What's better than full bed Confidential?

I

Infineon

Rookie
I'm mostly playing with Solinco Confidential 125mm. on my Blade V7 (16x19), 98" which I string @ 24/23kg.
I like this in a full bed, but wonder if I could get even better performance with:
1. Hybrid? What would you suggest to cross it with? at what tension?
2. Thinner gauge? How thin?
3. Any other strings to test?

About my game:
I play at NTRP 4.0 level, win some local tournaments now and then. Been playing from childhood with some major pauses. Got a big first serve, second kick, a lot of topspin(coach says to much) on my FH, quite flat OHBH
 
W

WNB93

Semi-Pro
Have you tried a thinner gauge?
If you can't break it in 10 hours, you can go thinner.
You'll get more comfort, spin and power with it.
 
I

Infineon

Rookie
pumpkinpi said:
Well what's "better" in your opinion? Less spin? Even more spin?
Click to expand...
For me, Hyper G is too low-powered and too much spin when compared to Confidential. Alu power soft has too much power but too little spin. So in regards to spin, I think Confidential is spot on. It could have a little more power though.
 
W

WNB93

Semi-Pro
Infineon said:
For me, Hyper G is too low-powered and too much spin when compared to Confidential. Alu power soft has too much power but too little spin. So in regards to spin, I think Confidential is spot on.
Click to expand...
Confidential has less spin and more power? Hmmm...I might like it then.
Have you tried normal Alu Power?
 
P

pumpkinpi

Rookie
I would suggest Volkl cyclone tour, it's soft and spinny but I can't compare it to Confidential bc I haven't tried solinco
 
Martves613

Martves613

Rookie
I´ve never encountered someone who would complain about too much spin.
More spin --> more margin for error --> you can hit harder with more pace --> more winners.

But if you like confidential and you want more power than thinner gauge is the way. But be aware that every string plays a bit different at any given gauge. You might not like it.

I would also try something like Volkl cyclone. It is on the softer side, has good amount of spin and power + great control. I tried it in 1.25 diameter. One downside is durability. It goes strong for about 6-7 hours of hard hitting and than it starts to go down. For someone like you I think it is a good option!

Happy experimenting!
 
Martves613

Martves613

Rookie
WNB93 said:
Talk to any pro and you’ll hear that plenty. Especially on the WTA where the strikers are flatter. My girlfriend said she had to switch from poly tour spin to poly tour pro during the clay season because otherwise the string got too much bite.

Too much spin = balls lands short or is not agressive enough and you get destroyed immediately.
Click to expand...
I don´t fully agree.
WTA style forehand is deeply flawed and it will be gone in several years from tour. ATP style forehand gives you much more spin and pace. And at some RPM point there is just no need to worry about that it lands short. That spin on the ball should help you to ground you opponent behind the baseline at all time.
Take a look at me this summer. You can see that there is a good amount of spin on the ball and that it just keeps the opponent from advancing more to the court. Even if it lands in serve area, it is just too heavy to pick it from that spot.
As i said, at some RPM level you just dont care about ball landing too short, you worry about ball landing too far. Hence more spin is a good thing.

Also on point that pros do not want more spin is in my eyes a lie. Most pros are using Luxilon Alu Power (Rough). That string gives you a massive amount of spin if you hit with enouch racquet head speed. Alu is used because of great feel and spin. Other options might have even better spin, but that feel is lost. So that is the main point why we don´t see more shaped polys on tour - feel.
 
Martves613

Martves613

Rookie
WNB93 said:
I didnt either until I met my girlfriend and she explained things to me. There is just so much difference in strenght, height, power and rackethead speed between atp and wta that trying to play an atp forehand on wta will not work. You will never see a nadal or thiem style forehands on wta. I also know from personal experience that a short ball will get you in trouble unless you’re Nadal. Look at Serena. She’s as manly as they come. I dont see her play with Nadal like spin.

Alu power is great but it is not shaped and it is not a “spin” string. It is a feel and control string with good spin. You think the players can choose which string they play with out of all thousands of strings? There’s sponsorship contracts. Most are not allowed to play with anything other than their racket manufacturers strings. Maybe, if you win a few grand slams... (think Wawrinka with RPM Blast).
Wilson sponsored players will play with Alu, yonex will play with PTP and so on...you see some hybrids. There’s some Hyper G’s coming now in Babolat rackets...
Click to expand...
Serena has very flawed technique in many ways but it works for her because of her "manly" apperance. She just pushes through.
The problem with WTA style forehand is that it was taught like that for generations of WTA players. It is possible to have ATP style forehand on WTA tour. For example Jennifer Brady has almost like ATP technique and it shows on court. That spin is something...

