Diary of a Racketaholic

[JGads]

Movies are highly subjective so I can’t say if you’d like it or not, not really knowing your taste. But I can tell you I enjoyed it — both for the tennis (not just the period accuracy but also how well the actors actually played; looks like they took at least several weeks of lessons because the form is pretty good for this kind of thing… often you can tell the actor in a movie doesn’t know how to play the sport/game/thing their character is supposedly an expert at) and for the story. It’s basically just an overheated love triangle filmed with a lot of energy. The Reznor/Ross score is reminiscent of The Social Network if you like that kind of thing, and the filmmaker directed Call Me By Your Name which I liked too. I dunno. It’s goofy as hell but I had a good time and yes the EF looks great on the big screen!

Oh, CMBYN was great and the score of the social network I dug. Alright, I’m in.

 

[Vicious49]

I have it, albeit modded with ton of lead. It’s a fine racket. Haven’t hit it enough to really add more comments, but it’s def a Radical.

I’m basically only playing with the rackets in my avatar. Zero thinking about anything else. It will change …. All my nervous energy is consumed with my 3 bikes right now (gravel, trail, XC) but summer is coming. mid to high 80’s everyday and it’s almost cold.

I joined you in solidarity and ordered the $99 Graphene XT Speed MP since I had some credit to use at TP. It's on backorder for a few weeks though.

 

[naturalexponent]

I joined you in solidarity and ordered the $99 Graphene XT Speed MP since I had some credit to use at TP. It's on backorder for a few weeks though.

I got one of these bc of the Speed MP Sinner spec video from TennCom but I've had zero desire to play with it since I got it haha.

 

[Power Player]

I’ve been back in the lab boys! Damn it feels good to be a gangster.
I felt the need to catch up, so I did something that I havent done in years: Demo.
Ugh.
Let me just say the V9 blade 18x20 is inferior in every way to the 2015 TT classic red headed gimp aka the GPMP.
Bring out the GPMP! Lol.

Also my youtube feed is trying so hard to sell me a Boom…wtf is up with this line of racquets, I have completely ignored them due to the toothpaste color, but now I see tennis guy has 87 Boom related videos, so I’ll have to watch those.
Don’t forget to play some tennis!

But TG says the Blade v9 is theeeeeeeeeeee racquet.

I actually agree with him on that one . I love the 16x19. Feels great. But the red head is also a legendary frame. The pj, really everything about it is pretty killer. I think I sent mine to pickel9 and went back the frying pan extreme just because i played better with it.

But the redhead feels like a frame that can be found in a random bin at play it again for cheap. And I would argue in that case it is a must buy.

 

[Vicious49]

I got one of these bc of the Speed MP Sinner spec video from TennCom but I've had zero desire to play with it since I got it haha.

You can also see it shown in this vid starting at this point. Although parts of it is cringey with Novak talking about these frames like he actually used them.

 

[Pneumated1]

Sorry if this has been covered during one of my hiatuses, but what's the consensus on the '23 Prestige Pro? It looks to fall right in line with my PSVSs as far as specs. And I can't help but wonder if its feel, including swing feel, isn't in the neighborhood of my v8 Blade. Yesterday was Tuesday, and I walked away wondering if there was a frame that merged my PSVSs and v8 Blade somehow. And I've never hit a 98" Prestige.

I'm very content with my PSVSs and v8 Blade, maybe more so with the latter after a touch more tail weight. As far as specs, beam, and geometry, a Prestige has always seemed tailor-fitted to me, but I've dismissed them. Is this one a little more juiced than previous ones?

 

[dr. godmode]

I just watched the latest vid by @dr. godmode - hilarious impression of Luca. So accurate with his short shorts. I never noticed he rarely shows himself hitting a BH but I'll be paying attention to that going forward.

Also, not sure if you're still testing the Regna 98 but I got reminded again last night what string setup I like in that frame. I had one of them with full poly and I was just lacking in depth and power. The other one had my usual setup of mult mains with a poly cross and felt much better. I usually go with multifeel at 45# with RPM Blast or PTP at 42# in the cross.

