Racquets/Strings

[LilMissBubbles]

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[Ainsley]

Racquet: Wilson Clash 100
Strings: Wilson NXT 17/1.24 mm

[Scoob]

When I first started playing the game of tennis, I used a Donnay Wooden Pro Racquet. Then as I got older I switched to the Prince Pro Racquet. I finally for Christmas one year in the 80's got the Prince Boron Racquet which I have had and used since the mid 80's. I am actually thinking of finally retiring that Racquet, but still sticking with the Prince brand of Racquets and purchasing the Prince Textreme Tour 100.

[ponchi101]

Just noticed that several players have switched from the Wilson Blade (recognizable by the polarized green color) to the new Pro Staff v14 (in a gorgeous golden polarized). But they are rather different racquets, so the switch is not trivial.
I gather that with Roger no longer playing, they have to find new players to push the PS. At $279, a top of the line product. Wonder how it plays (will never be able to afford it).

[Deuce]

^ As I've said many times, it's a very safe bet that the racquet has not changed - only the paint job has changed.
Pro players notice all differences in feel - even small ones - and once they get accustomed to a feel they like, they're not going to be switching to a racquet with a different feel and different characteristics very often.

This is all about marketing and racquet companies trying to sell their new models to the public through the dishonest deception of pretending that the pro players are changing racquets every 2 years because the new racquets are 'better'.

[ponchi101]

Noticing more players using Technofibre's racquets. Today I saw that Bublik is using them, and Grenier too.
I know, nothing to write home about, but these racquets were virtually unknown a couple of years ago. Maybe a story like Babolat (which only made strings 25 years ago).

[ti-amie]

I posted this in another thread because I couldn't find this one. The last time I tried to move something it did not go well so I'm reposting it here.



Thanks Ponchi!

[ponchi101]

And I posted that the days of players like Borg (80 lbs), Pete (80 lbs) and Lendl (72.5) are long gone.
People talk a lot about the balls and racquets. We do not talk about how much the strings have changed the game. For us oldies, stringing a racquet with cat-gut (really, sheep gut) at such low tensions was a recipe for disaster. Now, you can string this low and get the control you need.

[ashkor87]

I got technifibre strings after hearing Medvedev praise them ..they are really good, in fact.

[ponchi101]

He is signed with TF, so of course he praises them.
They were excellent in the past; I played with them for a while and were great, so I don't think that they would have gone down on quality.
And the racquet must be good, because both him, Iga and a few others are playing with it.

[tennisking24]

Tennis racquets are fascinating pieces of equipment, evolving over time to optimize player performance. I'm curious about the ongoing advancements in materials and design, such as carbon fiber frames and varying string patterns, and how they affect play style. Are traditional wooden racquets making a comeback among purists? How do manufacturers balance power, control, and maneuverability in their designs? Furthermore, with the rise of customization options, how do players navigate the multitude of choices to find the perfect racquet for their game? This depends on the skill level and age group of the players to explore more about this topic do check out this page: tennislocation.com/skill-specific-tennis-rackets

ADMIN EDIT:
Link removed due to violation of forum policies (no links in first five posts)

[ponchi101]

I forgot this.
I recently was in Houston, and dropped by Tennis Express, a huge tennis store in the city. They have a court and you can demo racquets, so I asked if I could demo the Wilson Pro Staff six.one V14. Wanted to see how much the technology has advanced, since one of my favorite racquets of all time was the original Pro Staff 6.0 Original (85 sq.in.)
To put it mildly: It is just like cars. The cars of the 80's were great; they simply cannot compete with the news ones. The V14 immediately delivers much more power and it is perfectly balanced. I had not played in months and I was still able to rope a couple of well placed BH's, with enough control (no power, because my arm had not swung a racquet in so long). I tried a few volleys and it is a sharp racquet. It felt a bit rough but that's because I play with a vibration dampener and this one did not have it, so maybe that slight correction would work for me (if you don't use a VD, this would feel great).
To say that the racquet is beautiful is an understatement. Wilson really did a great job there.
On the expensive side, of course. But I have not changed racquets in over a decade by now, and my nCodes are showing their age. I can't afford new racquets at the moment but if I could, I would buy this one. It is a very solid racquet.

[ashkor87]

Thanks for this tip..will look into it.

[ashkor87]

I forgot this.
I recently was in Houston, and dropped by Tennis Express, a huge tennis store in the city. They have a court and you can demo racquets, so I asked if I could demo the Wilson Pro Staff six.one V14. Wanted to see how much the technology has advanced, since one of my favorite racquets of all time was the original Pro Staff 6.0 Original (85 sq.in.)
To put it mildly: It is just like cars. The cars of the 80's were great; they simply cannot compete with the news ones. The V14 immediately delivers much more power and it is perfectly balanced. I had not played in months and I was still able to rope a couple of well placed BH's, with enough control (no power, because my arm had not swung a racquet in so long). I tried a few volleys and it is a sharp racquet. It felt a bit rough but that's because I play with a vibration dampener and this one did not have it, so maybe that slight correction would work for me (if you don't use a VD, this would feel great).
To say that the racquet is beautiful is an understatement. Wilson really did a great job there.
On the expensive side, of course. But I have not changed racquets in over a decade by now, and my nCodes are showing their age. I can't afford new racquets at the moment but if I could, I would buy this one. It is a very solid racquet.

Great tip! Saw your post,bought the racket in London because I trust your judgment, played with it today for the first time. It is a great racket, powerful, feels light though it is 315 gm, the swing weight and balance took 4 games to get used to, then it started feeling great .

[ponchi101]

...

Great tip! Saw your post,bought the racket in London because I trust your judgment, played with it today for the first time. It is a great racket, powerful, feels light though it is 315 gm, the swing weight and balance took 4 games to get used to, then it started feeling great .

Glad to hear that you bought it, and green with envy that you got it
I really wanted to buy it too but right now I can't.