But for sure, ATP style forehand is not for everybody. This video explains it quite good.

About that string topic, this is a mixture of everything. Ofcourse there is a big amount of players who just play with anything sponsor gives them. On the other hand most of Babolat players use Luxilon Alu Power (Wilson brand).
In the end string choice is up to the player. Some players are just not "string nerds" enouch to try some other strings. Same goes to swing technique. Most players don´t know much about "right" technique and so they use coaches and other experts. Most of the times those people are not racquet/string nerds either. So in the end it is just some king of a vicious circle...

Great conversation BTW :)

@Infineon Sorry for OT :(
 
L

Louis33

Semi-Pro
WNB93 said:
I didnt either until I met my girlfriend and she explained things to me. There is just so much difference in strenght, height, power and rackethead speed between atp and wta that trying to play an atp forehand on wta will not work. You will never see a nadal or thiem style forehands on wta. I also know from personal experience that a short ball will get you in trouble unless you’re Nadal. Look at Serena. She’s as manly as they come. I dont see her play with Nadal like spin.

Alu power is great but it is not shaped and it is not a “spin” string. It is a feel and control string with good spin. You think the players can choose which string they play with out of all thousands of strings? There’s sponsorship contracts. Most are not allowed to play with anything other than their racket manufacturers strings. Maybe, if you win a few grand slams... (think Wawrinka with RPM Blast).
Wilson sponsored players will play with Alu, yonex will play with PTP and so on...you see some hybrids. There’s some Hyper G’s coming now in Babolat rackets...
Click to expand...
Iga Swiatek has a pretty nice ATP forehand. That’s the first thing I noticed about her when watching her at Roland Garros. It doesn’t have to be a Nadal or Thiem style to be ATP it’s about being efficient and generating more power with a smaller backswing through lag in order to take the ball earlier.
 
I

Ihatetennis

Hall of Fame
WNB93 said:
I didnt either until I met my girlfriend and she explained things to me. There is just so much difference in strenght, height, power and rackethead speed between atp and wta that trying to play an atp forehand on wta will not work. You will never see a nadal or thiem style forehands on wta. I also know from personal experience that a short ball will get you in trouble unless you’re Nadal. Look at Serena. She’s as manly as they come. I dont see her play with Nadal like spin.

Alu power is great but it is not shaped and it is not a “spin” string. It is a feel and control string with good spin. You think the players can choose which string they play with out of all thousands of strings? There’s sponsorship contracts. Most are not allowed to play with anything other than their racket manufacturers strings. Maybe, if you win a few grand slams... (think Wawrinka with RPM Blast).
Wilson sponsored players will play with Alu, yonex will play with PTP and so on...you see some hybrids. There’s some Hyper G’s coming now in Babolat rackets...
Click to expand...
Sorry but you’re extremely wrong here.

Daria Kasatkina- atp forehand
Maria Sakkari-atp forehand


the atp forehand is coming in strong in the juniors and first gen z generation.

I’m sorry your sexism blinds you to the way tennis moves.
 
TagUrIt

TagUrIt

Hall of Fame
I was going to suggest a thinner gauge as well, seeing as though you already like the string.

As far as the completely off-topic discussion of ATP/WTA forehands, I think the type of ball you hit depends greatly on the surface you play on. As previously stated Brady, Sakkari and Kasatkina immediately came to mind when someone mentioned women on the WTA don't hit an ATP style forehand. To be quite honest, unless it's mixed doubles, on the professional level, does it really matter what style a player uses?
 
B

blai212

Hall of Fame
VCT 16g mains // Wilson revolve 17g or any thin round smooth poly with good tension maintenance. String at 25/24 kg. You’re welcome
 
S

Stonefield

Rookie
Martves613 said:
Take a look at me this summer. You can see that there is a good amount of spin on the ball and that it just keeps the opponent from advancing more to the court. Even if it lands in serve area, it is just too heavy to pick it from that spot.
Click to expand...


