Denis Shapovalov to Yonex
- Thread starter QuentinFederer
- Start date
CiscoPC600
Hall of Fame
It's probably just the transition PJ since I'm guessing the VCORE95 is due for an update and Yonex expressly rejected the 95 would be released in the Galaxy Black... BUT if they did change their mind that would be awesome. @TW Staff any word on if a new version of the 95 is due soon?
Karma Tennis
Legend
Didn't he sign with Yonex in mid 2017? Two and a half years seems to be a strange contract length - especially when he was still using SV95 at ATP Cup and AO.
CiscoPC600
Hall of Fame
He's playing the 250 in France; I guess we will find out soon after his first match.
mpournaras
Hall of Fame
Still the 95 with gloss and a logo. Man that racket really does look better in gloss
Not sure when he signed but I wouldn't be surprised that contracts can be written for any length of time. Given that someone just posted him playing with his red paint job again, could it be that he might have playing a next generation prototype VCore?
chrischris
Legend
Anyone here actually have one of his frames?
Karma Tennis
Legend
Certainly could have been testing a VCore prototype. I don't think he would be using it in Match Play though. Nothing to suggest that he has moved away from the original VCore SV95 (and now using the latest PJ)
paulie-japan
Rookie
He won some good matches in the ATP Cup, in singles and doubles
Karma Tennis
Legend
Lost again in R1 in Rotterdam.
paulie-japan
Rookie
You obviously don't like the kid...I think he will come good
Karma Tennis
Legend
I love the kid. He is a lefty. I have a special affection for left handed tennis players.
The GOAT (Laver) is a lefty.
The Greatest (Male) Clay Court Player (Nadal) is a lefty.
McEnroe is a lefty.
Navratilova is a lefty.
His results aren't going to improve while he continues to use a 95 - assuming he is using a 95. The game has moved on!
CiscoPC600
Hall of Fame
Ahh yes, I fully agree. Him and Djokovic are just a relic of the past clinging to their outdated tool and their measly rating of #16 and #1 in the world.
David Le
Hall of Fame
Navratilova is a “lefty” lol
Silly statement. Djokovic, Nishikori, and those using the PT57A use 95 inch heads. A 95 inch frame is a more precise feeling frame. The real key is the specs. Shapo uses a frame too heavy and too head light for the modern game leading him to take more risks than he otherwise would
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guilhermefdc
Semi-Pro
Also @ top 20: Wawrinka and Bautista Agut
Karma Tennis
Legend
I'm assuming your comment is related to her Philosophical views.
I'm not really interested in commenting on Martina's Political Views but along with Seles, Martina is one of the greatest, if not THE greatest Left Handed female tennis players of all time.
Other great lefties include Connors, Vilas, Leconte, Rios, Woodforde, Ivanisevic.
Not going to waste time going over old ground. Feel free to go back through the discussion in this thread.
What is silly is you comparing Shapo's playing style with Novak's and Kei's. Shapo is a COMPLETELY different player to Novak and Kei.
I guess you are one of those people that thinks all players can play at their peak using exactly the same racquets eh?
Anyway, I look forward to Denis finding some success soon. But the way he is playing at the moment is not so good. And I imagine he and his team are extremely disappointed with his progress.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
Lol. Those 3 square will transform his game. I think he should go to 107. That will really improve his game. The only thing he’s missing besides a brain between his ears is a bigger headed racquet
David Le
Hall of Fame
No. Lol I don’t like talking about politics in general. I was talking about her being a “lefty” as in she’s a natural right hander but plays left.
I agree with most of what you say, till we go to his racquet. The way he plays it will never work. He tries to finish points on balls you dont finish points on. He pops up on those shots as well and sends them just long. He hits those at 75% and its in, yet he crushes it at 90%+ and it goes out. He needs to hit winners that are set up for winners, not try and make a winner.
Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
And don't forget the Yoda of lefties.......Marcelo
Navratilova, Nadal, and Muster aren't real lefties. They write with the wrong hand. They just play tennis left-handed. They don't think "right" like real lefties do.
CiscoPC600
Hall of Fame
On a serious note, I'm surprised Shapo does well in doubles with the 95. I use the VCORE 95 and definitely struggle a bit more at net than with singles when I stay back and can point then shoot.
CiscoPC600
Hall of Fame
Each and every player not winning slams is disappointed with his progress. Only big 3 are content. The rest are hungry for more. I doubt they see his #13-15 ranking in the world as disappointing especially given his age.
