably play with a racquet that has a swing weight of 370 which means that it would have little value on the retail market and that’s why Djokovic “recommends” the Head Speed Pro
This is a video of me testing Novak Djokovic’s actual racquet.
So this is just the name of the game. Most recreational players will do fine with a retail racquet and need not worry about buying a pro stock racquet unless they really, really want to and have the budget for it. And if you’re not happy with your current racquet or haven’t found one with the specs you like, remember that you can always customise the racquet to your liking.
This post has dealt with Novak Djokovic’s tennis racquet, but I’ve also written a good number of posts on what other ATP professionals really use and I’ve also reviewed a lot of retail racquets and if you want to buy a new racquet – you’ll find a few decent guides here:
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
Some quick facts about Novak Djokovic:
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AGE
30(1987.05.22)
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TURNED PRO
2003
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WEIGHT
170LBS(77KG)
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HEIGHT
6’2″(188CM)
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BIRTHPLACE
BELGRADE, SERBIA
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RESIDENCE
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO
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PLAYS
RIGHT-HANDED, TWO-HANDED BACKHAND
|
COACH
ANDRE AGASSI |
12 comments
Very interesting how similar his specs are to the Becker 11 special edition frame (Becker’s specs)
Swing weight:377, flex: 58, 357 grams (12.7 Oz), 18×20 pattern with lots of lead under the hoop and sides and silicone in the handle all adding up to a heavy and incredibly flexible frame.
The one difference is the balance and the type of grip used
Dear Tennisnerd
ABout raquet customizing. I have played with Pacific X Feel Tour and now with Prince Ozone Tour MP, bot lower stiffness raquets, also added some lead tape mostly to 3 and 9 o´clock, which ofcouse have heped me against face twisting (which I hate and try to avoid). But question is about adding tape exactly to these places, does it disturb for generating more topspin as during contact raquet twistes less, which in my opinion bit help to generate spin as raquet wants to go around ball- would it be better if raquet would keep its direction (when its 3/9 leaded), but spin is generated only strings snapping and raquet directlion against the ball (angled).
Brr, I hope u understand my point. So, does avoiding twisting, makes spin bit harder to generate?
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your question. Yes, adding lead tape to the racquet at 3 and 9 will reduce twisting but will also make the racquet slightly harder to swing which will make spin harder to generate. I’m a big fan of lead at 3 and 9, but if you’re interested in getting more spin I would try to put lead at 12 instead which is called a polarized setup. It might not feel as stable but will help your spin production.
This is all a matter of taste of course. I’ve tried pretty much every setup in the book and keeps coming back to always de-polarizing my sticks by adding lead to 3 and 9. Maybe because I grew up playing the Wilson Six One series with built in PWS (weight at 3 and 9).
Hope this gives you some clarity. Play around and see what helps your game the most!
Cheers / Jonas
How can I get this racket? I’ve already searched and never found
Hi,
You want to buy Djokovic’s actual racquet or the same pro stock mold? It is very difficult to find. They had one at prostocktennis.com a while back but it sold immediately for 749 euro!
Good luck! Cheers / J
Hey Jonas,
Could you tell me about exactly where he has lead and hopefully the measurement? (As in inches or perhaps from which grommet to which mains or cross) as I already can see the lead on the inside of the hoop, however I don’t know where else he uses lead. Cheers.
Hi Kabir,
I’m not a hundred percent where he has lead except for the highly visible lead placement on the inside lower part of the hoop.
Will do my best to find out! Cheers /J
Very interesting. However, he changed his racket specs in 2018, and one of the changes was a longer racket. Do you know which other changes he made?
Hi Ole,
He reduced weight and changed the string pattern to 18×19 for more spin. Sadly, I don’t know his current racquet weight. Cheers / Jonas
does the head microgel radical mp original have a 95 sq” head size???
Yes, 95 sq inches.
Hi,you know the specs of Nole racquet during 2011 to 2013?
Thanks!