Federer's real racquet (pics included)

Sup2Dresq

Sup2Dresq

Hall of Fame
Hello all,

Visited a friend of mine today, who is a Wilson rep. We'll he received as a gift Roger's racquet from a couple years ago. Signature included, with paintjob.

Before anyone starts the conversation. He said that it was from a couple years ago. Obvious with the paint job and the fact it really looks like a ps 85.

I measured it since I know it would be asked:

338g unstrung
30.5 balance

Enjoy the pictures!

2d9ec9fc.jpg


64828e03.jpg


620a7c67.jpg
 
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Jonnyf

Jonnyf

Hall of Fame
Wow...Amazing find Sup. Sadly, This won't stop the conspiracy theories...but it'll do a pretty good job of it!

:)
 
drakulie

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
Fed uses a k90. :)




Thanks for the pics, Sup! Now just to make this clear>>> this was a game used racquet, Correct????
 
Sup2Dresq

Sup2Dresq

Hall of Fame
drakulie said:
Fed uses a k90. :)




Thanks for the pics, Sup! Now just to make this clear>>> this was a game used racquet, Correct????
Click to expand...


Yes. The story is that Fed changed to the new paintjob, he signed a bunch of his playing racquets and gave them to Wilson per his contract. They give it to top Wilson reps as a gift.

Its used. And the leather grip is worn. The signature seems to be the last thing added.

Its real IMO.
 
nickb

nickb

Banned
I LOVE that paintjob...one of the best ever IMO...the matt finish looks great...anyway nice pics and thanks for posting.

(Waits for Breakpoint to come into the thread with his "its a K90 under that paint theory") :)

Nick
 
drakulie

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
Sup, Thanks! Did you take photos of the sides of the frame?????

Also, were the insides of the throat clear?? or did they have any marking besides the stickers??
 
Sup2Dresq

Sup2Dresq

Hall of Fame
drakulie said:
Sup, Thanks! Did you take photos of the sides of the frame?????

Also, were the insides of the throat clear?? or did they have any marking besides the stickers??
Click to expand...

If this guy wasn't a good friend of mine, I wouldn't of even gotten the chance to hold it. So those pics are all i got, along with the measuring it.

Oh I may have swung it around and pretended to win wimbledon.

I did suck all the mojo I could.

So no pictures of the side.
 
BreakPoint

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
nickb said:
(Waits for Breakpoint to come into the thread with his "its a K90 under that paint theory") :)
Click to expand...
Of course that's not a K90!

That's obviously the PS 6.0 85 with the HPS 6.0 95 Tour paintjob that Federer used in the early part of 2002. This was during the period that he was transitioning from the PS 6.0 85 to the Tour 90. He later switched to a PS Tour 90 with that same red HPS 6.0 95 Tour paintjob later in 2002.
 
nickb

nickb

Banned
BreakPoint said:
Of course that's not a K90!

That's obviously the PS 6.0 85 with the HPS 6.0 95 Tour paintjob that Federer used in the early part of 2002. This was during the period that he was transitioning from the PS 6.0 85 to the Tour 90. He later switched to a PS Tour 90 with that same red HPS 6.0 95 Tour paintjob later in 2002.
Click to expand...

Well thank god for that!

I know its a PS85...I was just joking. The unstrung weight seems about right for a PS85 made in China which is what I have been told he used.

Sup2Dresq: what is the gripsize...L3?...cheers
 
H

HodeClassicMP

Rookie
That's obviously the PS 6.0 85 with the HPS 6.0 95 Tour paintjob that Federer used in the early part of 2002. This was during the period that he was transitioning from the PS 6.0 85 to the Tour 90. He later switched to a PS Tour 90 with that same red HPS 6.0 95 Tour paintjob later in 2002
Click to expand...

If you look at the article(the link above) The Andy Rodick Interview, from Magazine Tennis. Andy said that Roger still uses the same racket Pete used. And the interview took place, April 2007. How do you explain that?
 
nickb

nickb

Banned
HodeClassicMP said:
If you look at the article(the link above) The Andy Rodick Interview, from Magazine Tennis. Andy said that Roger still uses the same racket Pete used. And the interview took place, April 2007. How do you explain that?
Click to expand...

Roddick prob meant its a similar racket...i.e from the pro staff family. He has also talked about Luxilon changing tennis when he should really say poly strings...its just a general comment.
 
drakulie

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
HodeClassicMP said:
If you look at the article(the link above) The Andy Rodick Interview, from Magazine Tennis. Andy said that Roger still uses the same racket Pete used. And the interview took place, April 2007. How do you explain that?
Click to expand...

