Tag:

racquetholic

Do professional players change racquets?

by TN November 10, 2017

written by TN

It sounds like a stupid question, but it’s still interesting to discuss how often professional players are trying out new racquets. I came to think of it when I saw Andrey Rublev switch racquets mid-match during the NextGen Finals in Milan!

You rarely see players on this level switching racquets during the match, but Rublev wasn’t feeling it with his Wilson Ultra Tour (likely a pro stock H19) and went back to his Wilson Six One 95 painted as a Wilson Pro Staff 97. After a slump of losing 4-5 games in a row, he came back to win the match. He simply looked more confident with his power game with the other racquet. It’s partly a mental thing of course, but for the professional players, the details are everything!

There are some pro’s that try out new racquets all the time – one of the most prone to this behaviour is Fernando Verdasco who never seems to settle, but then on the other side of the spectrum we have a player like Andy Murray who doesn’t seem to dream of changing his PT57A with 16×19 string pattern. As most racquetholics know, trying out new racquets and trying to find that special “feel” in your ball-striking is like a drug. Playing tennis with the same racquet for a whole month become almost impossible and you’re more concerned with how you racquet feels than what the scores in your matches tell you.

For the pro’s results are of course everything and that’s why they’re always looking for that extra bit of edge to maximize their results on court. Even Rafael Nadal, who has played with his Babolat Aero Pro Drive (with increasing amounts of lead tape) since 2005, was toying around with the HEAD MxG racquets during the off-season. He wanted every little bit of help to improve his, before this stellar season, by his standard mediocre results.

Roger Federer’s racquet change from his 90 sq inch Wilson Pro Staff to his new signature frame the Wilson Pro Staff 97 Roger Federer Autograph is one of the most famous racquet-switches in the history of the sport and look at what results it has helped bring. Bigger hitting surface has reduced his shanking on the backhand and made that wing, with the help of Stefan Edberg and Ivan Ljubicic, into a fantastic weapon that made it possible to beat arch-enemy Nadal four times in the 2017 season.

So not all tennis professionals are open to changing racquets because they’re creatures of habit, but a lot of them are often testing new strings, new racquets, new layups, new string patterns and new lead placements to see what edge it can bring to their game. I recently wrote about Dominic Thiem testing a new string, potentially one way to help his game into the form it was some months ago.

Tennis equipment is simply a part of the equation and although it’s not healthy to be obsessed about it, it’s definitely an important part of the game alongside fitness, footwork, technique and general health.

I’ve definitely noticed that I’ve been changing racquets too much lately and in my latest hitting session I stuck to what I’m comfortable with – the HEAD LM Radical Tour and after a couple of poor sessions before that, I finally found my groove again. Because changing and trying out racquets too often can definitely throw you off your game. Make sure to always keep “old trustworthy” in your bag so that, if the equipment you’re testing doesn’t feel right, you can recalibrate your game and get back into the zone.

How often do you switch racquets? Do you ever do it mid-match? Please comment below!

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

Buy the RPM Blast Rough string and other tennis gear:

EU
Racquet Depot
Pro Direct Tennis

USA
Tennis Express
Do It Tennis
Amazon.com

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November 10, 2017 13 comments

Tennis Racquets

Is it the Racquet?

by TN June 27, 2017

written by TN

You’re not playing as well as you should. Timing is off and you might feel that your racquet is too sluggish or not stable enough. Is it your game or is it the racquet?

How often do you get these kind of thoughts? I get them from time to time and that’s why I’ve been searching for the perfect racquet for pretty much all of my tennis life (excluding the junior years when I didn’t have a clue about tennis racquets). I’m currently playing pretty well with my new Babolat Pure Strikes 16×19 (read the review) strung with Solinco Hyper-G but the thoughts still come from time to time. Should I finally get an Angell racquet? Am I playing better with the 95-inch head size like the Tecnifibre Tfight 315 Ltd? Is it time to bring the more flexible Yonex Ai 98 out of the tennis bag?

The thing with tennis as a sport is that it is bloody difficult. You need to be on your game on so many levels to really shine on the tennis court. You need your sleep, you need to hydrate (before, during, after), that morning coffee doesn’t hurt, you shouldn’t miss out on stretching and you have to be eager to chase that ball with a million tiny, yet fast steps. If you in any way or form feel not your best, your best tennis will likely be far away.

