Becker's Racquet(s)?

[DrewRafter8]

I know this is a difficult question, but I'm curious to know what Becker's racquet history was when he played. I didn't keep up with racquets then but I know the Puma came before the Estusa, but I don't know if his were paintjobbed. I've recently decided to try and collect some of the racquets that my favorite pro's used. Thanks for any info.

 

[ericsson]

puma becker winner, ('85) then puma becker super ('87) then later he switched to estusa, always had the same mold ('92 sq.) he played with estusa power beam pro http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageRCBOS-BOSBECK.html

nowadays he plays volkl, he played several models to commercialize volkl cos he owns half, it was never clear to me which volkl he actually would use, plays with pj's, maybe a quantum 10 tour (customized) cos thats what he started with when he joined volkl.

 

[galain]

Don't forget the Adidas GTX he started the professional tour with.

 

[BrianB]

When Becker won his first Wimbledon he was using a Puma Vilas signature. I'll try to post a photo...

 

[jura]

He used the Adidas Ivan Lendl until the end of 84. Then switched to the Puma G. Vilas which was called Boris Becker Winner a few hours after his first Wimby victory;-) Some months later they switched him to the new color of the Boris Becker Super. But he never changed anything. When Puma stopped racket production he was discussing some months with Head (the last issue of the black Graphite Pro was a result of the "Becker development"), but at the end he only wanted to switch to a company which could and would make him the same racket as before. And Estusa was the own brand of the factory where his Puma stick was produced. So they signed a contract. After Estusa wasn't able or willing to pay him anymore Io Tiriac bought the mold and gave it to the factory of Kneissl. There his rackets were produced for the rest of his career and he paid for them. Only the very last time hisstringer Ulrich Kühnel bought the mold and issued a "luxury" version of the "Boris Becker Wolrd Champion" or something racket in a wooden case with a VS for 800 D-Marks! But it was a flop (surprise, surprise!).

 

[ericsson]

He used the Adidas Ivan Lendl until the end of 84. Then switched to the Puma G. Vilas which was called Boris Becker Winner a few hours after his first Wimby victory;-) Some months later they switched him to the new color of the Boris Becker Super. But he never changed anything. When Puma stopped racket production he was discussing some months with Head (the last issue of the black Graphite Pro was a result of the "Becker development"), but at the end he only wanted to switch to a company which could and would make him the same racket as before. And Estusa was the own brand of the factory where his Puma stick was produced. So they signed a contract. After Estusa wasn't able or willing to pay him anymore Io Tiriac bought the mold and gave it to the factory of Kneissl. There his rackets were produced for the rest of his career and he paid for them. Only the very last time hisstringer Ulrich Kühnel bought the mold and issued a "luxury" version of the "Boris Becker Wolrd Champion" or something racket in a wooden case with a VS for 800 D-Marks! But it was a flop (surprise, surprise!).

thanks jura for a little history here, your contribution to the forum is awsome i think. good to have an insider like you would you know what racket boris plays these days?? probably a volkl but which model?

 

[jura]

thanks jura for a little history here, your contribution to the forum is awsome i think. good to have an insider like you would you know what racket boris plays these days?? probably a volkl but which model?

The last pic I've seen it looked to me like a real BB10.

 

[ericsson]

no no not at all, it's totally different, i studied many pics, nothing near the bb10, beam is way different, string pattern etc...

 

[proracketeer]

But he never changed anything.

Did his racket contain 50% Graphite or 80% Graphite?

 

[f1 tech]

He uses a shorter version of the BB10.

 

[Colpo]

He used the Adidas Ivan Lendl until the end of 84. Then switched to the Puma G. Vilas which was called Boris Becker Winner a few hours after his first Wimby victory;-) Some months later they switched him to the new color of the Boris Becker Super. But he never changed anything. When Puma stopped racket production he was discussing some months with Head (the last issue of the black Graphite Pro was a result of the "Becker development"), but at the end he only wanted to switch to a company which could and would make him the same racket as before. And Estusa was the own brand of the factory where his Puma stick was produced. So they signed a contract. After Estusa wasn't able or willing to pay him anymore Io Tiriac bought the mold and gave it to the factory of Kneissl. There his rackets were produced for the rest of his career and he paid for them. Only the very last time hisstringer Ulrich Kühnel bought the mold and issued a "luxury" version of the "Boris Becker Wolrd Champion" or something racket in a wooden case with a VS for 800 D-Marks! But it was a flop (surprise, surprise!).

Really well-stated and correct. As long as we're sweating the details, Becker used furry, blue Tourna-Grip originals on his GTX Pro frames, riding them all the way to a surprise QF run in the 12/1984 Aussie Open. His deal with Puma kicked in with the start of 1985, his first full year on tour. He used blue Babolat Gripsys on his G.Vilas frames. He was probably the first pro to sport white synthetic overgrips, which he used beginning the latter half of the 1986 season (they were not sold to the general public then, and they were undoubtedly made by Babolat for Boris - believe me, as a kid then, I looked for those mothers). Once Puma couldn't afford his deal anymore, Boris essentially clung to his old Supers for the balance of his career.

