Diary of a Racketaholic

[Power Player]

Klem, I play the same way as him, but not as much on serve. Played a guy like him with the APD and it was a looooot easier to deal with him using the Prince.

The thing is for me, I have the wrist thing, so I can sometimes hold back with stiff racquets because I am still wary of mishitting and firing up my tendons.

For me personally this is a far more stable racquet. Now it is weighing 11.9 instead of the weighted 11.7 APDgt (I think string hole grommets add some weight), but it swings like it weighs 11.5. I don't think the weight of it is the reason it's stable..I think like you stated, it is the flex.

I can already tell you what I do to guys who hit with heavy top like myself..I slice them on both wings a lot more (real easy with such an open pattern). This guy happens to be pretty tall as well, so he hates it. Once he sends me back something to work with, I give him a heavy banger into the corners if possible and follow it to net.

But the best way to counter these types of power strokes is with slice until you can get an opening to tee off on something. I learned this from another 5.0 who used to just eat my pace with slice. About this time I started to use a lot more angles and spin, and switched out from the tight 18x20 to do this.

Personally, angles > power for me against good players.

[klementine79]

^ thanks for the tips... I'm going to send him a text this weekend and see if he's down for some 'hittin' around'...

I'm 6'1 in my adidas.. so this guy had to be at least 6'4. Had alot of trouble handling his serves... like I said, I must have been standing 5-6 feet back... because I could not read them on the base line.

That's where he killed me.

I did notice that slices to his back-hand were troubling him... BTW... is there a greater feeling than fore-hand slicing with the exo3Tours????.... maybe some nc-17 activities... but that's about it.

Still amazed by the spin this guy was getting. Just insane. Just goes to show technique and racquet head speed are keys to spin... because the YtRadMid+ is not known for it's spin.

[klementine79]

Originally Posted by Power Player

Personally, angles > power for me against good players.

This definitely works... as 5.0r's usually have that short-back-swing... but great acceleration through contact-zone and full follow-through. Negates any power you're using... until that 'window' opens up.

[Power Player]

I hit a forehand slice return last night that was dirty dirty as well.

You want to take heavy top early or have good footwork and play back behind the baseline by a bit. That is a tougher proposition because unless you are crushing the ball, he will have a lot of time to just keep blasting at you. So I'd work on taking it early with slice or top to set up your own shots.

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by Boricua

Im comparing the Yonex RDIS 100 MP with a Babolat Aeroprodrive GT (APD GT) that I also have.

Yes, sorry for being unclear, I understood you.

Coincidentally I was thinking about Yonex's the other day after reading an article with Maria Kirilenko saying how the the thing she looks for in a racquet is "stability - so when I hit the ball I have control of the racket and the power." All right, not an earth-shattering statement, but, having found myself slightly hankering for that solid kind of more control rac again (this after hitting with the Prestige Pro after a long gap), well, I was wondering about the Yonex brand and their present offerings... btw, fwiw, she uses a RQiS2 Tour (supposedly??)...


Boricua, everyone,

If I could sum up the kind of frame that may be of interest to me now it would be something that is both whippy and heavily topspin friendly and suited to "modern strokes" and bosses it with authority from the backcourt, but ALSO, is solid and stable, with decent control and precision, and (don't ask for much, do I? ), has decent quality build and feel, plus if it could serve bombs as well, that would be rather nice, haha... the YTPP isn't far off... I suspect a tad more oomph and slightly bigger head-size would be best for me though (ie, 100")... the PST also is in that ball-park but not quite there... even the N95 comes to mind to some degree for me... then of course I also wonder if the Exo Tour has maybe all those traits... annnyow... just racketaholic talk, you understand?

R

[Power Player]

EXO has the traits, but you will have to put in the time with the racquet.

I will say that I knew I liked the feel of it instantly..but the rest takes some time..as with any stick.

[Ross K]

klem and PP,

Please keep the convo going! I'm taking notes (btw, loved that slice back the heavy spin bomber's advice) ... as if this thread didn't offer enough, so now we're headed towards technique tips - way to go boys!

And btw... I thought this too:

Still amazed by the spin this guy was getting. Just insane. Just goes to show technique and racquet head speed are keys to spin... because the YtRadMid+ is not known for it's spin.

R

[Boricua]

Originally Posted by Ross K

Yes, sorry for being unclear, I understood you.

Coincidentally I was thinking about Yonex's the other day after reading an article with Maria Kirilenko saying how the the thing she looks for in a racquet is "stability - so when I hit the ball I have control of the racket and the power." All right, not an earth-shattering statement, but, having found myself slightly hankering for that solid kind of more control rac again (this after hitting with the Prestige Pro after a long gap), well, I was wondering about the Yonex brand and their present offerings... btw, fwiw, she uses a RQiS2 Tour (supposedly??)...


