Berdych using Head Racquet at Brisbane
- Thread starter vsbabolat
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vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
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mtr1
Professional
I thought that. Could he possibly be using a real Youtek?:shock:
King_roger
Semi-Pro
Almagro and Jürgen Melzer who lost in the first round of Brisbane against the australian qualifier Matthew Ebden...
Net Wizard
New User
Blake, Berdych, Haas, Robredo.... None of these guys switched to the 'new' 4D rackets/PJ's and now three of them look to have left Dunlop completely!! That is a lot of talent to lose through not being able to get the rackets right for them.
I expect Blake/Berdych have no stencils at present as they still have existing Dunlop racket contracts they need to get out of.
What is going on with Dunlop rackets and their QC? Is it a cost saving exercise?
I expect Blake/Berdych have no stencils at present as they still have existing Dunlop racket contracts they need to get out of.
What is going on with Dunlop rackets and their QC? Is it a cost saving exercise?
DNShade
Hall of Fame
What the he11 are you talking about? None of this has to do with the quality of the racquets by Dunlop or QC(?) or getting the racquets right for them(?) This is all about contracts and $ and who knows what else between agents, managers and the company.
Net Wizard
New User
DNShade, didn't mean to upset you!
I was simply wondering why they didn't use the new 4D rackets last year (that they would have been expected to use) if it was just a case of money?
That is what didn't make sense to me - as well as the number of players suddenly switching and then not stencilling their new rackets?
I was simply wondering why they didn't use the new 4D rackets last year (that they would have been expected to use) if it was just a case of money?
That is what didn't make sense to me - as well as the number of players suddenly switching and then not stencilling their new rackets?
DNShade
Hall of Fame
No worries - not upset at all. It's all probably due to the contract negotiations that are ongoing or letting the contracts run out. Maybe Dunlop decided to cut back on it's pro sponsorships this year or they are trying to use that money for some bigger name? All business.
As for the 4D thing - none of them actually use the 4D tech anyway - most use the "pro mold" tuned to their specs with whatever PJ Dunlop has them use. Haas was sporting the 4D PJ earlier in 2009 as well as a few others.
Net Wizard
New User
Glad we're all still friends!!
I'm always interested to see which pro players have switched from brand to brand. I wonder what percentage are due to finding a racket that they actually prefer compared to what percentage simply switch for cold hard cash!!
I'm always interested to see which pro players have switched from brand to brand. I wonder what percentage are due to finding a racket that they actually prefer compared to what percentage simply switch for cold hard cash!!
DavidGarcia
Hall of Fame
Hi guys,
I just confirmed with Dunlop that James has parted from the Dunlop at the end of last year. They did not want to comment on Berdych so not too sure what it is going on.
Dunlop has the potential to market and sell tons of rackets I just dont get it! They are behind one of the biggest groups here in UK so it has nothing to do with lack of cash.
I just confirmed with Dunlop that James has parted from the Dunlop at the end of last year. They did not want to comment on Berdych so not too sure what it is going on.
Dunlop has the potential to market and sell tons of rackets I just dont get it! They are behind one of the biggest groups here in UK so it has nothing to do with lack of cash.
Pity for Dunlop - they have lost Haas,Blake and now Berdych - probably not got anything to do with DunlopUK or the quality of racquets. Just depends internationally what they are doing/what is budgeted for tennis in the next year. The Oz Open is normally when players sign again or change contracts. A lot of guys try racquets, strings, shoes out over the Xmas break. Often that's why they don't stencil until they have signed. Then it is a done deal.
uk_skippy
Hall of Fame
I feel that cash is not the issue here. I think it depends upon the business direction of Sportsworld, owner of Dunlop. You've only got to see what they did for the Slazenger brand. I suspect that the Dunlop (Pro) racquet dept is run at an arms length from the main Sportsworld business. It may be the case that the cost of running that dept is getting too much and they've been told to save some money in these lean times.
The quality of Dunlop racquets far out weighs the rest of the Sportsworld business.
Regards
Paul
DavidGarcia
Hall of Fame
Reading in wikipedia it seems that Sportsworld only owns the license for Dunlop in the UK and Europe. In the US and Australia is owned by some other groups.
