Racquets/Strings

[Cuckoo4Coco]

Thank you so much.

I will definitely ask my grandpa if he has an old racquet of some sort lying around that I can hit around with for fun. I guess I am a bit spoiled with the equipment technology of today compared to what they had to use in the past. I wonder if a player like Borg or McEnroe had this sort of equipment today if they would be just as good as like a Nadal, Djokovic or Federer? Or even on the ladies side with Chris Evert or Martina Navratilova playing against a Serena or Venus?

It's nice to see a 16 year old who knows the names of players who played 20 years before she was born...

The game was played differently back then. There was less power, so players had to rely more on variety and creativity.
And there was the wonderful contrast between the baseliners and the serve & volley players. Because of that contrast of styles, it was so much fun to watch Evert vs. Navratilova, and Borg or Lendl vs. McEnroe...

I put this up in another thread a few days ago... Here, you can see tennis from the '80s - and compare it to today's tennis...

Thanx, yep I know of some of the big name tennis players from the past like John McEnroe as he does the commentating of matches today and Navratilova is also one Tennis Live and Chris Evert well she is a legend and I have also seen her commentate some matches. Bjorn Borg is the only player I have never really seen other than videos of him playing John McEnroe.

Thanks for the video I will definitely watch it.

[ponchi101]

...

I will definitely ask my grandpa if he has an old racquet of some sort lying around that I can hit around with for fun. I guess I am a bit spoiled with the equipment technology of today compared to what they had to use in the past. I wonder if a player like Borg or McEnroe had this sort of equipment today if they would be just as good as like a Nadal, Djokovic or Federer? Or even on the ladies side with Chris Evert or Martina Navratilova playing against a Serena or Venus?

They would have been as good, and maybe even more. You could see it with the players that were there for the transitions. Mac went from his Dunlop Maxply (wood) to his Dunlop 200G and remained dominant. Martina, especially, went from her Yonex woods to her R-22, becoming the dominant player of her time.
The thing about hitting with an old racquet is that they really force you to focus on your form. One example: Berrettini's slap forehand. That shot, which is a great shot, would be impossible with a wood racquet. You would break something in your arm/wrist. So, especially with wood, you need to have very good form. Our new racquets allow us to have some ticks that in the past meant a lost point.

[Cuckoo4Coco]

...

I will definitely ask my grandpa if he has an old racquet of some sort lying around that I can hit around with for fun. I guess I am a bit spoiled with the equipment technology of today compared to what they had to use in the past. I wonder if a player like Borg or McEnroe had this sort of equipment today if they would be just as good as like a Nadal, Djokovic or Federer? Or even on the ladies side with Chris Evert or Martina Navratilova playing against a Serena or Venus?

They would have been as good, and maybe even more. You could see it with the players that were there for the transitions. Mac went from his Dunlop Maxply (wood) to his Dunlop 200G and remained dominant. Martina, especially, went from her Yonex woods to her R-22, becoming the dominant player of her time.
The thing about hitting with an old racquet is that they really force you to focus on your form. One example: Berrettini's slap forehand. That shot, which is a great shot, would be impossible with a wood racquet. You would break something in your arm/wrist. So, especially with wood, you need to have very good form. Our new racquets allow us to have some ticks that in the past meant a lost point.

I watched a show that talked about Martina and her dominance of the game until Steffi Graf came on and matched her power or really had more power in her game and at the time was much younger than Martina.

I have also seen some videos of John McEnroe's matches and even though he was considered a serve and volley player he was not really the typical power serve and volley player that we see a lot of today. He was really a finesse player and a really good one at that. I guess you had to have a lot more of that back in the day with those type of racquets than what we see today and a lot of the players look more like machines that just use all power to get through matches. John McEnroe was not that big guy.

[ponchi101]

Changing subjects. Mertens has moved over to Technifibre, joining (at least as far as I know) Iga and Medvedev (Chardy and Millman too). I obviously have not played with that racquet, but it does look very pretty. Who knows if TF will become the Babolat of the 2020's.

