So which players aren't using a paintjob?

muggy

Rookie
Just curious, since we just say this player is using this pj or that, are there any primetime players using a regular racquet these days?
 

ivan987

Rookie
Andy Roddick, Carlos Moya (Roddick used to modify a bit his old Pure Drive, but now he doesn't need to since Babolat made a racquet with his signature, and I was told that Moya plays with a standard pure drive)
 

Jonnyf

Hall of Fame
Andy Roddick, Carlos Moya (Roddick used to modify a bit his old Pure Drive, but now he doesn't need to since Babolat made a racquet with his signature, and I was told that Moya plays with a standard pure drive)

Roddick's pure drive is still heavily customized and moya used a Soft Drive painted as a pure drive.
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
Andy Roddick, Carlos Moya (Roddick used to modify a bit his old Pure Drive, but now he doesn't need to since Babolat made a racquet with his signature, and I was told that Moya plays with a standard pure drive)
Moya uses a customized Pure Drive that does not have the Woofer system and is also head heavy in balance.
 
I like the representation of Buckeye tennis...it's been awhile since I did battle in West Rec or at Stickney but good memories...go bucks...
 

0d1n

Hall of Fame
pretty sure Davydenko uses an o3 tour, can't fake it, and spadea and ferrero are using a POG mid.

Actually Spadea uses the POG OS, and Ferrero uses the POG L B which are different "beasts" all together to the POG MID.
 

Hessam

Rookie
Most Technifibre players, don't have Paint JObs.. Verdasco, Vligen, Tipsarevic, etc......

Also Youzhny seems to have switched to a real Microgel Extreme Tour, and Lujbicic is also using an real Microgel Extreme Tour.


Nalbandian was using a real RDX 500 with the same painjob, but is now using the RDS paint job (by the way who has confirmed that he hasn't switched to RDS 001 for sure)....

Monaco really uses an RDS 001.

Nicole Viadosova really uses an RDS 003

Ancic really uses a Ti-80, as does Paradon Schrichipan.

Mcenroe uses the Maxply Mcenroe
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
Most Technifibre players, don't have Paint JObs.. Verdasco, Vligen, Tipsarevic, etc......
If they are using a real TF320, it must be weighted up heavily. I've also heard that many TF players are still using the TF325 but with a TF320 paintjob, with the exception of Verdasco.
Also Youzhny seems to have switched to a real Microgel Extreme Tour, and Lujbicic is also using an real Microgel Extreme Tour.

I highly, highly doubt it. Have you played with the MicroGEL Extreme Pro? I don't see how any pro could play with it, at least not anywhere near stock.
Nalbandian was using a real RDX 500 with the same painjob, but is now using the RDS paint job (by the way who has confirmed that he hasn't switched to RDS 001 for sure)....
I've heard that he's always used an older Yonex with the RDX500 paintjob.
Monaco really uses an RDS 001.
If he uses the Mid, then that's a possiblity.
Nicole Viadosova really uses an RDS 003

Ancic really uses a Ti-80, as does Paradon Schrichipan.

Mcenroe uses the Maxply Mcenroe
All these I highly doubt as well as they are all too light. In fact, McEnroe said on the air that he still uses a racquet that's 370 grams, which is about 13.1 oz. The stock Maxply McEnroe is only 11.3 oz. strung.

BTW, may I ask where are you getting your info from?
 

Hessam

Rookie
Most of the info I listed above is readily available on these boards from the pro's who string their rackets if you do a search..

all of those things that i said have already been confirmed from pro stringers on these boards.. I was just stating what I had read here from people like thomas martinez etc.....

Mcenroe has his maxply wieghted...it's an obvious assumption that most pro's modify whatever version racket they are playing with...but he does play with a real maxply mcenroe.

Also ancic and paradon do play with Ti-80's.... in fact the reason why yones changed the cosmetics of the Ti-80 to the red and Blue was to match the color of the Thai flag for paradon. But now i think they have both switched to the RDS 002 paintjob anyway. The last time I saw ancic at Au open he was using a real Ti-80
 

Hessam

Rookie
by the way Youzhny has switched to a real Microgel Extreme....there's was a good post on this, and someone from the know confirmed it.... He switched at the French open I believe. YOu can research the post.which clearly has pictures and his racket shape is clearly more round than his old instinct, and DOES NOT have any of the liquidmetal ridges.

