replacement for old Prince Pro?

[Dr. D]

Hey everyone,

I am a 38 yo M. I used to play competitively until I got to college. I gave up the game for nearly 20 yrs and now have been trying to get back into the game this summer. Back in the day, I used to play with a 110 sq inch metal frame prince pro and then got a prince spectrum comp as a senior. This summer, I demo'ed a few rackets and found the power of the new rackets (Babolat) very difficult to handle. I just kept hitting the balls long. Some of it is that I am rusty (and might hit better with them now that I have been practicing for the past two months). Some of it might be that the rackets are so powerful now.

I ended up buying a 93 sq inch Wilson K Blade Tour but am not playing my best tennis to say the least. I am mis-hitting a lot since its a slightly smaller frame than what I played with back in the day and dont feel that the racket is an extension of my hand. Over the weekend, I played with a friend who happened to have an old Prince Pro metal frame and I was playing really well (for me). I had consistency, power, and feel etc... It felt so natural to play with this.

So my question is to the experts out there, what do you think is going on? Why can I play so well with this old racket and have difficulty with my Wilson and others I demo'ed. Is it a matter or weight of racket, of size of head, or stiffness, etc? The bottom line is: I would love to get advice on what contemporary rackets you all think I should demo given the improvement of my game using this old racket.

Thanks so much in advance!!

Dr. D

 

[tlimster]

The new rackets are made for a different type of player -- power topspin. There are still a lot of rackets out there for a classic game:

Volkl PB 10 MP or Mid
Prince Graphite 110
Head Radical OS (try any of them and lead 'em up)
Prince Diablo MP

Or you could track down Prince Pros used and start beating people with those. That's kind of cool to do. Luckily, vintage Prince rackets don't command the same prices that vintage Head, Dunlop and Wilson rackets do, so they're easy to find cheap.

I've been stocking up on CTS Approach rackets, because that's the last one I used before turning off the tennis light for 10 years or so too. Just got a new one for $50.

 

[pshulam]

These rackets, available from TW, are new but with old-school feels:
Donnay International Pro or OS.
ProKennex Heritage Type C Redondo.
Gamma T-7

 

[MichaelChang]

If you like the old Prince spectrum Comp 110, then why not try a Prince Original Graphite 110 that are in stock right now. This is the descendent of the old Prince 110s and is slightly less head-light.

 

[joe sch]

Yes, I agree with the above posts suggesting an older school graphite racket that has more weight and flex. This is the kind of racket you are use to playing so dont punish yourself with a new OS stiff air shell.

 

[TMR]

why replace your Prince Pro? If you pick up everyone's unused Prince Pro sitting in their closet/basement/garage, you can easily accumulate 8-10 sticks, which should be enough to last you quite some time. For example, I have 2 Prince Pro sitting unused next to my POG OS, POG mids, and Borons. The only sticks getting less use are the 2 Prince Classics to the left! ahanesthesiaa at gmail dot com

 

[KFwinds]

Yeah, as others have mentioned there are probably plenty of options on the auction site (Prince Pros, Spectum Comps, Graphite 110's), or, you can get brand new Prince Graphite OS or Donnay Pro One's here at TW.

 

[pshulam]

If you pick up everyone's unused Prince Pro sitting in their closet/basement/garage, you can easily accumulate 8-10 sticks, which should be enough to last you quite some time.

two or three are enough for me since I have never broken any rackets.