Felix Auger Alliassime racquet specs
- Thread starter danbrenner
- Start date
1. Nadal has been using the Aeropro drive original since 2004. Rafa had had lead on his frame since the beginning of his professional career. The initial specs available on the AeroPro Drive Original are here.
He has had lead on the frame his entire career. The earliest reported specs from Nadal are from Greg Raven in 2007, where his specs were at 355 SW.
How do you get to 355sw with a stock Aeropro drive? It's impossible, Babolat's team helped Nadal test different amounts of lead on the frame until he found a comfortable setup.
2. Manufacturers have done this for ages and gotten away with it. Nadal used the Pure Aero briefly, customized to his high swingweight in 2016 clay season, but promptly switched back.
3. What that is referring to is once all the frames were matched, he increased by 3grams, or 10 swingweight points. He increased 3 grams from the weight he already had. Those numbers are consistent with measurements, going from ~356 to ~365 swingweight.
So to finish: 16g string + 5-6g overgrip, 3g dampener = 24-25g increase.
I have a swingweight machine, a balance board, and a scale in my possession at home. I have measured changes in this realm when customizing and working on clients' racquets.
He has had lead on the frame his entire career. The earliest reported specs from Nadal are from Greg Raven in 2007, where his specs were at 355 SW.
How do you get to 355sw with a stock Aeropro drive? It's impossible, Babolat's team helped Nadal test different amounts of lead on the frame until he found a comfortable setup.
2. Manufacturers have done this for ages and gotten away with it. Nadal used the Pure Aero briefly, customized to his high swingweight in 2016 clay season, but promptly switched back.
3. What that is referring to is once all the frames were matched, he increased by 3grams, or 10 swingweight points. He increased 3 grams from the weight he already had. Those numbers are consistent with measurements, going from ~356 to ~365 swingweight.
So to finish: 16g string + 5-6g overgrip, 3g dampener = 24-25g increase.
I have a swingweight machine, a balance board, and a scale in my possession at home. I have measured changes in this realm when customizing and working on clients' racquets.
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ron schaap
Hall of Fame
Well now, nearly everyone uses overgrips and strings dont they?
Rafa was winning matches already when he was 16 with his then new aero pro model unleaded (300 gr unstrung) well before 2007 from esthablished players. Other players like Goffin, Kachanof, Tsitsipas play with frames of about 300gr too, and despite this win from the great 3. So this heavy racquet ******** is pure nonsense.
Povl Carstensen
Legend
I do not know about at 16, but it is my impression that Nadals racket was leaded up from early on. At a later point a bit more was added as pointed out here.
McEncock
Professional
@ron schaap
How can a 310g unstrung stock 18x20 blade can be "around" 300g with resin in the handle and 16g poly Einstein?
How can a 310g unstrung stock 18x20 blade can be "around" 300g with resin in the handle and 16g poly Einstein?
TomTennis495
Professional
bumpin for the USOPEN. Does it look like the same stick? did he go back?
TomTennis495
Professional
Im with you here. I tried to balance my 3 2018 PS 16X19 and it was insane. The balance and weight..... there was no uniformity at all.
gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
Last I saw he was using Pure Aero VS 2016 with 314 gram, 32 cm unstrung with overgrip.
Lavs
Hall of Fame
to be more correct - 313g unstrung, without overgrip. I have basically replicated his spec
gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
I just bought one NOS. Very excited to compare to the 360+ Extreme Tour. I will bump up the SW to 330-335 and am targeting static weight of roughly 325 grams strung with overgrip.to be more correct - 313g unstrung, without overgrip. I have basically replicated his spec
Lavs
Hall of Fame
Great. I switched to it from APD GT some time ago and since then never looked back. It has sweet, non-Babolat feel and great control. If I tested it blindly I would never say it is Babolat racket at all - so smooth and soft.
I customized it to 340g strung with overgrip, 33.5cm balance and 336-338 swingweight.
It is actually the first racket I play without dampener with. The feel is so nice.
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gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
Sounds like the 21mm box beam hoop is nice and soft. Because the aero throat is stiff with 67 RA strung. That is why this frame intrigues me. I do not play with a dampener either so that is nice. Btw the 360+ Extreme Tour is RA 65 strung but has a nice flexible hoop as well and a dense 16x19 in case you get a chance to try it.
