Did McEnroe play the "Max 200G" or "Max 200G Pro" or both?

[paoloraz]

Originally Posted by vsbabolat

Yup, thats the Max200G with John signature that was 1986-1987. I have the Max200G from 1985 celebrating his 1984 Wimbledon and US Open wins.

Wow... I was pretty sure that the celebrative version was sold (only) with the paintjob "graphite injection", not with the two green stipes one... Does it exist also a celebrative version of the graphite injection, am I right? Otherwise no doubts, mac at the USO 1990 was just using his standard signature 86-87model, and we don't need to wait until I go to the sea to solve the rebus!

[vsbabolat]

Originally Posted by paoloraz

Wow... I was pretty sure that the celebrative version was sold (only) with the paintjob "graphite injection", not with the two green stipes one... Does it exist also a celebrative version of the graphite injection, am I right? Otherwise no doubts, mac at the USO 1990 was just using his standard signature 86-87model, and we don't need to wait until I go to the sea to solve the rebus!

All of my IMF frames are in storage and I'll have to check with what I have. I can let you know by monday.

[paoloraz]

And here we are...Mac at wimbledon in 1992 with a max 200gpro!
You can see (more or less) that there's written something after the word 200g on the frame...that something is the word "pro"!
...taken directly from the school diary of my last high school year...





I have other 1992 pics ('cause he's using the nike supreme court shirts) from magazines of that year showing that in 1992 he also used a "normal" 200g in some occasions (and the no logo 200g at the AO)...

[paoloraz]

Originally Posted by vsbabolat

All of my IMF frames are in storage and I'll have to check with what I have. I can let you know by monday.

Oh, that would be great! Thank you vsbabolat, you are very kind!

[vsbabolat]

Originally Posted by paoloraz

Wow... I was pretty sure that the celebrative version was sold (only) with the paintjob "graphite injection", not with the two green stipes one... Does it exist also a celebrative version of the graphite injection, am I right? Otherwise no doubts, mac at the USO 1990 was just using his standard signature 86-87model, and we don't need to wait until I go to the sea to solve the rebus!

My Graphite Injection just has John's Signature with Max series vibration control.

[jimbo333]

Originally Posted by paoloraz

This is a pic from USO 1990...note the two bars below the arrows, it's the graphite injection version, yes maybe the wimbledon/USO winner...the answer is in a tennis magazine where there is a big and nice pic with mac in alleluja position, with the side of the racquet in first stand...but it's at my sea house!! So a little patience, the first time I go I'll take it...

Excellent thanks, well that does indeed seem to be the 86/87 retail version, and the only time to my knowledge he used this paintjob!

I would still like to see that other photo at some point of him using this racket please when you get the chance, great thanks

[jimbo333]

Originally Posted by paoloraz

Yep, it's the original grip of the wooden maxply mcenroe he has always used with the 200g...the funny thing is that when he actually used the maxply mcenroe in 1982-beginning83, he always used the leather brown grip of the maxply fort used in 81!! hahahaha...strange guy, isn't he?

jimbo, a curiosity: which is the weight-gripsize of the customised 200gpro? I guess Mac has always used an LM5 - LM 4 5/8, but I'm not sure...

Well apparently Mac didn't like the retail version of the wood Maxply McEnroe, it was made for him so i don't know what they were doing?

And apparently I heard in 1982 Mac was actually using the Dunlop Maxply Fort he used in 1981, under the Maxply McEnroe paintjob! This would explain the brown grip to some extent. Anyone know anything about this?

Anyway the customized Mac racket I have is a gripsize 5 yes, but no gripsize/weight sticker, I must weigh it at some point!

[jimbo333]

Originally Posted by vsbabolat

Yup, thats the Max200G with John signature that was 1986-1987. I have the Max200G from 1985 celebrating his 1984 Wimbledon and US Open wins.

Nice It took me ages to find one of those, i think that paintjob was only available in the USA, and that is the only version with the "Winner wimbledon....etc" down the side. I originally thought there was a 1986 version of this as well, but I never saw one, so I now think this is the only version of this paintjob!

