Federer's racquet in 2018 Laver Cup

[ttc2000]

I never truly switched over with black and red RF, bought one but never felt right! Stuck to the 90s at that point.

I got the black ones and the first one felt right about on spec, maybe slightly higher sw - 337. Bought another one and it came in at about 320sw. Shocking QC really.
Took awhile to get the lead placement right to matched them.

White and blacks have 2 and they are within 2-3g of one another but balance point again was too HL and one was way more HL than the already HL racquets.

So I got lucky with the red laver ones but the feel is not right without leather grip. Not sure what to do?


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Just put the Kimony Techni leather grip on.

I was playing with the 2012 Pro Staff Six One 90 since late 2015 until end of June this year for a majority of the time.

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[12oz]

I’m quite pedantic with the racquets. I think I prefer syn and L4 than leather and L3.

Might ask the pro shop for some options.

I heard there is also Kimony original leather - slightly heavier but 1.5mm thick.

I’ll let you know how I go.



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[ttc2000]

I’m quite pedantic with the racquets. I think I prefer syn and L4 than leather and L3.

Might ask the pro shop for some options.

I heard there is also Kimony original leather - slightly heavier but 1.5mm thick.

I’ll let you know how I go.



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Sure. The Yonex Ultimatum Leather grip is quite good, take a look into it as it's only 1.4mm thick or if you don't want it to be that heavy you can go for the Head Synthetic Leather grip.

The good thing is that it's white.

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[12oz]

Sure. The Yonex Ultimatum Leather grip is quite good, take a look into it as it's only 1.4mm thick or if you don't want it to be that heavy you can go for the Head Synthetic Leather grip.

The good thing is that it's white.

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I’ll check out the Yonex leather grip, sounds like it might work!


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[hurworld]

I was playing with the 2012 Pro Staff Six One 90 since late 2015 until end of June this year for a majority of the time.

Can you recommend some string set-ups for that frame?

 

[ttc2000]

Can you recommend some string set-ups for that frame?

You can go full bed of Luxilon Alu Power Rough @42/40 IBS.

Wilson Sensation 16g/ Luxilon Alu Power Rough @ 48.5/45 IBS with string savers.

Head Velocity MLT 16g/ Babolat RPM Blast 17g @46.5/43 IBS with string savers.

If you have the cash you can try Babolat Vs touch/ Luxilon Alu Power Rough 52/49 IBS with string savers.

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[One Handed Dynasty]

I've done all of the lead tape experiment testing in the past and play better when it's @ 2 and 10. Eventually I decided to put nothing in the hoop and only lead on the handle.

Due to the fact this Red RF97A is 367g with string savers, power pads, Yonex Super grap and Kimony Techni leather grip I am not willing to put anymore weight to increase static weight or balance it out.

It will be in the 370g+ category if I do my usual mod of another 4g lead on the handle.

I've played with HH setups before, but struggle with volleys and control at times because I'm quite a hard hitter.

I'm 35 now and NTRP 5.0.

I am not a pro, so don't have any reason to go up to the realms 370g or more in static weight because I would like a racquet that I can maneuver and play an all court game for 2 to 2.5 hours.

Hats off to you if you hit with 370g or more.

I would have done this if I was 5 years younger.

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I’m sorry man that’s rough, it sounds like you got one on the very heavy end of the spectrum. Even for QC as shoddy as Wilson’s I can’t believe the variances they’re allowing. If they’re going to sell a 12.6oz+ racquet for $250 then at least make sure it’s weighted and balanced right. I was only making that suggestion from experience helping a hitting partner at my club. He bought one from me that I’d been sent to try out, and we had the opposite problem. It came out to 358g, strung and with an OG, and ~6pts HL, so we added 7g to the handle and got it to work for him.


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[ttc2000]

Here is a post from earlier this month on another thread.

I strung one red RF97A on 17th Nov with the Sergetti system and another one on 11th Nov the traditional way.