Lubjicic also plays with the same microgel extreme pro (heavily customized I'm sure)....
 
D

Deleted member 6835

Guest
if i was a pro, using a pj would be against my conscience, cuz you're basically lying to the public and causing people to waste their hard-earned money thinking they're using a racket that a pro is using.

as stupid as that is on their part, it is still a sincere form of flattery, and i wouldnt want to be disloyal like that to my "fans".

then again, i guess the money these players are offered speakers louder to them than their fans?


am i the only one who thinks using pj's is a moral issue?
 

saram

Legend
if i was a pro, using a pj would be against my conscience, cuz you're basically lying to the public and causing people to waste their hard-earned money thinking they're using a racket that a pro is using.

as stupid as that is on their part, it is still a sincere form of flattery, and i wouldnt want to be disloyal like that to my "fans".

then again, i guess the money these players are offered speakers louder to them than their fans?


am i the only one who thinks using pj's is a moral issue?

You do not stand alone...it is deception and wrong to imply and endorse something you do not use. I am glad to finally see someone post the thoughts that parallel my own on this subject...
 

Buckeye10s

Banned
if i was a pro, using a pj would be against my conscience, cuz you're basically lying to the public and causing people to waste their hard-earned money thinking they're using a racket that a pro is using.

as stupid as that is on their part, it is still a sincere form of flattery, and i wouldnt want to be disloyal like that to my "fans".

then again, i guess the money these players are offered speakers louder to them than their fans?


am i the only one who thinks using pj's is a moral issue?

I've been using Wilson Pro Staffs for years... and I have never felt so big a difference with new technologies that it made them play that much different... I know that I'm not at their level but I am a 5.0 player who can feel the difference and adjust accordingly. In that same breath, these guys are so good that the slightest little difference between the n95 and the k95 would not effect their play that much! It could be a superstition thing because a lot of them are doing it!
 

Pr0DiGy

Rookie
I'm pretty sure Ivanovic and Kirilenko...?

Ivanovic went from nTour-Two to nBlade, both currently being sold; thus, no reason to paint-job.

Same thing with Kirilenko: RDS003 to RDS002. Both still on the market, no reason to paint job.

Of course, unless this is some conspiracy to make the TT memebers believe Ivanovic and Kirilenko really don't use a paint job. ;)

And, there's the chance that Wilson and Yonex might have wanted extra marketing for these two rackets.
 
B

BallBuster

Guest
Babolat people and Info from Tim Mayott

I once went to the John Newcomb Tennis Ranch last year. A representative from Babolat was there just to give racquets to certain juniors or other select individuals for evaluations and discussion feedback. I asked him if the pros that use their racquets are using phoney racquets just made for them. The answer is no. They are using the actual racquets. What he said is that the pros will add weight. He said they can use older racquets but he said they are the same racquets that were sold before. He said there are too many pros and it is much too expensive to make a racquet for an individual pro so they don't do it. He also said they make racquets that they hope the pros will use and that they hope everyone will use. I tried to argue with him that online I saw a blowup of Roger Federer's racquet and that it had a slightly different string distribution than the off the shelf racquet. He was surprised by it and felt that it would be minor modifications based on preexisting racquet frame bodies. Otherwise the cost would be prohibitive for the majority of the pros and perhaps could only be considered for a very very small number of pros.

I also took a clinic from Tim Mayott. He said that while he was on the tour he used off the shelf tennis racquets but would only have the racquets weight balanced so they all played exactly the same. In his day he had the racquets mailed to him from tournament to tournament with new strings. In his day the cost of doing that was about $45k per year.

So my conclusion is that paint jobs are possible of old racquets but that the pros are using pretty much off the shelf racquets modified only by adding weight. The paint jobs are also just off the shelf racquets except that they are older models. That means anyone can make their racquet exactly like what the pros use just by adding weight in the right way. The pros use may use experts to do the weight balancing and placement but in theory there are places you can go to get the weight balancing done.

So tiy can't be sure that a pro is using a current model or an old one but except for a handful of pros I would say that the racquets are the same as off the shelf other that the weight balance modifications that anyone can do.
 

