Diary of a Racketaholic

[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.

UPDATE:

All of a sudden, an unexpected ray of hope! Had a follow up with my Ortho Doc (shoulder specialist here in Atlanta) this morning who took a look at the MRI, and he says the tear is so small that he's calling the MRI basically negative in that regard. What I definitely have is some tendinosis in my rotator cuff (supraspinatus specifically), bursitis that's causing pain and some clicking, a slight shoulder impingement which is what's been hitting my rotator cuff, and then just straight up overuse. I have been so bad with any sort of strength training, so this last one felt real obvious.

The real good news is he prescribed 2 months of PT that I can start right away, plus I was given a steroid shot. I like to think I'm pretty good with shots, but man those are no joke, that hurt like a MF'er. It was freaking huge, looked like he was taking an AK47 to my shoulder, lmao. Instant relief though, like 80%+ improvement or more. Follow up is July 2nd, and if all is feeling good and PT has been going well, I should get the all clear to return to court. I was going in to today just hoping to avoid surgery, can't say this outcome was remotely possible. Still, nothing for sure has been ruled out, so fingers crossed this is all I need. It sucks, I'm still going to miss USTA 3.5 State playoffs here in Georgia. It was a massive hurdle to win city in Atlanta, took us 3 tries, and now I have to miss the next round. Hopefully we win, and I'll be around for sectionals...

From the 'holic perspective, hopefully won't have to wait all that long on playing the Pro Stock GP after all, but not gonna touch a ball until I know I'm good to go. Also, I'm self taught in basically my entire game and while I think I've done all things considered, I know my serve form is pretty horrible and is likely the culprit that caused this, along with overuse. Planning on rebuilding my serve basically from the ground up upon my return. Taking this as an opportunity to build up strength, get in to better shape, and hopefully come back as best as possible.

Not out of the woods, we could always determine more is needed if this doesn't work. However, my Ortho does work for the Atlanta Braves and for Georgia Tech athletes, so I'm gonna just have confidence in that, just roll with it and keep hoping for the best... along with keeping an eye on the TGT 344.4 sitting in the corner soon.

 

[Nollid]

UPDATE:

All of a sudden, an unexpected ray of hope! Had a follow up with my Ortho Doc (shoulder specialist here in Atlanta) this morning who took a look at the MRI, and he says the tear is so small that he's calling the MRI basically negative in that regard. What I definitely have is some tendinosis in my rotator cuff (supraspinatus specifically), bursitis that's causing pain and some clicking, a slight shoulder impingement which is what's been hitting my rotator cuff, and then just straight up overuse. I have been so bad with any sort of strength training, so this last one felt real obvious.

The real good news is he prescribed 2 months of PT that I can start right away, plus I was given a steroid shot. I like to think I'm pretty good with shots, but man those are no joke, that hurt like a MF'er. It was freaking huge, looked like he was taking an AK47 to my shoulder, lmao. Instant relief though, like 80%+ improvement or more. Follow up is July 2nd, and if all is feeling good and PT has been going well, I should get the all clear to return to court. I was going in to today just hoping to avoid surgery, can't say this outcome was remotely possible. Still, nothing for sure has been ruled out, so fingers crossed this is all I need. It sucks, I'm still going to miss USTA 3.5 State playoffs here in Georgia. It was a massive hurdle to win city in Atlanta, took us 3 tries, and now I have to miss the next round. Hopefully we win, and I'll be around for sectionals...

From the 'holic perspective, hopefully won't have to wait on playing the Pro Stock GP after all, but not gonna touch a ball until I know I'm good to go. Also, I'm self taught in basically my entire game and while I think I've done all things considered, I know my serve form is pretty horrible and is likely the culprit that caused this, along with overuse. Planning on rebuilding my serve basically from the ground up upon my return. Taking this as an opportunity to build up strength, get in to better shape, and hopefully come back as best as possible.

