Alcaraz and RPM Team?

[neversaydienadalfan]

Is Carlitos really using RPM Team for the last year or so as Babolat says or is this just a marketing play to push more variants of RPM? I've heard good things about RPM Team, but he was having such great results with RPM Blast for a while! Just Curious

 

[Deleted member 775640]

Not a ploy. He uses RPM team

 

[YellowFedBetter]

For real? Maybe he likes a softer poly?

 

[neversaydienadalfan]

Not a ploy. He uses RPM team

Is there any way to elaborate on why. What does he want from Team that he doesn't get from RPM Blast? Is it just softer? Is it also octagonally shaped?

 

[neversaydienadalfan]

For real? Maybe he likes a softer poly?

Is Team basically the same as Blast, but softer? I thought there were more differences than that.

 

[YellowFedBetter]

Is Team basically the same as Blast, but softer? I thought there were more differences than that.

Yeah, and with supposedly lower quality control. I have no experience with it, but people say it’s more muted.

 

[neversaydienadalfan]

Yeah, and with supposedly lower quality control. I have no experience with it, but people say it’s more muted.

I think Muguruza used to use RPM Team too. Interesting.

 

[flyhome]

Dunno what Alcaraz is using, but the Team should have more spin, less control (which you compensate with the spin), more confort, less tention maintenance (which you can compensate with the pre-stretch), more resilience, compared to the Blast

 

[esgee48]

RPM Team is Babolat’s version of Lux 4G. TWU string db says it id stiffer than 4G (same diameter, etc.) I agree with the TWU assessment. Means playable for longer periods without surprises.

 

[neversaydienadalfan]

Not a ploy. He uses RPM team

Do you know when he switched?

 

[Mischko]

RPM Team is Babolat’s version of Lux 4G. TWU string db says it id stiffer than 4G (same diameter, etc.) I agree with the TWU assessment. Means playable for longer periods without surprises.

Team really doesn't play at all like 4G, they are almost polar opposites. Team is on the firmer side of soft polys, slightly muted elastic power poly, while 4G is a stiff crisp total control poly.

In Luxilon's line up Team is best compared with Alu and Alu soft, Adrenaline, but not quite, but they are all pretty elastic and give a lot of power as a result. 4G does not, its elasticity is medium at best when fresh and strung low

When Team loses tension it's still really elastic, and can send balls out easily. A power poly. And Team loses quite a bit of tension, while 4G is the exact opposite, it maintains tension better that any other poly, and is always totally controlled, keeps balls in court better than any other string practically, a total control poly

Black Blast is very stiff but also elastic, can easily be too stiff in a stiff racquet. Team resolves that and is much softer but still very elastic with generous power. Team is best comparable to Tf Razor Code

Team's main issue is loss of control when it drops in tension

Alcaraz had an underarm pronator muscle injury, was it AO 2023 that he had to skip?, and then switched to Team as a softer alternative to Blast. I think I have it wrong somehow, and that he switched at the start of 2024, not sure now. It's in the other thread for sure.

 

[pico]

Team really doesn't play at all like 4G, they are almost polar opposites. Team is on the firmer side of soft polys, slightly muted elastic power poly, while 4G is a stiff crisp total control poly.

In Luxilon's line up Team is best compared with Alu and Alu soft, Adrenaline, but not quite, but they are all pretty elastic and give a lot of power as a result. 4G does not, its elasticity is medium at best when fresh and strung low

When Team loses tension it's still really elastic, and can send balls out easily. A power poly. And Team loses quite a bit of tension, while 4G is the exact opposite, it maintains tension better that any other poly, and is always totally controlled, keeps balls in court better than any other string practically, a total control poly

Black Blast is very stiff but also elastic, can easily be too stiff in a stiff racquet. Team resolves that and is much softer but still very elastic with generous power. Team is best comparable to Tf Razor Code

Team's main issue is loss of control when it drops in tension

Alcaraz had an underarm pronator muscle injury, was it AO 2023 that he had to skip?, and then switched to Team as a softer alternative to Blast. I think I have it wrong somehow, and that he switched at the start of 2024, not sure now. It's in the other thread for sure.

16g Team seems to have a decent tension loss rating on the TW string database.

 

[Arzivu]

According to Tennis Nerd, in Rotterdam Carlitos went back to Rpm Blast.

 

[Mischko]

According to Tennis Nerd, in Rotterdam Carlitos went back to Rpm Blast.

Interesting, thanks. I expected him to return to Blast much sooner, after healing the injured muscle, not sure now if he had then continued with Team or returned to Blast like a year ago

 

[pico]

Has anyone played Blast and Team and can compare? 16g specifically.

 

[Deleted member 775640]

Has anyone played Blast and Team and can compare? 16g specifically.

The Team feels softer. You feel the ball on the strings less. Good for fatigue, worse for touch IMO. Performance is similar. Maybe more power with Team, but it's hard to say.

 

[jmacdaununder2]

Agree, Team definitely plays softer than Blast, presumably because of the infused air bubbles.

 

[Miguelin]

As far as I know, Team is exactly the same as Blast, but with "nano bubbles" inside and comes factory pre-stretched. So, it should be stiffer and have better (less) tension loss due to the pre-stretch (and also shorter break-down period), but on the other hand it should stretch more (feel softer on impact) as if it were a thinner gauge, due to the bubbles. So depending on the tension it's strung at and its tension/elongation profile, it could have better or worse tension maintenance than Blast, as the tension peak on impact could be higher in the higher (nominal) tension range.