Sergetti RF97 is strung with Head Velocity MLT 16g mains and Head Hawk Rough 17g crosses @57.5/54 IBS, but then it is calculated to be 55.4 IBS reference tension.

With the above setup I have played with it strung the traditional method as well, but strung the Sergetti system it is a lot better.

Although it takes much longer to string.

Traditional RF97 is strung with Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g mains and Hear Velocity MLT 16g @55/53 IBS.


Below are my results.
---------------------------------

Report the Sergetti strung racquet does play very well and absorbs vibration.

It's indeed an optimisation of the whole string bed and plays better than the traditional way of stringing.

However tonight I played 3 sets, 2 sets were with the Sergetti strung racquet I lost 0-6, 4-6 and then I played with the OGSM/V strung racquet in the 3rd set.

I seemed to like the OGSM/ V strung at 55/53 IBS more than the V/ Hawk Rough with ref tension of 55.4 IBS FWIW.

The set was unfinished and I was 3-5 down.

My friends racquet is the blade 98 16x19 cv, strung by me with V/ RPM blast @55.5/52 IBS and he is NTRP 5.5.

I was struggling with his short and wide forehands the spin he got was dragging me way of court.

I had to hit humongous serves just to hold serve and any half hearted shots were put away by him.

He thanked me alot for recommending V/ rpm blast.
----------------------------------
I will hit with the Sergetti system RF97 for the 2nd time tonight to see how it plays.

I haven't hit a ball for 10 days now.
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My 2nd time out hitting with the Sergetti system strung RF97 for 2 sets, but in doubles.

Although it plays softer and absorbs vibration well I didn't really benefit from it on serves because I didn't get the pop I needed on serve.

Lost the 1st set 3-6 and then in the second set we were 4-1 up, but my partner sandbagged a couple of games.

We ended up winning 6-4.

Onto the 3rd set and I switched to the Gosen OG Sheep Micro/Velocity strung traditionally against 2 strong Lefty's.

The younger of the pair used to have a room mate that was junior ITF pro that he hits with and he actually won on an occasion.

The older guy hit's big serves and big shots.

Anyway back to my side of the net I was teamed up with my captain who has solid groundstrokes and very good volleys.

However he would be the weakest out of us 4 in level of play.

Back to the RF97 I was able to hit big serves and kick serves that were bouncing high. Served an ace on the first point down the T.

Groundstrokes were hit with penetration and returns were hit with precision and pace.

Volley's were also solid and on the last point the swinging lefty serve was coming to my backhand on the ad court. I just went for a big backhand cross court winner to seal the deal@6-2.

It ends up that I played better with OGSM/ velocity and there was a few occasions where the opposition thought my ball was going out and they just dropped plum on the line.

I don't know why on these 2 occasions with the Sergetti system strung RF97 I'm not feeling that it's an advantage over traditional stringing?

Is this because I came from playing with a Pro Staff Six One 90 for a few years or do I need to give it more time?


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[mike schiffer]

Then you're lucky.

The best matched ones I got was the 2 all Black 2016 models.

The 2014 models I had 4 and the worst was 9g too light, so I took it back to the pro shop and swapped it.

This time round I didn't have them weighed for the Red RF97A, but I returned my 2nd one because it had pubic hair glued to the butt cap going onto the bottom of the handle.

Exchanged it and now there is a 4g difference in weight after all the mods with the 1st and 2nd one.

That's how poor Wilson's quality control is.

I ended up selling the 4 2014 RF97's and 2 Black RF97's.

Now I have 3 red RF97's and I'm keeping one as a collector's item.

The all black has a lower twist weight and a lighter leather grip, so it's easier too hit with than the 2014.

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I would have kept the one with the pubes …..that's some big mojo

 

[ttc2000]

I would have kept the one with the pubes …..that's some big mojo

That's sick man.

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[hurworld]

I would have kept the one with the pubes …..that's some big mojo

Only if it's Fed's pube.