And that is all about you and your body. When you’re in the zone, I’m sure a wooden stick would be enough to hit blistering winners left, right and centre. But when you’re not a hundred percent comfortable with something on court, maybe your arm feels a little sore for example or you’re feeling slow on court – your thoughts often go to your racquet.

You’re not alone in this. Professional players do it all the time. Is the racquet strung too tightly? Is it time to change strings because you don’t get enough bite on the ball? Should you move towards a lighter racquet and increase your racquet head speed or should you play more classical tennis with a heavier stick? The doubts can be consuming!

Being a racquetholic is tough. You always end up eyeing new sticks on the market and you’re never really fully satisfied with your racquets past the infamous racquet honeymoon period. You ask yourself: “Will I ever settle?” which is in the context of buying a tennis racquet, sounds rather comical. But there is nothing wrong with having a couple of different types of racquets at one time – then you allow yourself to customize and play around with specs as your game (hopefully) grows.

But this is the key! Everything you do in your tennis life, whether it is as a recreational 4.0 NTRP player or a Challenger tour pro, needs to have the ulterior motive of improving your game. This is the only real goal that makes sense and the only thing you really should care about on the tennis court besides being a good person (this is always more important than your tennis game, I’m not joking).

So with that in mind, will a new racquet help your game? The answer is pretty much always: possibly. But unless you’re really unhappy with your current gear, I would recommend you not to sell what you currently have because there will always be that urge to come back to a stick you’ve been happy with. If you sell all your racquets except your current setup, chances are you’ll regret it when the doubts kick in.

Like I wrote previously, I’m currently eyeing an Angell TC Tour 97 16×19 (320 grams unstrung), but I also don’t want to give up too soon on my Babolat Pure Strikes. The mistake I’ve done in the past is that I’ve been too much of a minimalist and sold the racquets that I’m not using at the time and then regretted selling them after three to six months. I’ve realized it’s better to have at least 3-4 different setups so you can move back and forth when you get your racquet doubts (they will come!).

This is my advice to you. Stick with a racquet and be patient, but if you get the urge to splurge and have the money to do so – buy a new pair of racquets to test, but don’t sell the old pair until you’re confident that you no longer have use for them.

Racquet buying guides

Other info about tennis racquets

Here is a list of the racquets that Tennisnerd have written about so far.
And this is an overview of what the ATP professionals use.

June 27, 2017 0 comment

Tennis Racquets

My Quest for the Holy Grail

by TN December 7, 2014

written by TN

Okay, I admit it, I’m a racquetaholic.

It’s not as bad as many of my racquetaholic buddies at Stringforum and TT Warehouse but I’ve tried plenty of racquets and string setups in my so called tennis “career”. It’s been a fun ride, and that’s the point of it all I guess, but I’ve realized there will never be one holy grail racquet and I’ll become a lot better player using the time I do reading and reviewing new racquets on working on my footwork.

Obviously, footwork training is less fun than buying stuff and that’s while I’ll probably keep fiddling with racquets and strings and lead and leather grips until I’m 70.

So what’s my journey been like and where am I currently at and is there at least a few holy grails for likeminded racquet seekers? All will be covered below in a lengthy and rather unfocused post.

Well, I’ve always been a Wilson man since the Pro Staff Classic. The stick I’ve played in most iterations is the Six-One 95 in the 18×20 pattern. If I would have a top five of racquets I’ve played it would definitely be there. A solid, crisp and control-friendly workhorse.

Another favourite has been the Head IG Prestige MP, especially the IG version. Which I leaded up to 370 grams and thought I’d found perfection with. But no, like fellow racquetaholics know, you always end up finding faults with your stick of choice. My main issue with the Prestige IG MP was that it didn’t move through the air fast enough for me and felt a bit clunkish on serve.

So I moved back to a mid, the currently much beloved Wilson Blade 93 which requires no lead, just a leather grip. Loving it on so many shots, the only issue I have is a slight arm pain I’ve developed after my sessions. It is a stiff stick (RA 67), but not THAT stiff!?

Hence, I’m currently entering another period of playing around. I have a few interesting frames lying around at home:

It’s a Head Radical Pro Tour MP (“Candycane”), Head Prestige Tour 600 and Head iPrestige mid. Three allegedly great feeling sticks. The problem is that they’re all in plastic and I feel reluctant to rip them up and play with them.

