Choosing a new racket! (Problem with the actual gear)

[Rudi Bergner]

I’m searching for a new stick.

I’ll tell you the back story.

Until November 2019 I was playing with a Dunlop force 98 (the orange one)
In August I Changed the original grip with a leather grip (the tennis wharehouse one actually), and it felt really good, I got that feel I had when I used to play with leather some years ago.

But In September/ November my arm started to hurt little by little until now almost my entire arm is in pain...
I always thought it was from the strings, (and it has to be as I’ll tell you in a bit).
I play regularly with “hyper g 16L 24kg” full bed for since 2017 maybe.

the problem: The racket started to feel like steel! The strings dull like wood, dead tension, all the vibrations started to go to my arm.
(Until this The only pain I had was on the forearm tendons)

I got reed of the leather grip and it didn’t improve...
Lowering the tension to 22kg didn’t help.
The soreness was only getting worse.
DUnlop force 98 is a stiff racket but I had it for years and never had problems.
My stringer strings for many athletes and no one had complaints so I changed racket!

(I know there’s something wrong with the strings. Maybe it was the cold weather that made em stiff?? It’s already a stiff string with a stiff racket so maybe once my injury started this setup probably didn’t help me in trying to recover... but apart from that, who ever tried my racket couldn’t play with it more that a few strokes, so it isn’t me)

Again, I changed racket, and I’m now playing with a Dunlop biomimetic M3.0 (it’s about the same age as the force98, but a little less stiffer...
I felt better but right away the dull dead steel feeling came back the same. (And yes who ever try to play with it, soon start to notice the stiffness and dead feeling)
I’m now playing with 23kg main/ 22kg cross and Its better when my arm is warmed up.
My arm isn’t getting better, I’ll have to do physiotherapy eventually but that’s another story.

my thoughts are that the strings got stiffer in winter but it’s seems strange because this never happened before, or the stringing is not being well done although is strange because I can’t be the only one in the more than 20 athletes who work with him all week...
So I don’t know.
My arm is so sore that right now, not even badminton is comfortable for my arm.


AFTER ALL THIS... I made a research for a new racket, based on stifness and feel.
Recently brands started to launch new stocks that resemble the old school feel... so that means less stiff rackets with bigger heads.

of course price matters, so this rackets are what I got from my research trying to achieve less vibration, comfort and feel without compromising 100% the style of play used to:

- Prince phantom pro 100
- pro kennex ki q+ tour
- yonex ezone 98 (305g) 2017/2018

I like the more rounded shape, weight and balance are similar to what I’m used to (leaving space to try lead), and I prefer a more opened string pattern.
I almost ordering the prince phantoms but maybe it’s very low stiff, I’m afraid.
Then, the pro kennex seemed almost the perfect racket for me regarding the specs but it’s expensive....
And right now I’m thinking of buying the yonex, it’s stiffer than the other two but not too stiff, so it seems a good balanced choice.
And I’m thinking of trying softer strings even if I have to hybrid with the hyper g...

thanks and good sensations on court for everyone.

 

[25-TENNIS]

I’m searching for a new stick.

I’ll tell you the back story.

Until November 2019 I was playing with a Dunlop force 98 (the orange one)
In August I Changed the original grip with a leather grip (the tennis wharehouse one actually), and it felt really good, I got that feel I had when I used to play with leather some years ago.

But In September/ November my arm started to hurt little by little until now almost my entire arm is in pain...
I always thought it was from the strings, (and it has to be as I’ll tell you in a bit).
I play regularly with “hyper g 16L 24kg” full bed for since 2017 maybe.

the problem: The racket started to feel like steel! The strings dull like wood, dead tension, all the vibrations started to go to my arm.
(Until this The only pain I had was on the forearm tendons)

I got reed of the leather grip and it didn’t improve...
Lowering the tension to 22kg didn’t help.
The soreness was only getting worse.
DUnlop force 98 is a stiff racket but I had it for years and never had problems.
My stringer strings for many athletes and no one had complaints so I changed racket!

