Zvonareva's racquet?

[mary fierce]

Looked like a Fischer...anyone have any details?

[jaap deboeck]

Fischer has made a big push in pro stick endorsements in the last few seasons! As we know it is not easy to know precisely what they use but a guesstimate is a variant of the family Revolution Pro Classic, Pro Classic XL, Pro Tour. It was pulled out of the line in 2004 for the first time in a half decade but a new variant may be around for 2005. It was 27.25, 11.8 oz stock, 1" HL, 98", 16x20, 21mm hoop width. This is a pure control stick used by Tatiana Garbin (Italy) too. The head was more oval, less round than the Pro #1. Kafelnikov and many Fischer contract pros used the standard Pro #1, an entirely different stick. WTA: Schiavone - Pro #1, A. Barna Pro #1, Shaughnessy - Extreme?, Fokina - Instinct, Weingartner used a Pro #1 once. Some Fischer pros now use Pro #1 FT paint jobs. That stick is a tweener unsuited for pro style play unless heavily beefed up.

[thomas martinez]

Nope,a ctually Vera and Garbin both play bone stock Pro #1 FTs. Garbin strung at 26/25 with Ti-MO Touch, and Vera with Spikey 130

[El Diablo]

I agree the #1 FT in stock form would be a little light for pro duty. I added about 0.8 ounces with a headlight shift to one and it plays fabulously.

[jaap deboeck]

A 25-23-20 tapered "power feel", not the flat 21mm beam? Are you sure about that Mr Martinez? I know that Garbin used the flat beam Classic long a few years ago before there was any #1FT! I doubt strongly that they paint a #1 as as a Revolution Pro Classic! I assume it is the heavier Euro 325 gm version, not the 295 gram version. Vera then used, in your view, a Pro #1 295gm painted as a Tour before the FT intro?
Why would Fischer bother to do that?

[thomas martinez]

Yes, I am positive. I personally did Garbin's, and would estimate them to be the American versions. Vera's are actually stock American versions, bein the Gamma folk doled out some new ones to her right then and there. Comptlete with the lovely cardboard insert on the frame.

[chad shaver]

Great to see you back around, Thomas. I've missed your insights.

[jaap deboeck]

Garbin's stick for years had the extra wide full hoop width grommet strip unique to the Classic, and the head width was indeed 21mm. Maybe Tathiana radically changed her stick after reaching a ranking in the 40's! And we do not now know if these sticks are SICeramic graphite or the later Air Carbon FT. I can undersnd painting a player stick to look like a popular tweener/recreational stick (Wilkson, Head) but not painting one player stick to look like another player stick from the same company stable! But if you insist that both these fine WTA players swtiched to a new stock 295gm tweener to face Davenport type pace, so be it. If I see both women with a new Fischer '05 yellow Tour FT (the replacement for the venerable .25" longer classic but with rounder head) I will be suspicious.

[thomas martinez]

WHo knows, but yes, they did switch to them. WHen Vera was playing the older frame, it was a lighter weight one as well...You'd be surprised at how many WTA players use very light weight frames.

[cristian p]

Tom Martinez is one of more venerable posters on these boards and has worked with a great number of the pro's racquets... his word on the specs of players' frames is as close to gospel as you can get. There are quite a bit of pro players nowadays playing with tweener-type racquets, on both the ATP and (more so) on the WTA... Indeed, I managed to get a hold of Nadal's racquet at last year's Open, and by all accounts it was a completely stock Pure Drive strung with Babolat Duralast.