Especially since I have another couple of interesting racquets to try, specifically the Head TGK 237.1 that’s on the way to me. I will start there and then move on to another “classic”, the Fischer Vacuum Pro mid. Will keep you posted how things go.

As you can see I’m in mid heaven/hell. Due to the following reasons:

* They move quicker through the air.
* They give you the possibility to swing out properly.
* They have “feel.”

But with the good comes also the bad:

* It’s a small frame which will lead you to one or more “shank”.
* When you get tired and stop moving your feet they don’t give you anything extra.
* You won’t be hitting heavy top spin forehands like the Bull from Manacor.

For a long time (in relative, racquetaholic terms) my stick of choice was the Wilson K90 and then later the Pro Staff BLX 90 because of the absolutely beautiful attacking tennis you can play with it. I had to put it on the shelf though because of a lacking defense. Once I lost the initiative in a rally, I was usually dead meat.

Still, I ended back in mid-land, first with the Völkl Powerbridge 10 mid and now with the Wilson Blade 93 (all matched to 360 grams strung with smiley dampener). Why I didn’t stay with the soft and friendly German? Hard to say, my backhand slice suffered for some reason. Maybe it’s too flexy, maybe there’s something else, but it’s now for sale. It’s a shame really, because I’ve never hit a better serve or forehand with any other stick. I will possibly regret selling it.

As you can see I’m not much into colorful graphics on a racquet. Some of the frames they produce today look like some kind of design disaster. I much prefer the clean Prestige 600 (what a paint job!) or this:

The Blade 93 is strung with Völkl Cyclone 17 in “crazy green” because I needed a contrast. The Cyclone is, by the way, my favourite string ever, tied with Babolat RPM Blast (the Cyclone maintains tension longer).

Back to topic, yes, it’s all about mids right now. I’m very keen on trying the RF 97 Autograph, but I’m worried about two things there:

* It’s too stiff.
* 97 inches of stringbed will make it too heavy to swing.

But, it’s a must-try somewhere down the stretch. If you have one lying around and are interested in trades, I have a few “New Old Stock” racquets that I’m willing to sell/trade. Check my ad at Stringforum.

Until I get my hands on a Wilson RF97, I also have some Biomimetic 300 Pro stocks that are next on the list after the Head prestige mid pro stocks. They are also 97 inches, but more flexy which should hopefully help my arm a bit.

One thing I learned by going back to the mids is that I’m much more comfortable with my one-handed backhand (arguably the most beautiful shot in tennis, sorry Agassi/Djokovic/Murray fans) because you can really whip it through and even with less than energetic footwork you can get your racquet on the ball in good time.

That’s why it’s a shame that current racquet manufacturers seem to be giving up on the mids completely. I understand that you can dial in control even with a Yonex AI 98 (artificial intelligence? – everybody seems to want this particular stick after the luscious Tennis Warehouse review) or other mid-plus racquets, but there are also aerodynamic factors that come into play in swinging a racquet and that’s why mids deserve to be around.

I haven’t tried the Prestige IG Mid, but have heard great things about it, but I guess Head couldn’t muster enough sales to keep it around. Same goes for my beloved Wilson Blade 93. So the mids are soon no more. A shame.

What strikes me when watching college/junior tennis is that most kids seem to be swinging their oversized and stiff Babolats like there’s no tomorrow. It’s all bashing and dashing. I wonder if their elbows hurt at the end of the day (sorry Babolat, you’re fantastic at marketing, but your racquets are not yet for me or my body).

There are in fact studies on the harshness of the new stiffer racquets and what they might do to our limbs in the end. I read a pdf-report a while ago, but can’t seem to find it again, if I do – I will post it here.

Jeez, time flies when you’re writing about tennis. Got other things to do, but for now I give you my top 5 racquets of all time (from the 30+ sticks I’ve tried):

* Wilson Blade 93 2013
* Head Prestige Mid (Classic, etc)
* Head Prestige IG MP
* Wilson K90
* Wilson Six.One 95 Ncode 18×20

Will try to update this blog a bit more often, time permitting. Comments always help to keep me inspired. Let’s keep each other going during the “off-season”.

PS: Had some fun recently with the Wilson Six-One 95S. (First spin effect frame I’ve played with), but I feel it’s lacking a little control (I’m Mr 18×20) so it’s for sale if anyone wants to have some spin fun. DS.

December 7, 2014 0 comment