Lavs
Hall of Fame
Yes, it is the same MOLD as Aero Storm. 21mm beam with some boxed design in head area. That is probably why the feel so nice. And being 67RA on paper, for me it plays much softer.
It has very consistent string bed and tons of control with 16x20 string pattern, that's what stands out the most. I have it strung with Luxilon 4G 1.25 @ 50 and spin potential is decent. It has just enough power to feel comfortable in point.
Thanks for your offer to try Head, but I am not sure if I need it since I play just better and better with PA VS
gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
FAA hits HUGE. To think a retail layup PAVS 2020 would work for him is comical. I am not surprised he went back to the 2016 if the hoop is as soft as you say it is. Not many racquets play comfortable with 4G at 50 lb.
ron schaap
Hall of Fame
i understand he uses rpm blast rough. This is a more powerfull and spinfriendly string than most which is more usefull than a superheavy racquet that is difficult to manouver.
Lavs
Hall of Fame
RPM Rough grab the ball really well and have great spin potential. That helps Felix to hit mean balls
Down_the_line
G.O.A.T.
Question for you guys. Unless someone has the actual answer, it's more speculative in nature. Why do you think Babolat keeps putting the PA paintjob over his Pure Aero VS 2016? Why not just have him endorse the new Pure Aero VS and have the VS be his signature model? It's just odd because the PA and PA VS's are completely different racquets. Paint jobs over similar frames is obviously the norm but it feels like Babolat is really reaching in this case...
Slowtwitcher
Legend
Because the PA is available everywhere to a wider audience.
In Europe, you can walk into Decathlon and decide if you want to buy the yellow Babolat or the blue Babolat. Did you know Nadal plays with the yellow one? Yeah there's a picture of him on the racquet.
Down_the_line
G.O.A.T.
Yeah that makes sense. Kind of a silly question I guess.
I suppose if FAA becomes a more prominent player they might give him "ownership" of the PA VS line. Until then, probably better business to have him endorsing the PA.
McLovin
Legend
For what it's worth, they did try to put him in the actual Pure Aero VS back in January:
But his results were so bad that he went back to his old frame rather quickly.
It is a great frame nonetheless IMO, going back to his old frame did not gave him much better results. As one coach I had used to tell me , is not the bow but the archer...For what it's worth, they did try to put him in the actual Pure Aero VS back in January:
But his results were so bad that he went back to his old frame rather quickly.
Down_the_line
G.O.A.T.
Yeah I had heard about that. That was probably Babolat's attempt to make him the face of the PA VS line. 99% of the time players will go back to their tried and true though!For what it's worth, they did try to put him in the actual Pure Aero VS back in January:
But his results were so bad that he went back to his old frame rather quickly.
On a side note, I'm really interested in trying the new VS out.
Hotpockets
Rookie
It is a perfectly good decision by Babolat to bring the updated 2020 PAVS. The new PAVS is a much better racquet in nearly all aspects compared to 2017 PAVS, especially for the rec market. Easier to use, bigger sweet spot, feels better I mean you name it. The 2017 PAVS doesn't even retain the original and GT Aerostorm feel because it lacks throat cortex and feels harsher. I tried 2017 for a few weeks and when I tried the new one, it was pretty clear which one was the winner.Nobody from the Tour, who used original PA VS, switched to new one. Felix tried and came back to his trusted 2017 version. I find it really strange decision by Babolat to develop completely new racket instead. Lets see if anybody will use it at all, or, at least endorse it
The pros are creatures of habit and they rarely sway from what they have been accustomed to so just because FAA went back to his 2017 doesn't reflect in any way on 2020 PAVS. You should play with new 2020 one and you will see for yourself.
Faris
Professional
lol wasting your breath.. person you are replying to was caught lying multiple times by some reliable posters here and has no shame.. zero credibility and openly said he didn't care that he was caught lying.. He also has no idea about 2020 PAVS, never played it but hates on it because its an upgrade as he owns 2017 PAVS himself..