Roddick needs to worry about his cross court approach shots, and not what Fed uses.
 
nickb

nickb

Banned
^LOL...I just love watching Roddick hit an approach shot right down the middle at wimbledon and get passed or hit in the stomach. His approach shots and volleys are just shocking...
 
PurePrestige

PurePrestige

Semi-Pro
Believe it or not the pro's aren't as much gear heads as all of us might be. They aren't really that aware of every racket on the market and all the differences between them. Roddick probably is only aware that the K90, n90, PS90 were the followup lines to the PS85. So Fed is using the 'flagship small headed players frame' in the same vein as Sampras. Which is probably what he was referring to. I doubt Roddick pays that much attention, but his remark is still pretty much valid. I don't think we can at all take this to mean that Fed is playing a PS85....that would be selective reading hahah. Roddick was just making the point, he's playing the same frame, and Roger is using a traditional players frame and still dominating.

What we do know is that Fed used a PS 85 then a PS 85 PJ with the HPS paint.
However, he is not using this now. He switched to the PS Tour 90 with custom pallet or some sort of custom mold in 2003. It is most obviously not a PJ of a PS85 because it has a tapered throat rather than the flat beam of the PS 85. There are close up pics of this.

So it is absolutely for sure that he is not using a PS 85. Be it a custom mold or not. From his Weight and Balance specs. and the pallet shape, tapered throat..etc it seems the closest thing out right now to what he is playing is in fact the K90. The K90 fits the bill of weight and balance, tapered throat, shorter pallet and all. Whether he is using the EXACT same layup of Karbon Nano whatever I don't think particularly matters.

The N90 and Tour 90 play alot different than the K90 in my opinion, somethin about that shorter pallet feels better. But the K90 is probably the closest thing to a PS85 in a 90sqin headsize and the closest to what Fed is using i'm pretty sure.

In closing...Federer uses a K90. Believe it.
 
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MAXXply

MAXXply

Hall of Fame
".....he signed a bunch of his playing racquets and gave them to Wilson per his contract. They give it to top Wilson reps as a gift. "

I'm intrigued Sup2Dresq---are you saying a standard Wilson endorsement contract requires the player to hand over their existing, soon-to-be superseded sticks back to Wilson ? Can Wilson compel their stars to do that ?
Fellow racquet nerds, any other ideas ?
 
nickb

nickb

Banned
PurePrestige:

The K90 does not have a tapered throat...im not sure what you even mean...it has a shorter pallet yes. It is clear he is using a tour 90 because..well...uh..it has a bigger headsize which can be spotted a mile away and a different string pattern (1 more cross string).
 
BreakPoint

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
nickb said:
I know its a PS85...I was just joking. The unstrung weight seems about right for a PS85 made in China which is what I have been told he used.
Click to expand...
Actually, that's a bit light for a stock retail China PS 6.0 85, which is 342g unstrung. That weight is closer to the K90's 340g.
 
BreakPoint

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
nickb said:
PurePrestige:

The K90 does not have a tapered throat...im not sure what you even mean...it has a shorter pallet yes. It is clear he is using a tour 90 because..well...uh..it has a bigger headsize which can be spotted a mile away and a different string pattern (1 more cross string).
Click to expand...
The K90 does indeed have a "tapered" throat, by which he means that it has angled cutouts on the top corners of the "V".

K61T90-3.JPG


http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/viewlarge.html?PCODE=K61T90

Compare that throat to the one on the PS 6.0 85 in the OP above.
 
drakulie

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
nickb said:
^LOL...I just love watching Roddick hit an approach shot right down the middle at wimbledon and get passed or hit in the stomach. His approach shots and volleys are just shocking...
Click to expand...

LOL> true. It is so predictable too.


Sup, being that the issue of weight is being discussed, you told me the frame felt much lighter to swing that the PS85 China you had at home. Could you elaborate?? Also, I know you played with the K90, could you compare the swingweight to that frame as well???? Thanks in Advance.
 
BreakPoint

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
drakulie said:
Sup, being that the issue of weight is being discussed, you told me the frame felt much lighter to swing that the PS85 China you had at home. Could you elaborate?? Also, I know you played with the K90, could you compare the swingweight to that frame as well???? Thanks in Advance.
Click to expand...
Don't forget that the Fed racquet above was unstrung when he swung it. Not sure about the China PS 6.0 85 at home that he compared it to. That would make a big difference in the swingweight if his PS 6.0 85 was strung.
 
