Hantuchova-new blacked out racquet

S

Serena2

Rookie
Hey,

saw Daniela Hantuchova's match today in Dubai and seems she's switched from her Yonex NRSQ to a blacked out "experimental" type frame. I think it might be a Prince, and looks very similar to the one her doubles partner Ai Sugiyama was using yesterday.
 
I saw her on Eurosport, she was playing with a Prince O3 White, she wasn't playing a match, but was practising.
 
You can see the Prince butt cap on Hantuchova's frame on some pics.

Sugiyama, her doubles partner, must have influenced Hantuchova. It looks like they are both using the same Prince frame.
________
Honda That's history
 
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lacoster said:
You can see the Prince butt cap on Hantuchova's frame on some pics.

Sugiyama, her doubles partner, must have influenced Hantuchova. It looks like they are both using the same Prince frame.
Click to expand...

I wonder if it's a new speedport white, that will be coming out soon.
 
Yea it looks like a similar shape to the O3 White, but from what i can see it only has O-ports along the side of the frame.
 
Here is another shot.

73371438.jpg
 
am watching her now and the rcquet has a Prince P stenciled on it. It also has o ports at 3 9 & 12. still blacked out and using a yonex dampener
 
BiGGieStuFF said:
Everytime I see your name I think of Heroes. And yes it can touch the bottom cross, it just can't be placed anywhere above it.
Click to expand...

Didn't get the meaning of the first sentence.

Anyways, the rule is that the dampener cannot protrude into the area enclosed by the extreme mains and crosses. If it is touching the last cross, it must almost certainly be protruding, isn't it? Most people just push it all the way up. I was told by someone knowledgeable that is wrong.
 
BiGGieStuFF said:
That's still legal. Many pro players have their dampener that way, especially the ones who use the "O" dampener.
Click to expand...

True. But it is still illegal. I think it doesn't result in a competitive advantage, so no one bothers. Plus, how do you enforce it? Which umpire/linesperson can see the racquet that close and what happens if the position of the dampener shifts as shots are hit? It may be an "unenforceable" rule, designed to catch only some obvious gadgets which confer an advantage.
 
prince is losing a lot of money not having blake and hantuchova (if she did switch) for not having them representing any rqt they can have on the market. This is bad for them because blake has already peaked imo.
 
sureshs said:
True. But it is still illegal. I think it doesn't result in a competitive advantage, so no one bothers. Plus, how do you enforce it? Which umpire/linesperson can see the racquet that close and what happens if the position of the dampener shifts as shots are hit? It may be an "unenforceable" rule, designed to catch only some obvious gadgets which confer an advantage.
Click to expand...

the dampener still coincides with the rules of being placed outside of the pattern of the cross strings. the part that extends upward is not touching anything above the last cross.
 
sureshs said:
If you look carefully, the top edge of the dampener is clearly above the cross.
Click to expand...

When in doubt, refer to the official rules:

4. THE RACKET (OLD 4)
Rackets, which are approved for play under the Rules of Tennis, must
comply with the specifications in Appendix II.
The International Tennis Federation shall rule on the question of whether
any racket or prototype complies with Appendix II or is otherwise approved,
or not approved, for play. Such ruling may be undertaken on its own initiative, or upon application by any party with a bona fide interest therein, including any player, equipment manufacturer or National Association or members thereof. Such rulings and applications shall be made in accordance with the applicable Review and Hearing Procedures of the International Tennis Federation (see Appendix VI).
Case 1: Is more than one set of strings allowed on the hitting surface of a
racket?
Decision: No. The rule mentions a pattern (not patterns) of crossed
strings. (See Appendix II)
Case 2: Is the stringing pattern of a racket considered to be generally uniform and flat if the strings are on more than one plane?
Decision: No.
Case 3: Can vibration damping devices be placed on the strings of a racket? If so, where can they be placed?
Decision: Yes, but these devices may only be placed outside the pattern of the crossed strings.
===============

Carry on....
 
prince isnt losing money. trust me theyre a company theyre not stupid.

daniela hantuchova is already showing that shes sponsored by prince
73381643.jpg


how is that not representing a prince racquet??????

plus james isnt getting any money from prince till he uses a racquet that is the deal. that equals free advertisement from prince from him using their bag and showing on websites that he is endorsed by them. in my opinion thats not losing money at all. but then again thats just me.
 
