Guillermo Vilas racquet History

galain

galain

Hall of Fame
Hi Folks

I thought this was probably a better subforum to ask this instead the Players Gear one.

Just curious if anyone has a timeline of Vilas' racquets - I know he changed reasonably often and had a couple of signature frames amongst different manufacturers.

Many thanks in advance.
 
galain

galain

Hall of Fame
Thank you gents. Did he ever use a Head Graphite Edge? It was this clip I was watching yesterday that prompted my original question, but I can't quite catch what frame it is he's swinging. Thought it might have been the Graphite Edge but I don't know if the dates match.

 
DUROC

DUROC

Professional
galain said:
Thank you gents. Did he ever use a Head Graphite Edge? It was this clip I was watching yesterday that prompted my original question, but I can't quite catch what frame it is he's swinging. Thought it might have been the Graphite Edge but I don't know if the dates match.

Click to expand...
The HEAD royal had the similar shape and dark color of the Edge..........this match was just before he switched to Slazenger and his autograph model.
 
vsbabolat

vsbabolat

G.O.A.T.
galain said:
Thank you gents. Did he ever use a Head Graphite Edge? It was this clip I was watching yesterday that prompted my original question, but I can't quite catch what frame it is he's swinging. Thought it might have been the Graphite Edge but I don't know if the dates match.

Click to expand...
No, the Graphite Edge came out after he switched to Slazenger. Vilas is using the Royal there
 
BillKid

BillKid

Professional
Cool thread and awesome video
These guys used racquets that were far from our current spin machines
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
BillKid said:
Cool thread and awesome video
These guys used racquets that were far from our current spin machines
Click to expand...
Funny you should mention that. Vilas was playing in a 'seniors' event in Roswell, GA ca 1990/91 and I had never seen a ball drop like his forehand groundstrokes. The ball was a laser beam from baseline to opposite service line, then it dropped like a rock and jumped like crazy on the Har-Tru surface. You could "feel" the ball digging into the court on each shot.

That XRC must have been a proto(as it shows)...I never could get comfortable with the XRC, even though the local rep asked time and time again for me to use it instead of the Red Head. The Vector was the best of that bunch for me; but it really never caught on like the Graphite Edge. The graphite Vector was a serious tennis racket amongst the hollow, tinny frames of the day. All of them had too many strings and shared holes. I wish HEAD had consulted me when designing the string patterns. Oh, well...
 
DUROC

DUROC

Professional
Rabbit said:
Great photos. Looks like Head had the "Experimental" thing going way before Prince did it.
Click to expand...
Late 1976 GV was using a blacked out Vilas frame with "experimental" on it..............BUT in the spring of 1976 Vilas was testing out a single shaft Head frame that used used in part of the clay court season....pic 76 Monte Carlo
 
vsbabolat

vsbabolat

G.O.A.T.
DUROC said:
Late 1976 GV was using a blacked out Vilas frame with "experimental" on it..............BUT in the spring of 1976 Vilas was testing out a single shaft Head frame that used used in part of the clay court season....pic 76 Monte Carlo
Click to expand...
Very cool. I wonder if thats a Wilson Jack Kramer Autograph under the black paint.
 
DUROC

DUROC

Professional
vsbabolat said:
Very cool. I wonder if thats a Wilson Jack Kramer Autograph under the black paint.
Click to expand...
No it was like a Vilas but without the open throat. The shaft was flat and it looked like it had inlays of fiberglass.

It was just one of the early prototypes Head had made for GV..........by the US Open he was using the all black precursor to the Head Vilas that was released soon after.
 
B

BorgCash

Legend
DUROC said:
Late 1976 GV was using a blacked out Vilas frame with "experimental" on it..............BUT in the spring of 1976 Vilas was testing out a single shaft Head frame that used used in part of the clay court season....pic 76 Monte Carlo
Click to expand...
Cool picture.
 
federer777

federer777

Rookie
federer777

federer777

Rookie
vsbabolat said:
It’s says Master ‘74 on it. I would not be surprised if it was a painted Jack Kramer Autograph.
Vilas with the Royal
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you mean it is just a paint job, right?
thanks!
would you please send me a link of Vilas with Royal?
I could not open it, thanks!
 
MuseoArgentinodelTenis

MuseoArgentinodelTenis

New User
[QUOTE = "federer777, publicación: 13188796, miembro: 762722"]
uno de mis amigos me dijo que es Beliz Master 74, pero no pude encontrar nada al respecto.
[/ CITAR]
Hola, les cuento que la BELIZ "Master 74" que usó Vilas en 1975 era en realidad una Wilson Jack Kramer camuflada y que comercialmente se fabricaron 300 ejemplares, dicho por el propio fabricante de Argentina.
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=510167686028334&set=a.139487526429687
 
F

Frankc

Professional
Just wondering, any of you who have followed GV. Compared to many top players of that time, he seemed to run through a good many different racquets in his time. Was it simply $ , or was he an experimenter or did he tinker with his frames and strings?
 