Not out of the woods, we could always determine more is needed if this doesn't work. However, my Ortho does work for the Atlanta Braves and for Georgia Tech athletes, so I'm gonna just have confidence in that, just roll with it and keep hoping for the best... along with keeping an eye on the TGT 344.4 sitting in the corner soon.

Great news! Trust in your doc and work the process. Fingers crossed.

 

[skeeter]

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’

Have you tried extending any of your Blades with the extra .25"? Pondering what it would do to the 100 V9 16x19 that I just purchased.

 

[TwinCinema]

UPDATE:

All of a sudden, an unexpected ray of hope! Had a follow up with my Ortho Doc (shoulder specialist here in Atlanta) this morning who took a look at the MRI, and he says the tear is so small that he's calling the MRI basically negative in that regard. What I definitely have is some tendinosis in my rotator cuff (supraspinatus specifically), bursitis that's causing pain and some clicking, a slight shoulder impingement which is what's been hitting my rotator cuff, and then just straight up overuse. I have been so bad with any sort of strength training, so this last one felt real obvious.

The real good news is he prescribed 2 months of PT that I can start right away, plus I was given a steroid shot. I like to think I'm pretty good with shots, but man those are no joke, that hurt like a MF'er. It was freaking huge, looked like he was taking an AK47 to my shoulder, lmao. Instant relief though, like 80%+ improvement or more. Follow up is July 2nd, and if all is feeling good and PT has been going well, I should get the all clear to return to court. I was going in to today just hoping to avoid surgery, can't say this outcome was remotely possible. Still, nothing for sure has been ruled out, so fingers crossed this is all I need. It sucks, I'm still going to miss USTA 3.5 State playoffs here in Georgia. It was a massive hurdle to win city in Atlanta, took us 3 tries, and now I have to miss the next round. Hopefully we win, and I'll be around for sectionals...

From the 'holic perspective, hopefully won't have to wait all that long on playing the Pro Stock GP after all, but not gonna touch a ball until I know I'm good to go. Also, I'm self taught in basically my entire game and while I think I've done all things considered, I know my serve form is pretty horrible and is likely the culprit that caused this, along with overuse. Planning on rebuilding my serve basically from the ground up upon my return. Taking this as an opportunity to build up strength, get in to better shape, and hopefully come back as best as possible.

Not out of the woods, we could always determine more is needed if this doesn't work. However, my Ortho does work for the Atlanta Braves and for Georgia Tech athletes, so I'm gonna just have confidence in that, just roll with it and keep hoping for the best... along with keeping an eye on the TGT 344.4 sitting in the corner soon.

Good news, Curt. You were luckier than I was: my ortho looked at my MRI and said the labrum was torn, but had a similar prescription in terms of PT and a cortisone shot. You’re right, the shot is instant pain relief, it’s great. But if only lasts a month, then the pain comes back rough.

I did PT for three months and it had some good effects, but over time I’ve come to realize I just can’t really serve anymore, and I have to hit overheads at 60% strength. Next I’ll look into PRP - did your ortho mention that at all? I know others here have done it but I’ve been too lazy to get it going.

 

[curtstead]

Good news, Curt. You were luckier than I was: my ortho looked at my MRI and said the labrum was torn, but had a similar prescription in terms of PT and a cortisone shot. You’re right, the shot is instant pain relief, it’s great. But if only lasts a month, then the pain comes back rough.

I did PT for three months and it had some good effects, but over time I’ve come to realize I just can’t really serve anymore, and I have to hit overheads at 60% strength. Next I’ll look into PRP - did your ortho mention that at all? I know others here have done it but I’ve been too lazy to get it going.

I was planning on asking about PRP today as well, but things went so well that we didn't even get to that. I don't think my ortho practices it, but another one in the same office does PRP along with stem cell injections, and Prolotherapy. I would really want to try all of these before surgery if PT doesn't work and it comes down to that.

I can say a friend of mine did PRP for an injury and it was effective, and another friend did Prolotherapy for his elbow with success. Yeah, I'd do it if I were you. Let the laziness go and do it, imagine serving bombs with the PSVS to motivate!!