Lavs
Hall of Fame
Don't take it seriously, dear USTA 4.5lol wasting your breath.. person you are replying to was caught lying multiple times by some reliable posters here and has no shame.. zero credibility and openly said he didn't care that he was caught lying.. He also has no idea about 2020 PAVS, never played it but hates on it because its an upgrade as he owns 2017 PAVS himself..
take it easy
Faris
Professional
You misinform people and lie to them so I will call you out everywhere.. You clearly have zero concern for your reputation as you were caught by multiple honest posters so hoping I didn't hurt your feelings. Have a good day...Don't take it seriously, dear USTA 4.5
take it easy
Lavs
Hall of Fame
cao
El_Yotamo
Hall of Fame
Lots of talk on here about pros trying new frames and switching back. Just because this happens does not mean a frame is not good. Most racquets take at least a couple of years to get on tour because usually they'll get there by virtue of a young player switching to it while still a junior or at the very early stages of their pro career, since pros more often than not will not make the immediate switch. As one poster mentioned they are indeed creatures of habit, and for good reason, they're f***ing successful. If they do switch, so be it. If not, it doesn't reflect negatively on the racquet's quality in any way.
If I'm gonna weigh in about the PAVS/AS, my favorite will always be the original cortex Aerostorm but I think the 2020 PAVS made some nice innovations which will probably make it more appealing to newer up and comers which I respect a lot, and I do believe it's a very high quality frame. The player's frames of a decade ago seem to have stuck with a 21 mm beam, whereas these days the standard looks more like 23 mm (there's always exceptions ofc). Hence I really do believe that the 2020 PAVS is this decade's reincarnation of the Aerostorm. I was a very small junior ten years ago though, so my taste will still be skewed towards racquets from around that time.
If I'm gonna weigh in about the PAVS/AS, my favorite will always be the original cortex Aerostorm but I think the 2020 PAVS made some nice innovations which will probably make it more appealing to newer up and comers which I respect a lot, and I do believe it's a very high quality frame. The player's frames of a decade ago seem to have stuck with a 21 mm beam, whereas these days the standard looks more like 23 mm (there's always exceptions ofc). Hence I really do believe that the 2020 PAVS is this decade's reincarnation of the Aerostorm. I was a very small junior ten years ago though, so my taste will still be skewed towards racquets from around that time.
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Yeah, sure, his layup has some dust of unicorn
ron schaap
Hall of Fame
you are refering to which pro? Anyway i was talking unstrung and furthermore weight in handle only dampens shock a bit but does not alter playing characteristics according to Twu data!
Down_the_line
G.O.A.T.
For fun and out of curiosity I'm going to treat myself to a pair of last generation PA VS's (2016). Going to string them up with RPM Blast Rough at 51lbs. That's right, the entire FAA setup. Just have to find out where he adds the weight. I'm curious as to how his sticks play.
What are people's thoughts on the PA VS 2016? I already know pretty much everyone says the latest one is the better frame, but still wanting to get isolated thoughts on the previous one.
What are people's thoughts on the PA VS 2016? I already know pretty much everyone says the latest one is the better frame, but still wanting to get isolated thoughts on the previous one.
henrytennisadelaide
Semi-Pro
Small sweetspot but very nice if you can hit it consistently.
Lavs
Hall of Fame
This is my goto stick.
My setup:
- 5g @ 12 and 5g @ buttcap
- Leather grip + Wilson Pro Overgrip
- Luxilon 4g 16L @ 48
- No Dampener
Strung weight: 334g
Balance: 32.6cm
Appx SW is around 330
I guess it is pretty much what FAA uses (his SW might be 10points higher though)
It plays extremely great. Swings smooth and easy. Great control. Very good spin. But what strikes me the most is its feel. It is not typical Babolat feel. Kind of unique frame in that term.
It is the first racket I prefer not using dampener in. The feel is raw and dampened at the same time (kind of mixture of APD Original and Aero Storm GT) - something to do with the layup and thin (21.5) beam.
Sweetspot is not too small, but not that generous as in APD GT. But control is much better (I hated APD GT in this department). You need to be good prepared for any swing.
I play my best tennis with this racket since I finished using APD Original. I find that PA VS has that kind of unique raw feel of APDo, but without any vibration. Brilliant combo.
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Down_the_line
G.O.A.T.
Good to know!
Down_the_line
G.O.A.T.
Thank you for this response! That's great to know about the feel. It's the one thing I was a bit concerned about. Truly a unique frame I guess!
Down_the_line
G.O.A.T.
3 and 9 huh? This likely helps with stability on volleys, which is something I'm looking for in my setup, but how's the maneuverability after making those tweeks?