(I know there’s something wrong with the strings. Maybe it was the cold weather that made em stiff?? It’s already a stiff string with a stiff racket so maybe once my injury started this setup probably didn’t help me in trying to recover... but apart from that, who ever tried my racket couldn’t play with it more that a few strokes, so it isn’t me)

Again, I changed racket, and I’m now playing with a Dunlop biomimetic M3.0 (it’s about the same age as the force98, but a little less stiffer...
I felt better but right away the dull dead steel feeling came back the same. (And yes who ever try to play with it, soon start to notice the stiffness and dead feeling)
I’m now playing with 23kg main/ 22kg cross and Its better when my arm is warmed up.
My arm isn’t getting better, I’ll have to do physiotherapy eventually but that’s another story.

my thoughts are that the strings got stiffer in winter but it’s seems strange because this never happened before, or the stringing is not being well done although is strange because I can’t be the only one in the more than 20 athletes who work with him all week...
So I don’t know.
My arm is so sore that right now, not even badminton is comfortable for my arm.


AFTER ALL THIS... I made a research for a new racket, based on stifness and feel.
Recently brands started to launch new stocks that resemble the old school feel... so that means less stiff rackets with bigger heads.

of course price matters, so this rackets are what I got from my research trying to achieve less vibration, comfort and feel without compromising 100% the style of play used to:

- Prince phantom pro 100
- pro kennex ki q+ tour
- yonex ezone 98 (305g) 2017/2018

I like the more rounded shape, weight and balance are similar to what I’m used to (leaving space to try lead), and I prefer a more opened string pattern.
I almost ordering the prince phantoms but maybe it’s very low stiff, I’m afraid.
Then, the pro kennex seemed almost the perfect racket for me regarding the specs but it’s expensive....
And right now I’m thinking of buying the yonex, it’s stiffer than the other two but not too stiff, so it seems a good balanced choice.
And I’m thinking of trying softer strings even if I have to hybrid with the hyper g...

thanks and good sensations on court for everyone.

The Yonex is 63 Ra, but it has a stiff feeling in the upper hoop. You better try the Ezone 2020 or the older versions (DR, AI).

 

[Rudi Bergner]

The Yonex is 63 Ra, but it has a stiff feeling in the upper hoop. You better try the Ezone 2020 or the older versions (DR, AI).

I believe that to be true but the new one will exceed my budget :/

maybe the 2017/2018 model could soften up with a little lead on the head? 3 and 9 o’clock like I mm used to.
Would that help?

 

[fuzz nation]

In my experience (playing, coaching, and stringing racquets), the top priority for getting a more arm-friendly ride with your equipment is to get rid of the poly strings immediately and switch to a softer alternative. Even a very flexible racquet will be much tougher on the arm/elbow when strung with stiffer strings - these include most polys.

Just over two years ago I got a case of tennis elbow that put me out of action for a couple months. I tried a relatively "soft" poly at moderate tension - about 44 lbs. - in a Volkl C10. This frame has been entirely comfortable for my arm for several years when strung with synthetic gut, but I got stupid and decided to try a full poly layout. Like you, I tried this in the late autumn when conditions were getting colder and I'm sure that the lower temperatures made the poly play even more stiff despite its lower tension. Two hitting sessions of only 15-20 minutes was enough to give me a substantial injury.

Switching frames is rarely easy on the arm. Sampling unfamiliar racquets usually forces us to rack up more mishits until we can adjust to them. That's an irritating process, even if the new racquets and strings are relatively soft. I'd say that if you cannot take a break from tennis for a while to heal your arm, try to stick with the racquet you know and put softer string in there for the short term. Don't worry about getting the best performance from your racquet and strings until your arm is healthy again.

A multifiber would be significantly softer on the arm, but you might also do okay with a synthetic gut at mid-range tension. Among different syn. gut (SG) options I've used or tried in recent years, I've found Prince SG with Duraflex, Gamma SG with WearGuard, and even Gosen OG Sheep Micro to play more harsh than I prefer.

More comfortable SG's for me have included Prince Original SG, Volkl Classic SG, and Tecnifibre SG. The softest SG I've ever tried has been Forten Sweet, but only the 16 gauge version gave me reasonable durability.

There are several decent multifibers available, but I almost never use them myself. Prince Premier Control 16 is the one I keep on hand for me when somebody wants me to string them with a new bed of multi. It rarely disappoints - not too expensive, half decent durability for a multi, acceptable tension maintenance, etc.

Icing, massage, etc. for your arm when you can manage it should only help it along. Good luck with it. Be patient - that sort of injury can take several weeks to mend. If you can manage a short period of rest - a couple of weeks away from the courts - that would probably help, too.

