Alcaraz adding weight

[johnmccabe]

According to Marca:
Juan Carlos Ferrero was clear that they had to exploit the strengths of his pupil. And that meant generating more speed with his forehand. That is why they worked with several Babolat rackets with different weights in the neck of the racket until they found the most suitable one. This, according to MARCA, is five grams more, distributed through lead tapes.

Question:
Why adding weight to the throat of PA 98, assuming neck means throat?

 

[maksp]

According to Marca:
Juan Carlos Ferrero was clear that they had to exploit the strengths of his pupil. And that meant generating more speed with his forehand. That is why they worked with several Babolat rackets with different weights in the neck of the racket until they found the most suitable one. This, according to MARCA, is five grams more, distributed through lead tapes.

Question:
Why adding weight to the throat of PA 98, assuming neck means throat?

Maybe cause adding weight in the middle keeps same balance but adds plow

 

[Donmikan]

According to Marca:
Juan Carlos Ferrero was clear that they had to exploit the strengths of his pupil. And that meant generating more speed with his forehand. That is why they worked with several Babolat rackets with different weights in the neck of the racket until they found the most suitable one. This, according to MARCA, is five grams more, distributed through lead tapes.

Question:
Why adding weight to the throat of PA 98, assuming neck means throat?

Great find! Here is the link to the article:

Carlos Alcaraz re-arms himself: five grams more and a new service

It was on Monday, December 9, after a vacation in the Dominican Republic and two exhibitions in the United States, when Carlos Alcaraz began his preseason with a view to his first

www.marca.com

 

[_FrankTheTank_]

Maybe cause adding weight in the middle keeps same balance but adds plow

Seems right. Making it more stable without increasing SW and TW much so his fast ballstriking ability isn't affected too much.

 

[johnmccabe]

Maybe cause adding weight in the middle keeps same balance but adds plow

Is it different from adding weight in the hoop at 6 o'clock?

 

[veelium]

Is it different from adding weight in the hoop at 6 o'clock?

Not much, just a few cm lower so adds a tiny bit less SW, keeps balance lower.

 

[Irvin]

Why adding weight to the throat of PA 98, assuming neck means throat?

One can only assume he did not want to increase RW but wanted more plow.

 

[esgee48]

Exxample: 5 grams at 16 cm above pivot is mr² or .005*16*16 = 1.28. Put on the neck area eg 14 cm them 0.005*14*14 = 0.98.

 

[pbb]

Super interesting news, thanks for the info

Adding more weight at 12 to the VS felt wrong, already at 332sw and above. Clear big plus on serves, I can just relax and guide the racquet at 340sw, but a total slowdown on fh and bh. Fils plays it at 340 I think, Rune at 350, don't know about Michelsen, but looks around 330 just judging by his swings

I tried to go higher but always reverted to sub 330, it felt best balanced overall, fast and punchy. Downside is I lacked some more mass on the ohbh, and on serves I have to fast twitch more than I like, tiring for the shoulder

Since it already feels super solid and stiff in the throat I never thought to add any lead there, will experiment now

 

[maksp]

Is it different from adding weight in the hoop at 6 o'clock?

Yes little more sw n little less tw , maybe

 

[Donmikan]

I wanted to update my previous estimation of Alcaraz specs:

Unstrung specs usually imply no overgrip. Using the twu calculator i ended up with these specs strung with overgrip:
334g 32.8cm 333sw

With 5 grams at 23cm (lower throat), hes probably close to 339g 32.7cm 334sw

 

[lidoazndiabloboi]

 

[gino]

Interesting placement, we don’t see that a lot from tour pros

 

[naturalexponent]

I feel like this weight placement is something @Anton has often advocated for. Cool to see this application.

 

[gino]

I wonder why they didn’t mess with the grip. A few strips of lead in the throat isn’t really much weight

 

[iceman_dl6]

Interesting placement, we don’t see that a lot from tour pros

Not so true, as I believe Arthur Fils places lead tape there too on his Aero 98

 

[gino]

Not so true, as I believe Arthur Fils places lead tape there too on his Aero 98

well, that's still one example of hundreds of them lol so i think my point stands

 

[DG21]

Carlos Alcaraz has changed his racket - and it could make a huge difference at Australian Open

Carlos Alcaraz has adapted his racket for 2025 and the difference is already "very noticeable".

www.tennis365.com

Confirmed.

 

[esm]

It seems Opelka also has weight added to the throat area of his all white Tecnifibre.

 

[Holic]

So by adding weight to the throat he wanted to maintain the same balance(not 100%) and only added 3 swingweight points which i believe is the key change here.
Other than that i dont believe it affected that much his stability on returns, that would be 3-9 or 2-10 lead placement.
Cant really understand what's the weight addition did to him other than those 3 sw points.