Most players with 5.0 or higher level would easily attack those balls, let alone ATP Pros. Thats peanuts for them. You would not even have the time to put spin on the ball playing against them. Spin in general is overrated. There is no use to play highly textured or extreme spin friendly strings as long as you have good strokes. Pros can generate very good spin even without polys..
 
I

Infineon

Rookie
For me, too much spin means shorter balls, but not necessarily slower. While this still works on clay court. On hard surfaces, I prefer deeper and faster shots rather than a lot of spin.
 
G

gebruikershaes

Rookie
What is an ATP forehand? Most players play the way it comes natural to them you can't teach that. Woman are different than men so it's natural that you see differences in technique.

But to stay on topic; what do you mean by better performance? Are you looking for more power, control and/or spin?
 
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I

Infineon

Rookie
I value control. So anything that could increase control even more.
gebruikershaes said:
What is an ATP forehand? Most players play the way it comes natural to them you can't teach that. Woman are different than men so it's natural that you see differences in technique.

But to stay on topic; what do you mean by better performance? Are you looking for more power, control and/or spin?
Click to expand...
 
I

Ihatetennis

Hall of Fame
WNB93 said:
My sexism? Those are my girlfriends words, not mine. She's a top 60 player. I had no idea WTA play is so much different before I met her. Look at Sakkari's muscles and look at other wta players.
Click to expand...
Internalized sexism on her part then.

I train junior girls the same as the boys and the girls are able to handle the same strokes.

the wta forehand is going to be phased out.
 
W

WNB93

Semi-Pro
Ihatetennis said:
Internalized sexism on her part then.

I train junior girls the same as the boys and the girls are able to handle the same strokes.

the wta forehand is going to be phased out.
Click to expand...

Well, someone who's never made in the ATP can beat top 50 WTA players...so not sure. Anyway, that's a convo for another thread. I'm out for now :)
 
Wheelz

Wheelz

Hall of Fame
Talking to a coach from the local academy. He is training a top world ranked junior woman. He was saying he had to find training partners that hit flatter. It was not good preparation for hitting with men because they have more top spin then women.

Sorry never tried confidential... Try maybe Tourna Silver 7 tour ? It does have good edges to bite on the ball - cheaper to try that model. Another less cheap, Technifibre blackcode 4s.
 
G

gebruikershaes

Rookie
Infineon said:
I value control. So anything that could increase control even more.
Click to expand...
I play with Hyper G 19 strung at 24kg in my very dense 18x20 Ultra Tour. I used to play with Alu power but Hyper G gives me much more control. With Alu power I had to really attack every ball because if I held back just a little the balls would fly on me. This was quite problematic as my footwork was lacking and made me kinda insecure. Hyper G gave me back all that confidence. For control and spin this is the best string I have ever played with. And I’ve tried quite a lot of strings. Alu power does have superior feel and power but for everything else Hyper G all the way. Don’t think going thinner gauge for you will give you extra control unless you also increase tension. Having such great experience with Hyper G I also bought Confidential and Tour Bite to try. This Friday I’ll be playing with confidential and Hyper G so I can compare.
 
I

Infineon

Rookie
davidsaye said:
try lynx tour
Click to expand...
Just had 2 sessions with lynx tour, champagne color 125mm (17g). I think it's better than confidential at 125mm. Feels like a lower launch angle, more control, a little bit more power and feel. Overall better. However, my hand feels a little sore after it using it.
 
topspn

topspn

Legend
You can’t have more pop and control. Confidential is heat string and if it is working for you then don’t change what’s not broken. Just lower by a point tension and see if you like it more
 
P

PD1978

Semi-Pro
Has anyone tried Confidential with natural gut hybrid? Or would it destroy the gut?

I have VS/Lynx Tour in my DR98 and really liking it but have some Confidential strings sitting at home I wouldn’t mind trying but don’t think my arm could handle a full bed.
 
2

2ndServe

Hall of Fame
Louis33 said:
Iga Swiatek has a pretty nice ATP forehand. That’s the first thing I noticed about her when watching her at Roland Garros. It doesn’t have to be a Nadal or Thiem style to be ATP it’s about being efficient and generating more power with a smaller backswing through lag in order to take the ball earlier.
Click to expand...