I’ve only tried Proline 2 and Conf 16/Sync 17 both at 49/46lbs (I think or thereabouts). PL2 nice but the coating where’s off. I don’t really think Conf/Sync leaves much to be desired for me, does everything I need, but I picked up some PT Strike and PTP to try the Shelton setup. I’d like a gold string to match the Regna logo but my guy didn’t have 4G Rough so open to suggestions for something that would look cool on B-roll.

 

[Fed Kennedy]

But TG says the Blade v9 is theeeeeeeeeeee racquet.

I actually agree with him on that one . I love the 16x19. Feels great. But the red head is also a legendary frame. The pj, really everything about it is pretty killer. I think I sent mine to pickel9 and went back the frying pan extreme just because i played better with it.

But the redhead feels like a frame that can be found in a random bin at play it again for cheap. And I would argue in that case it is a must buy.

TG will only speak the truth. Don’t get me wrong the v9 blade is sweet. It can fight off the heavy ball from Zdenek at only 305 GRAM
I think my GPMP vibe is 98% based on the gloss pj combined with the TK82. That TK82…
But I did also wet my beak into the paradigm bend and that ProStaff 97 does not suck and I really did enjoythemanoovribilllittty

 

[EggSalad]

I’ve only tried Proline 2 and Conf 16/Sync 17 both at 49/46lbs (I think or thereabouts). PL2 nice but the coating where’s off. I don’t really think Conf/Sync leaves much to be desired for me, does everything I need, but I picked up some PT Strike and PTP to try the Shelton setup. I’d like a gold string to match the Regna logo but my guy didn’t have 4G Rough so open to suggestions for something that would look cool on B-roll.

While not gold, Hit Pro and Element would look cool and be close.

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

I like the shape of the aeros and the ezones because it doesn't cut my off hand when I am in waiting position, it just feels right and comfortable.

The Aeros feel too bulky, as I've said before maybe an Extended version for me. By the way, shadow swinging flat, feels very head-heavy. Totally not for flat hitters, but I guess should play rock solid.

 

[dr. godmode]

While not gold, Hit Pro and Element would look cool and be close.

Awaiting some Hit Pro but I gotta wait till stock arrives in the US Warehouse. Gold strings seems like an obvious colour choice but there’s like not enough options at all.

 

[Power Player]

Sorry if this has been covered during one of my hiatuses, but what's the consensus on the '23 Prestige Pro? It looks to fall right in line with my PSVSs as far as specs. And I can't help but wonder if its feel, including swing feel, isn't in the neighborhood of my v8 Blade. Yesterday was Tuesday, and I walked away wondering if there was a frame that merged my PSVSs and v8 Blade somehow. And I've never hit a 98" Prestige.

I'm very content with my PSVSs and v8 Blade, maybe more so with the latter after a touch more tail weight. As far as specs, beam, and geometry, a Prestige has always seemed tailor-fitted to me, but I've dismissed them. Is this one a little more juiced than previous ones?

People love it from what I hear. Fairly demanding frame with great feel - the classic love/hate combo.

 

[naturalexponent]

Awaiting some Hit Pro but I gotta wait till stock arrives in the US Warehouse. Gold strings seems like an obvious colour choice but there’s like not enough options at all.

PSGD GOLD!

 

[Pneumated1]

People love it from what I hear. Fairly demanding frame with great feel - the classic love/hate combo.

On paper it looks to be more of a bruiser than the UP 18x20 with equal to better feel, without the modification rabbit holes associated with that frame, which I really liked, but the payoff never seemed enough.

 

[gino]

Sorry if this has been covered during one of my hiatuses, but what's the consensus on the '23 Prestige Pro? It looks to fall right in line with my PSVSs as far as specs. And I can't help but wonder if its feel, including swing feel, isn't in the neighborhood of my v8 Blade. Yesterday was Tuesday, and I walked away wondering if there was a frame that merged my PSVSs and v8 Blade somehow. And I've never hit a 98" Prestige.