 

[naturalexponent]

I was planning on asking about PRP today as well. I don't think my ortho uses it at all, but another one in the same office does along with stem cell injections, and Prolotherapy. I would really want to try all of these before surgery if it came down to that.

I can say a friend of mine did PRP for an injury and it was effective. I'd do it if I were you.

Glad your doctor is sensible. I had a shoulder impingement with some rotator cuff tendinosis myself about 4-5 years ago and the first thing the ortho wanted to do was cut me open and shave off a piece of bone to free the impingement. Of course I ran fast and far, and months of PT largely cured it, but it really is a lifetime commitment to keep things working, especially as we age. Glad it isn't worse -- hope PT helps, quickly, and that you're back on the courts in no time!

 

[curtstead]

Have you tried extending any of your Blades with the extra .25"? Pondering what it would do to the 100 V9 16x19 that I just purchased.

Just to chime in, I hit the Blade 100 v9 a few weeks ago while getting my frames strung, and it was awesome. I loved the v8 but the v9 was an improvement. Man, I think a slightly extended Blade 100 v9 would be amazing, and .2 or .25 inches would be enough. It would murder the ball, yet likely still be fairly more maneuverable than the 104.

 

[curtstead]

Of course I ran fast and far, and months of PT largely cured it, but it really is a lifetime commitment to keep things working, especially as we age.

I think this is the key. My gut feeling is that this will work as long as I'm doing the work off the court to keep the shoulder strong and mobile, at least for as long as I keep playing and hopefully beyond that. If I finish PT and go back to what I was doing before, I'd be lucky if it didn't come back. I don't blame you for running from surgery, I likely would've done the same unless it was THAT bad.

 

[EggSalad]

UPDATE:

All of a sudden, an unexpected ray of hope! Had a follow up with my Ortho Doc (shoulder specialist here in Atlanta) this morning who took a look at the MRI, and he says the tear is so small that he's calling the MRI basically negative in that regard. What I definitely have is some tendinosis in my rotator cuff (supraspinatus specifically), bursitis that's causing pain and some clicking, a slight shoulder impingement which is what's been hitting my rotator cuff, and then just straight up overuse. I have been so bad with any sort of strength training, so this last one felt real obvious.

The real good news is he prescribed 2 months of PT that I can start right away, plus I was given a steroid shot. I like to think I'm pretty good with shots, but man those are no joke, that hurt like a MF'er. It was freaking huge, looked like he was taking an AK47 to my shoulder, lmao. Instant relief though, like 80%+ improvement or more. Follow up is July 2nd, and if all is feeling good and PT has been going well, I should get the all clear to return to court. I was going in to today just hoping to avoid surgery, can't say this outcome was remotely possible. Still, nothing for sure has been ruled out, so fingers crossed this is all I need. It sucks, I'm still going to miss USTA 3.5 State playoffs here in Georgia. It was a massive hurdle to win city in Atlanta, took us 3 tries, and now I have to miss the next round. Hopefully we win, and I'll be around for sectionals...

From the 'holic perspective, hopefully won't have to wait all that long on playing the Pro Stock GP after all, but not gonna touch a ball until I know I'm good to go. Also, I'm self taught in basically my entire game and while I think I've done all things considered, I know my serve form is pretty horrible and is likely the culprit that caused this, along with overuse. Planning on rebuilding my serve basically from the ground up upon my return. Taking this as an opportunity to build up strength, get in to better shape, and hopefully come back as best as possible.

Not out of the woods, we could always determine more is needed if this doesn't work. However, my Ortho does work for the Atlanta Braves and for Georgia Tech athletes, so I'm gonna just have confidence in that, just roll with it and keep hoping for the best... along with keeping an eye on the TGT 344.4 sitting in the corner soon.

That is awesome news!

One thing you might ask your Dr / PT about is foam rolling your shoulder. I do that before and after I play and it keeps the soreness away.

 

[tim-ay]

Have you tried extending any of your Blades with the extra .25"? Pondering what it would do to the 100 V9 16x19 that I just purchased.