[jimbo333]

Originally Posted by paoloraz

And here we are...Mac at wimbledon in 1992 with a max 200gpro!
You can see (more or less) that there's written something after the word 200g on the frame...that something is the word "pro"!
...taken directly from the school diary of my last high school year...





I have other 1992 pics ('cause he's using the nike supreme court shirts) from magazines of that year showing that in 1992 he also used a "normal" 200g in some occasions (and the no logo 200g at the AO)...

Absolutely superb thanks, made my day

Fantastic stuff, so that is definitely the racket I have, so Mac did indeed use this version. Even though the one I have is new and completely unused, but great to see he used this version during his career!

[paoloraz]

Originally Posted by jimbo333

Excellent thanks, well that does indeed seem to be the 86/87 retail version, and the only time to my knowledge he used this paintjob!

I would still like to see that other photo at some point of him using this racket please when you get the chance, great thanks

Mhhh...no, I guess he used this painjob also the following week when he won at Basel...and also after the AO 1992, when he got a new Dunlop contract...I remember a pic in a tennis magazine taken at the Lipton 1992...maybe I'll post it if I find it...

Yes, it seems the retail 86/87 version, altought, if you look closely to the racquet on the extreme right, there are no stripes (bars) below the chevrons...it is the paintjob of the graphite injection but it is custom made for sure (some racquets in the bunch have these bars, some has not...)

[paoloraz]

Originally Posted by jimbo333

Well apparently Mac didn't like the retail version of the wood Maxply McEnroe, it was made for him so i don't know what they were doing?

And apparently I heard in 1982 Mac was actually using the Dunlop Maxply Fort he used in 1981, under the Maxply McEnroe paintjob! This would explain the brown grip to some extent. Anyone know anything about this?

Anyway the customized Mac racket I have is a gripsize 5 yes, but no gripsize/weight sticker, I must weigh it at some point!

Bit out of topic, but...For sure, the racquet used by MAc was not the standard Maxply Mcenroe, but I don't think it was a paintjob of the maxply fort...He started with a prototype at the end of '81-beginning '82, which I guess (from the pics) was a fort with a glassfiber instead of wood reinforce in the lower part of the head (dunlop written in red on the handle and light brown wooden reinforce above the grip, as the fort).
Later he switched to a racquet where this reinforce is dark brown, much more than the retail maxply mcenroe version. It might be a fort painted to mimic the retail mcenroe or a graphite instead of wood reinforce...I've never been able to solve the mystery!!

[jimbo333]

Originally Posted by paoloraz

Mhhh...no, I guess he used this painjob also the following week when he won at Basel...and also after the AO 1992, when he got a new Dunlop contract...I remember a pic in a tennis magazine taken at the Lipton 1992...maybe I'll post it if I find it...

Yes, it seems the retail 86/87 version, altought, if you look closely to the racquet on the extreme right, there are no stripes (bars) below the chevrons...it is the paintjob of the graphite injection but it is custom made for sure (some racquets in the bunch have these bars, some has not...)

Again, if you do have any more photos of Mac using the 86/87 version, I would really like to see them at some point please. What i was originally getting at was that he didn't use the 86/87 version at all in 1986/87 as far as I know!

He seemed to be using a custom racket version of the first generation Max200g until 1988, when he seemed to be using the latest 88/89 "grafil injection" version (or at least a paintjob of it).

[paoloraz]

Originally Posted by jimbo333

Again, if you do have any more photos of Mac using the 86/87 version, I would really like to see them at some point please. What i was originally getting at was that he didn't use the 86/87 version at all in 1986/87 as far as I know!

He seemed to be using a custom racket version of the first generation Max200g until 1988, when he seemed to be using the latest 88/89 "grafil injection" version (or at least a paintjob of it).

Basel '90 was a week or two after the USO 1990, so he was using the same racquets...I don't find now the magazine, maybe it's somewhere at my mom house...you have to trust by now!

Below, a pic from Key biscayne '92, where mac uses the '86-87 model, but without the two stripes below the chevrons and with the standard dunlop leather grip!