D

D. Nelson

Semi-Pro
NICE JOB, SUP !!!! Let me add to the 'frame questions' ; does the grip shape FEEL like the 'standard' WILSON-shape ?? And does it feel like there IS 'mystery-lead' looming in/around the frame...ANYwhere ?? Thanks...in advance..... :)
 
drakulie

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
BreakPoint said:
Don't forget that the Fed racquet above was unstrung when he swung it. Not sure about the China PS 6.0 85 at home that he compared it to. That would make a big difference in the swingweight if his PS 6.0 85 was strung.
Click to expand...

Good point, BP!

Sup??????
 
Sup2Dresq

Sup2Dresq

Hall of Fame
nickb said:
Well thank god for that!

I know its a PS85...I was just joking. The unstrung weight seems about right for a PS85 made in China which is what I have been told he used.

Sup2Dresq: what is the gripsize...L3?...cheers
Click to expand...

4 3/8

Hope that helps
 
Sup2Dresq

Sup2Dresq

Hall of Fame
MAXXply said:
".....he signed a bunch of his playing racquets and gave them to Wilson per his contract. They give it to top Wilson reps as a gift. "

I'm intrigued Sup2Dresq---are you saying a standard Wilson endorsement contract requires the player to hand over their existing, soon-to-be superseded sticks back to Wilson ? Can Wilson compel their stars to do that ?
Fellow racquet nerds, any other ideas ?
Click to expand...

Yup. I was told that. That a number of their racquets (I got the sense, their retiring racquets), are giving to their Wilson specialists, which then get distributed to wilson reps as gifts
 
Sup2Dresq

Sup2Dresq

Hall of Fame
drakulie said:
LOL> true. It is so predictable too.


Sup, being that the issue of weight is being discussed, you told me the frame felt much lighter to swing that the PS85 China you had at home. Could you elaborate?? Also, I know you played with the K90, could you compare the swingweight to that frame as well???? Thanks in Advance.
Click to expand...

I have a PS85 at home. I also played with the N90 and the K90.

This 85 felt a lot lighter in the swing. Maybe it was the Fed "mojo", but I doubt it.

Does someone know the unstrung balance of a stock PS85, cause this racquet felt very very head light.
 
Sup2Dresq

Sup2Dresq

Hall of Fame
D. Nelson said:
NICE JOB, SUP !!!! Let me add to the 'frame questions' ; does the grip shape FEEL like the 'standard' WILSON-shape ?? And does it feel like there IS 'mystery-lead' looming in/around the frame...ANYwhere ?? Thanks...in advance..... :)
Click to expand...

The grip felt rounder than the standrad Wilson grip. Not "full" per se, but more round. I do believe that there is something under the grip. Of course I will never know what is under it.

So again, it felt rounder. I would say closer to a Fischer or Babolat than Wilson. Also not sure if the grip years made it stiff, but the grip was leather and so not soft. It felt like a rock.
 
Sup2Dresq

Sup2Dresq

Hall of Fame
Fedace said:
Fed really does use the Kfactor 90. cause it looks completely different than that prostaff
Click to expand...

Just to be clear .. as I wrote in my initial post. This racquet is several years old. Not the current racquet Fed uses.

Just look at it.. its a PS85 with modifications and a nice paintjob.

It swings easier, but my PS85 is strung and I wont break the full natural gut job. It felt lighter than the current k90 at 12.3oz unstrung.

The grip felt rounder.

I instantly felt the Fed "mojo" .. and may go on a tournament streak.

The racquet was used.

The throat had specs on it like you would see on a normal retail. No serial numbers or such. It was on the other side of the sticker I posted a picture of.

The racquet is a standard lenght.

The racquet is Fed's old racquet.

Sup
 
Sup2Dresq

Sup2Dresq

Hall of Fame
Has anyone googled FBS Sports (the sticker on the racquet).

I got this link

http://www.fbs-sports.de/

Can someone translate? Is it just a store.. not sure what to make of that. Didn't ask. Was too busy admiring the racquet.

P.S. The guy was in Vegas for the Kfactor release party. He asked Mardy Fish and Dima about using the k90 (why they didn't). They both said it was a great racquet if you are hitting to each other, but not great for transition (defense to offense and vice versa).

Just adding that tid bit.
 
ericsson

ericsson

Hall of Fame
Sup2Dresq said:
Has anyone googled FBS Sports (the sticker on the racquet).

