Donnay Pro Cynetic 1

[nation]

Hi All

Trying to understand the Pro Cynetic 1 and piecing together info from old threads.

Is this an 85 or 90 head? Some info says 90, others say 85.

I was always under the impression that the Pro Cynetic was the mould that the PS85 6.0 was based on. Now after further reading it turns out the PS came out in 1983 and the PC in 1986. I was also under the impression that Sampras used the PC first then moved over to PS. I am trying to reconcile which frame is a derivative of which?

I now see there are Belgium and Taiwan PCs. I gather the Taiwan is a reissue? Were there any other reissues of the PC? Is there any significant playability difference between Belgium and Taiwan or is it minimal like with the PS? Any cosmetic indicators to look out for?

I noticed the braid pattern in post 11 vs no braid pattern in post 33 below:

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/donnay-pro-cynetic-1-arias-stock.290644/

Is that just cosmetic or are they referencing different stick?

Many thanks

 

[BorgCash]

It is 85.

 

[BorgCash]

Donnay made many racquets for Wilson in Wilson colours. After the contract ended Donnay kept the mold and began to produce the racquets in their colours just without PWS 'cause it was Wilson registrated trademark.

 

[borg number one]

Very interesting. I always wondered if Borg would have switched to something like this frame if he stayed on the Tour through the mid 1980s. I heard that Donnay was working on a graphite frame for him to use and maybe it was similar to this frame, with adjustments.

 

[BorgCash]

Very interesting. I always wondered if Borg would have switched to something like this frame if he stayed on the Tour through the mid 1980s. I heard that Donnay was working on a graphite drame for him to use and maybe it was similar to this frame, with adjustments.

They made a bigger head version of his Borg Pro, a composite one. Jarryd played with it.

 

[BorgCash]

 

[borg number one]

They made a bigger head version of his Borg Pro, a composite one. Jarryd played with it.

Interesting and then later I believe he went to Fischer right?

 

[BorgCash]

Interesting and then later I believe he went to Fischer right?

Yes, he played with red Superform Mid and then Vacuum Pro 90 (M.Stich).

 

[BorgCash]

Actually Anders played with several different Superform models before switched to Vacuum Pro 90.

 

[vsbabolat]

Hi All

Trying to understand the Pro Cynetic 1 and piecing together info from old threads.

Is this an 85 or 90 head? Some info says 90, others say 85.

I was always under the impression that the Pro Cynetic was the mould that the PS85 6.0 was based on. Now after further reading it turns out the PS came out in 1983 and the PC in 1986. I was also under the impression that Sampras used the PC first then moved over to PS. I am trying to reconcile which frame is a derivative of which?

I now see there are Belgium and Taiwan PCs. I gather the Taiwan is a reissue? Were there any other reissues of the PC? Is there any significant playability difference between Belgium and Taiwan or is it minimal like with the PS? Any cosmetic indicators to look out for?

I noticed the braid pattern in post 11 vs no braid pattern in post 33 below:

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/donnay-pro-cynetic-1-arias-stock.290644/

Is that just cosmetic or are they referencing different stick?

Many thanks

The Wilson Pro Staff Midsize, Largehead, and 125 came out in 1984. The Donnay Pro Cynetic came out in 1986 but that mold was also used on the Donnay CGX25 that came out in 1984

 

[Antónis]

And Sampras played the PC1 before PS Mid, there's doubles match on youtube (he and Chang vs. McEnroe brothers) from 1988 when you can see a very young Sampras with a PC1

 

[nation]

Thanks for all the info. Timelines and what's what with these vintage racquets makes my head spin.

The Wilson Pro Staff Midsize, Largehead, and 125 came out in 1984. The Donnay Pro Cynetic came out in 1986 but that mold was also used on the Donnay
CGX25 that came out in 1984

So CGX25 is the predecessor and following on from BorgCash in post 3, the PS at inception in '84 was manufactured by Donay?

 

[vsbabolat]

Thanks for all the info. Timelines and what's what with these vintage racquets makes my head spin.



So CGX25 is the predecessor and following on from BorgCash in post 3, the PS at inception in '84 was manufactured by Donay?

Donnay manufactured some Pro Staff for the European market in 1984. The vast majority at that time were manufactured in River Grove by Wilson before Wilson opened the St. Vincent factory.
Donnay made a lot of racquets out the CGX/Pro Cynetic mold

 

[retrowagen]

Actually Anders played with several different Superform models before switched to Vacuum Pro 90.