I'm very content with my PSVSs and v8 Blade, maybe more so with the latter after a touch more tail weight. As far as specs, beam, and geometry, a Prestige has always seemed tailor-fitted to me, but I've dismissed them. Is this one a little more juiced than previous ones?

there's a big thread in the racket sub-forum entitled the prestige is back back that I made highlighting the general vibe. a lot chimed in too, worth a read

 

[Vicious49]

I’ve only tried Proline 2 and Conf 16/Sync 17 both at 49/46lbs (I think or thereabouts). PL2 nice but the coating where’s off. I don’t really think Conf/Sync leaves much to be desired for me, does everything I need, but I picked up some PT Strike and PTP to try the Shelton setup. I’d like a gold string to match the Regna logo but my guy didn’t have 4G Rough so open to suggestions for something that would look cool on B-roll.

I would suggest stringing poly at 42#. ACTennis was right that lower tensions work better in this frame. The beauty of the Regna is that almost any strung looks great against it's all black PJ. Orange RPM Blast, Yellow PTP, Green Hyper G - all look great.

While not gold, Hit Pro and Element would look cool and be close.

I have Hit Pro in one of mine right now. This is what it looks like. I'm going to cut it out and put my usual multi in the mains.

 

[Pneumated1]

there's a big thread in the racket sub-forum entitled the prestige is back back that I made highlighting the general vibe. a lot chimed in too, worth a read

I'll definitely check it out; thanks!

 

[Vicious49]

Speaking of 18/20 feel frames . . . .

Played league matches last night. Used the PA98 in singles which I won 8-4. But in doubles (which we won 8-3) I decided to go with the LM Rad MP. The feel is just . . . . better. It makes playing fun. And I don't know if it was the extra .25" but I was serving great with the frame. I may take both my LM Rad MP out later and if I am indeed serving better with the slightly extended one I may have to get a new butt cap to extend the other one as well.

Speaking of these older Head frames, is the only way to tell where they are made based on the original buttcap?

 

[MisterP]

I’ve only tried Proline 2 and Conf 16/Sync 17 both at 49/46lbs (I think or thereabouts). PL2 nice but the coating where’s off. I don’t really think Conf/Sync leaves much to be desired for me, does everything I need, but I picked up some PT Strike and PTP to try the Shelton setup. I’d like a gold string to match the Regna logo but my guy didn’t have 4G Rough so open to suggestions for something that would look cool on B-roll.

Lynx Tour Champagne is a light golden color and one of the nicest copoly strings ever.

 

[tim-ay]

Speaking of 18/20 feel frames . . . .

Played league matches last night. Used the PA98 in singles which I won 8-4. But in doubles (which we won 8-3) I decided to go with the LM Rad MP. The feel is just . . . . better. It makes playing fun. And I don't know if it was the extra .25" but I was serving great with the frame. I may take both my LM Rad MP out later and if I am indeed serving better with the slightly extended one I may have to get a new butt cap to extend the other one as well.

Speaking of these older Head frames, is the only way to tell where they are made based on the original buttcap?

I went against everything I said yesterday and hit one of my SXT’s last night that is 27.25. Only because I needed to string some strikes and blades and didn’t have time.

.25 def adds juice on the serve with very little downside. SXT is a bruiser anyway, but that .25… it’s a noticeable difference on serve.

I don’t know why adding so little adds so much, but it does. I do like my placement better with the strikes tho’

 

[snoflewis]

Speaking of 18/20 feel frames . . . .

Played league matches last night. Used the PA98 in singles which I won 8-4. But in doubles (which we won 8-3) I decided to go with the LM Rad MP. The feel is just . . . . better. It makes playing fun. And I don't know if it was the extra .25" but I was serving great with the frame. I may take both my LM Rad MP out later and if I am indeed serving better with the slightly extended one I may have to get a new butt cap to extend the other one as well.

Speaking of these older Head frames, is the only way to tell where they are made based on the original buttcap?

if you're talking about your LM rads, the black buttcap label is MIC. the czech ones had a gray/silver buttcap emblem

 

[snoflewis]

I’ve only tried Proline 2 and Conf 16/Sync 17 both at 49/46lbs (I think or thereabouts). PL2 nice but the coating where’s off. I don’t really think Conf/Sync leaves much to be desired for me, does everything I need, but I picked up some PT Strike and PTP to try the Shelton setup. I’d like a gold string to match the Regna logo but my guy didn’t have 4G Rough so open to suggestions for something that would look cool on B-roll.

does GS alpha count as gold? the dirtier the string gets, the more gold it looks to me

