Dear all,
First and foremost, English is not my mother tongue, so apologies if I'm somewhat unclear in my post!
Few words regarding my playstyle, before getting to the main questions : I am 25, I like to play agressively from the baseline and move inside the court as much as I can in order to finish the point with an easy shot or a volley. I hate being far away from the baseline, as being quite tall and heavy I am not the best mover and therefore do not benefit from staying behind my baseline.
I have a semi-western forehand grip, and try to hit powerful forehands with moderate spin. I have a two-handed backhand which is kind of a neutral shot for me, I can't really attack from the backhand side as much as from the forehand side. The only real effective shots I can hit with my backhand are passing shots and lobs. I am working on my slice but at the moment it is way too "floaty" and lacks bite.
I have played or demoed several rackets, and now play with the Wilson Blade 16x19 CV.
Following racquets felt too light/lacked stability for me : Head Graphene XT Radical MPA, Head Graphene 360 Extreme S.
Following racquets felt too powerful/hard to control : Babolat Pure Drive / Pure Aero / Pure Strike 100 3rd Gen, Wilson Ultra 100 CV.
As you guessed, I decided to go with the Blade 16x19 CV. I of course enjoy the racquet, on many aspects, and played a lot of great matches with it, but feel like it could be a bit better.
I feel quite disconnected to the ball, even more so when I do not hit in the sweet spot.
Also, I feel great loss of power when missing the sweetspot.
Spin-wise, I also feel wanting a bit more - which I know is surely in part due to my technique.
So I spend a few (maybe too much) time checking reviews and posts on Tennis Warehouse and Talk Tennis, and two frames caught my eye.
Babolat Pure Strike 16x19 "Project One7" - the reviews are more than positive regarding this stick, and judging by the specs, I feel like it could offer what I am missing with the Blade (a bit more power, a more generous sweetspot and a bit more spin). Also, the fact that it is currently being on sale could mean great value for money.
Wilson Blade v7 16x19 - the reviews I have read also seem positive, and the fact that Wilson took out their Countervail technology apparently improves the feel of the racquet which I felt was a bit missing in the CV version.
I am sure many of you have played with those racquets and could maybe provide some feedback?
That would be greatly appreciated.
As far as strings go, I mainly play with Babolat RPM Blast or Wilson Revolve Spin (current string) - I enjoy both strings a lot and do not find them very different.
Many thanks in advance for your help, I look forward to reading your replies!
Nico
First and foremost, English is not my mother tongue, so apologies if I'm somewhat unclear in my post!
Few words regarding my playstyle, before getting to the main questions : I am 25, I like to play agressively from the baseline and move inside the court as much as I can in order to finish the point with an easy shot or a volley. I hate being far away from the baseline, as being quite tall and heavy I am not the best mover and therefore do not benefit from staying behind my baseline.
I have a semi-western forehand grip, and try to hit powerful forehands with moderate spin. I have a two-handed backhand which is kind of a neutral shot for me, I can't really attack from the backhand side as much as from the forehand side. The only real effective shots I can hit with my backhand are passing shots and lobs. I am working on my slice but at the moment it is way too "floaty" and lacks bite.
I have played or demoed several rackets, and now play with the Wilson Blade 16x19 CV.
Following racquets felt too light/lacked stability for me : Head Graphene XT Radical MPA, Head Graphene 360 Extreme S.
Following racquets felt too powerful/hard to control : Babolat Pure Drive / Pure Aero / Pure Strike 100 3rd Gen, Wilson Ultra 100 CV.
As you guessed, I decided to go with the Blade 16x19 CV. I of course enjoy the racquet, on many aspects, and played a lot of great matches with it, but feel like it could be a bit better.
I feel quite disconnected to the ball, even more so when I do not hit in the sweet spot.
Also, I feel great loss of power when missing the sweetspot.
Spin-wise, I also feel wanting a bit more - which I know is surely in part due to my technique.
So I spend a few (maybe too much) time checking reviews and posts on Tennis Warehouse and Talk Tennis, and two frames caught my eye.
Babolat Pure Strike 16x19 "Project One7" - the reviews are more than positive regarding this stick, and judging by the specs, I feel like it could offer what I am missing with the Blade (a bit more power, a more generous sweetspot and a bit more spin). Also, the fact that it is currently being on sale could mean great value for money.
Wilson Blade v7 16x19 - the reviews I have read also seem positive, and the fact that Wilson took out their Countervail technology apparently improves the feel of the racquet which I felt was a bit missing in the CV version.
I am sure many of you have played with those racquets and could maybe provide some feedback?
That would be greatly appreciated.
As far as strings go, I mainly play with Babolat RPM Blast or Wilson Revolve Spin (current string) - I enjoy both strings a lot and do not find them very different.
Many thanks in advance for your help, I look forward to reading your replies!
Nico