Boricua, everyone,

If I could sum up the kind of frame that may be of interest to me now it would be something that is both whippy and heavily topspin friendly and suited to "modern strokes" and bosses it with authority from the backcourt, but ALSO, is solid and stable, with decent control and precision, and (don't ask for much, do I? ), has decent quality build and feel, plus if it could serve bombs as well, that would be rather nice, haha... the YTPP isn't far off... I suspect a tad more oomph and slightly bigger head-size would be best for me though (ie, 100")... the PST also is in that ball-park but not quite there... even the N95 comes to mind to some degree for me... then of course I also wonder if the Exo Tour has maybe all those traits... annnyow... just racketaholic talk, you understand?

R

Really depends on the feel you like. Yonex is mighty stable and with a plush stiffness if you may. I would recommend the heavier RDIS 100 MP (now in bargain price in Tennis Warehouse) or the lighter but very solid VCore 100.
I am geting a VCore 100.
ExO Tour Ill demo later on possibly.

[Power Player]

Well I will say this..I know when you get a new racquet you want to play a lot, but this Prince has me addicted..it is insane.

I believe Bad Call and I may try and get some of this insanity on film this weekend.

[Boricua]

Originally Posted by Ross K

Yes, sorry for being unclear, I understood you.

Coincidentally I was thinking about Yonex's the other day after reading an article with Maria Kirilenko saying how the the thing she looks for in a racquet is "stability - so when I hit the ball I have control of the racket and the power." All right, not an earth-shattering statement, but, having found myself slightly hankering for that solid kind of more control rac again (this after hitting with the Prestige Pro after a long gap), well, I was wondering about the Yonex brand and their present offerings... btw, fwiw, she uses a RQiS2 Tour (supposedly??)...


Boricua, everyone,

If I could sum up the kind of frame that may be of interest to me now it would be something that is both whippy and heavily topspin friendly and suited to "modern strokes" and bosses it with authority from the backcourt, but ALSO, is solid and stable, with decent control and precision, and (don't ask for much, do I? ), has decent quality build and feel, plus if it could serve bombs as well, that would be rather nice, haha... the YTPP isn't far off... I suspect a tad more oomph and slightly bigger head-size would be best for me though (ie, 100")... the PST also is in that ball-park but not quite there... even the N95 comes to mind to some degree for me... then of course I also wonder if the Exo Tour has maybe all those traits... annnyow... just racketaholic talk, you understand?

R

For modern, whippy strokes I would go for the VCORE 100 instead of the RDIS 100. But, both are worth a demo.

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by Boricua

For modern, whippy strokes I would go for the VCORE 100 instead of the RDIS 100. But, both are worth a demo.

Cheers for that. I'll look into these.

R

[ahuimanu]

Originally Posted by Boricua

Really depends on the feel you like. Yonex is mighty stable and with a plush stiffness if you may. I would recommend the heavier RDIS 100 MP (now in bargain price in Tennis Warehouse) or the lighter but very solid VCore 100.
I am geting a VCore 100.
ExO Tour Ill demo later on possibly.

Just took a test drive with the RDIS 100MP and like it, like it a lot! Like Borcua states: its stable and has a bit of the plush stiffness similar to the YT Prestige Midplus. Its more on the control end of the spectrum (2x with Yonex 850 and 1x with black code mid tension) and has bit of weight so I'll also try the VCore 100 to see what it has to offer. This racquet is almost perfect for my style of play (flat/topspin, e.g. Nalbandian). Hope this helps!

[Boricua]

Originally Posted by Ross K

Cheers for that. I'll look into these.

R

RDIS MP that is

[Boricua]

Originally Posted by ahuimanu

Just took a test drive with the RDIS 100MP and like it, like it a lot! Like Borcua states: its stable and has a bit of the plush stiffness similar to the YT Prestige Midplus. Its more on the control end of the spectrum (2x with Yonex 850 and 1x with black code mid tension) and has bit of weight so I'll also try the VCore 100 to see what it has to offer. This racquet is almost perfect for my style of play (flat/topspin, e.g. Nalbandian). Hope this helps!

Of the rackets Ive tried the RDIS 100 MP is the best overall, excellent quality. But I hit with alot of energy so a racket like the VCORE 100 helps me as I can have faster swingspeed with less effort. Both are great so Ill have to decide.