 

[curtstead]

Sad holic update... Got diagnosed with a partial glenoid labral tear in my right shoulder, along with some tendinosis in my supraspinatus. Got a follow up appt tomorrow morning to determine next steps, whether surgery should be considered, etc. Regardless, just f**king sucks. However, I've been having some shoulder pain on and off for a while, I'd say it's even been maybe over a year now. Adding in the fact that my tennis has taken a bit of a dive over the last couple months with some loss of power in my serve and weird feelings on overheads and OHBH finish, I knew something bad could be on the horizon. At least I avoided tearing my rotator cuff, which I'm happy about. Not to mention, if I've been playing on a tear for potentially that long, it's a damn miracle it's not fully torn. This injury could probably have been even worse, so to combat the devastation, just taking the wins where I can..

To motivate myself for the likely long recovery, in true holic fashion, I got a Head Gravity Pro TGT 344.4 Pro Stock on the way. 27.2 inches length, calfskin leather, and unstrung specs of 310g static, 313mm balance, 291 SW, 64RA in the 2023 Auxetic Gravity PJ. Man oh man do I want to play with that whenever I can hit the court again. I have sold off all the rest of my frames outside of my DR98s and the lone v3 Regna 98 I have, and WO 18m, but this one will be a special hit whenever that return day comes. Gotta stay motivated through PT and (hopefully not) surgery somehow.

This sport and forum have given me so much over the last 5 years ever since I first picked up a Babolat Boost Strike, and just one day in of not being able to play due to medical reasons... it's horrible. Don't take it for granted.

Enjoy your time on court, and hope all of you stay healthy, especially while holic'ing of course.

 

[EggSalad]

Sad holic update... Got diagnosed with a partial glenoid labral tear in my right shoulder, along with some tendinosis in my supraspinatus. Got a follow up appt tomorrow morning to determine next steps, whether surgery should be considered, etc. Regardless, just f**king sucks. However, I've been having some shoulder pain on and off for a while, even over a year. Plus my tennis has taken a bit of a dive over the last couple months with some loss of power in my serve. So I knew something was def off. At least avoided tearing my rotator cuff, which I'm happy about. Taking the wins where I can. Not to mention, if I've been playing on a tear for potentially that long, it's a miracle it's not fully torn. This injury could probably have been even worse.

To motivate myself for the likely longer recovery, in true holic fashion, I got a Head TGT 344.4 Gravity Pro Pro Stock on the way. 27.2 inches length, calfskin leather, and unstrung specs of 310g static, 313mm balance, 291 SW, 64RA in the 2023 Auxetic Gravity PJ. Man do I want to play with that whenever I can hit the court again. I have sold off all the rest of my frames outside of my DR98s and the lone v3 Regna 98 I have, but this one will be a special hit whenever that return day comes.

Enjoy your time on court, and stay healthy.

I’m not sure you could approach an injury any better than this. Cheers to a fast healing process.

 

[djNEiGht]

@curtstead take care. next monday i'll have my total knee replacement consult. now what can we do during out down time?

 

[snoflewis]

@curtstead take care. next monday i'll have my total knee replacement consult. now what can we do during out down time?

what??! sorry to hear man. and happy recovery @curtstead

 

[Vicious49]

if you're talking about your LM rads, the black buttcap label is MIC. the czech ones had a gray/silver buttcap emblem

I still have the original buttcap from my 1st one. It says made in Austria on the sticker. The 2nd one has a made in China sticker on the buttcap. I was just wondering if there was any other differentiating mark anywhere on the frame as I have to change the buttcaps when I extend them.

 

[Vicious49]

That sucks @curtstead. I'm just thankful that I've been relatively healthy so haven't had to miss much court time, especially considering how much I play.

 

[Humbi_HTX]

The Black Ace 98 18x20 295 is the only frame that has benched (temporarily) the 5G and does so on the merits of being softer, it may have less power but I can place the ball and shape it like I want to. If anything it's harder to defend against heavier balls in comparison but for my Old Men Doubles Club weekly meeting and playing doubles with my dad is enough with whatever amount of lead @gold325 put in before I re-strung it

Fun guys to play with, 4 different continents make up the group and almost 30y gap (I'm reaching 40 soon)

 

[dr. godmode]

PSGD GOLD!