My Blades are Blade Pros and just don’t need the SW. I find that the extension is great for frames that are somewhat HL and about 318-328 SW stock, or things roll over into madness. Some frames are just fine after mods into the 340’s but as a general rule….

 

[JRH]

That is awesome news!

One thing you might ask your Dr / PT about is foam rolling your shoulder. I do that before and after I play and it keeps the soreness away.

A second for foam rolling, this helped me massively when playing football (soccer to any transatlantic heads). My friends that do iron man races swore by it.

 

[djNEiGht]

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

yup...last august i fell down the stairs in the rain...and never bounced back.

when we first met for that bumblebee day with many fine Talk Tennis folks...i was already x4 knee surgeries in. I had scheduling issues and then a change in insurance so that's why my surgery has been so delayed. daily function is difficult. but i can still rally from time to time.

 

[djNEiGht]

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)

so good! SoCal needs to do something like this again. @JOSHL @snoflewis @mad dog1 @topspinlob

 

[djNEiGht]

Here, here. Get well, fellow wounded warriors.



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

cheers

 

[djNEiGht]

Nylon gang rise up

even just for the occasional mind set reset...synthetic gut hits the spot for me

 

[djNEiGht]

@curtstead excited to hear. now holic away!!!

 

[TwinCinema]

so good! SoCal needs to do something like this again. @JOSHL @snoflewis @mad dog1 @topspinlob

Amen!

@Fed Kennedy

 

[Kozzy]

I had my first PT today, a week out from the pulled/torn groin injury I suffered last Wednesday (maybe Wednesdays in hockey are like Tuesdays in tennis?). I haven't gotten any scans, but pretty much determined it's a grade 2 tear, because there's a lot of bruising and it was pretty swollen, but not painful enough for a full tear. Today, I was pleased to find that I can do some basic stretching and strengthening excercises for that specific area. This is a change from a couple days ago when some light attempts at stretching felt like they might be causing more damage. Let the rehab games begin.

 

[Pneumated1]

Man, you guys. I'm probably older than most of you. I've been there and am probably headed back there. I'm now depressed. I'm leaving.

 

[Fed Kennedy]

Amen!

@Fed Kennedy

 

[KC!]

Man, you guys. I'm probably older than most of you. I've been there and am probably headed back there. I'm now depressed. I'm leaving.

Stay positive, the mind is a powerful thing!

 

[BPlain]

Well I did not want to share it until I got 3-4 weeks done with it because it is a paid course. But it's really good for me so far. It is yoga body - the science of stretching. The guy pounds social media with ads, so it may seem spammy but the content is not. It is actually excellent. The problem for some may be it is like the Fuzzy Yellow Balls thing where you sign up for one course and you will get emails trying to get you to buy all the other stuff. But I opted out of those easily.

Honestly if this continues well for me I may do one of his yoga courses as well since he is one of the few people who emphasis flexibility and actually mentions tennis benefits in his videos. The stretches are challenging and very good.

What I have learned from doing yoga last year is that it is really not 100% effective unless you are decently flexible first. And most guys like myself who lifted weights and played a lot of sports over my life are not prepared for it, since our bodies tend to stiffen up over the years. So for me, goal 1 is get truly flexible again and then move to yoga. I will be supplementing that with kettle bell workouts and cardio.

With all the injury talk top of mind, thought I'd resurface this suggestion from @Power Player from early 2023. Obviously individual results will vary (and there is no affiliate link coming your way!) but this stretching course was a game changer for me personally. I've stuck with it and since moved into the 5x a week program that incorporates strength training as well.

I found I underestimated how much range of motion we lose over time if we're not actively taking steps to maintain it. I was also starting to fall into the natural limitations, pain, and soreness due to age camp. And while it's certainly an unavoidable reality, I undersold how much can be mitigated or delayed by being proactive with stretching and exercise outside of just playing tennis a few times a week.