 

[Colpo]

Forgot to mention, Boris dropping the GTX Pro was entirely Tiriac's idea. Some might say he wanted fixed the Puma $$ deal first, then forced Boris to like a Puma model from their line come hell or highwater. But I've read that Boris was the most headstrong, stubborn 17 year old, and that Boris had to convince himself that Tiriac's rationale for the racquet switch (Boris hit the ball so hard that he'd only help himself by increasing his headsize and therefore error margin) was correct before making the switch.

 

[jura]

no no not at all, it's totally different, i studied many pics, nothing near the bb10, beam is way different, string pattern etc...

I thought the same, but take a look here:

http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/details_pop.aspx?iid=71006201&cdi=0', '', 'width=640,height=500,menubar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,status=no,titlebar=no,toolbar=no

I can't see a difference to the BB10!

 

[ericsson]

I thought the same, but take a look here:

http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/details_pop.aspx?iid=71006201&cdi=0', '', 'width=640,height=500,menubar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,status=no,titlebar=no,toolbar=no

I can't see a difference to the BB10!

true jura, that's a real bb 10 but he didnt played a normal match there, it was more a commercial thing there. when he play like the seniors or something then he uses this:

doesnt look like a bb10 to me

 

[jura]

true jura, that's a real bb 10 but he didnt played a normal match there, it was more a commercial thing there. when he play like the seniors or something then he uses this:

doesnt look like a bb10 to me

Seems that you are right! On this pic he uses a pj'ded Quantum 10 Tour or a version of a Tour 10.

 

[Colpo]

Seems that you are right! On this pic he uses a pj'ded Quantum 10 Tour or a version of a Tour 10.

Now Volkl should just sell THAT racquet, and quit pretending that banana boat they call the BB 10 is a slowed-down player's frame. Boris is only 38, not 68!

 

[DrewRafter8]

Thanks guys, appreciate the input. Amazing how much the Puma Becker's are going for these days.

 

[ericsson]

Now Volkl should just sell THAT racquet, and quit pretending that banana boat they call the BB 10 is a slowed-down player's frame. Boris is only 38, not 68!

fully agree

 

[jackcrawford]

He used the Adidas Ivan Lendl until the end of 84. Then switched to the Puma G. Vilas which was called Boris Becker Winner a few hours after his first Wimby victory;-) Some months later they switched him to the new color of the Boris Becker Super. But he never changed anything. When Puma stopped racket production he was discussing some months with Head (the last issue of the black Graphite Pro was a result of the "Becker development"), but at the end he only wanted to switch to a company which could and would make him the same racket as before. And Estusa was the own brand of the factory where his Puma stick was produced. So they signed a contract. After Estusa wasn't able or willing to pay him anymore Io Tiriac bought the mold and gave it to the factory of Kneissl. There his rackets were produced for the rest of his career and he paid for them. Only the very last time hisstringer Ulrich Kühnel bought the mold and issued a "luxury" version of the "Boris Becker Wolrd Champion" or something racket in a wooden case with a VS for 800 D-Marks! But it was a flop (surprise, surprise!).

Great info as always - for those who want to read more, the translation of Becker's autobiography has lots of talk about his gear.

 

[proracketeer]

Did his racket contain 50% Graphite or 80% Graphite?

 

[ericsson]

in the puma years he played with 50% and when he joined estusa he played 80% graphite but with the same mold as the puma's. then bosworth handled his sticks.

 

[jura]

in the puma years he played with 50% and when he joined estusa he played 80% graphite but with the same mold as the puma's. then bosworth handled his sticks.

Sounds strange to me. I know that Estusa had a lot of work to "re-develop" Beckers rackets back to the identical specs of the Puma. They engaged the man who created the Puma sticks (a German named Günther Adam) to work with Becker and find the right composition. I met Adam some years ago and he told me that it was a horrible work. There were reckets which were 100% equal to his Puma in all specs they could check with all the diagnostic machines they had. But Becker just made one serve with each and said: "Listen, they sound different!" And then Adam said: "The worst thing was: he was right!"
So I don't think that he changed te composition. I think that he used 80 % Graphite from the beginning.

 

[ericsson]

Sounds strange to me. I know that Estusa had a lot of work to "re-develop" Beckers rackets back to the identical specs of the Puma. They engaged the man who created the Puma sticks (a German named Günther Adam) to work with Becker and find the right composition. I met Adam some years ago and he told me that it was a horrible work. There were reckets which were 100% equal to his Puma in all specs they could check with all the diagnostic machines they had. But Becker just made one serve with each and said: "Listen, they sound different!" And then Adam said: "The worst thing was: he was right!"
So I don't think that he changed te composition. I think that he used 80 % Graphite from the beginning.

yea i heard that story once too, but on the other hand he once said, strings are the motor, so more important then the racket. i never played with the puma's but 50 % is indeed very little for a pro.