Iga's even got this beautiful semi Nadal like lasso finish. I've only watched her play one set but I thought it was an atp looking forehand
 
R

ron schaap

Hall of Fame
PD1978 said:
Has anyone tried Confidential with natural gut hybrid? Or would it destroy the gut?

I have VS/Lynx Tour in my DR98 and really liking it but have some Confidential strings sitting at home I wouldn’t mind trying but don’t think my arm could handle a full bed.
Click to expand...
 
R

ron schaap

Hall of Fame
Stonefield said:
Most players with 5.0 or higher level would easily attack those balls, let alone ATP Pros. Thats peanuts for them. You would not even have the time to put spin on the ball playing against them. Spin in general is overrated. There is no use to play highly textured or extreme spin friendly strings as long as you have good strokes. Pros can generate very good spin even without polys..
Click to expand...
Spin isnt overrated. If you ever watched those Atp players really close at their practice courts you would not say this nonsense. On tv you often doesnt notice it. Anyway
 
R

ron schaap

Hall of Fame
WNB93 said:
I didnt either until I met my girlfriend and she explained things to me. There is just so much difference in strenght, height, power and rackethead speed between atp and wta that trying to play an atp forehand on wta will not work. You will never see a nadal or thiem style forehands on wta. I also know from personal experience that a short ball will get you in trouble unless you’re Nadal. Look at Serena. She’s as manly as they come. I dont see her play with Nadal like spin.

Alu power is great but it is not shaped and it is not a “spin” string. It is a feel and control string with good spin. You think the players can choose which string they play with out of all thousands of strings? There’s sponsorship contracts. Most are not allowed to play with anything other than their racket manufacturers strings. Maybe, if you win a few grand slams... (think Wawrinka with RPM Blast).
Wilson sponsored players will play with Alu, yonex will play with PTP and so on...you see some hybrids. There’s some Hyper G’s coming now in Babolat rackets...
Click to expand...
These generalisations are untrue. I remember when Ostapenko won her title at RG she hit faster balls than most men over there. Like stated also some women like Serena have more muscles than ordinary atp players
 
paulorenzo

paulorenzo

Hall of Fame
Just hit with the Confidential 17g for about two hours. My typical set up is the volkl cyclone 17g at 48m/46c lbs. I strung Confidential at the same tenisons.

My initial takeaway is Confidential is a low powered poly with a dependably consistent launch angle and string-bed feel, responds well on fast strokes as well as touch shots, and is spin friendly but a little bit less spin potential than Cyclone and RPM Blast.

The combination of these traits afforded me the confidence to go for notably more risk on my shots. I swung faster, aimed closer to the lines and went for a lot of angles. I felt as if could rely on the ball more frequently going to where I want it to go, compared to cyclone which can trampoline at times if your really swing out or can at times deaden on you when you go for touch.

I've yet to try really flattening the ball with this string as I was playing a friendly match with friends, I'm excited to get around to doing that tomorrow however. I imagine the control and string-bed dependability will afford me some success.

As I mentioned, spin is comparable, but not quite as pronounced as cyclone. I didn't feel like it was compromising, but something I noticed.

Lastly, this is a fairly stiff string. Notably stiffer than cyclone. No arm pain, for the time being. However that's something i'll be particularly mindful of moving forward.
 
paulorenzo

paulorenzo

Hall of Fame
To contribute to the wta/atp forehand subtopic discussion in this thread, Sam Stosur has been hitting with an abbreviated takeback ATP style forehand since the 00s.
 
2

2ndServe

Hall of Fame
It's all very subjective, I've played with the same setup as someone else, loved it, they thought it was the worst string an vice versa.

I've tried a lot and I think Yonex poly tour is pretty neutral in responses so maybe try tht.
 
paulorenzo

paulorenzo

Hall of Fame
ron schaap said:
is Stosur the best example? Her rankings have dropped the last years like a stone.
Click to expand...
Well, naturally her rankings have dropped. She turned pro in 1999, I don't remember the last time I've seen a Stosur match.
Considering that, to this date, none of the all time great women players have an ATP style forehand, I don't think having an ATP style forehand as a woman and one's rank have much correlation.

To answer your question: Is Stosur the best example?
In terms of exemplifying characteristics people categorize under as the ATP style forehand, out of the names mentioned in this thread, I would say yes along with Kasatkina. Not only do they have shorter take backs that do not extend beyond 5ish o'clock, the amount of spin and RHS they generate is a level above everyone else.

