Legendary Ax

I have been a Head prestige mid man all my life...........Switched to a Donnay Platinum 94 mid about 2 years ago.........

My game improved tremendously........

Pros:
Increased topspin
Crazy Angles
Improved comfort...

Cons:
Not enough heft at volleys....racquet would slip against a heavy shot due to the thin frame
Had to put alot of my body in the shots

Anyways have been enjoying the racquet but have developed a bit of an elbow issue recently.......Racquet has been restrung about 22 times so the frame is a bit tired......

It is known as a stiff racquet with alot of vibration......but recently my elbow has been hurting like mad.......and the only reason I can come up with is the racquet...........suffered from TE in the past but never more than 1 week...........this is hurting like crazy....due you people think I need to change the racquet .......still want to play with Donnay but maybe a more arm friendly mid..........

Sorry for the long post.........am in too much pain to think

one of those PK "elbow" sticks may be the ticket.

update......

I was wondering if the thin frame of the Donnay plays a part in increased vibration to my elbow?
It was marketed as being softer on the arm but I am not to sure and do not want to jettison the rac because it is fun but I do not want to be stupid......

wheres the love people ....i need some more opinions

If you've been playing the frame for two years and you're just now getting TE, I'm thinking it's not the frame but I could be wrong. Don't know how the Donnays flex out over time, if too much with the thin beam, it's an interesting question. I do know that the Plat 94 is a fantastic stick though. Try different string setups, wrapping the elbow, or getting a green Theraband Flexbar to work on the elbow, before giving up on the frame if you really like it. Or just get a brand new one and see if that improves the elbow and then you have the 'flexed out' answer.

thanks at the risk of sounding ignorant what the ....does flexed out mea

Re. tennis elbow: string and tension? And has that changed in the last few months?

The Donnay customization kit will let you add a little heft for those volleys, if you haven't already done so.

I used to play mid 50s now 50 and Tourna BIG hitter Blue rough...

I use the customization kit from time to time.will try it on the volleys.........

do you think the think frame is a disadvantage against big shots or big hits at the net?

Tropikal_Knights said:

I used to play mid 50s now 50 and Tourna BIG hitter Blue rough...

I use the customization kit from time to time.will try it on the volleys.........

do you think the think frame is a disadvantage against big shots or big hits at the net?

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No, I don't. If you have two frames with the same hitting weight, the same swing weight, the same mass, the same twist weight, the same everything except beam width, the only difference will be a slightly bigger spin window in the thinner-beamed frame. A thicker beam is simply one of many ways to increase the stiffness of a frame.

BHBR is not the stiffest poly around, but it is by no means an elbow-friendly stringbed. If its use did not correspond to the start of the problem and it was something else that triggered the problem, you could still take some pressure off that epicondyl tendon by resting, and then using natural gut a while.

Good luck with it.

I thought their only USP was that they are supposed to be good for your elbow?, sounds like more marketing BS, best get back to Head where they know what they are doing and have teams of engineers building and designing quality product.

Don't Let It Bounce said:

No, I don't. If you have two frames with the same hitting weight, the same swing weight, the same mass, the same twist weight, the same everything except beam width, the only difference will be a slightly bigger spin window in the thinner-beamed frame. A thicker beam is simply one of many ways to increase the stiffness of a frame.

BHBR is not the stiffest poly around, but it is by no means an elbow-friendly stringbed. If its use did not correspond to the start of the problem and it was something else that triggered the problem, you could still take some pressure off that epicondyl tendon by resting, and then using natural gut a while.

Good luck with it.

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thanks so much for the helpful advice........I still feel that when I play with a thicker beamed racq there is more stability at the net when I am facing a rocket........but I cannot trade of the increased spin capability with the think beamed donnay........my elbow is killing me though.....

the racq is 2 years old and has been restrung about 30 times........so I dont know whether the racq has become stiffer with age........

Tropikal_Knights said:

thanks so much for the helpful advice........I still feel that when I play with a thicker beamed racq there is more stability at the net when I am facing a rocket........but I cannot trade of the increased spin capability with the think beamed donnay........my elbow is killing me though.....

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Yeah, I use a Platinum 99 most of the time, and I know it's hard to look down at a whip-thin beam and not feel like it is somehow less substantial than a big, chunky one. And a lot of the time it might really be more stable: since beam thickness is an inexpensive way to increase stiffness, wide beams do tend to be more stiff, and stiffness does behave a little like mass in increasing what is perceived as stability. But even when that happens, it isn't the width itself that is increasing the stability.

Tropikal_Knights said:

the racq is 2 years old and has been restrung about 30 times........so I dont know whether the racq has become stiffer with age........

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AFAIK, the subtle changes the racket goes through with restringing and UV exposure break down the resin binding the carbon fibers together, making the racket slightly less stiff, so it wouldn't be that.

Don't forget to consider non-equipment possibilities, as described in the various tennis elbow threads. gripping too hard at contact, age catching up with you on habits and gear that never hurt you before, etc. It sounds bad enough that putting down the rackets for a while is likely to be part of the deal, though, unfortunately.