 

[Rudi Bergner]

In my experience (playing, coaching, and stringing racquets), the top priority for getting a more arm-friendly ride with your equipment is to get rid of the poly strings immediately and switch to a softer alternative. Even a very flexible racquet will be much tougher on the arm/elbow when strung with stiffer strings - these include most polys.

Just over two years ago I got a case of tennis elbow that put me out of action for a couple months. I tried a relatively "soft" poly at moderate tension - about 44 lbs. - in a Volkl C10. This frame has been entirely comfortable for my arm for several years when strung with synthetic gut, but I got stupid and decided to try a full poly layout. Like you, I tried this in the late autumn when conditions were getting colder and I'm sure that the lower temperatures made the poly play even more stiff despite its lower tension. Two hitting sessions of only 15-20 minutes was enough to give me a substantial injury.

Switching frames is rarely easy on the arm. Sampling unfamiliar racquets usually forces us to rack up more mishits until we can adjust to them. That's an irritating process, even if the new racquets and strings are relatively soft. I'd say that if you cannot take a break from tennis for a while to heal your arm, try to stick with the racquet you know and put softer string in there for the short term. Don't worry about getting the best performance from your racquet and strings until your arm is healthy again.

A multifiber would be significantly softer on the arm, but you might also do okay with a synthetic gut at mid-range tension. Among different syn. gut (SG) options I've used or tried in recent years, I've found Prince SG with Duraflex, Gamma SG with WearGuard, and even Gosen OG Sheep Micro to play more harsh than I prefer.

More comfortable SG's for me have included Prince Original SG, Volkl Classic SG, and Tecnifibre SG. The softest SG I've ever tried has been Forten Sweet, but only the 16 gauge version gave me reasonable durability.

There are several decent multifibers available, but I almost never use them myself. Prince Premier Control 16 is the one I keep on hand for me when somebody wants me to string them with a new bed of multi. It rarely disappoints - not too expensive, half decent durability for a multi, acceptable tension maintenance, etc.

Icing, massage, etc. for your arm when you can manage it should only help it along. Good luck with it. Be patient - that sort of injury can take several weeks to mend. If you can manage a short period of rest - a couple of weeks away from the courts - that would probably help, too.

thank you for the reply!!
I’m actually taking a brake from tennis not because i want but because I an accident with my knee (not related to tennis) and I will have to check if it’s serious. It was because of this I’m searching so much about strings and rackets .
That’s a good advice.
I’m always searching max performance but sometimes you need to take a brake to clear Your head.
I tried an hybrid with a multi filament with my coach and stringer. The feel is weird but it’s necessary I’ll go that path until I’m 100%.
But I’ve been playing with a lot of rackets recently actually but the ones I mentioned were my own. Sometimes I play with a prince boron from the 90’s ( I think) with a 107 head, and one week with that made my arm ok with a cheap poly.
I really think it is the strings getting stiffer than usual.
thanks again for the advise.

 

[pvw_tf]

Hi,

Think i has been written many times on these forums. Poly is by far no the most friendly string for arm, shoulder well in general you body. If you are well trained make a lot of hours on court a week you will possible be able to handle it. Bu then again poly looses tension and flexibility quickly and we are talking days. That is called a dead string. That even more could give troubles.
Old rackets will not help to. Rackets do not have an eternal life span. They get softer with each string job.

And yes many pro player play with poly BUT they have always a fresh strung racket, play limited games with it. Mostly with every "new balls" change to a new string.

And yes even retired pro players, so players who hit the ball mostly perfect in the sweat spot of the racket can get in troubles when they keep on or try playing with full poly.

Poly is not the holy string. It is an option to consider. Of course many will state use this one or that one, that is a soft poly. That one is better. I never have troubles. But in general if you do not play that often. It is maybe better to consider to play with multi strings or syntetic gut.

Peter

 

[Rudi Bergner]

Hi,

Think i has been written many times on these forums. Poly is by far no the most friendly string for arm, shoulder well in general you body. If you are well trained make a lot of hours on court a week you will possible be able to handle it. Bu then again poly looses tension and flexibility quickly and we are talking days. That is called a dead string. That even more could give troubles.
Old rackets will not help to. Rackets do not have an eternal life span. They get softer with each string job.