When Worldsport bought the license of Dunlop in 2004, aimed to increase & consolidate all the licenses but I take it they failed to archive its initial goals.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
Sports Direct International is part owner of the U.S. Distributor. It is a joint venture with SRI International.
Dunlop
Sports Direct first acquired a licence to the Dunlop brand in respect of sports and leisure goods in various countries as part of the acquisition of Dunlop Slazenger Group Holdings Limited in 2004. The brand was originally associated with tyre production, having been established in 1888 by John Boyd Dunlop after he invented the modern pneumatic inflatable tyre, and first extended to sporting equipment in 1939. It has since become associated with a wide variety of sporting equipment and apparel. It is a leading brand in the badminton, golf, squash and tennis equipment markets due to its particularly strong heritage in racket sports as illustrated by historic association with players such as John McEnroe and Steffi Graf. In these heritage areas, Dunlop’s key competitors include Prince, Wilson and Head. It is also associated with sporting and casual footwear, such as “Green Flash” shoes. To maintain and develop the current profile of the brand, the Group has entered sponsorship agreements with several high-profile athletes, such as Darren Clarke, Tommy Haas, David Howell and Lee Westwood.
Following the acquisition of Dunlop International Limited in May 2006, the Group now owns the worldwide rights to license the Dunlop brand, save in relation to tyres, and other than in Australia, Fiji, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the United States. In the United States, the Dunlop brand is owned and controlled by DNA (Housemarks) Limited, a joint venture vehicle currently owned by the Group and SRI USA, Inc. The Directors regard the United States as a potential source of significant sales, as Dunlop remains an under-developed brand in the US sports retail market.
The Directors aim to increase considerably the income generated from the Dunlop brand over the years to come. The Group’s strategy with the Dunlop brand involves extensions to the existing product range as well as leveraging the brand’s strength in its existing core products, such as tennis balls and rackets, to drive wholesale revenue in Dunlop branded clothing and accessories.
The Group is also looking to increase its worldwide licensing income from the Dunlop brand by consolidating its existing licensees in Europe and expanding its licensing operations in the United States and Asia. The Directors also believe that there is scope to license the Dunlop brand into new product categories such as automotive products and accessories, bicycles, travel and leisure and fitness.
http://www.sports-direct-international.com/main.asp?pid=19
OliverSimon
Hall of Fame
What brand bag did he have in the match today?
OliverSimon
Hall of Fame
It's def not a youtek radical mp. Its probably a PJ
DOnt forget what they id for the donnay brand.
GinoGinelli
Rookie
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chiapants226
Professional
yeh i noticed berdych with the head youtek radical, though when i was watching his match against bellucci today he still had his dunlop bag on court. wonder if he will be officially sponsored by head before the aus open comes around?
srvnvly
Hall of Fame
I saw this on Tennis Connected and it looks like Berdych is switching to Head; apologies is this if already posted:
http://tennisconnected.com/home/2010/01/06/berdych-switches-to-head-rackets/
http://tennisconnected.com/home/2010/01/06/berdych-switches-to-head-rackets/
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
dgoran
Hall of Fame
I agree I think Berdych is using the YT Radical MP with 16x19 string pattern.
Agree 100% I just dont know why they dont sell it in 16. It would be interesting racket to try after some lead and silicone mods...
There seem to be quite a few pros this year that are sporting the new yt radical mold...
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JStar7
Rookie
I agree I think Berdych is using the YT Radical MP with 16x19 string pattern.
Agreed. To me the bumper is a dead giveaway because all of the pros that use TGK molds such as Cilic, Chardy, etc have the same bumper from the Microgel series.
The new YT Radical MP mold seems to be really very good. In this thread: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=302617&highlight=radical user "dr325i" customizes the frame and says it compares positively with Head´s two best MP frames PT57A and PT57E. I will try to buy a pro stock YT Rad MP and test it, realy think that Head has a winner here.
dgoran
Hall of Fame
Looks like as per Dr's findings that retail yt rad mp IS the same as actual pro stock tgk260.1
Maybe some customizer can confirm this?
I suspect Berdych is using tgk260.3
crazy swinger
New User
does berdych use leather under his over grip? and what overgrip does he have?
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