I need enlightenment on this acronym lol

 

[naturalexponent]

I need enlightenment on this acronym lol

Prince synthetic gut w/ duraflex!

Look at that beauty

 

[dr. godmode]

Prince synthetic gut w/ duraflex!

Look at that beauty

Nylon gang rise up

 

[emhtennis]

Movies are highly subjective so I can’t say if you’d like it or not, not really knowing your taste. But I can tell you I enjoyed it — both for the tennis (not just the period accuracy but also how well the actors actually played; looks like they took at least several weeks of lessons because the form is pretty good for this kind of thing… often you can tell the actor in a movie doesn’t know how to play the sport/game/thing their character is supposedly an expert at) and for the story. It’s basically just an overheated love triangle filmed with a lot of energy. The Reznor/Ross score is reminiscent of The Social Network if you like that kind of thing, and the filmmaker directed Call Me By Your Name which I liked too. I dunno. It’s goofy as hell but I had a good time and yes the EF looks great on the big screen!

There was a recent reddit thread on the 10s subforum where an extra in the film talked about the 3 day shoot to get a lot of the tennis footage.

To ruin a little of the Hollywood magic, D1 college players were used as extras for actual tennis playing footage. The extra was a ball boy in the movie and got the part because they wanted previous US Open ball boys and he had been one for 4 years.

Said that they filmed 10+ hours 3 days in a row on court and that the food provided by the movie was great! Endless buffets and drinks.

 

[Vicious49]

I also saw an interview with Zendaya where she said she eventually started thinking of it like a dance. She started focusing more on footwork and not worrying about making the actual shot as a lot of the ball footage would be edited in later.

 

[Nollid]

Sad holic update... Got diagnosed with a partial glenoid labral tear in my right shoulder, along with some tendinosis in my supraspinatus. Got a follow up appt tomorrow morning to determine next steps, whether surgery should be considered, etc. Regardless, just f**king sucks. However, I've been having some shoulder pain on and off for a while, I'd say it's even been maybe over a year now. Adding in the fact that my tennis has taken a bit of a dive over the last couple months with some loss of power in my serve and weird feelings on overheads and OHBH finish, I knew something bad could be on the horizon. At least I avoided tearing my rotator cuff, which I'm happy about. Not to mention, if I've been playing on a tear for potentially that long, it's a damn miracle it's not fully torn. This injury could probably have been even worse, so to combat the devastation, just taking the wins where I can..

To motivate myself for the likely long recovery, in true holic fashion, I got a Head Gravity Pro TGT 344.4 Pro Stock on the way. 27.2 inches length, calfskin leather, and unstrung specs of 310g static, 313mm balance, 291 SW, 64RA in the 2023 Auxetic Gravity PJ. Man oh man do I want to play with that whenever I can hit the court again. I have sold off all the rest of my frames outside of my DR98s and the lone v3 Regna 98 I have, and WO 18m, but this one will be a special hit whenever that return day comes. Gotta stay motivated through PT and (hopefully not) surgery somehow.

This sport and forum have given me so much over the last 5 years ever since I first picked up a Babolat Boost Strike, and just one day in of not being able to play due to medical reasons... it's horrible. Don't take it for granted.

Enjoy your time on court, and hope all of you stay healthy, especially while holic'ing of course.

I hear you bro. Sorry to hear about the injury. With my last serious injury I was unsure when or if I would return to playing. Seriously thought I might sell all my stuff and walk away from tennis. After 3+ months off and serious work rehabbing in hope of avoiding surgery I’m back on the court nearly back to my previous level of mobility. I appreciate every minute on the court these days. Remember too that you’re not alone, we’re (mostly) a bunch of aging warriors here and we all have daily niggling pains or worse. If someone doesn’t, they’re either not playing or they’re lying. Good luck man and feel better soon. That GP was a smart move. It will be glorious when you get to hitting again.