And yes many pro player play with poly BUT they have always a fresh strung racket, play limited games with it. Mostly with every "new balls" change to a new string.

And yes even retired pro players, so players who hit the ball mostly perfect in the sweat spot of the racket can get in troubles when they keep on or try playing with full poly.

Poly is not the holy string. It is an option to consider. Of course many will state usePeter

yes I know what each string is but i played with poly all my life.
I play almost everyday since 10 years ago more or less.
I break strings fast and I know they lose tension.

Im talking about dead feeling with a fresh string.... this new for me, so I think it’s the strings but it’s only on my rackets as I said. It’s really strange.

(maybe it’s really the hyper g that stiffened up a bit but i tried lynx from head and it wasn’t much better. Because yes my arm at the moment is sore so nothing is good)

But when I try other raquets and other strings (always poly) the feeling starts to comeback.
Even for example: I had a Babolat pure drive stringed with rpm blast maybe 2 years or more and it felt amazing loool
Very low tension but away better than my fresh stringed racket.
And happened with other rackets too.

So it’s really freaking me out.

my point is to try to find other strings that may work for you guys, for pocketing comfort but still having bite, spin and performance.
And the racket, it’s because I want one racket for me to start playing only with it since in the last year I’ve been playing with many different ones sometimes.

 

[pvw_tf]

yes I know what each string is but i played with poly all my life.

You are by far not the first one who played for a long time with poly, never had issues and got in trouble. Problem is when you get in trouble it is hard to get out of it and it remains vulnerable in many of those cases.

Peter.

 

[Rudi Bergner]

I was thinking about the yonex ezone 98 (305g), but there’s a “head graphene prestige touch tour” with a really good price selling at tennispro.fr

anyone Know this model of the prestige? Has 100 head size and 18x19 pattern, stifness is about the same.

 

[pvw_tf]

The EZone is a pretty ok racket if you have arm troubles. But question is if the sweat spot matches your tennis style. The prestige is nice rackets but not that advisable. Have sees many previous pro players who were retired and moved into coaching get in trouble with. Just because they are not so strong as before. I assume by you looking at tennispro.fr you maybe live in France.
Take a look at the Tecnifibre TFight 305, very comfortable racket with high capabilities, also a nice one is the Tecnifibre TF40 305 grams. Amazing racket for better players. Loads of control. But you have to play with it to sort out if you like it.

You could try the TFight with Bi-Phase 1.34 to see if what effect it has on your arm.

Peter

Peter

 

[Rudi Bergner]

I’ll give more attention

The EZone is a pretty ok racket if you have arm troubles. But question is if the sweat spot matches your tennis style. The prestige is nice rackets but not that advisable. Have sees many previous pro players who were retired and moved into coaching get in trouble with. Just because they are not so strong as before. I assume by you looking at tennispro.fr you maybe live in France.
Take a look at the Tecnifibre TFight 305, very comfortable racket with high capabilities, also a nice one is the Tecnifibre TF40 305 grams. Amazing racket for better players. Loads of control. But you have to play with it to sort out if you like it.

You could try the TFight with Bi-Phase 1.34 to see if what effect it has on your arm.

Peter

Peter

I’ll give a closer look at tecnifibre, I used to like the vomax2 tfight.
But I didn’t get a good feeling with some new one I tried before last summer.

thanks

 

[Frankc]

Sorry - ditch the poly... the real damage is incremental and very, very slow to accumulate. That is the usual story, over and over again... Then suddenly, major pain symptoms occur...

 

[Rudi Bergner]

Sorry - ditch the poly... the real damage is incremental and very, very slow to accumulate. That is the usual story, over and over again... Then suddenly, major pain symptoms occur...

Yes it has been building up slowly and suddenly with out noticing, my arm hurts even if I stay 2 weeks with out playing tennis...
Full of tendinitis.
This string really harden up... my stringer was stringing it too tight or something, it really feels like playing with a steel frame.
I kept on going thinking that this would pass as normally would in the past.

 

[badmice2]

As others have said, ditch the poly if you want to keep playing. It’s likely the strings and not the racket that’s giving you issue. I’ve ran into similar issues when I switched strings, and it gave me arm trouble which eventually lead to shoulder problems. Arm fatigue is a real thing with poly.