 

[ttc2000]

Only if it's Fed's pube.

It won't help you to win in tennis, but you can have 2 sets of twins.

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[hurworld]

It won't help you to win in tennis, but you can have 2 sets of twins.

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I don't think Roger's pube is enough for that...gotta get Mirka's too.

 

[ttc2000]

I don't think Roger's pube is enough for that...gotta get Mirka's too.

Lol.

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[Fairhit]

I came across a sale and have the option to buy this frame for US$150, should I buy it?

 

[ttc2000]

I came across a sale and have the option to buy this frame for US$150, should I buy it?

Yes, get one and make sure you have it weighed first.

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[FedLIKEnot]

I do think from a racquet perpective most of us would need this thing to come in on spec or a touch light. If it is out of spec it becomes unplayable over the course of a match and if your a tourney player 3 matches in two days for example that could be tough. It is why the players I do know who like a beefy stick go to the regular PS97 and weight it up from there as there is better margin.

That said I am on the record saying this is an incredible paintjob and I still contend it is a beautiful racquet. However I do wish Wilson would get out of the color blocking template they are using on all of the lines though I get it. You see a racquet with solid color and a color panel at 3 and 9 you instantly know it is a Wilson even if the line escapes you. There is something to be said about that from a visual marketing perspective. It is telling that the all red and all black are by far the two best looking racquets with the exception of the initial RF97 that Federer has used in this frame, in my opinion.

 

[ttc2000]

Finally got the Sergetti strung RF97 to work and was able to hit big serves with better percentage.

I hit 4 big unreturnable serves and hit some big forehands and backhands to break my friend tonight.

It's my 4th time out with the sergetti strung RF97 and it feels a lot better this time because of a little drop in tension I guess.

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[ttc2000]

Tried an extra overgrip to balance out the racquet and lower the balance point.

The RF97's were 367g and 370g, unfortunately the feel was gone.

I couldn't hit my shots, so I removed it after and I can hit all my shots again.

I will try to mod them again in Spring because I have 3 tournaments coming up and end of season league matches.

I don't have enough time to experiment now.

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[JEDI MASTER]

I came across a sale and have the option to buy this frame for US$150, should I buy it?

let us know if it's legit...
if so.. send us a link... I could use another one...

 

[ttc2000]

Here are some pictures of my finished hybrid setup of Technifibre Pro Red Code/ Velocity MLT.

Gonna test it out tonight.

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[USPTARF97]

Its more head heavy for you because they kept the pallet specs the same but used a synthetic grip instead of leather. If you use leather or lead to make the balance more headlight then you’ll get less fatigued. HH racquets are much more tiring.


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This is what I have done to all of my RF97’s to make them a bit more HH and lower the overall weight of the frame. Easier to wield and improved my serve.

 

[Povl Carstensen]

This is what I have done to all of my RF97’s to make them a bit more HH and lower the overall weight of the frame. Easier to wield and improved my serve.

Yes, I would disagree that adding weight to the grip makes you less fatigued.

 

[ttc2000]

This is what I have done to all of my RF97’s to make them a bit more HH and lower the overall weight of the frame. Easier to wield and improved my serve.

This racquet is a rocket launcher on serves if you get it dialled in.

At the moment I'm having a lot of success on 1st serves with this and it is very close to the Pro Staff Classic 6.0 Original.

2nd serves jump up high when using a kick serve and slice is great too.

I'm in two minds whether to keep the over grip on or just play with the Kimony Techni leather grip, but if I did it will definitely be more head heavy.

The Kimony Techni leather grip is very close to a maroon red/ purple colour, so doesn't look good with the red rf97.

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[ppmishra]

One RF97A is 367g and the other is 363g I can play around 2-2.5 hours as I've been training since 2015 with 360g+.

The 2 all black RF97A I used to play with were both 362g with the same mods with 4 g lead in the handle as well.