My weakness is at the net. I'm obviously working on that part of my game first and foremost but having a frame that's easy to handle helps.
Thanks @Russell Jiang !
Lavs
Hall of Fame
I actually tried it with 6g @ 9 and 3. But I ended up with 5g @ 12 instead. This gives me much more plow from the baseline and enough stability to handle big pacers and play at net, which I do from time to time only after really deep approach shots. I did not like weight at 9 and 3 so much - it looses maneuverability being a bit much to swing.
As another benefit to weight it @ 12 - I added weight under the bumper
But if you do go to net frequently and need stability then it makes sense to test it with weight @ 9 and 3, or may be @ 10 and 2.
Remember, no customized stick's SW is around 315 with not enough plow. Therefore you need to consider it and weight it up so that you have proper plow throw but without being too hefty. To me, with weight @ 12 it has just enough plow to be powerful with good control and maneuverability.
Down_the_line
G.O.A.T.
Thanks a lot. This is really helpful, especially since I have little experience with customization. I've been playing this game a long time, played a ton of different frames, but only now starting to take customization seriously. It can make a world of difference and save me trying different racquets!I actually tried it with 6g @ 9 and 3. But I ended up with 5g @ 12 instead. This gives me much more plow from the baseline and enough stability to handle big pacers and play at net, which I do from time to time only after really deep approach shots. I did not like weight at 9 and 3 so much - it looses maneuverability being a bit much to swing.
As another benefit to weight it @ 12 - I added weight under the bumper
But if you do go to net frequently and need stability then it makes sense to test it with weight @ 9 and 3, or may be @ 10 and 2.
Remember, no customized stick's SW is around 315 with not enough plow. Therefore you need to consider it and weight it up so that you have proper plow throw but without being too hefty. To me, with weight @ 12 it has just enough plow to be powerful with good control and maneuverability.
I think it makes sense to try your setup first. If I find I still want more heft I'll try 3 and 9, 10 and 2 etc. and see what works best.
Again, thanks for all the input!
Lavs
Hall of Fame
You are welcome
Best bet would be to try different setups and test each thoroughly and then stick with the one you feel and play the best with.
I had been testing few setups during few months before I eventually ended up with what I use now regularly.
Also curious about people's setups, I've recently come back to this frame after intially going to high with the sw (swingweight was in the 340's, felt like the perfect racquet for 1 set)
Settled in this time around with a leather grip, tourna overgrip, 2g at 3 and 2g at 9, balance is about 32.7, sw about mid 330's. Haven't really settled on strings yet but have been playing Cyclone mains poly tour fire crosses at about 47 pounds.
I may try something's similar to @Lavs setup at some stage, seems like the the most important thing for me is to keep the sw in the 330's, as others have mentioned it has a pretty unique feel and comfortable for the specs.
Should probably also mention my 2 were a bit over spec 297g ~5mm more head heavy than advertised.
Lavs
Hall of Fame
I don't find it under powered racket at all. And I use Luxilon 4G
At which tension you have yours strung?
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flipflap
Rookie
23.5 kg, I have one strung up with 4g, don't really ike it but maybe shoud give it another try.
I usually put rpm blast in all my rackets, for me the best poly. Tried yonex poly tour strike recently in a pure aero and found the feel quite comparable with RPM Blast, less spin though
I usually put rpm blast in all my rackets, for me the best poly. Tried yonex poly tour strike recently in a pure aero and found the feel quite comparable with RPM Blast, less spin though
Lavs
Hall of Fame
When you decide to give 4G another chance, try to string 2kg lower. I hope it would be enough to feel a bit more power. And make sure it is in 17 gauge (not 16)
Down_the_line
G.O.A.T.
Update: Going to give them more of a chance but I just can't handle the stiffness. The place I bought the from indicated an RA of 67 but I'm Babolat's official site it says 72!! I'm inclined to believe that.
My gf loves them so if I decide to pass they won't be wasted. I'll gladly give them to her.
My gf loves them so if I decide to pass they won't be wasted. I'll gladly give them to her.
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
You are welcome
Best bet would be to try different setups and test each thoroughly and then stick with the one you feel and play the best with.
I had been testing few setups during few months before I eventually ended up with what I use now regularly.
Is Felix still using the RPM rough ? that is actually a very good string. i was surprised how good of control it had and with decent power too for a poly
innoVAShaun
G.O.A.T.
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