sharapova's racquet in RG2010

[vsbabolat]

Originally Posted by themitchmann

Prince didn't mess up her arm...she did. In case you didn't notice, she swings as hard as she can at every single ball.

She's played with a stiff racquet her whole careeer...why would a stiff racquet bother her now?

I hope that her "testing" is truly just testing...

From a competitors website:
First, let us clearly state that shoulder injuries and possible causes are outside of our area of expertise. We have studied and possess a solid understanding of tennis elbow, but shoulder issues are a different animal.

With that duly noted, Maria Sharapova is currently attempting to comeback from serious shoulder surgery (rotator cuff). We have read reports that only now, AFTER the surgery, the Sharapova camp is examining her equipment. The results will not be surprising to those who read our blog entries and tweets.

A review of Maria’s racquet has found the the Prince O3 and Speedport frames Maria was using have some undesirable specifications from a health perspective. As a result, it has been reported that Maria has switched from her previous racquet to a different Prince racquet. The report indicates the weapon Sharapova now weilds is less stiff than her previous frame and is a standard 27″ in length. It is reported her previous racquet was 27 1/2″ in length.

We have whined long and hard about the high stiffness ratings of the frames Prince has been producing. From our perspective, the majority of Prince’s newer frames offer undesirable specs from an arm health perspective. We believe a healthy frame has a flex rating in the mid 60′s or lower, is a standard length (27″), weighs approx. 11oz or greater, and offers a head light balance. The flex rating is the only specification that can not be modified through customization and thus we believe is the first spec to consider when evaluating racquets.

Team Sharapova is wisely reportedly reviewing her string setup as well. Previously Maria was using the Babolat Hurricane as her main strings with a natural gut cross. The Hurricane is a stiff and unforgiving poly-based string, similar in that respect to the Luxilon ALU. Her stringer has moved her to Luxilon M2 mains with a natural gut cross. While we applaud the effort to review the equipment and make this change, we would suggest going with the natural gut in the mains and a newer generation soft poly-based string in the crosses for added control.

It is impossible to know the exact cause of Maria’s injury, but we do know that stiff strings and a stiff frame such as she was using do transmit extra shock to the body. Over time, it is the shock that causes the body to break down and promotes injuries.

Look at the photo above. Even the professionals do not strike the ball squarely on each hit. In the shot above, Maria is striking the ball in the upper 1/3 rd of the hitting area. Any shot not centered is going to create extra shock. It is only wise to examine your equipment, (frame and strings), to determine if it helps to absorb this shock or if it promotes the transfer of the shock to the body.

It is possible that the cumulative effect of shock contributed to or possibly caused Maria’s injury. It is wise of her team to now examine her equipment and switch her to a frame and string set up that will help prevent excessive shock from reaching her body.

It certainly looks to me that the HEAD racquet is helping Sharapova. She is serving much better again. Had a chance against Henin on clay, Maria's worst surface.

[themitchmann]

^^Valid points stated in the blurb. I agree with the statement regarding the overall stiffness of the stringbed. I think shifting to a more arm friendly string/racquet combo should have happened a long time ago.

My major issue here is with all of the Prince haters that are blaming everything on the racquet...

And again, look at how she swings at the ball. She goes for broke on almost every shot. Any tension in the arm/grip will surely result in more problems when she's swinging that hard/fast.

[marosmith]

Originally Posted by themitchmann

^^Valid points stated in the blurb. I agree with the statement regarding the overall stiffness of the stringbed. I think shifting to a more arm friendly string/racquet combo should have happened a long time ago.

My major issue here is with all of the Prince haters that are blaming everything on the racquet...

And again, look at how she swings at the ball. She goes for broke on almost every shot. Any tension in the arm/grip will surely result in more problems when she's swinging that hard/fast.

Her shoulder surgery makes her more suceptible to injuries. Medical science shows that injury issues with the joints will go from high to low- in other words if the shoulder breaks down, the next to go is the forearm, wrist, hand, fingers etc...

My guess is that the stiff frame and strings probably also caused injury to her shoulder.

I guess you could blame her injuries on her playing style, but if the racket doesn't suit her playing style why wouldn't she change rackets? Do you think it makes more sense for her to change her playing style??

If Prince is telling the truth on their tweet maybe this will lead them to make a real soft players racket instead of the junk they have been producing of late.

If not Head will get her and I almost gaurantee you her elbow issues will go away for good (unless she goes to full poly).

Also, her form, compared to almost all rec players, is very good. So to say that her form is bad is sort of like saying theirs is better then hers because they don't get shoulder injuries, or elbow injuries etc...

Well, that's not the case, she just plays more, and hits more, over a period of many years and the stiff frame is taking its toll.

[themitchmann]

Originally Posted by marosmith

I guess you could blame her injuries on her playing style, but if the racket doesn't suit her playing style why wouldn't she change rackets? Do you think it makes more sense for her to change her playing style??

If Prince is telling the truth on their tweet maybe this will lead them to make a real soft players racket instead of the junk they have been producing of late.

If not Head will get her and I almost gaurantee you her elbow issues will go away for good (unless she goes to full poly).

Also, her form, compared to almost all rec players, is very good. So to say that her form is bad is sort of like saying theirs is better then hers because they don't get shoulder injuries, or elbow injuries etc...

Well, that's not the case, she just plays more, and hits more, over a period of many years and the stiff frame is taking its toll.

1.) My point is that she should have evaluated her equipment earlier on in the process. I said nothing about her changing her playing style.

2.) Again, your comment regarding Prince is what frustrates me about these boards at times. To call their frames "junk" is simply unreasonable. Many manufacturers have been successful with stiff racquets (though I would personally like to see some more frames with lower stiffness ratings in the Prince line-up).

3.) A switch in racquets will probably be beneficial, regardless of what brand she is using. If she changes Prince models or layups, she may not need to move to a different manufacturer.

4.) And I am only speculating regarding the stiffness of her racquet. Pro stock racquets are obviously not the same as what most of us will she from standard retailers.

5.) I did not criticize her form: I merely stated an observation. I don't think you can deny that she swings hard at almost every ball. My point is that if she carries any tension in her arm during the swing/contact, she will certain run the risk of more damage.

6.) Her form is significantly better than most rec players (many of whom do suffer from injuries do to poor form). To say that I inferred otherwise is false.

7.) I agree that he injuries may be a result of overuse/repeated use. That type of injury is incredibly prevalent in tennis (both pro and rec).

[bsandy]

I thought this was simple . . .

The softer Radical Pro allows her to use softer strings and not be too powerful.

. . . Bud

[themitchmann]

Originally Posted by bsandy

I thought this was simple . . .

The softer Radical Pro allows her to use softer strings and not be too powerful

I think that's a part of it.

[RafaPan]

Is there any way we could merge these threads?