New racquet saga continues for Federer

[Hs0022]

Finally got to hit with a pro with my new Juice. What a difference! I'm using "rough gut" strung at 58#. Holy shit folks - my strokes are devastating with this thing. I don't know what else to say...never felt anything like it.

Juice costs an arm and a leg. Hope it is worth it. I bet its ultra light. Can't handle a frame that is below 11 oz unstrung.

 

[Hs0022]

just bought two used tennis racquets.

One is the ProKennex Redondo Mid got it for 79 bucks from TW.

ProKennex Heritage Type C Redondo Mid Racquets

The other is ProKennex Kinetic QTour MidPlus from Ebay for 56 bucks. Trying the 98 sqin for a change.
ProKennex Ki QTour Racquets

Keeping one as a backup. Not sure which one yet.

 

[Hs0022]

The second one is used by Andreas Seppi.

 

[Hs0022]

New Fed racquet coming to the retail stores in October. Here is an intro to this new wave from Wilson.
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/blogs/...e-the--roger-federer-autograph-000906860.html

 

[nuraman00]

New Fed racquet coming to the retail stores in October. Here is an intro to this new wave from Wilson.
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/blogs/...e-the--roger-federer-autograph-000906860.html

So if I'm understanding that article correctly, Federer endorses it; it has his autograph on the racquet; but he doesn't actually play with that one?

 

[Hs0022]

So if I'm understanding that article correctly, Federer endorses it; it has his autograph on the racquet; but he doesn't actually play with that one?

Yep you got it. He plays something that is unique and is customized by an expert who specializes in customizing frames and strings ( wouldn't be surprised if he had his own guy) to fine tune the racquet in terms of balance, weight, swing weight and tension. The material his frame is made up of may be completely different from the one sold in stores. My guess is he uses the pro staff composition of the St. Vincent model which was in the purest forms and highest quality. The quality deteriorated after the production moved to Taiwan and China.

The market model that is sold to the masses will "look" like Fed's stick and "feel" like it but of course it is mass produced so quality won't be the same. Thus two of the same racquets could have different weights and balances and swing weights .

 

[nuraman00]

Is that how it works for racquets endorsed by other stars too?

 

[Hs0022]

Is that how it works for racquets endorsed by other stars too?

Almost. Federer's case is unique and even I was fooled into believing I was playing with the exact same racquet he uses as his racquets evolved from hyper pro staff-> nCode -> kFactor -> BLX 90 etc and now the RF autograph series. I bought with and played with pretty much all of his racquets including the Pro Staff he started out with that Pete used. I suspect he just used a customized paint job version of the original pro staff composition which is either 80% graphite and 20% Kevlar or 100% graphite. I am guessing that there would be some material added to reduce vibration and stiffness but Fed did play with a very stiff frame that is harmful for the arm as you get older. I am suspecting that the only change in his latest frame might be getting the RA index rating lower to get more arm friendly because Fed is getting older.

 

[nuraman00]

Almost. Federer's case is unique and even I was fooled into believing I was playing with the exact same racquet he uses as his racquets evolved from hyper pro staff-> nCode -> kFactor -> BLX 90 etc and now the RF autograph series. I bought with and played with pretty much all of his racquets including the Pro Staff he started out with that Pete used. I suspect he just used a customized paint job version of the original pro staff composition which is either 80% graphite and 20% Kevlar or 100% graphite. I am guessing that there would be some material added to reduce vibration and stiffness but Fed did play with a very stiff frame that is harmful for the arm as you get older. I am suspecting that the only change in his latest frame might be getting the RA index rating lower to get more arm friendly because Fed is getting older.

What's the RA index?

 

[nuraman00]

Is that how it works for racquets endorsed by other stars too?

Almost.

So why don't manufacturers in general offer the same racquet that the professionals use (minus some minor tweaks for string tension)?

 

[Old Lion]

What's the RA index?

Stiffness of the frame. I think Babolat creating the scale. 65 is usually the mid point. 70s are very stiff. 50s are very flexible. Racquets got very stiff and light 10 years ago and are now making their way back becoming heavier and more flexible.

