Thiem to Babolat Archives | Tennisnerd.net

Austrian wunderkind Dominic Thiem is using the old Babolat Pure Strike 18×20 with Babolat VS Touch Black (natural gut) in the mains and RPM Blast 17 in the crosses. This is now painted as the new Babolat Pure Strike.

So the stakes are high this year. Will he live up to his massive potential? For Babolat I’m sure this is a big question as well, since Thiem has the potential to become a racquet poster boy with the new Babolat Pure Strike , but he is actually using the old model – the Babolat Pure Strike 18×20 with silicone in the handle and lead tape. You can get the older model really cheap right now, but I personally prefer the new one and this is my main stick at the time of writing…

Thiem is deceptively strong and creates massive racquet head speed in his big swings and that’s what makes him exciting to watch. I think he’s pretty much the perfect ambassador for the Babolat Pure Strike and Babolat desperately needs to reignite the model after the “failure” with the previous, in most players view, rather “boardy”-feeling racquets.

Thiem is stringing his Babolat Pure Strike with Babolat VS Touch Black in the mains and RPM Blast 17 in the crosses (you can buy this in a hybrid set as well). This gives him an arm-friendly, yet control-oriented setup.

Ps. If you want to purchase Dominic Thiem’s tennis gear, check out my affiliates Tennis Warehouse, Tennis Warehouse Europe or Tennis Only (AUS). If you buy anything through my links, Tennisnerd gets a small commission. DS.

His specs are supposed to be the following:

337 grams strung, 33 cm balance, 345 swing weight and his racquet handle is molded to have the HEAD classic rectangular shape. He uses the old model with Babolat RPM Blast and Babolat Natural gut hybrid string setup.

The Babolat Pure Strike has received rave reviews and seems like a great modern weapon for an attacking tennis similar to Thiem. If you’ve tried the racquet, let me know what you think in the comments field.

If you’re interested in what other ATP professionals use on the tennis court, check this list of articles describing the racquets of the ATP professionals. And if you’re curious about pro stock tennis racquets, I suggest you read this article about pro stock tennis racquets.

Here are the strung specs of the Babolat Pure Strike

Specifications

Head Size: 98in²/630cm²

Length: 27in / 68,5cm

Weight: 11.3oz / 320g

Unstrung Weight:10.8oz / 305g

Balance: 33,02cm / 4 pts HL

Unstrung Balance: 32cm / 7 pts HL

Swingweight: 323

Stiffness: 67

Beam Width: 21.3mm / 23.3mm / 21.3mm

Composition: Graphite

Racket Colours: White/Orange

Grip Type: Babolat Skin Feel

String Pattern:
16 Mains / 19 Crosses
Mains skip: 8T,8H

String Tension: 50-59 pounds / 23-27kg

Racquet buying guides

Here is a great racquet buying guide to get you started.
What tennis racquet should I buy?
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The Gear of the Year 2016
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Quick facts about Dominic Thiem:

AGE 23(1993.09.03)	TURNED PRO 2011	WEIGHT 180LBS(82KG)	HEIGHT 6’1″(185CM)
BIRTHPLACE WIENER NEUSTADT, AUSTRIA	RESIDENCE LICHTENWÖRTH, AUSTRIA	PLAYS RIGHT-HANDED, ONE-HANDED BACKHAND	COACH GÜNTER BRESNIK

Update: there is a new post on Dominic Thiem’s tennis racquet here.

Thiem posted a new racquet on his twitter account. He has previously played with the Babolat Pure Strike (apparently a retail racquet), but is now going to play and endorse a different model. A Babolat official on the tennis warehouse forum confirmed that it’s called Project One 7. Whether it involves a process where Thiem is building it to his preferred specs (like Federer did with his Wilson RF97 Autograph) or he’s just endorsing a new model, remains to be seen.

Since the racquet is not blacked-out which is typical for pro’s testing racquets, I assume the paint job is already decided. It’s quite a stretch away from the Pure Strike, which has an aggressive black/red color palette. This one looks to belong more in the control category of racquets, which, in my opinion, is not what you think of when you see Thiem hit his heavy, top-spin groundstrokes.

What do you think of the racquet’s design? Comment below.

Will keep you posted of the specs of it as they are unveiled.

Update: The racquet is supposed to have a 16×19 string pattern, but the model that Thiem is playing with is 18×20 because he prefers it (he gets enough spin on the ball anyway).

Make sure you join our newsletter for more info about the Babolat Project One 7 and when it’s available for sale. If you wonder what Tennisnerd is using right now – here it is:

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Thiem to Babolat

Dominic Thiem Tennis Racquet

Specifications

Racquet buying guides

New racquet for Dominic Thiem