DNShade

Hall of Fame
I once went to the John Newcomb Tennis Ranch last year. A representative from Babolat was there just to give racquets to certain juniors or other select individuals for evaluations and discussion feedback. I asked him if the pros that use their racquets are using phoney racquets just made for them. The answer is no. They are using the actual racquets. What he said is that the pros will add weight. He said they can use older racquets but he said they are the same racquets that were sold before. He said there are too many pros and it is much too expensive to make a racquet for an individual pro so they don't do it. He also said they make racquets that they hope the pros will use and that they hope everyone will use. I tried to argue with him that online I saw a blowup of Roger Federer's racquet and that it had a slightly different string distribution than the off the shelf racquet. He was surprised by it and felt that it would be minor modifications based on preexisting racquet frame bodies. Otherwise the cost would be prohibitive for the majority of the pros and perhaps could only be considered for a very very small number of pros.

I also took a clinic from Tim Mayott. He said that while he was on the tour he used off the shelf tennis racquets but would only have the racquets weight balanced so they all played exactly the same. In his day he had the racquets mailed to him from tournament to tournament with new strings. In his day the cost of doing that was about $45k per year.

So my conclusion is that paint jobs are possible of old racquets but that the pros are using pretty much off the shelf racquets modified only by adding weight. The paint jobs are also just off the shelf racquets except that they are older models. That means anyone can make their racquet exactly like what the pros use just by adding weight in the right way. The pros use may use experts to do the weight balancing and placement but in theory there are places you can go to get the weight balancing done.

So tiy can't be sure that a pro is using a current model or an old one but except for a handful of pros I would say that the racquets are the same as off the shelf other that the weight balance modifications that anyone can do.


Thank you....Finally someone who makes some sense. Everyone needs to really just chill out about this whole "paint job" and "special secret racket" thing...It's absurd. Yes, pros - and most people who play at any serious level - modify their sticks to their own likes to some extent - maybe add some lead here and there - but special molds...special rackets for each player...it's just not happening. Yes there are a few PJ's out there now and then - but most pros play with sticks right off the shelf just like anyone else gets. Sorry to burst your bubbles.
 

Mnguyen05

New User
if i was a pro, using a pj would be against my conscience, cuz you're basically lying to the public and causing people to waste their hard-earned money thinking they're using a racket that a pro is using.

as stupid as that is on their part, it is still a sincere form of flattery, and i wouldnt want to be disloyal like that to my "fans".

then again, i guess the money these players are offered speakers louder to them than their fans?


am i the only one who thinks using pj's is a moral issue?

Umm, people should not be choosing racquets based on what the pros use. That's just plain idiotic and hurting their games more.

They should be using a racquet that suits their game and HELPS their game. They shouldn't try to imitate the pros anyways, that's also just plain idiotic. Followers are stupid and WHIPPED!!!
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
I'm pretty sure Ivanovic and Kirilenko...?

Ivanovic went from nTour-Two to nBlade, both currently being sold; thus, no reason to paint-job.

Same thing with Kirilenko: RDS003 to RDS002. Both still on the market, no reason to paint job.

Of course, unless this is some conspiracy to make the TT memebers believe Ivanovic and Kirilenko really don't use a paint job. ;)

And, there's the chance that Wilson and Yonex might have wanted extra marketing for these two rackets.
So you're saying that both Ivanovic and Kirilenko REALLY did switch racquets? Because it doesn't matter if the paintjob is still on the market or not. What matters is if they racquet they're really using underneath the paintjob is still on the market or not.
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
Thank you....Finally someone who makes some sense. Everyone needs to really just chill out about this whole "paint job" and "special secret racket" thing...It's absurd. Yes, pros - and most people who play at any serious level - modify their sticks to their own likes to some extent - maybe add some lead here and there - but special molds...special rackets for each player...it's just not happening. Yes there are a few PJ's out there now and then - but most pros play with sticks right off the shelf just like anyone else gets. Sorry to burst your bubbles.
But when we refer to "paintjobs" we are generally NOT talking about custom made racquets. We are talking about pros that use an older model, sometimes 30 year old models, but with the latest model's paintjob over them. We realize that very few pros use totally custom racquets that are not now nor ever was available to the public. Most pros use older models that they grew up playing with but since those models have long been discontinued, their racquet sponsors make them use a paintjob of the current models so that they can market the current models to the public.

