So, as the title says, I'm currently playing with a 363g (not a typo) Blade V8 98 18x20. The reason for the abnormal weight of this racket is that I purchased it from sisters who had been gifted this racket and were selling it to pay for tournament fees. The problem arose after a couple of hitting sessions where I started to experience some forearm pain. I figured the issue was with the grip size, as it was an L2, and I am used to playing with an L3 grip. I decided to add a heat shrink wrap and bring it to 4 3/8, adding ~15g to the handle. But I wasn't finished beefing this bad boy. As I'm accustomed to playing with a leather cushion, I decided to replace the original cushion with a leather one, which added another 15-20g of weight to the handle. So there it was, a fully comfortable Blade 98 that weighed 357g strung.
Despite all the customization, something was still missing, especially on my backhand (2HBH). I was having a lot of trouble creating depth and being consistent with my backhand, whereas my forehand was exploding off the racket with a lot of control and precision. In order to address the lack of power and plow-through in my backhand, I experimented with lead tape on the head and finally found the sweet spot of 6g at 3 and 9 o'clock.
All things considered, this is now a 363g beast of a racket that I adore playing with. However, it's extremely demanding and requires excellent footwork at all times, often leaving your arms exhausted after +2h of practice.
The reason why I'm reaching out to you is for suggestions on rackets that I could try to further complement my playstyle. I have a constant feeling that this racket may be a lot heavier than what I need, potentially jeopardizing my results in matches. Do you have any suggestions on rackets that I could demo? (Note: I'm not in the US/EUR, so my range of models to demo is limited).
Specs:
Prior to this, I was using a 2020 Ezone 100 with a leather grip and overgrip. I decided to switch to the Blade 18x20 as I felt the Ezone was too powerful, and most of the errors I was making were due to a lack of control, not power. I'm able to generate a good amount of power and spin. Currently, I'm rated 4.5 - low 5.0 NTRP, but bear in mind that I'm on the smaller side (5'7'') with above-average muscle mass. I like to play aggressively from the baseline with a lot of depth and spin, and I typically approach the net to finish a point. My favorite serves are kick and slice, although I can hit a decently fast (for my height) flat serve.
Despite all the customization, something was still missing, especially on my backhand (2HBH). I was having a lot of trouble creating depth and being consistent with my backhand, whereas my forehand was exploding off the racket with a lot of control and precision. In order to address the lack of power and plow-through in my backhand, I experimented with lead tape on the head and finally found the sweet spot of 6g at 3 and 9 o'clock.
All things considered, this is now a 363g beast of a racket that I adore playing with. However, it's extremely demanding and requires excellent footwork at all times, often leaving your arms exhausted after +2h of practice.
The reason why I'm reaching out to you is for suggestions on rackets that I could try to further complement my playstyle. I have a constant feeling that this racket may be a lot heavier than what I need, potentially jeopardizing my results in matches. Do you have any suggestions on rackets that I could demo? (Note: I'm not in the US/EUR, so my range of models to demo is limited).
Specs:
- Weight: 363g
- Balance: 31.5cm
- SW: 340 kg/cm^2
- String: Solinco Confidential @ 56lbs
Prior to this, I was using a 2020 Ezone 100 with a leather grip and overgrip. I decided to switch to the Blade 18x20 as I felt the Ezone was too powerful, and most of the errors I was making were due to a lack of control, not power. I'm able to generate a good amount of power and spin. Currently, I'm rated 4.5 - low 5.0 NTRP, but bear in mind that I'm on the smaller side (5'7'') with above-average muscle mass. I like to play aggressively from the baseline with a lot of depth and spin, and I typically approach the net to finish a point. My favorite serves are kick and slice, although I can hit a decently fast (for my height) flat serve.