 

[Old Lion]

So why don't manufacturers in general offer the same racquet that the professionals use (minus some minor tweaks for string tension)?

recreational players cant swing the heaviers racquets and need a bigger sweet spot to be consistent. The flexible frames bend more and cause more offcenter hits. I usually have to add lead tape to mine to get what I want.

 

[Hs0022]

Someone actually did a lawsuit against Wilson I believe claiming that their product slogan " Federer plays with this racquet" was misleading because as the sensible and informed tennis enthusiast knows he doesn't.

Still there is the enticement for "rookies" to the sport and Fed fanatics who will buy the racquet to find out what it feels like. They sell used rackets (actual ones used by Fed) on ebay sometimes for a few thousand bucks.

The recreational player should actually know better than to buy a racket blindly just because their idol uses something that looks like it. Instead the focus should be to find out what works best for your game and your level and you can find out by talking to a teaching pro at a local tennis club and demoing some rackets after letting him look at your game. Wish I had followed this advice of mine in the past.

But the thrill of holding a racket that looks like something that fed or Pete used is something else. I lost many matches because I played with a racket that was outdated, outsized ( in terms of headsize), outmatched, and under powered, but boy when I won it felt so good.

 

[nuraman00]

Someone actually did a lawsuit against Wilson I believe claiming that their product slogan " Federer plays with this racquet" was misleading because as the sensible and informed tennis enthusiast knows he doesn't.

Still there is the enticement for "rookies" to the sport and Fed fanatics who will buy the racquet to find out what it feels like. They sell used rackets (actual ones used by Fed) on ebay sometimes for a few thousand bucks.

The recreational player should actually know better than to buy a racket blindly just because their idol uses something that looks like it. Instead the focus should be to find out what works best for your game and your level and you can find out by talking to a teaching pro at a local tennis club and demoing some rackets after letting him look at your game. Wish I had followed this advice of mine in the past.

But the thrill of holding a racket that looks like something that fed or Pete used is something else. I lost many matches because I played with a racket that was outdated, outsized ( in terms of headsize), outmatched, and under powered, but boy when I won it felt so good.

Good post, agree.

 

[nuraman00]

I am looking at the specs of an old racquet I have, the Hammer 7.2.

I didn't pay attention to the specs when I bought it, in the 90s. But with the internet, information like that is more readily available, and makes it easier to compare.

Looking at these 3 sites, they mention different head sizes. The first and 3rd say it's 110 sq. inches, the 2nd says it's 95.

Which is the real one?

Wilson Hammer 7 2 PWS 110 Inch Tennis Racquet Racket Excellent 4 3 8" Grip | eBay

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/usc.forsale/IT57CJjdZK4

Wilson HAMMER 7.2 OS 110 Tennis Racquet Racket 4-3/8 (09/12/2011)...

 

[nuraman00]

recreational players cant swing the heaviers racquets and need a bigger sweet spot to be consistent. The flexible frames bend more and cause more offcenter hits. I usually have to add lead tape to mine to get what I want.

What you're saying about needing a bigger sweet spot, makes sense.

But why can't recreational players swing the heavier racquets?

Racquets are typical between 9-14 oz. In general, something under 1 lb., even taking into account the velocity of the object that's being hit (the ball), isn't very much.

Should a 13 or 14 oz racket be that much harder to play with, than an 11 or 12 oz racquet?

 

[Old Lion]

What you're saying about needing a bigger sweet spot, makes sense.

But why can't recreational players swing the heavier racquets?

Racquets are typical between 9-14 oz. In general, something under 1 lb., even taking into account the velocity of the object that's being hit (the ball), isn't very much.

Should a 13 or 14 oz racket be that much harder to play with, than an 11 or 12 oz racquet?

If the racket is made more head lite as it increased in weight then it wont make a huge difference to an advanced player. For the average player who usually does not have a long swing plane it will be tougher to get through the ball to generate power.

If the racket balance is left the same it will be more difficult to volley with a heavier racket as it becomes unwieldy.