[Cuckoo4Coco]

The TF Tempo 298. The frame that Iga uses is sweet looking. I think Elise Mertens is now using the same model as Iga. Iga and her TF Tempo 298 sure have made a great pair so we will see if it does the same for Elise.

[Deuce]

The TF Tempo 298. The frame that Iga uses is sweet looking. I think Elise Mertens is now using the same model as Iga. Iga and her TF Tempo 298 sure have made a great pair so we will see if it does the same for Elise.

Most of the pro players are not using the racquet that it looks like they're using - they're using an older model that is painted to look like whatever current frame the racquet company wants to market today.

Andy Murray, for example, has used a racquet that was designed in 1994 for his entire pro career - the Head PT57A, which is a Head Pro Tour 280/630. Partially designed by Thomas Muster. Head just paints Murray's PT57A to look like the current Radical racquet they're trying to sell.
Yes, it's pure dishonest deception - and most of the pro players are doing the same thing (with different older racquets, usually not as old as the PT57A)...

Read about the Head PT57A here...
The Magic of the PT57A

You can also take a look at these videos, which reveal the real racquets some pros are using underneath the ever-changing paint jobs...

[Cuckoo4Coco]

The TF Tempo 298. The frame that Iga uses is sweet looking. I think Elise Mertens is now using the same model as Iga. Iga and her TF Tempo 298 sure have made a great pair so we will see if it does the same for Elise.

Most of the pro players are not using the racquet that it looks like they're using - they're using an older model that is painted to look like whatever current frame the racquet company wants to market today.

Andy Murray, for example, has used a racquet that was designed in 1994 for his entire pro career - the Head PT57A, which is a Head Pro Tour 280/630. Partially designed by Thomas Muster. Head just paints Murray's PT57A to look like the current Radical racquet they're trying to sell.
Yes, it's pure dishonest deception - and most of the pro players are doing the same thing (with different older racquets, usually not as old as the PT57A)...

Read about the Head PT57A here...
The Magic of the PT57A

You can also take a look at these videos, which reveal the real racquets some pros are using underneath the ever-changing paint jobs...

Wow, I did not know that. That is really sneaky. I guess a player gets really use to a certain racquet but a company that sponsors them wants to make their money so they have to do what they have to do.

[Canucklehead]

I am what you would call an intermediate type of player who plays mainly to remain fit and for the exercise. I also like to get out on the courts for the enjoyment of it and just hit it around. I use a Dunlop CX 200 Racket.

[AcesAnnie]

The TF Tempo 298. The frame that Iga uses is sweet looking. I think Elise Mertens is now using the same model as Iga. Iga and her TF Tempo 298 sure have made a great pair so we will see if it does the same for Elise.

Most of the pro players are not using the racquet that it looks like they're using - they're using an older model that is painted to look like whatever current frame the racquet company wants to market today.

Andy Murray, for example, has used a racquet that was designed in 1994 for his entire pro career - the Head PT57A, which is a Head Pro Tour 280/630. Partially designed by Thomas Muster. Head just paints Murray's PT57A to look like the current Radical racquet they're trying to sell.
Yes, it's pure dishonest deception - and most of the pro players are doing the same thing (with different older racquets, usually not as old as the PT57A)...

Read about the Head PT57A here...
The Magic of the PT57A

You can also take a look at these videos, which reveal the real racquets some pros are using underneath the ever-changing paint jobs...

In the words of John McEnroe, "You Cannot Be Serious!?" Basically, they're painting older model rackets that players find more successful, but are out of style or market and make them look like the new flashy models that are more expensive so the fans can put out the money? I have to say it is a sneaky Marketing method that I wonder how much the player gets in the cut for allowing them to have their old rackets painted?