Some of the most popular models that have been paintjobbed are: Prestige Classic Mid, PT630, Radical Tour, PS 6.1 Classic, PS 6.0 85/95, POG, Yonex SRD Tour 90, RD-7, Dunlop Revelation, etc. All of these models have been long discontinued but have been continued to be used by pros since then just with various new paintjobs over them.

Sometimes they will even paintjob a racquet even when the underlying model is still being sold, like when Wilson made Edberg use a PS 6.0 85 with a PS 6.1 Classic paintjob on it in the early 90's even though the PS 6.0 85 was still being sold, and continued to be sold for more than 10 more years, because they wanted to also market the PS 6.1 Classic to the public, and both Sampras and Courier were already using the PS 6.0 85 (with the retail paintjob on them).
 
T

TennisandMusic

Guest
30 year old models? Like what? 1977 racquets being used on the pro tour today?

Edit: Nevermind, I looked it up. Prince graphite eh...I find that interesting.
 
T

TennisandMusic

Guest
Who still uses it and is successful? I can't think of anyone. Is there anyone left?
 

vsbabolat

G.O.A.T.
But when we refer to "paintjobs" we are generally NOT talking about custom made racquets. We are talking about pros that use an older model, sometimes 30 year old models, but with the latest model's paintjob over them. We realize that very few pros use totally custom racquets that are not now nor ever was available to the public. Most pros use older models that they grew up playing with but since those models have long been discontinued, their racquet sponsors make them use a paintjob of the current models so that they can market the current models to the public.

Some of the most popular models that have been paintjobbed are: Prestige Classic Mid, PT630, Radical Tour, PS 6.1 Classic, PS 6.0 85/95, POG, Yonex SRD Tour 90, RD-7, Dunlop Revelation, etc. All of these models have been long discontinued but have been continued to be used by pros since then just with various new paintjobs over them.

Sometimes they will even paintjob a racquet even when the underlying model is still being sold, like when Wilson made Edberg use a PS 6.0 85 with a PS 6.1 Classic paintjob on it in the early 90's even though the PS 6.0 85 was still being sold, and continued to be sold for more than 10 more years, because they wanted to also market the PS 6.1 Classic to the public, and both Sampras and Courier were already using the PS 6.0 85 (with the retail paintjob on them).

I agree with everything you wrote except some companies are giving young kids racquets that have not been sold in ten years with paintjobs on them to promote and market current products.

Here is a example:
74594354.jpg

His name is Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria he is 16 years old and playing at the 2007 Stella Artois Junior Championships. Grigor is using the Pro Tour 630 with a Paint Job of the Flexpoint Radical mp. With Grigor being 16 years old he has not spent years growing up playing with with the Pro Tour 630.
HEAD even gives for free Pro Tour 630 that they are making in Austria to a kid playing ITF juniors. It just goes to show that HEAD will probably be still manufacturing racquets like the Pro Tour 630 and paintjobing them for the Players on Tour only for years to come. Because HEAD is even giving them out to Juniors on the ITF Junior Circuit.
 
Last edited:

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
I agree with everything you wrote except some companies are giving young kids racquets that have not been sold in ten years with paintjobs on them to promote and market current products.

Here is a example:

His name is Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria he is 16 years old and playing at the 2007 Stella Artois Junior Championships. Grigor is using the Pro Tour 630 with a Paint Job of the Flexpoint Radical mp. With Grigor being 16 years old he has not spent years growing up playing with with the Pro Tour 630.
HEAD even gives for free Pro Tour 630 that they are making in Austria to a kid playing ITF juniors. It just goes to show that HEAD will probably be still manufacturing racquets like the Pro Tour 630 and paintjobing them for the Players on Tour only for years to come. Because HEAD is even giving them out to Juniors on the ITF Junior Circuit.
Yes, I agree. Pros can use paintjobs just because they like the feel of an older model, even though they didn't necessarily grow up playing with it. Some younger players may have also started playing with an older model they got from their father or a friend or something even though that model may not have been made for a long time. BTW, do you happen to know what this kid Dimitrov used before the PT630?
 
Andy Roddick, Carlos Moya (Roddick used to modify a bit his old Pure Drive, but now he doesn't need to since Babolat made a racquet with his signature, and I was told that Moya plays with a standard pure drive)
the moya is right, but andy does not use his pure drive with the signature, b/c that would imply he used cortex, and discussed in many other threads andy paints on the cortex blue line proving he does not use "his" pure drive
 
Top