 

[gino]

Sad holic update... Got diagnosed with a partial glenoid labral tear in my right shoulder, along with some tendinosis in my supraspinatus. Got a follow up appt tomorrow morning to determine next steps, whether surgery should be considered, etc. Regardless, just f**king sucks. However, I've been having some shoulder pain on and off for a while, I'd say it's even been maybe over a year now. Adding in the fact that my tennis has taken a bit of a dive over the last couple months with some loss of power in my serve and weird feelings on overheads and OHBH finish, I knew something bad could be on the horizon. At least I avoided tearing my rotator cuff, which I'm happy about. Not to mention, if I've been playing on a tear for potentially that long, it's a damn miracle it's not fully torn. This injury could probably have been even worse, so to combat the devastation, just taking the wins where I can..

To motivate myself for the likely long recovery, in true holic fashion, I got a Head Gravity Pro TGT 344.4 Pro Stock on the way. 27.2 inches length, calfskin leather, and unstrung specs of 310g static, 313mm balance, 291 SW, 64RA in the 2023 Auxetic Gravity PJ. Man oh man do I want to play with that whenever I can hit the court again. I have sold off all the rest of my frames outside of my DR98s and the lone v3 Regna 98 I have, and WO 18m, but this one will be a special hit whenever that return day comes. Gotta stay motivated through PT and (hopefully not) surgery somehow.

This sport and forum have given me so much over the last 5 years ever since I first picked up a Babolat Boost Strike, and just one day in of not being able to play due to medical reasons... it's horrible. Don't take it for granted.

Enjoy your time on court, and hope all of you stay healthy, especially while holic'ing of course.

Wishing you the best in your recovery mate. The finish/follow through on the one hander can be a conduit to injury for sure. Stiff poly + too much wrist on the follow through I think the core of my elbow issue that plagued me for about 10 years

Get well soon we’re all pulling for a quick recovery

 

[PistolPete23]

Sad holic update... Got diagnosed with a partial glenoid labral tear in my right shoulder, along with some tendinosis in my supraspinatus. Got a follow up appt tomorrow morning to determine next steps, whether surgery should be considered, etc. Regardless, just f**king sucks. However, I've been having some shoulder pain on and off for a while, I'd say it's even been maybe over a year now. Adding in the fact that my tennis has taken a bit of a dive over the last couple months with some loss of power in my serve and weird feelings on overheads and OHBH finish, I knew something bad could be on the horizon. At least I avoided tearing my rotator cuff, which I'm happy about. Not to mention, if I've been playing on a tear for potentially that long, it's a damn miracle it's not fully torn. This injury could probably have been even worse, so to combat the devastation, just taking the wins where I can..

To motivate myself for the likely long recovery, in true holic fashion, I got a Head Gravity Pro TGT 344.4 Pro Stock on the way. 27.2 inches length, calfskin leather, and unstrung specs of 310g static, 313mm balance, 291 SW, 64RA in the 2023 Auxetic Gravity PJ. Man oh man do I want to play with that whenever I can hit the court again. I have sold off all the rest of my frames outside of my DR98s and the lone v3 Regna 98 I have, and WO 18m, but this one will be a special hit whenever that return day comes. Gotta stay motivated through PT and (hopefully not) surgery somehow.

This sport and forum have given me so much over the last 5 years ever since I first picked up a Babolat Boost Strike, and just one day in of not being able to play due to medical reasons... it's horrible. Don't take it for granted.

Enjoy your time on court, and hope all of you stay healthy, especially while holic'ing of course.

I’ve had shoulder soreness and nerve impingement on and off. It’s most aggravated on overhead motions, so I haven’t been able to serve very much. I picked up the shoulder reliever to see if I can recover full range of motion. It seems to be helping …

 

[Kozzy]

Sad holic update... Got diagnosed with a partial glenoid labral tear in my right shoulder, along with some tendinosis in my supraspinatus. Got a follow up appt tomorrow morning to determine next steps, whether surgery should be considered, etc. Regardless, just f**king sucks. However, I've been having some shoulder pain on and off for a while, I'd say it's even been maybe over a year now. Adding in the fact that my tennis has taken a bit of a dive over the last couple months with some loss of power in my serve and weird feelings on overheads and OHBH finish, I knew something bad could be on the horizon. At least I avoided tearing my rotator cuff, which I'm happy about. Not to mention, if I've been playing on a tear for potentially that long, it's a damn miracle it's not fully torn. This injury could probably have been even worse, so to combat the devastation, just taking the wins where I can..