In the case of the Aeroprodrive it is unique in its design and topspin capacity, but it does not have that solid feel and stability if compared to the RDIS 100 MP or the VCORE 100.

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by ahuimanu

Just took a test drive with the RDIS 100MP and like it, like it a lot! Like Borcua states: its stable and has a bit of the plush stiffness similar to the YT Prestige Midplus. Its more on the control end of the spectrum (2x with Yonex 850 and 1x with black code mid tension) and has bit of weight so I'll also try the VCore 100 to see what it has to offer. This racquet is almost perfect for my style of play (flat/topspin, e.g. Nalbandian). Hope this helps!

Yes, that helps... thanks (to Boricua also) for assisting me in addressing my ignorance re Yonex frames ("Tut, tut... call yourself a racketaholic?!"...)

R

[Boricua]

Originally Posted by Ross K

Yes, that helps... thanks (to Boricua also) for assisting me in addressing my ignorance re Yonex frames ("Tut, tut... call yourself a racketaholic?!"...)

R

The first time I hit with the RDIS 100 MP was 2 years ago. I still remember the first hit. Great. I bought the racket without demoing it as I cant demo that brand where I live. It was a good gamble.

[klementine79]

Originally Posted by Power Player

I hit a forehand slice return last night that was dirty dirty as well.

You want to take heavy top early or have good footwork and play back behind the baseline by a bit. That is a tougher proposition because unless you are crushing the ball, he will have a lot of time to just keep blasting at you. So I'd work on taking it early with slice or top to set up your own shots.

That's what I usually do. Take it early. And it works with many reverse forehand players.

But (maybe because of his height???) with this guy it was hard reading and anticipating where his shots would land... I'm going to pay attention to his grip, because he was getting so much torque on the follow through, that his shots resembled curve-balls.. the ball path even had 'work'. I'm talking about his forehand... not serve. He didn't achieve this 100% of the time.. the balls that didn't have this strange path would either hit the net (5%-10% of the time).. sail long (another 5%) or just a simple path with slower pace but lots of kick. (60%).

I can get a set off of him I know it. And maybe if I get some breaks.... maybe...maybe win. I need to slice him to death, until a ball creeps low enough to nail (as you suggest) and get some net-points... If I build my confidence against him, a little swing volleying wouldn't be a bad idea either. Again, attack his back-hand.

Also, I noticed he was hesitant to hit flat... even when the ball was begging for it... (which through my experience, taller players are great at).

[sunof tennis]

[quote=Ross K;6009078]Yes, sorry for being unclear, I understood you.

Coincidentally I was thinking about Yonex's the other day after reading an article with Maria Kirilenko saying how the the thing she looks for in a racquet is "stability - so when I hit the ball I have control of the racket and the power." All right, not an earth-shattering statement, but, having found myself slightly hankering for that solid kind of more control rac again (this after hitting with the Prestige Pro after a long gap), well, I was wondering about the Yonex brand and their present offerings... btw, fwiw, she uses a RQiS2 Tour (supposedly??)...

Come on, tell the truth-you just thought she was hot and wanted to feel some "connection" to her.

[Power Player]

Klem he probably was hitting with a western grip and attacking the outside of the ball. I ended up doing that tonight a lot.

I hit on clay again for the first time in 4 months..I felt completely ******** with the footwork...just horrible. Clay really humbles you and makes your game look awkward until you get used to it. Once I started to get my feet somewhat respectable, I dialed in my strokes. Happy to say that EXO is at home on clay or hard court. For clay, I usually go to a more western grip because the bounce is exaggerated and heavy spin is a good thing on this surface.

Also found I could hit winners with this grip by curving them into the corners..very satisfying because this is tough to do. Winners are not easy on clay, but I hit a lot with the racquet. For me the power level is perfect. I am really happy with it to be honest. Love that I can go western on clay and still get plenty of pace and spin..the angles were there..I know I made the right choice with the 16x18 as it really suits my strokes.

My backhand was a little off tonight, but I was still not that comfortable on the surface, and a lot of that is just due to footwork and timing. I could still put the ball where I wanted it to go usually, I just was not pounding the corners like on HC.

Fed, not sure if you hit on clay, but if you do..go western with the Tfight..you will love it...that is a great clay stick as well.

[klementine79]

^ Yes.

He's from Malta. And after the match, stated that he grew up playing on clay. So yes. Western grip most likely.

I tell you what... I learned more from playing with him for 2 hours than the two 'brush-up' lessons I just had.

He was giving me little tips through out... just to make me more consistent... and in the end... the major factor that separates 3.0's from 4.0's.. from 5.0's is .. consistency.