I got this link

http://www.fbs-sports.de/

Can someone translate? Is it just a store.. not sure what to make of that. Didn't ask. Was too busy admiring the racquet.

P.S. The guy was in Vegas for the Kfactor release party. He asked Mardy Fish and Dima about using the k90 (why they didn't). They both said it was a great racquet if you are hitting to each other, but not great for transition (defense to offense and vice versa).

Just adding that tid bit.
Click to expand...

Sup, the link is a store that started out doing stringing, later for ATP players, now it's a sport store and racket service center.
One of the guys Frank Messerer, strung and customized for Federer for 5 years and some other big names like Safin, Rosset etc...
So this confirmes that the stick is real.

Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:
0d1n

0d1n

Hall of Fame
Thanks for the post, nice and short ... and very informative. This pretty much puts to rest the "in the know" theories of people that assume Federer uses a SW2/polarized/depolarized/450 grams/575 SW spaceship racket that plays all by itself.
He's using a reasonable racket customized a bit to suit his own taste and stroke mechanics.
The guy would still dominate using a Prestige, 200 G, Vacuum Pro something, Volkl, Pro Kennex, Tecnifibre ... whatever else customized to his parameters if he was offered a deal by one of the other companies while growing up and if he stuck with that company for the long run.
He's a freak who happened to "get it right upstairs" as well. A coincidence that makes him the great player that he is regardless of racket.

Anyway ...great find, thanks for taking the time to post your impressions AND data ;)
 
C

crosscourt

Professional
Your unstrung weight tallies with what I was told by someone who has worked on Federer's rackets. I can't remember what they said about the balance point. What does 30.5 translate into in terms of points headlight.

cc
 
Sup2Dresq

Sup2Dresq

Hall of Fame
crosscourt said:
Your unstrung weight tallies with what I was told by someone who has worked on Federer's rackets. I can't remember what they said about the balance point. What does 30.5 translate into in terms of points headlight.

cc
Click to expand...

Too lazy to do the math.

Can anyone help crosscourt?
 
Sup2Dresq

Sup2Dresq

Hall of Fame
ericsson said:
Sup, the link is a store that started out doing stringing, later for ATP players, now it's a sport store and racket service center.
One of the guys Frank Messerer, strung and customized for Federer for 5 years and some other big names like Safin, Rosset etc...
So this confirmes that the stick is real.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Ah! Never doubted my friend. He is just not the type to lie or be lied too. He's been in the business forever (25+ years).

So the racquet is real. I held it.. (taking as much mojo as I could)... and it sits quietly alone.

Thing should be framed and displayed. Just my thoughts.

Sup
 
Sup2Dresq

Sup2Dresq

Hall of Fame
Sup2Dresq said:
The grip felt rounder than the standrad Wilson grip. Not "full" per se, but more round. I do believe that there is something under the grip. Of course I will never know what is under it.

So again, it felt rounder. I would say closer to a Fischer or Babolat than Wilson. Also not sure if the grip years made it stiff, but the grip was leather and so not soft. It felt like a rock.
Click to expand...

Oh I had a picture after all. Enjoy. Sorry I didn't zoom, but you can a sense of the grip shape.

c1ff2ac1.jpg
 
C

crosscourt

Professional
That would be unstrung though. I would jave to check but I think I was told that Fed was at 6 or 7 points headlight.

cc
 
BreakPoint

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
Sup2Dresq said:
That pretty head light. Probably why I felt it swung easier. Racquet is customized.

Thanks for doing the math.. *yawn*.
Click to expand...
Don't forget that 12 pts. HL unstrung is about 9 pts. HL strung. He may also add lead tape to the hoop when he plays with that frame.

BTW, this unstrung frame will swing much lighter than your strung PS 6.0 85. That's probably why you felt that it swung so light. A racquet with a strung swingweight of 330 will probably feel like only around 315 when unstrung.
 
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Sup2Dresq

Sup2Dresq

Hall of Fame
BreakPoint said:
Don't forget that 12 pts. HL unstrung is about 9 pts. HL strung. He may also add lead tape to the hoop when he plays with that frame.

BTW, this unstrung frame will swing much lighter than your strung PS 6.0 85. That's probably why you felt that it swing so light. A racquet with a strung swingweight of 330 will probably feel like only around 315 when unstrung.
Click to expand...

LOL. Yes.. I figured the strings gave it a bit of a difference. No matter how you strung it, it still felt lighter than my PS85 unstrung. It was mega light in the head, but static weight seemed normal.
 
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