 

[Kozzy]

With all the injury talk top of mind, thought I'd resurface this suggestion from @Power Player from early 2023. Obviously individual results will vary (and there is no affiliate link coming your way!) but this stretching course was a game changer for me personally. I've stuck with it and since moved into the 5x a week program that incorporates strength training as well.

I found I underestimated how much range of motion we lose over time if we're not actively taking steps to maintain it. I was also started to fall into the natural limitations, pain, and soreness due to age camp. And while it's certainly an unavoidable reality, I undersold how much can be mitigated or delayed by being proactive with stretching and exercise outside of just playing tennis a few times a week.

Yep, that's the direction I'm going in. Great stuff.

 

[topspn]

I downloaded the Nike app and started doing their yoga classes. It's about 20-30mins a day right at home. I'll update how it is working out after some time

 

[KC!]

I would suggest hot yoga. My girlfriend got me into it & it’s been a game changer for me. It’s great for strength, range of motion & the mind. I’ve incorporated doing it a couple of times a week into my routine. And you’re usually in a room with beautiful women, which is a bonus.

 

[KC!]

I downloaded the Nike app and started doing their yoga classes. It's about 20-30mins a day right at home. I'll update how it is working out after some time

Ha! Jinx ! Yes, Yoga has been the best thing iv’e incorporated into my weekly workout routine.

 

[EggSalad]

I achieved master nerd racquet matcher status today. I hope I receive a pin that I can attach to my bag.

 

[Vicious49]

I achieved master nerd racquet matcher status today. I hope I receive a pin that I can attach to my bag.

How do we know you didn't just measure the same frame 4 times?

 

[naturalexponent]

How do we know you didn't just measure the same frame 4 times?

Twist: it was the calibration tool

 

[gino]

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

95D is GOATed - only yonex with a major men’s singles title since Hewitt !

 

[mauricem]

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.

One of the guys at our club was back playing 2 weeks after his right shoulder reconstruction, he's a righty so he taught himself to play left handed! It wasn't pretty

I broke my wrist going backwards for an overhead and was back on court after a couple of weeks with plaster cast half way up my fortunately non dominant arm. I was OK for social tennis but serves were a problem!

 

[Vicious49]

I started playing lefty when I got TE about 2 years ago. I was maybe a 2.5 from that wing. It was pretty bad.

ive decided the Head grip shape is the best. After everything ive used the Head L3 with a leather grip is my favorite.

 

[tim-ay]

I downloaded the Nike app and started doing their yoga classes. It's about 20-30mins a day right at home. I'll update how it is working out after some time

It’s better to download the kama sutra

 

[Power Player]

With all the injury talk top of mind, thought I'd resurface this suggestion from @Power Player from early 2023. Obviously individual results will vary (and there is no affiliate link coming your way!) but this stretching course was a game changer for me personally. I've stuck with it and since moved into the 5x a week program that incorporates strength training as well.

I found I underestimated how much range of motion we lose over time if we're not actively taking steps to maintain it. I was also starting to fall into the natural limitations, pain, and soreness due to age camp. And while it's certainly an unavoidable reality, I undersold how much can be mitigated or delayed by being proactive with stretching and exercise outside of just playing tennis a few times a week.

That’s awesome. I’m still doing it too. My back has gotten so much better. I finally feel 90% normal again on the court. Obvious statement, but it makes such a huge difference to have good mobility.

 

[Humbi_HTX]

If you build it, they'll come.

 

[Richard Pioline]

So weird, man. False move, false place, false time. Knee hurting like crazy. Could barely walk yesterday. I think it is some days off for me. Not a good place to be in as there are 4 team league matches in the next 9 days. But I don‘t think I can play any of these.

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?

Mostly it is one Tuesday for me…

 

[Kozzy]

So weird, man. False move, false place, false time. Knee hurting like crazy. Could barely walk yesterday. I think it is some days off for me. Not a good place to be in as there are 4 team league matches in the next 9 days. But I don‘t think I can play any of these.

Mostly it is one Tuesday for me…

Sorry man, injury is in the air. When it hurts to much, though, you gotta take a break. I ordered a Volkl Vostra V9 (290g) in your honor. Also for science. And healing.