 

[HeavyHitter]

Super interesting news, thanks for the info

Adding more weight at 12 to the VS felt wrong, already at 332sw and above. Clear big plus on serves, I can just relax and guide the racquet at 340sw, but a total slowdown on fh and bh. Fils plays it at 340 I think, Rune at 350, don't know about Michelsen, but looks around 330 just judging by his swings

I tried to go higher but always reverted to sub 330, it felt best balanced overall, fast and punchy. Downside is I lacked some more mass on the ohbh, and on serves I have to fast twitch more than I like, tiring for the shoulder

Since it already feels super solid and stiff in the throat I never thought to add any lead there, will experiment now

Rune's swingweight is 335.5. There is no published swingweight on Fils frame.

Correction, I posted his static weight as the swingweight, I was going off of my memory.

"Rune's specs in Sanremo this year were 337gr, 32.6cm balance and 335.5 sw (with overgrip and a thick plastic film to protect the overgrip)"

 

[pbb]

Rune's swingweight is 337. There is no published swingweight on Fils frame.

Nice, I was still going on old info, from somewhere on the forum when he first made it big. When is that info from, 2024? Source?

 

[aaron_h27]

"But Alcaraz plays with a stock racket"

 

[Gerco]

Other than that i dont believe it affected that much his stability on returns, that would be 3-9 or 2-10 lead placement.

That´s exactly what his new coach Samuel Lopez mentions in the original spanish article. English version is mistranslated (it reads "rest" instead of "ROS"). Lopez says the most notorious improvement of the added weight is that Carlos return of serve is more stable. Also mentions Carlos getting more power on his shots because of the way he hits in front of his body.

 

[what_army]

So by adding weight to the throat he wanted to maintain the same balance(not 100%) and only added 3 swingweight points which i believe is the key change here.
Other than that i dont believe it affected that much his stability on returns, that would be 3-9 or 2-10 lead placement.
Cant really understand what's the weight addition did to him other than those 3 sw points.

+3sw seems generous. 0.005*15^2=1.1kg•cm2

He’ll get more plow, that’s it. I think it’s a great move, it’s not a huge departure relative to current specs but on the other hand no issues with timing and he’ll be able to accelerate the racquet a bit more.

 

[Anton]

So by adding weight to the throat he wanted to maintain the same balance(not 100%) and only added 3 swingweight points which i believe is the key change here.
Other than that i dont believe it affected that much his stability on returns, that would be 3-9 or 2-10 lead placement.
Cant really understand what's the weight addition did to him other than those 3 sw points.

I really don’t think about weight adding in this way.

mid and upper loop weight additions are not a fix for a frame that has fundamental instability in the lower loop or if frame is too polarized to lag-and-release right for a particular player.

Sometimes weight on the throat is right, sometimes on 3+9, sometimes on both or none. There is not one “right” way for every frame and player.

 

[AAATSportingGoods]

Exxample: 5 grams at 16 cm above pivot is mr² or .005*16*16 = 1.28. Put on the neck area eg 14 cm them 0.005*14*14 = 0.98.

can you elaborate on this?

 

[AAATSportingGoods]

Also, why dont they use tungsten? with how common it is to touch that area of the racquet, and then rush to grab a quick bite of a granola bar or somehting between changeovers, id imagine lead toxicity can be an issue

 

[iceman_dl6]

Curious to see if any of you PA98 users tried his mod (weight at the throat)? If so, how was it?

 

[vokazu]

It's better to add weight at the tip of the racquet and at the bottom of the handle. Same swing weight but more power.

 

[jmacdaununder2]

"But Alcaraz plays with a stock racket"

 

[MrBD]

"But Alcaraz plays with a stock racket"

Let me correct that: "Alcaraz is playing with a stock FRAME/MOLD," not scamming customers like the Head Speed Legend.

 

[Alcawrath]

"But Alcaraz plays with a stock racket"

If it wasn't stock he wouldn't have to add weight in the throat because they would just give him a custom layup. The fact that lead is clearly visible as he experiments kinda gives credibility to the idea he's been playing a stock frame. Murray was throwing lead all over his Ezone because it was a stock layup.

 

[aaron_h27]

If it wasn't stock he wouldn't have to add weight in the throat because they would just give him a custom layup. The fact that lead is clearly visible as he experiments kinda gives credibility to the idea he's been playing a stock frame. Murray was throwing lead all over his Ezone because it was a stock layup.

I think you're misunderstanding my post. It was poking fun at people who think it's a crime to add weight to any racket and they always used Alcaraz as an example of a frame being played unaltered from the factory.