[Deuce]

In the words of John McEnroe, "You Cannot Be Serious!?" Basically, they're painting older model rackets that players find more successful, but are out of style or market and make them look like the new flashy models that are more expensive so the fans can put out the money? I have to say it is a sneaky Marketing method that I wonder how much the player gets in the cut for allowing them to have their old rackets painted?

It's all part of the sponsorship contract.
Yes, it is deliberate deception.
Yes, it is manipulative marketing.
I would definitely not do it myself (I still play with racquets from the early 1990s, because that's what feels best for me).

Back in the day, players played with the same racquet for years - sometimes for their entire career. Because models did not change often.
But since the '80s and '90s, racquet models change every 2 or 3 years - and the racquet companies claim that the players are changing to the 'latest, greatest' model every time a new model comes out.

If the marketing were even 10% true - that each model offers "more power and control" than the previous model, we'd all be able to hit a dime on the other side of the court at will, and be able to hit the ball through the fence!

[AcesAnnie]

In the words of John McEnroe, "You Cannot Be Serious!?" Basically, they're painting older model rackets that players find more successful, but are out of style or market and make them look like the new flashy models that are more expensive so the fans can put out the money? I have to say it is a sneaky Marketing method that I wonder how much the player gets in the cut for allowing them to have their old rackets painted?

It's all part of the sponsorship contract.
Yes, it is deliberate deception.
Yes, it is manipulative marketing.
I would definitely not do it myself (I still play with racquets from the early 1990s, because that's what feels best for me).

Back in the day, players played with the same racquet for years - sometimes for their entire career. Because models did not change often.
But since the '80s and '90s, racquet models change every 2 or 3 years - and the racquet companies claim that the players are changing to the 'latest, greatest' model every time a new model comes out.

If the marketing were even 10% true - that each model offers "more power and control" than the previous model, we'd all be able to hit a dime on the other side of the court at will, and be able to hit the ball through the fence!

I can understand the sponsors wanting their newest products on display, even though the rackets really aren't the actual products. They have to make money too.

Back in the day, even in the day of the wooden rackets, were they considered more durable and to last longer or was it just because they didn't make as many rackets?

[ponchi101]

They didn't make as many racquets or models. The largest manufacturer, Wilson, maybe made 10 models, including some generics that were meant for very, very recreational players. A smaller manufacturer like Dunlop would make only one, the Maxply in the 60's-70's (and never changed it).
Spading made three models of Pancho Gonzalez, Donnay made the Borg Pro in two or three different models too. That was it.

[AcesAnnie]

They didn't make as many racquets or models. The largest manufacturer, Wilson, maybe made 10 models, including some generics that were meant for very, very recreational players. A smaller manufacturer like Dunlop would make only one, the Maxply in the 60's-70's (and never changed it).
Spading made three models of Pancho Gonzalez, Donnay made the Borg Pro in two or three different models too. That was it.

It is crazy how much money is generated by these rackets, shoes, clothing, visors/hats, sweatbands/headbands, bags. Every player is a walking sponsorship. The better the player, the more stuff that sells.

[ponchi101]

Uhm, not always. When Martina Hingis was leaving Sergio Tachinni, she ended up with Adidas. But Adidas also had Anna Kournikova. Hingis, reportedly, was livid that Kournikova's contract was way better than hers. Again, reportedly Hingis told Adidas "I am world #1 Martina Hingis" and, in what is obviously apocryphal, Adidas replied "yes, but you are not Anna Kournikova".
And Agassi's contracts were better than Pete's, regardless of who was the better player.

[AcesAnnie]

Uhm, not always. When Martina Hingis was leaving Sergio Tachinni, she ended up with Adidas. But Adidas also had Anna Kournikova. Hingis, reportedly, was livid that Kournikova's contract was way better than hers. Again, reportedly Hingis told Adidas "I am world #1 Martina Hingis" and, in what is obviously apocryphal, Adidas replied "yes, but you are not Anna Kournikova".
And Agassi's contracts were better than Pete's, regardless of who was the better player.

Well, I guess sometimes sex appeal sells more.