Sakkari would be next, with a generally abbreviated take back and fast RHS, but with less efficacy than Stosur. Probably on par Kasatkina.
Swiatek is decent, but it seems like she struggles with wide balls/ difficult balls to her forehand.
Ostapenko has an abbreviated back swing but her acceleration is slow and appears also abbreviated.
 
Tmano

Tmano

Hall of Fame
I would suggest tourna BH black 7, tourna BH black zone, tourna BH silver, head lynx maybe the black one (lynx in more powerful but last few hours)
These are a little less expensive alternatives and maybe worth to try and compare them to confidential.
 
K

KingBugsy

Rookie
WNB93 said:
Confidential has less spin and more power? Hmmm...I might like it then.
Have you tried normal Alu Power?
Click to expand...

No, that’s not my experience. Hyper G plays with a little more power, a bit more liveliness, and more trampoline. It is softer feeling that confidential. Confidential is a little stiffer, more muted, with less power. But offers more control. I would say spin is about the same. I really like both, but prefer confidential due to the increase in control.
 
Folsom_Stringer_Musa

Folsom_Stringer_Musa

Professional
KingBugsy said:
No, that’s not my experience. Hyper G plays with a little more power, a bit more liveliness, and more trampoline. It is softer feeling that confidential. Confidential is a little stiffer, more muted, with less power. But offers more control. I would say spin is about the same. I really like both, but prefer confidential due to the increase in control.
Click to expand...

Both strings are 5 sided. Hg will have more tension loss.
They are not vastly different.

String Ref TensionSwingMaterialStiffnessTension LossSpin Potential

Solinco HG 16:
51FastPolyester219.526.37.0

Solinco Confidential 16G:
51FastPolyester222.322.26.4
 
Dartagnan64

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
Martves613 said:
I´ve never encountered someone who would complain about too much spin.
More spin --> more margin for error --> you can hit harder with more pace --> more winners.
Click to expand...

If something has so much spin so that even hitting out of your shoes causes the ball to land before the service line, it's probably too much spin for that player.

I think given how completely different the opinions are on poly strings, you need to take everything said on this thread with a grain of salt.

I'd suggest that most people would be so much better off looking at themselves rather than their equipment for performance boosts. The rabbit hole of trying to min-max string setups is deep and likely of low value for most folks.
 
Folsom_Stringer_Musa

Folsom_Stringer_Musa

Professional
Infineon said:
I'm mostly playing with Solinco Confidential 125mm. on my Blade V7 (16x19), 98" which I string @ 24/23kg.
I like this in a full bed, but wonder if I could get even better performance with:
1. Hybrid? What would you suggest to cross it with? at what tension?
2. Thinner gauge? How thin?
3. Any other strings to test?

About my game:
I play at NTRP 4.0 level, win some local tournaments now and then. Been playing from childhood with some major pauses. Got a big first serve, second kick, a lot of topspin(coach says to much) on my FH, quite flat OHBH
Click to expand...

If you are after more power, you can lower the tension.
Otherwise, you can hybrid with thinner gauge smooth poly - Poly Star Energy, Ghostwire or even HG\TB 1.15mm
Cheers.
 
A

avocadoz

Professional
What's all this rave about Confidential? It plays awful the first couple of sets. Balls were flying towards the fence. It settles in eventually but I'm not gonna make 50 unforced errors while waiting for the string to settle.
 
A

avocadoz

Professional
Had mine strung at 57 lbs. maybe it’s one of those strings that does the opposite and has better control at lower tension.
 
smboogie

smboogie

Semi-Pro
I like Hyper-G at 17g in a hybrid with Vanquish. Confidential had a bit too much pop for me, but I have heard that there is a new Hyper-G rough in development.
 
W

WNB93

Semi-Pro
smboogie said:
I like Hyper-G at 17g in a hybrid with Vanquish. Confidential had a bit too much pop for me, but I have heard that there is a new Hyper-G rough in development.
Click to expand...
A string that grabs the ball even more than Hyper-G? Wow.
Wonder if the snapback will be reduced and therefore the spin decreased.
 
Tmano

Tmano

Hall of Fame
I really do not understand how the same string can be too powerful and at too low powerful at the same time.
It's just confusing!
 
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