 

[Alcawrath]

I think you're misunderstanding my post. It was poking fun at people who think it's a crime to add weight to any racket and they always used Alcaraz as an example of a frame being played unaltered from the factory.

I got ya, I thought you were casting doubt on the idea that he's been playing stock. He's clearly looking for more with his latest move. Hope it finds the right setup for AO!

 

[esm]

It's better to add weight at the tip of the racquet and at the bottom of the handle. Same swing weight but more power.

same SW after adding weight to both the tip and bottom of the racquet?

 

[tx10is]

It's better to add weight at the tip of the racquet and at the bottom of the handle. Same swing weight but more power.

same SW after adding weight to both the tip and bottom of the racquet?

uh no thats not how it works, you might keep the Balance the same but you will increase the swingweight and static

 

[iceman_dl6]

FYI, I tried the CA mod on my stock PA98 but added 6g instead. Honestly it’s not too bad, better stability, power, control and most importantly, it made it much more arm friendly without sacrificing much in maneuverability or racquet head speed! We all know he had forearm issues which is probably the main reason why he added it there

 

[aaron_h27]

I wanted to update my previous estimation of Alcaraz specs:

With 5 grams at 23cm (lower throat), hes probably close to 339g 32.7cm 334sw

On paper this looks like a good spec for him. I always thought he was leaving something on the table by playing with such a light static weight. Obviously he's insanely talented and can make many set-ups work.

I think he could go a bit more headlight like 32.3 based on how he likes to play.

It's interesting we are seeing a lot of next gen/modern players with ~340g, ~330 SW, 32-33 cm balance give or take. Seems to be a very common spec for singles

 

[codonnell]

What are people’s thoughts on how this plays? I believe one person has tried it but anyone else? I’m going to add it to my frame today so I can try it next weekend .

 

[taylor15]

It's better to add weight at the tip of the racquet and at the bottom of the handle. Same swing weight but more power.

Very incorrect, every gram at the tip is about 3sw points, but can keep balance the same by adding to handle.

 

[aaron_h27]

It's better to add weight at the tip of the racquet and at the bottom of the handle. Same swing weight but more power.

There's no such thing as a "better" lead placement. It depends on what spec you're going for.

 

[Gerco]

Watching right now vs Novak I don't think Alcaraz is getting much benefit from the added weight, specially when he has to make those unconfortable passing shots. Also on groundstrokes he seems to be swinging harder but his ball doesn't look much more explosive to me.

 

[aaron_h27]

Watching right now vs Novak I don't think Alcaraz is getting much benefit from the added weight, specially when he has to make those unconfortable passing shots. Also on groundstrokes he seems to be swinging harder but his ball doesn't look much more explosive to me.

Yes adding those 5 grams was supposed to make all of his forehands unreturnable.

In all seriousness though, adding weight to the throat just gives a little extra stability on volleys, slices, etc...it's not going to do much for ground strokes. I'm sure he's still adjusting.

 

[Gerco]

Yes adding those 5 grams was supposed to make all of his forehands unreturnable.

In all seriousness though, adding weight to the throat just gives a little extra stability on volleys, slices, etc...it's not going to do much for ground strokes. I'm sure he's still adjusting.

Exactly. Maybe not the right time to make such change just before a Grand Slam without having the chance to test it out before on any less important tournament. Also add the modification of service motion. To me, it was too many changes at once.

 

[aaron_h27]

Exactly. Maybe not the right time to make such change just before a Grand Slam without having the chance to test it out before on any less important tournament. Also add the modification of service motion. To me, it was too many changes at once.

Players generally make changes during the off-season...but you know best. Perhaps you should write his coach as losing to Novak is embarassing.

 

[Gerco]

Players generally make changes during the off-season...but you know best. Perhaps you should write his coach as losing to Novak is embarassing.

There's no need for the irony dude. I'm just giving my opinion.
Novak played possum (what a surprise), but Carlos game seems off. Just saying.

 

[aaron_h27]

There's no need for the irony dude. I'm just giving my opinion.
Novak played possum (what a surprise), but Carlos game seems off. Just saying.

He hasn't been in great form since the olympics...hence the changes to his serve and racket modifications during the off season. I think it's better to lose to Novak in the QF than Van De Schlup in R2. However let's give the changes some time to actually make a difference.

 

[AAATSportingGoods]

It’s crazy that people on here actually think 5grams to a top players racquet makes a visible contribution to why he lost to Novak freaking Djokovic today….

 

[Nostradamus]

I feel like this weight placement is something @Anton has often advocated for. Cool to see this application.

clearly a mistake to make it heavy. should have made it lighter