I saw some searches for Tennisnerd’s racquet and strings. I tend to be a flavor of the week kinda guy, but this is what I’m playing currently.
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The two-racquet strategy
I am a fan of the two-racquet strategy. What does this mean? It means I carry one racquet for a bit more power/spin and one more leaned towards control. I might throw in a third one in my bag, which might be in between the two racquets or just a racquet I am testing at the moment. But for matches, I tend to go for power/spin first and if I feel like I am spraying balls, I have the option of going to the control racquet.
Yes, you can do this by having different tensions, which is maybe the more professional way of doing it, but I sometimes just feel more at home having the option to go to a different racquet. Perhaps it is due to all the testing over all these years, where it is easy for me to adapt, but for now, this methodology works well. It could be something to try, although I recommend staying with one racquet and string setup if that works for you.
Doing racquet play-testing tends to tempt you away from having a consistent setup, at least that is how it has been for me, and I know Henrik (Wallensten) and some of the guys I know from the Tennis Warehouse play-test team can relate.
The more powerful racquet
My current “power” racquet of choice is the Babolat Pure Aero 98. I think this is one of the most addictive racquet released in a long time. The power and spin you get with the Aero 98, makes you very dangerous on the court. But the ball can also sail, especially when you slow down your swing speed. So this racquet is not for players with a slower swings, but you see loads of guys on the Futures circuit tear up the courts with this one.
I string it currently with Nordicdots TS 127, one of my favorite spin strings. The tension is 51 lbs for the mains and 49 lbs for the crosses. I might go up to 53/51 to achieve more control. I have a few other favorite strings like Toroline Caviar, Solinco Hyper-G Round or Tru Pro Pure Rush that I might use to change things up.
The aero beam design on the one-handed backhand is still unnatural to me. It is my weaker shot, and I desperately want to hit that freely in match play. This works better with my secondary or tertiary racquet, which I will get to below.
But besides that, I can really go for my shots with this and expect them to dip in with a vicious spin. Yes, the racquet is more muted than the OG, Pure Aero VS, but it is better dampened for the arm. Sadly, the VS feels very stiff to me.
The more controlled racquet
This is a category that has loads of options. I was always a huge fan of the HEAD Prestige MP 2019, but it doesn’t deliver a heavy enough ball against stronger players. I tried the new HEAD Gravity Pro in San Luis Obispo (to be released in January 2025) and that one looked and played great to me. That could be a competitor. Another upcoming racquet I had loads of fun with was the 2025 edition of the Tecnifibre Tfight 305. So those two need to be considered when I get demos.
But for now, two racquets are battling for the control position in my tennis bag (the excellent RF 15-pack bag). As you might have seen in my Wilson RF 01 racquet review, I really enjoyed playing with that frame, despite a smallish sweet spot and less power on defense. What I like is that it give you loads of confidence to be offensive and it is more arm-friendly than the Aero 98.
So, currently, I would put the RF 01 as my main control racquet. I have not yet settled on a string setup as this racquet seems extremely sensitive to strings. I am currently testing Solinco Hyper-G Round and a HEAD hybrid of Hawk and Velocity.
The challenger
The strongest competitor at the moment to the RF01 is the Tecnifibre TF40 305. This racquet brings more power and spin potential than the RF01, but is a little more muted in feel. The RF is more of a pure control choice, while the TF40 lands in between the Aero and the RF.
One thing I have to get used to with the TF40 is the rectangular grip shape of Tecnifibre racquets. Otherwise, it does most things really well. Good pop on serve for a control frame, enough spin potential without being “launchy”, also enough control to work well when you need it the most.
The TF40 is strung with Tru Pro Pure Rush (get 20% off using the code TENNISNERD at checkout) at 51 lbs / 23 kg. This string works well in this racquet, but this racquet is not as string sensitive as the RF01.
I am looking forward to comparing this frame to the 18/20 version (for a bit more directional control) and also to the new Tfight 305, which I tried briefly during my last US trip.
Summary
The two-racquet system is currently a three-racquet system. I bring three racquet models in my bag: Babolat Pure Aero 98, Wilson RF 01 and the Tecnifibre TF40 305 16/19.
There are a few upcoming challengers to these racquets. I tested three of them at the Tennis Warehouse HQ. The HEAD Gravity Pro 2025 (this worked better than the Gravity Tour 98 for me), the Tecnifibre Tfight 305 2025 and the Yonex Ezone 100 2025. I had a blast playing with all three of these racquets a few weeks ago, so I am curious to see how they will play when I can get some demos to test.
So these are Tennisnerd’s racquet and strings at the moment of writing (24 Nov 2024). Subject to change and terms and conditions may apply. I like many racquets beyond the ones mentioned, but that hasn’t worked out in match play. I usually put the TENNISNERD APPROVED stamp on those, but they might not make it into my match bag.
What’s your racquet? Are there several sticks in your bag, or do you remain faithful to one? What do you think of the two-racquet strategy? Let me hear your thoughts below.