MuseoArgentinodelTenis

MuseoArgentinodelTenis

New User
1º Sarina Niños, 2º Dunlop Blue Flash, 3º Dunlop Gold Wing, en su niñez.
4º wilson T-2000 1968 (ocasionalmente),
5 ° Dunlop Maxply (1969)
6º Wilson Jack Kramer (1974),
7º Spalding Pancho González (1975),
8º Beliz Master 74 (Jack Kramer pintada) (1975),
9º Jefe Vilas (1977-79),
10º Jefe XRC (1980))
11 ° Tour Slazenger de 1981,
12 ° Slazenger V24 (1982),
13 ° Puma G Vilas 1984,
14 °Puma Azul Puma (1985)
13º Puma G Vilas Power (1986)
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1154827652399796225
Vilas 1968 wilson T-2000
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1104756079902822&set=a.1104752196569877 Vilas Puma G Vilas Power 1986
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1104754679902962&set=a.1104752196569877 Vilas Puma Blue 1985
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1104758919902538&set=a.1104752196569877 vilas Head XRC
 
galain

galain

Hall of Fame
Just adding a question to my original in this thread.

Can anyone think of a player who's had more 'autograph' frames with different companies than Vilas?

By my reckoning (and thanks to @MuseoArgentinodelTenis ), Guillermo has had 3 different companies use his name to market their product. I can't think of anyone else like this.
 
B

BorgCash

Legend
MuseoArgentinodelTenis said:
1º Sarina Niños, 2º Dunlop Blue Flash, 3º Dunlop Gold Wing, en su niñez.
4º wilson T-2000 1968 (ocasionalmente),
5 ° Dunlop Maxply (1969)
6º Wilson Jack Kramer (1974),
7º Spalding Pancho González (1975),
8º Beliz Master 74 (Jack Kramer pintada) (1975),
9º Jefe Vilas (1977-79),
10º Jefe XRC (1980))
11 ° Tour Slazenger de 1981,
12 ° Slazenger V24 (1982),
13 ° Puma G Vilas 1984,
14 °Puma Azul Puma (1985)
13º Puma G Vilas Power (1986)
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1154827652399796225
Vilas 1968 wilson T-2000
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1104756079902822&set=a.1104752196569877 Vilas Puma G Vilas Power 1986
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1104754679902962&set=a.1104752196569877 Vilas Puma Blue 1985
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1104758919902538&set=a.1104752196569877 vilas Head XRC
Click to expand...
Jefe Vilas and Jefe XRC means Head i think?
 
MuseoArgentinodelTenis

MuseoArgentinodelTenis

New User
[QUOTE = "galain, publicación: 14793451, miembro: 266"]
Solo agrego una pregunta a mi original en este hilo.

¿Alguien puede pensar en un jugador que haya tenido más fotogramas de 'autógrafos' con diferentes compañías que Vilas?

Según mis cálculos (y gracias a [USER = 775578] @MuseoArgentinodelTenis [/ USER]), Guillermo ha tenido 3 empresas diferentes usando su nombre para comercializar su producto. No puedo pensar en nadie más así.
[/CITAR]
1975 BELIZ "Master 74"
1976 CABEZA "Vilas"
1981 SLAZENGER "Vilas Tour" (Final Copa Davis), "Vilas International", "Vilas Argentina", "Vilas Junior"
1982 SLAZENGER "Vilas V-24", "Vilas Signature".
1985 PUMA "G Vilas", "G Vilas Power"
 
galain

galain

Hall of Fame
MuseoArgentinodelTenis said:
[QUOTE = "galain, publicación: 14793451, miembro: 266"]
Solo agrego una pregunta a mi original en este hilo.

¿Alguien puede pensar en un jugador que haya tenido más fotogramas de 'autógrafos' con diferentes compañías que Vilas?

Según mis cálculos (y gracias a [USER = 775578] @MuseoArgentinodelTenis [/ USER]), Guillermo ha tenido 3 empresas diferentes usando su nombre para comercializar su producto. No puedo pensar en nadie más así.
[/CITAR]
1975 BELIZ "Master 74"
1976 CABEZA "Vilas"
1981 SLAZENGER "Vilas Tour" (Final Copa Davis), "Vilas International", "Vilas Argentina", "Vilas Junior"
1982 SLAZENGER "Vilas V-24", "Vilas Signature".
1985 PUMA "G Vilas", "G Vilas Power"
Click to expand...
Wow - even more than I thought! Thank you.
 
MuseoArgentinodelTenis

MuseoArgentinodelTenis

New User
[QUOTE = "galain, publicación: 14795803, miembro: 266"]
Vaya, ¡incluso más de lo que pensaba! Gracias.
[/CITAR]
Faltaron
1985 Puma "G Vilas" (Becker gana Wimbledon 1985 con las raquetas prestadas por Vilas) y "G Vilas Power"
 
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