Courier in '99

[Craig Sheppard]

Hi all, just watching a Tennis Channel Classic match with Courier v. Henman from '99. (BTW TTC is *awesome*) Anyway, I noticed Courier had a glossy-black racquet w/ no graphics. It didn't look like a Pro Staff either--looked a bit thicker. Did he use a custom racquet for a time at the end of his career? Anyone know what it actually was?

Just wondering, not looking to start any theories or match my racquet to his...

Thanks,
Craig

Sorry, this has nothing to do with the post and it won't help you, but man I wish I had The Tennis Channel.

But anyways, I thought Courier used the PS 85? I'm not totally sure, but I'm sure someone can tell me whether I'm right or wrong.

[JimmyChapter]

Didn't Courier use a Pro Staff painted all black?

[Craig Sheppard]

Well it's painted all black, but it's not a traditional PS 85. It's slightly thicker and has a denser string pattern. Was wondering if he tested a newer/different model for a while.

Craig

Wasn't the stars-and-stripes Pro Staff 6.6 a little thicker than the 6.0 due to the thick paint? And with a slightly different 16/18 pattern (6.0 grommets weren't interchangable?). I'm pretty sure Courier would have tested that racket since he voiced some pretty bad vibes about it, although I though it would have been earlier, when the 6.6 was coming out. Or maybe you saw Courier testing a Cayman TNT 90? Not sure about beam width, but its head is supposed to be "identical" to that of the 6.0 85's. However, I'm most inclined to believe that it was one of his regular, well-used St. Vincents. You know most St. Vincents are 18 mm, right? Though I'm not sure how you could notice a 1 mm difference through the television. Just how much thicker did it look?

I also noticed that Courier did use something other than a PS Original. Check whether his frame has the PWS at 3 & 9 o'clock of the racket.

[NoBadMojo]

there was a mold floating around that was based on the ps85 that didnt have the pws at 3 and 9 which does nothing anyway really because you can put as much weight as you want there without the bumps. pmac used a totally custom frame based on the ps85 and maybe it was the same one..jmac also used this frame at wimby once as i recall. the pmac version was a fiberglas graphite blend that started w. pretty much all graphite at the head and more fiberglass was introduced as you went further down until the handle was pretty much just fiberglass. the thing really hits sweet. they took this same frame to Nike trying to convince them this was the holy grail and they should get into the tennis biz w. this all balck frame..it was gonna be the jmac autograph and just be plain black w. the swoosh and the signature. phil knight, as i understand it was hot on getting into the tennis biz back then, but his board nixed the idea. tangential post..sorry..guess my point is that there was at least one other mold out there based on the ps85.

[chad shaver]

It was a Dunlop custom frame. Seems like Dunlop wanted to sign Courier to an endorsement deal, and Courier didn't want to do it.

[couch]

I thought I remembered him testing Dunlop frames also. Wasn't it after he was having the "dead arm" syndrome.

I remember watching the Davis Cup team practice at Stone Mountain Georgia in 98' and saw his racquets laying next to the fence. I didn't know as much back then as I do now about racquets, etc. but I didn't think it looked like a PS 6.0 85. It was painted a shiny all black color.

[Craig Sheppard]

chad and couch, I bet you're right about the Dunlop. This one was shiny black as well--and didn't look 85 sq in. I would've put it closer to 90, with maybe a 16x19 pattern. I didn't Tivo the match and I didn't pause it so I can't get a closer look. But I'd bet it's a dunlop. It looked about 20 mm wide...

Craig

[chad shaver]

I remember a quote (more or less) about the results of his medical tests with "dead arm."

According to Courier, "They said 'There's nothing wrong with you. By the way, here's a bill for $4,000.'"

Regardless, with the high tensions he used to use in those PS 85's, it's no wonder he had a dead arm.

[Bo]

I don't think it's a 6.6 85, although it has a thicker beam (20mm), its 16 x 18 string pattern was actually less dense in the middle c.f. PS 6.0 85. The 6.6 95 has a denser pattern though, but the 6.6 series was deleted in 96/97.

[big ted]

i heard he used a custom molded frame made exclusively by racquet stringer jay schwied and his company

[JRW]

What big ted said. Read(in racquettech?) that Courier called it the "stealth bomber".

[Prostaffer]

i have seen these blacked out frames. yes they were thicker and they were proposed 7 "series" pro staffs. wilson doens't put out alot of prostaff with high index numbers fearing consumers will be scared off by them. if you remember the 7.1 zone wasn't a big seller and a big reason you saw names start to be used instead of swing indexes.

[chad shaver]

'Twas a Dunlop....