 

[workerONE]

I really just wanted to share my success in raising twist weight on a couple of rackets. In my experience different rackets may require different twist weights to be stable on imperfect shots- For example, I measure TW on a Briffidi and at 14 TW the Pro Staff is pretty stable but a TF40 315 requires a higher TW (14.3+) to get similar stability.
I've seen the poll about preferred twist weight, most preferred 14 - 14.5.
I'm sure a lot of people know this but it's really amazing how solid a racket feels with a 14.3 TW compared to 13.6.

Also when I raised my weight and swingweight I had to increase my tension. I think ball pocketing may create uncontrollable shots, unpredictable shots, and I think it becomes difficult to replicate shots. My theory is the curvature of the string bed around the ball creates a lot of contact points on the ball, each with friction. With an adequate tension and little ball pocketing you get more deflection and more predictable accuracy in my opinion. I'm not talking about extremes, just 10% too low could lead to problems... I could be wrong.

Back on topic, it's tiring customizing more than a few rackets all at the same time, and I found that sometimes I don't get the results I'm after on a racket right away but maybe I'll solve a piece of the puzzle later on and come back to it and achieve success in making it playable.

All I really do is speculate in the moment, I look back weeks later and see that my experience was valid but my conclusions were not

 

[topspn]

It’s better to download the kama sutra

That was the first download hehe

 

[Nollid]

Man, you guys. I'm probably older than most of you. I've been there and am probably headed back there. I'm now depressed. I'm leaving.

50-60 year old club here. It’s a state of mind. Sometimes, I fill in a doubles contract and there’s some dudes in their 80’s that would surprise you. One guy, Old man George, is from Transylvania and he shuffles around and hits a lot of slice, but he’ll take points off of you.

So weird, man. False move, false place, false time. Knee hurting like crazy. Could barely walk yesterday. I think it is some days off for me. Not a good place to be in as there are 4 team league matches in the next 9 days. But I don‘t think I can play any of these.

Mostly it is one Tuesday for me…

Fight the urge to play until it’s feeling better. This has been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn. Often I have skimped on recovery due to urges to hit and play and that led to me being injured and out for even longer.

 

[JRH]

I started playing lefty when I got TE about 2 years ago. I was maybe a 2.5 from that wing. It was pretty bad.

ive decided the Head grip shape is the best. After everything ive used the Head L3 with a leather grip is my favorite.

I reckon slapping leather is the key here, makes everything feel better for me

 

[Fintft]

I really just wanted to share my success in raising twist weight on a couple of rackets. In my experience different rackets may require different twist weights to be stable on imperfect shots- For example, I measure TW on a Briffidi and at 14 TW the Pro Staff is pretty stable but a TF40 315 requires a higher TW (14.3+) to get similar stability.
I've seen the poll about preferred twist weight, most preferred either 14 - 14.5 or 14.6 - 15 IIRC.
I'm sure a lot of people know this but it's really amazing how solid a racket feels with a 14.3 TW compared to 13.6.

Also when I raised my weight and swingweight I had to increase my tension. I think ball pocketing may create uncontrollable shots, unpredictable shots, and I think it becomes difficult to replicate shots. The curvature of the string bed around the ball creates a lot of contact points on the ball, each with friction. With an adequate tension and little ball pocketing you get more deflection and more predictable accuracy in my opinion. I'm not talking about extremes, just 10% too low could lead to problems... I could be wrong.

Back on topic, it's tiring customizing more than a few rackets all at the same time, and I found that sometimes I don't get the results I'm after on a racket right away but maybe I'll solve a piece of the puzzle later on and come back to it and achieve success in making it playable.

All I really do is speculate in the moment, I look back weeks later and see that my experience was valid but my conclusions were not

I beg to differ as I think that lower TW probably makes a racquet swing easier and that's why in prostocks I prefered a Prestige PJ (293.1 ) over a Radical MP + 360 (351.1).