I lived in London in 1985, and became a big fan of Anders Järryd, after seeing him play through the Wimbledon men's singles draw, where he was eliminated in the semifinals by an exciting young player from Germany named Boris Becker... He was also a fabulous doubles player, particularly when paired with Stefan Edberg, I thought (though he won more GS doubles titles with John Fitzgerald, IIRC).

Equipment-wise, Järryd went from the Borg Pro Mid (monoshaft wood, 80 square inch head) through 1984 to the Fischer Stan Smith Superform in 1985. At some point in 1986, he switched to a Stan Smith Superform with a custom paintjob making it look like the new Superform Tournament, then switched later to the new red twin-shaft Superform Open. In 1987, he tried out the new cyan colored Vacuum Pro Mid, and kept on with that for a while.

In regards to the Donnay Pro Cynetic 1, it was a fabulous racquet that was used by many ATP pros around 1986, including Guy Forget, Jimmy Arias, Johan Kriek... and an up-and-coming junior from Southern California named Pete Sampras. Sampras played with the Kneissl Aero (20) in 1985, and had a solid baseline game with a two-handed backhand. But his coach rebooted his game, and had him switch to a racquet better suited for S/V play, but still a solid baseline weapon: the new Pro Cynetic 1. His next frame was, of course, the St. Vincent-produced Wilson Pro Staff Midsize (85).

It's kind of a chicken-and-egg scenario as to whether Wilson used a Donnay frame mould to launch the iconic PS85, or whether Donnay used a Wilson mould when it launched its CGX25 (and a few other variants) in late 1983 for the 1984 market. I know our colleague "Sanglier" has interviewed the Wilson project manager responsible for the genesis of the PS85, and the real truth may be hard to augur out. Both molds are very similar, indeed, though Wilson's has the PWS bumps inside the face at 3 and 9 o'clock positions, where the Donnays do not, and the Donnays had eight mains drilled through the throat bridge, where the Wilsons all had six, and the overall drill pattern on each was different (Wilson advocated for its variable density stringing, with smaller grids near the center of the head, whereas the Donnay was mostly evenly-sized grids throughout).

 

[BorgCash]

Donnay manufactured some Pro Staff for the European market in 1984. The vast majority at that time were manufactured in River Grove by Wilson before Wilson opened the St. Vincent factory.
Donnay made a lot of racquets out the CGX/Pro Cynetic mold

I have several CGX in different colours and Bjorn Borg Graphite Club 25 (the same mold - my first graphite racquet i got in 1986 from Australia), all these racquets have little different mold from PS 85. But GTX25 is exactly the same just without PWS. It is a racquet that has a hole in butthead and there were several different colours and weight little sticks that can be insert into racquet.

 

[BorgCash]

Also Tim Wilkison played with Pro Cynetic 1.

 

[retrowagen]

Also Tim Wilkison played with Pro Cynetic 1.

Ah yes! “Doctor Dirt!”

 

[BorgCash]

Ah yes! “Doctor Dirt!”

Yeah, the one of the first who regularly weared cap during matches.

 

[vsbabolat]

Guillermo Pérez Roldán played with the Pro Cynetic 1

 

[nation]

Another question - What's the difference between CGX-25 and a Pro Cynetic 1?

 

[retrowagen]

Another question - What's the difference between CGX-25 and a Pro Cynetic 1?

The layup of the CGX25 is braided graphite/fiberglass (probably roughly 80:20), whereas the Pro Cynetic 1 was braided graphite/Kevlar, IIRC.

 

[nation]

The layup of the CGX25 is braided graphite/fiberglass (probably roughly 80:20), whereas the Pro Cynetic 1 was braided graphite/Kevlar, IIRC.

Thanks

 

[wallymann]

It's kind of a chicken-and-egg scenario as to whether Wilson used a Donnay frame mould to launch the iconic PS85, or whether Donnay used a Wilson mould when it launched its CGX25 (and a few other variants) in late 1983 for the 1984 market.

fwiw... @Sanglier clarified that the PS85 and PC1 came to existence via distinct/independent development paths.

donnay PC1 and its progeny

so...a while back i picked up a PC1...held to be the god-father of the legendary Wilson Pro Staff. in the time since, i've added a couple of its donnay progeny to the collection...the Graphite Borg which is fairly well known...and another one that i've never seen before: the GKX 25. all 3 are...

tt.tennis-warehouse.com