konstantinos kalfountzos
Hall of Fame
I've been playing with the Diadem Nova FS 100 and the Diadem Elevate FS 98 for nine months now, changed 8 strinsg each, played at 22 and 23kg full-bed polyester strings only, round and shaped.
Being completely honest, these two frames came to me free-of-charge by Diadem and Diadem Europe, so I could run my tennis string project and I'm super obliged to Diadem.
My tennis string review database. | Talk Tennis (tennis-warehouse.com)
I'm a 33-year-old-amateur tennis player who has been playing tennis only 3 years and is completely self-taught. I've never played with other 300gram rackets.
I mostly play groundstrokes with increasing intensity and some volley practices for an hour and then half an hour regular games with serves and scores.
Here's my feedback about these two rackets from Diadem:
Diadem Nova FS 100: 300gr, 16*19
+ a big sweetspot with quite forgiving on off-center hits from the baseline
+ easy depth
+ great feel from the baseline
+ very stable at the net, where I only go after an approach backhand slice. I don't play doubles.
Now that I'm starting my forehand motion with the racket head and the strings facing down // parallel to the ground, when I get into my contact point and finish all the way to my left side, I get quite some spin, depending on the string I use. Flat shots always give good results. Rarely do they sail wide.
On my one-handed backhand, I always feel comfortable and the results are very predictable.
To generate spin, you have to get lower than the ball early, otherwise the wrist movement gets limited by the thick beam. It's a slight compromise of swing velocity in favor of stability.
- When I test a string, I start with the Nova in stock form. Sometimes I use a dampener and sometimes not. Then, I add 6 grams at 9 and 3 o'clock. I feel this added weight improves this frame, not in terms of stability - I don't have stability issues in stock form - but somehow it improves the overall feel that sometimes, depending on the stiffness of the strings, may feel a little "hollow", that something is missing.
It suits my level perfectly right now. Helped me a lot improving on my slices and finess shots. It's a great combo when I play with a medium-to-low stiff string full bed.
Diadem Elevate FS 98: 305gr, 16*20
+ great feel and control on the forehand side when I hit the sweet spot
+ very fast through the air
+ copes well with low balls hit below my knee level
* more powerful than I expected, that's why I'm moving towards 23 and 24 kg full-bed as I'm getting better
- in stock form the sweet-spot is a bit small for my level right now, it's not quite forgiving especially towards the sides
- in stock form I've experienced some instability issues against better opponents and their fast incoming balls
The added 6 grams at 9 and 3 o'clock improved my experience with it significantly. I do no longer have stability issues neither from the baseline nor at the net.
I tried adding 3 grams at 12 o'clock, but it changed the swingweight a lot and it become much slower. I wouldn't suggest that.
I'd suggest only some weight at 9 and 3 o'clock.
It's definetely a racket for advanced players who swing fast and with top spin.
Feel free to write a comment and share some feedback about these two rackets. I'm sure I have forgotten to mention everything important.
Being completely honest, these two frames came to me free-of-charge by Diadem and Diadem Europe, so I could run my tennis string project and I'm super obliged to Diadem.
My tennis string review database. | Talk Tennis (tennis-warehouse.com)
I'm a 33-year-old-amateur tennis player who has been playing tennis only 3 years and is completely self-taught. I've never played with other 300gram rackets.
I mostly play groundstrokes with increasing intensity and some volley practices for an hour and then half an hour regular games with serves and scores.
Here's my feedback about these two rackets from Diadem:
Diadem Nova FS 100: 300gr, 16*19
+ a big sweetspot with quite forgiving on off-center hits from the baseline
+ easy depth
+ great feel from the baseline
+ very stable at the net, where I only go after an approach backhand slice. I don't play doubles.
Now that I'm starting my forehand motion with the racket head and the strings facing down // parallel to the ground, when I get into my contact point and finish all the way to my left side, I get quite some spin, depending on the string I use. Flat shots always give good results. Rarely do they sail wide.
On my one-handed backhand, I always feel comfortable and the results are very predictable.
To generate spin, you have to get lower than the ball early, otherwise the wrist movement gets limited by the thick beam. It's a slight compromise of swing velocity in favor of stability.
- When I test a string, I start with the Nova in stock form. Sometimes I use a dampener and sometimes not. Then, I add 6 grams at 9 and 3 o'clock. I feel this added weight improves this frame, not in terms of stability - I don't have stability issues in stock form - but somehow it improves the overall feel that sometimes, depending on the stiffness of the strings, may feel a little "hollow", that something is missing.
It suits my level perfectly right now. Helped me a lot improving on my slices and finess shots. It's a great combo when I play with a medium-to-low stiff string full bed.
Diadem Elevate FS 98: 305gr, 16*20
+ great feel and control on the forehand side when I hit the sweet spot
+ very fast through the air
+ copes well with low balls hit below my knee level
* more powerful than I expected, that's why I'm moving towards 23 and 24 kg full-bed as I'm getting better
- in stock form the sweet-spot is a bit small for my level right now, it's not quite forgiving especially towards the sides
- in stock form I've experienced some instability issues against better opponents and their fast incoming balls
The added 6 grams at 9 and 3 o'clock improved my experience with it significantly. I do no longer have stability issues neither from the baseline nor at the net.
I tried adding 3 grams at 12 o'clock, but it changed the swingweight a lot and it become much slower. I wouldn't suggest that.
I'd suggest only some weight at 9 and 3 o'clock.
It's definetely a racket for advanced players who swing fast and with top spin.
Feel free to write a comment and share some feedback about these two rackets. I'm sure I have forgotten to mention everything important.
. They do the job great, he says. I'll give them a try! They are super cheap.