The red Laver Cup edition is definitely heavier, so if I use a full on leather grip the static weight will be too much to handle for 2 hours+.

I've hit with all the RF97A's and owned 2014, 2016 and 2018 Red.

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I had purchased the 2014 version when it was released and was really lucky since while I got it from the bay the specs were spot on and I find it perfect for my game (336 sw).
I have a qn about the custom rf97 autograph service that Wilson offers. Does the custom frame come with a leather grip or is it synthetic like the red Laver cup edition?
Would really appreciate a response. Many thanks

 

[JEDI MASTER]

I had purchased the 2014 version when it was released and was really lucky since while I got it from the bay the specs were spot on and I find it perfect for my game (336 sw).
I have a qn about the custom rf97 autograph service that Wilson offers. Does the custom frame come with a leather grip or is it synthetic like the red Laver cup edition?
Would really appreciate a response. Many thanks

i have a custom all white RF97.. the grip is synthetic like the red. the 2019 Blue RF the grip is leather...can't wait for that one to arrive..

 

[ttc2000]

i have a custom all white RF97.. the grip is synthetic like the red. the 2019 Blue RF the grip is leather...can't wait for that one to arrive..

The blue one doesn't look attractive.

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[ttc2000]

i have a custom all white RF97.. the grip is synthetic like the red. the 2019 Blue RF the grip is leather...can't wait for that one to arrive..

How much did it cost you to have it all white?

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[ppmishra]

i have a custom all white RF97.. the grip is synthetic like the red. the 2019 Blue RF the grip is leather...can't wait for that one to arrive..

Thanks. Really appreciate the feedback.

 

[shapovalovnextgoat]

How much did it cost you to have it all white?

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It's 300 dollars, any racquet line

 

[ttc2000]

It's 300 dollars, any racquet line

Thanks for the info.

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[ppmishra]

i have a custom all white RF97.. the grip is synthetic like the red. the 2019 Blue RF the grip is leather...can't wait for that one to arrive..

I bit the bullet and just got a custom RF97A frame in red gloss paint. The decals at 3,9 are more neon red but only if one looks closely. Really happy with the paint job and most importantly that it's right on spec (12 oz unstrung). Like the wilson pro labs k95, i think the frame would have rocked in a full black (or white gloss) finish too.
Red gloss finish; Black chrome lettering

 

[RNBABOLAT]

Just got mine and it was just too much weight to handle for 2+ hours, hit like 30 minutes and my arm was tired (I play with a Prestige IG with some lead) but this was way too much. The good part is the beautiful paintjob, I can see why people pay this much for this racquet.

https://imgur.com/a/AboOEmt

 

[USPTARF97]

Just got mine and it was just too much weight to handle for 2+ hours, hit like 30 minutes and my arm was tired (I play with a Prestige IG with some lead) but this was way too much. The good part is the beautiful paintjob, I can see why people pay this much for this racquet.

https://imgur.com/a/AboOEmt

What did you string it with and what tension? Reason I ask is there are some setups and tensions that you can use that make the RF97 much easier on the arm.

 

[RNBABOLAT]

What did you string it with and what tension? Reason I ask is there are some setups and tensions that you can use that make the RF97 much easier on the arm.

Its a hydrid from wilson called spin effect or something like that. Never used hydrid and though that way it might get softer but... I was wrong, maybe I will sell it beforeI get some rash on ut since this go for a good amount in this condition. Thanks

 

[ppmishra]

Its a hydrid from wilson called spin effect or something like that. Never used hydrid and though that way it might get softer but... I was wrong, maybe I will sell it beforeI get some rash on ut since this go for a good amount in this condition. Thanks

I tried using a full poly bed (cyclone tour @53 lbs ) and though it was easy on the arm in the sweet spot, mishits felt jarring. After switching to gut/multi mains (57/55 lbs) and tour XT / vsquare cross (54/52 lbs), have no issues at all even at the higher tension. Completely different frame and I can't believe how well it plays and feels.