I am not returning 120mph serves, so high TW is not important to me, but ease of swinging and feel is. And about your ball pocketing problem, my coach had a fix for that, asking me to swing faster. Simple, no? In Rafa's words
Finally, I am confused about your comment about the need to increase tension with heavier and higher swing weight racquets, as it's the opposite for me, as those (all same 293.1 mold) have more control than the lighter, shorter ones? Plus more power.

 

[Fintft]

50-60 year old club here. It’s a state of mind. Sometimes, I fill in a doubles contract and there’s some dudes in their 80’s that would surprise you. One guy, Old man George, is from Transylvania and he shuffles around and hits a lot of slice, but he’ll take points off of you.

Fight the urge to play until it’s feeling better. This has been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn. Often I have skimped on recovery due to urges to hit and play and that led to me being injured and out for even longer.

Yeah @Richard Pioline, plus, especially as a biker you should know that ridding your bike is better for your knee, before you go back to tennis (that, or swimming).

I also do have an 82 y old at my club that plays and moves well, like a mid 50s....You really have to hit thru him or away from him, or he puts balls away with top spin, not even slices.

 

[Richard Pioline]

Yeah @Richard Pioline, plus, especially as a biker you should know that ridding your bike is better for your knee, before you go back to tennis (that, or swimming).

I also do have an 82 y old at my club that plays and moves well, like a mid 50s....You really have to hit thru him or away from him, or he puts balls away with top spin, not even slices.

Yeah, but we have 4 team league matches in just one week. I might not be smart enough to hold back. All in for the team. Might need some pills to make it work though.
Riding the bike worked with little pain, but yeah, tennis might need a few more days...

 

[TwinCinema]

As long as I can keep playing tennis in my 50s and beyond, and not have to switch to pickleball, I’ll consider that a huge win.

I went to Target the other day and saw this godforsaken atrocity:

 

[Pneumated1]

50-60 year old club here. It’s a state of mind. Sometimes, I fill in a doubles contract and there’s some dudes in their 80’s that would surprise you. One guy, Old man George, is from Transylvania and he shuffles around and hits a lot of slice, but he’ll take points off of you.

I was lucky to find a 50-52 club that would have me, but seriously, I couldn't agree more. I used to pound pavement, mountains, and hills as a cardio junkie, but my body fell apart at 40. The 40s were my worst years with two surgeries and one injury/ailment after the other. I've learned to make my body/joints stronger and have adopted the fine art of extensive stretching, not to mention eating healthy. I honestly feel better today than 10 years ago and recover much better. And about the older guys, it's no joke. I play guys from teens all the way to mid-70s, and those older guys will take games off you, even beat you in doubles if paired with the wrong partner.

 

[kevin qmto]

Here in the mid west we’re entering peak True Velvet Mite season. That means in parks near wooded areas, tennis balls will gradually accumulate red smears from the little mites getting smushed by the ball. Truly one of the best times of the year.

 

[veelium]

Any of the bag nerds have tried Otaro bags? German brand, not very well known.

A mate of mine has gotten one for his birthday and it seems really nice, many compartments etc.
Might get one as mine is rather bad and I haven't been very happy with the big brands.

 

[JGads]

Friends, Romans, Racquetmen, lend me your ears. I’ve come to show you the retro and we must laugh at how over spec it is: 344 grams and 345 swingweight with what I think is thick TB Diamond Rough. (supposed to be around 335g, 325sw)

But Holy Caesar Cerundulo, it is fun and it is thunder. Feel is amazing.

Will replace laces soon with something thinner. A crazy fun big hitter.

 

[Richard Pioline]

Friends, Romans, Racquetmen, lend me your ears. I’ve come to show you the retro and we must laugh at how over spec it is: 344 grams and 345 swingweight with what I think is thick TB Diamond Rough. (supposed to be around 335g, 325sw)

But Holy Caesar Cerundulo, it is fun and it is thunder. Feel is amazing.

Will replace laces soon with something thinner. A crazy fun big hitter.

She is a looker, too!