The frame in the throat is a bit like the OPS, I've got them right here. They've got removeable grommets for the O port area. The frame she's hitting, is the same Experimental one that Sugiyama is, the Speedport Black.
 
....I hope she can at least 'show' this year...I've seen BOTH sides of her play....the 'top' side is DAMN good....good enough to at least GO with anybody out there....but.....yep....the 'other' side of her play is....a little sketchy ....
 
She has been playing with Prince the whole week. When she played against Elena Vesnina she didn't have the Prince Stencil. Yesterday against Maria Kirilenko she had the P stencil. The Getty Images photo above was taken on Feburary 21, 2007. I watched both matches and she is definitely using an O3 frame.
 
BiGGieStuFF said:
the dampener still coincides with the rules of being placed outside of the pattern of the cross strings. the part that extends upward is not touching anything above the last cross.
Click to expand...

psp2 said:
When in doubt, refer to the official rules:

Case 3: Can vibration damping devices be placed on the strings of a racket? If so, where can they be placed?
Decision: Yes, but these devices may only be placed outside the pattern of the crossed strings.
===============

Carry on....
Click to expand...

I am not an expert on this, but consider: the dampener being required to be placed outside can certainly be taken to mean the entire dampener.

Secondly, the placement is supposed to be outside the pattern. It does not talk about touching anything. The pattern can be interpreted as the boundaries of the strings, but protruding upwards in a 3D fashion (like the net is considered to be a plane for purposes of determining whether a player touched a ball on the other side of the court).
 
omg this has been laid to rest years ago, the dampener as it is, is fine. move on dude.
 
i think its interesting that a japanese player convinced hantuchova to switch from yonex (japanese) to prince (american). lol of course i know ai has been prince since forever and a half. remember when venus and serena were using unbranded yonnie's? yonex didn't offer it up to them and lost out imo.
 
ne1410is said:
i think its interesting that a japanese player convinced hantuchova to switch from yonex (japanese) to prince (american). lol of course i know ai has been prince since forever and a half. remember when venus and serena were using unbranded yonnie's? yonex didn't offer it up to them and lost out imo.
Click to expand...

Yonex also lost Jankovic to Prince for the right $$.
________
BMW VII A 7.3 HISTORY
 
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sureshs said:
Didn't get the meaning of the first sentence.

Anyways, the rule is that the dampener cannot protrude into the area enclosed by the extreme mains and crosses. If it is touching the last cross, it must almost certainly be protruding, isn't it? Most people just push it all the way up. I was told by someone knowledgeable that is wrong.
Click to expand...

Heroes, the NBC series :) one of the main characters is named Mohinder Suresh :D

Matt -
 
I think she should go back to the pure control + 2001 she used that is such a good stick and she was in the top 10 with it. She can be really good sometimes.
 
Well just for an info, I checked with my Prince rep about a week ago, he said he knew nothing about this. He may not received the info yet from the "higher power".
 
Reps are usually the last to know. As I said, I've got the Speedport Black Experimental here, along with the all gold Speedport Tour Experimental as well
 
why do you always say that? "trust me I should know" well, I know you are dying for someone to ask you, so please tell us why we should trust you. relish the attention but at least make something interesting up, please.
 
it is a prince 03 white, same specs as maria sharapova's. i have this from a reliable source. she will have the 03 white paint job very soon.
 
thomas martinez said:
Reps are usually the last to know. As I said, I've got the Speedport Black Experimental here, along with the all gold Speedport Tour Experimental as well
Click to expand...

LOL now I can totally believe that! What are reps good for? Talking... they'll say anything to get your attention and make some sales... I wouldn't want to give them anything semi-secret.
 
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