To motivate myself for the likely long recovery, in true holic fashion, I got a Head Gravity Pro TGT 344.4 Pro Stock on the way. 27.2 inches length, calfskin leather, and unstrung specs of 310g static, 313mm balance, 291 SW, 64RA in the 2023 Auxetic Gravity PJ. Man oh man do I want to play with that whenever I can hit the court again. I have sold off all the rest of my frames outside of my DR98s and the lone v3 Regna 98 I have, and WO 18m, but this one will be a special hit whenever that return day comes. Gotta stay motivated through PT and (hopefully not) surgery somehow.

This sport and forum have given me so much over the last 5 years ever since I first picked up a Babolat Boost Strike, and just one day in of not being able to play due to medical reasons... it's horrible. Don't take it for granted.

Enjoy your time on court, and hope all of you stay healthy, especially while holic'ing of course.

Sorry to hear that man! Being unable to play tennis is the worst, and I'm only on week one. Retail therapy is the only way to go (gearing up to pull the trigger on a PC 2.0 and a Volkl Vostra V9 290g). Hope the recovery goes well.

 

[TwinCinema]

I also saw an interview with Zendaya where she said she eventually started thinking of it like a dance. She started focusing more on footwork and not worrying about making the actual shot as a lot of the ball footage would be edited in later.

Yes, all the balls are CG, you can tell. But it didn’t bother me - the actors are moving their feet and swinging (I think the racket heads are also CG or spliced in from the doubles) and the overall effect is pretty solid.

 

[Richard Pioline]

Oh my, speedy recovery to @curtstead and @djNEiGht !! So sorry to hear!

It is crazy to me how the 16x19 string pattern is being pushed so much as the industry standard (it is slowly changing), but for example now in Madrid, there is just one of 8 players in the quarters playing with it. There are 4 18x20s, one 18x19 and two 16x20s.
And I don't think only pros should play with a tighter pattern. When I gave Jouke's buddy the TF40 18, he was so much more confident and played much better and harder compared to his Clash. He switched to it.
16x19 patterns are great, don't get me wrong, but there is something about these tighter patterns that makes you feel tennis a bit more, making it less luck and more skill.

 

[puppybutts]

just wanted to appreciate the stats on this thread

87K
4M
14 years

a bunch of racketaholics y'all are

 

[maksp]

Sad holic update... Got diagnosed with a partial glenoid labral tear in my right shoulder, along with some tendinosis in my supraspinatus. Got a follow up appt tomorrow morning to determine next steps, whether surgery should be considered, etc. Regardless, just f**king sucks. However, I've been having some shoulder pain on and off for a while, I'd say it's even been maybe over a year now. Adding in the fact that my tennis has taken a bit of a dive over the last couple months with some loss of power in my serve and weird feelings on overheads and OHBH finish, I knew something bad could be on the horizon. At least I avoided tearing my rotator cuff, which I'm happy about. Not to mention, if I've been playing on a tear for potentially that long, it's a damn miracle it's not fully torn. This injury could probably have been even worse, so to combat the devastation, just taking the wins where I can..

To motivate myself for the likely long recovery, in true holic fashion, I got a Head Gravity Pro TGT 344.4 Pro Stock on the way. 27.2 inches length, calfskin leather, and unstrung specs of 310g static, 313mm balance, 291 SW, 64RA in the 2023 Auxetic Gravity PJ. Man oh man do I want to play with that whenever I can hit the court again. I have sold off all the rest of my frames outside of my DR98s and the lone v3 Regna 98 I have, and WO 18m, but this one will be a special hit whenever that return day comes. Gotta stay motivated through PT and (hopefully not) surgery somehow.

This sport and forum have given me so much over the last 5 years ever since I first picked up a Babolat Boost Strike, and just one day in of not being able to play due to medical reasons... it's horrible. Don't take it for granted.

Enjoy your time on court, and hope all of you stay healthy, especially while holic'ing of course.

Get well soon ....whenever I put a stiffer poly in my DR I would get shoulder pains. Syn guts and multis didn't work for my game so I got rid of the DR ....

