I’m a 55 year old who have been playing consistently for last 6 years and playing at solid 4.0. I have been using the 2018 Prince phantom pro 93p 14x18. Which I love but due to the weight my arm gets bit tired by the second set. I’ve tried Yonex ezone dr98 2016, Ezone 98 2020, vcore 98 2018 but couldnt seem to find a sweet spot and never got comfortable with it as most my shots landed either really short or long. I love the 93p for the spin and the plush feel but I need a racquet that can be little more forgiving with generous sweet spot and max spin.and for some reason I can’t play with a head size at 100 as it feels clumsy and cumbersome. Looking for a racquet to demo…98 or smaller head size with 10.6 oz with an open string pattern. any recommendations?
Thanks!
I still have my old Prince NXG mids: 93", dense pattern (18x20), gummy-bear soft, and quite plush with a stock weight up near 13 oz. strung. Fun to hit with here and there, but I'm more of a 95"-98" player, too.
In case you sample a Phantom 97P as recommended above, I'd say consider adding some weight to the handle to get a little extra head-light balance. I've just taken up full time with this frame - coming from the Volkl C10 - and it's balance is much more "right" for me with some lead tape on the handle.
Given the range of static weight you're looking for, I agree with the recommendation above to get a look at the current offerings from Dunlop. Maybe the CX-200 (the 98" version) or the CX-400. Even the CX-200 Tour with the 16x19 string pattern could be worth a look, since you've been playing with the heavier (I think?) Phantom 93. Also thinking that the Volkl C10 EVO could be something to consider.
A note of caution: I'm pretty sure that the Phantom 93 you've been using is one of those old-school designs that includes some extra heft to it, but you're asking for suggestions weighing in the neighborhood of 10.6 oz. That's an enormous drop in weight, given that your recent "personal normal" is up in the neighborhood of 12 oz.
More than once in the past I've tried to make that sort of switch to an alternative that was at least a full ounce light than my current player. It didn't work for me. But the last time I tried this sort of switch, I injured my shoulder and very nearly sidelined myself long-term. The problem here for me is that I've always used relatively heavy racquets going back to when I was a kid using wood frames into my high school years (I just turned 58). My fundamental technique is built around using this sort of heavier "tool" to command the ball.
It turns out that this sort of injury isn't rare. Guys like us go looking for a bit of help from a lighter racquet as we age away from our warrior years. But the same inherent power with a lighter alternative just isn't there. What do we do? Swing harder more often to compensate. Where can that lead? Arm and shoulder strain or injury. I've talked with more than just one or two guys in my circles who have been though this or they've seen it happen with somebody they know. Going lighter can be helpful for some, but it's a tricky trade off for others.
Yaddah-yadday... sorry. Just offering that if you're used to a certain heft in your racquet to make the ball do what you want, but you want something that's a little easier to live with these days, you may get all the "help" you need by dropping only a few tenths of an ounce in a mildly more lean alternative to your 93P. There's also the extra inherent liveliness that typically comes with a mildly larger head size over the 93 - the trampoline is a little bigger!