David Le
Hall of Fame
Yeah that’s what I said about Navratilova. Thomas Muster is a natural righty?And don't forget the Yoda of lefties.......Marcelo
Navratilova, Nadal, and Muster aren't real lefties. They write with the wrong hand. They just play tennis left-handed. They don't think "right" like real lefties do.
Karma Tennis
Legend
For Goodness sake ... this is a TENNIS forum ... we are talking about TENNIS ... when we say "Lefty" we are talking about TENNIS PLAYERS who play Tennis Left Handed.
Who care whether they are biologically left hand dominant, right hand dominant, ambidextrous, Cybernetic, Borg (No! Not Bjorn Borg), Shapeshifters, El-Aurian, or a member of the Q Continuum! (And for the other group, Daleks, Cybermen, Silurians, Zygons, Sea Devils, Sontarans or Autons.)
The GOAT Margaret Court is biologically left hand dominant but she played tennis right handed.
Denis is under-performing at the moment. You can talk about what is going on between his ears all you like. Makes no difference. He isn't going to change his natural tendency to be aggressive and attacking. Better to change other things to accommodate that tendency first and see what happens.
Who care whether they are biologically left hand dominant, right hand dominant, ambidextrous, Cybernetic, Borg (No! Not Bjorn Borg), Shapeshifters, El-Aurian, or a member of the Q Continuum! (And for the other group, Daleks, Cybermen, Silurians, Zygons, Sea Devils, Sontarans or Autons.)
The GOAT Margaret Court is biologically left hand dominant but she played tennis right handed.
Denis is under-performing at the moment. You can talk about what is going on between his ears all you like. Makes no difference. He isn't going to change his natural tendency to be aggressive and attacking. Better to change other things to accommodate that tendency first and see what happens.
Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
@David Le
yes Muster is a natural right hander
@Karma Tennis
and Ken Rosewall is a natural leftie!
I don’t think right handers who play left handed play like real left handers. Their game is different, they think different.
yes Muster is a natural right hander
@Karma Tennis
and Ken Rosewall is a natural leftie!
I don’t think right handers who play left handed play like real left handers. Their game is different, they think different.
Wheelz
Professional
How does a HL racquet lead to making risky shots??
Karma Tennis
Legend
Yeah! I was going to ask the same question. Interested to hear the answer from him on that one!
racquetreligion
Hall of Fame
Ive been playing with the SV95 and feel the opposite on volleys, can put everything away even better than I intend to.
Overheads are destroyed as is any stroke if you time the slap well the thing unleashes mayhem but biggest problem is
string sensitivity and durability. Thin 1.8-1.23 guage works best but playing time is one good set before missing the mark
becomes a real issue. Would be great to be able to afford restringing every hour of play but impossible.
The S2 babolat Pure Strike is way more forgiving than this frame but 1hbhs are a breeze with the 95.
I would like to see a 95 16 x 19 version of the BaboPS with firm hoop and soft shaft throat like the SV95 or a 16 x 19 SV95.
The orange second S2 version of the sv95 is missing serious pop version the S1 and need even more weight to
iceman_dl6
Professional
Since for about 1 month ago, I went back to my old SV95 just for the heck of it to take it for a spin. I was already very happy and committed to my 2020 Speed Pro! Funny thing is that I can’t put the SV95 down, and I am still using it! I have a history of using smaller heads such as IG Prestige MP/Pro, Wilson K90 and for some reason the smaller 95 sq inch head of the SV95 just feels way less cumbersome than 100 sq inch racquets or even 98/97 for that matter! That is the reason why, for me, 95 sq inch size is ideal at net. Also, the put away power of the SV95 is very addictive! Don’t know if I am going to switch to the SV95 permanently, as it can be unforgiving if your footwork or/and energy is off.
mikeeeee
Professional
This idea that 95” is too small makes no sense to me. Fed was using a 90” at the highest level of the game until 2015 and it (tennis) hasn’t changed that much since then. Novak continues to dominate with a 95” frame and in the last 5 years has been pretty unbeatable against Nadal and his far superior 100” Babolat.
iceman_dl6
Professional
Also, I always found that with smaller headsizes, it is easier to flatten out the ball and to be more offensive vs a midplus or larger racquet which suits a more spin oriented game ideal on clay courts (i.e: Nadal’s dominance on clay).
If you look at Denis’ game, he likes to use that “rocket” flat shot to finish points, which is why the SV95 suits his game.
I have used several 100 sq inch racquets in the past and while they are quite forgiving and easy to use, it is never as fun or enjoyable as a 90-95 sq inch racquet!
If you look at Denis’ game, he likes to use that “rocket” flat shot to finish points, which is why the SV95 suits his game.