 

[Fintft]

Get well soon ....whenever I put a stiffer poly in my DR I would get shoulder pains. Syn guts and multis didn't work for my game so I got rid of the DR ....

Which one is DR again?

 

[maksp]

Which one is DR again?

Yonex DR98 ... I think that's what he was using ..great stick for one handers and great all round stick for most ...but some of us don't mesh with its vibrations or frequency

 

[Richard Pioline]

Tonight is the last team practice before a week of team league matches. We are playing on Sunday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. I hope I will only play two of these…

Tonight Ken is inviting Ivo to a duel.

 

[JGads]

I hear you bro. Sorry to hear about the injury. With my last serious injury I was unsure when or if I would return to playing. Seriously thought I might sell all my stuff and walk away from tennis. After 3+ months off and serious work rehabbing in hope of avoiding surgery I’m back on the court nearly back to my previous level of mobility. I appreciate every minute on the court these days. Remember too that you’re not alone, we’re (mostly) a bunch of aging warriors here and we all have daily niggling pains or worse. If someone doesn’t, they’re either not playing or they’re lying. Good luck man and feel better soon. That GP was a smart move. It will be glorious when you get to hitting again.

Here, here. Get well, fellow wounded warriors.

Oh my, speedy recovery to @curtstead and @djNEiGht !! So sorry to hear!

It is crazy to me how the 16x19 string pattern is being pushed so much as the industry standard (it is slowly changing), but for example now in Madrid, there is just one of 8 players in the quarters playing with it. There are 4 18x20s, one 18x19 and two 16x20s.
And I don't think only pros should play with a tighter pattern. When I gave Jouke's buddy the TF40 18, he was so much more confident and played much better and harder compared to his Clash. He switched to it.
16x19 patterns are great, don't get me wrong, but there is something about these tighter patterns that makes you feel tennis a bit more, making it less luck and more skill.

Man, that turned into a great match last night, after the rubbish nervy start.

 

[Pneumated1]

there's a big thread in the racket sub-forum entitled the prestige is back back that I made highlighting the general vibe. a lot chimed in too, worth a read

So I checked out this thread and quickly realized I've been in it, but this time, I focused in a bit more. It think PP kinda nailed this one; I'm getting the 'classic love/hate' vibe, and for good reason most likely. It was a great idea for a day, but I only have the time and capacity for love at this point.

I hit a bit last night with the PSVS and v8 Blade. Told myself it was "decision day." It was the day. Well, it wasn't. Both are so good for my game from serve to net and on every shot in between. I'm moving forward with both, which likely means a small collection of both. Daily driver and one in the garage. Maybe I need a bigger garage.

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

This cannot be Yonex's holy grail, just can't! Feeling elbow and wrist pinches after during and after half an hour of hitting with it. I'll say it again, could be the grip size being too big to be L3, it feels much larger. Freshly strung today, like the Blade next to it with the same string setup, same tension, same balls used. The DR98 is too soft and has no power.
My hitting partner hit more with it than I did. Most of his shots landed near the service line.
The string itself, won't name it, is just ok, but can't justify the 18€+ price tag. Second time I'm using it and just can't say it is worth it.

 

[naturalexponent]

This cannot be Yonex's holy grail, just can't! Feeling elbow and wrist pinches after during and after half an hour of hitting with it. I'll say it again, could be the grip size being too big to be L3, it feels much larger. Freshly strung today, like the Blade next to it with the same string setup, same tension, same balls used. The DR98 is too soft and has no power.
My hitting partner hit more with it than I did. Most of his shots landed near the service line.
The string itself, won't name it, is just ok, but can't justify the 18€+ price tag. Second time I'm using it and just can't say it is worth it.

You’re right, because the Yonex holy grails are the 95D and the VCT89!

 

[Freshproduce]

Currently struggling to choose between the FX500 and Ezone 98. On one hand I think the Fx500 felt pretty good overall, no real cons but I didn't connect much with it on serve. With the Ezone my serve is probably the best it has ever been but I haven't felt as great with everything else. Most recently I've been on a losing streak with the Ezone on matches I think I should've won/been more competitive in.

How long would you give a racquet before considering switching to something new? Should I play my next match with the FX500 and see how that goes?