I have used several 100 sq inch racquets in the past and while they are quite forgiving and easy to use, it is never as fun or enjoyable as a 90-95 sq inch racquet!
Karma Tennis
Legend
So why did he experiment with larger hoop sizes and then move to the RF97? I believe he is also on the record saying he might have won a few more Major Titles if he had moved to the 97 a few years earlier than he did.
95s require very clean hitting to be effective. It is a lot easier to be aggressive against big Servers on the Return of Serve when you have a 100 in your hand compared to a 95.
And others have mentioned, Denis has been using small hoops all his life. So his game has been honed over many years with a small hoop.
I really hope he has tested bigger hoop sizes though. It would be a shame if were to move to a 98 or 100 later on and then say - like Federer - that he should have done it earlier.
jarko111
Hall of Fame
In this case, it seems he's found the right weapon it's more about how he's developing as a player with potential to contend for slams. And he's starting to show some real grit. In fact, this open has had some really stellar matches with that first wave of next gens getting it done in 5, down match points/set points etc.
In my opinion, he is too explosive in every part of his game. He jumps around too much before he gets in his return position. I mean, that seems like a waste of energy and at hotter more humid events.. that's going to wear him out, right?
But I've only really paid attention to him in a real way this year because of how little tennis there is ... i've missed it so much. And he certainly smacks the heck out of that ball. And is decent with accuracy.. at least so far.
In my opinion, he is too explosive in every part of his game. He jumps around too much before he gets in his return position. I mean, that seems like a waste of energy and at hotter more humid events.. that's going to wear him out, right?
But I've only really paid attention to him in a real way this year because of how little tennis there is ... i've missed it so much. And he certainly smacks the heck out of that ball. And is decent with accuracy.. at least so far.
mikeeeee
Professional
The point isn't that he switched. The point is he was using a 90" and still a top 5 player in the world and was winning plenty of titles that just happened to not be grand slams.
Karma Tennis
Legend
OK. But Federer himself admitted that he took to long to move to the 97 (IIRC he said, more for psychological reasons than anything else).
So perhaps he would have continued to be a Top 2 player during that period rather than a Top 5 one?
mikeeeee
Professional
It might have, and probably would have helped his H2H record against Nadal.
I guess without trying to sound too argumentative, I'm simply saying he was one of the 5 best players on planet earth (7 billion + people) with a 90" frame. Saying 95" is too small but 98" is totally fine is just strange to me (not saying you said that, but posts on here seem to argue this).
Pmasterfunk
Hall of Fame
And here I was getting all excited preparing a super deep post about bread... but that would just lead to anarchy.
Slightly more seriously, the smaller headsizes and tighter string patterns keep a lower launch angle, and I feel that for swing wildly from the baseline with tons of topspin it doesn't work quite as well as more "modern" racquets, but it's easier to flatten out shots.
Karma Tennis
Legend
IME, the SV95 seems to have a significantly higher launch angle than many traditional 95s. Even more so if the Cross strings are strung at lower tensions to the Mains ... at least a couple of pounds lower!
jmacdaununder2
Hall of Fame
Djoker's 95" is so accurate, he can hit targets without even aiming...
Karma Tennis
Legend
IIRC, Djokovic's 95 is not actually a 95 because Head were measuring their stringbed area sizes differently for racquets like his.
But he obviously doesn't have eyes in the back of his head, does he?
Anyway, Denis let a huge opportunity slip through his fingers today. Oh Well
moon shot
Hall of Fame
IIRC, Djokovic's 95 is not actually a 95 because Head were measuring their stringbed area sizes differently for racquets like his.
But he obviously doesn't have eyes in the back of his head, does he?
Anyway, Denis let a huge opportunity slip through his fingers today. Oh Well
It is a 95, it was sold as a 98 for marketing reasons.Also, thanks for ruining the match I paused last night.
iceman_dl6
Professional
I’m sad and disappointed too but I think he had a good run though and that quick 6-0 4th set showed everyone that better things are to come from him! Although Djokovic is out, there are still very tough opponents in Thiem, Medvedev and even Zverev, so I never expected Denis to lift the trophy this year.IIRC, Djokovic's 95 is not actually a 95 because Head were measuring their stringbed area sizes differently for racquets like his.
But he obviously doesn't have eyes in the back of his head, does he?
Anyway, Denis let a huge opportunity slip through his fingers today. Oh Well
jmacdaununder2
Hall of Fame
This erroneous rumor about Head measuring the Head size using only the inside of the frame just won't die; if you do the math - as others have done on these boards - it jus' don' add up!