Haven't played in a long time - some equipment questions

[Hersh]

Hello. I have not played tennis since 2003. I grew up a tennis brat and played at a pretty high level and simply burned out, but now I have the itch to join a local league. I'm 37 and in pretty decent shape. I'm completely lost on what new sticks and string to purchase.

I used to play a head light racquet. The last one I used was a Prince Graphite 2. I would string it tighter than recommended, like 66 lbs.

I've heard no one strings racquets that tight anymore. Is that true?

I used to have a stringer and would routinely break a set of strings every 3 days or so. However, I can't afford 3 new racquets. How long to strings last these days?

Any recommendations on more modern racquets and strings for me?

 

[RaiderRed]

Back around the same time I used Prince frames like the Warrior, Thundercloud, and Lightning and would get them strung over 60 pounds too. I broke strings every week but loved the way I played. Because you were a string breaker like I was, I'd recommend using a poly/synthetic hybrid. I use a non textured poly in the mains at 52 pounds, and a decent bargain synthetic in my crosses at 56 pounds. This will give you long life and playability at the same time. Do NOT even consider stringing a poly close to 60 or higher or you will kill your arm. I go months without breaking a string at my current setup and now cut out my strings when the poly goes dead feeling.

I now have switched to Yonex, because of their quality control in making two frames very close to original spec, and I love the way the ball pockets when I hit. Many people on these threads would say you should demo some of the Prince Textreme line, Wilson blade, 6.1 95, Yonex Ezone, Yonex VCore, and Babolat

 

[jonestim]

Were you using the Graphite 2 OS (107) or Graphite 2 Midplus (95)?

99% of people don't string that tight.

If you were using the Midplus, that was a 14x18 string pattern and was a string eater. They should last longer with a newer racquet because you will have a more closed pattern (16x18, 16x19 or 18x20), and you realistically won't be hitting as hard as you did when you were 22.

If you do start breaking strings quickly you are a good candidate for poly strings. They last longer, but should still be replaced after 10-15 hours whether you break them or not. If you leave them in you risk your arm health.

There are plenty of good racquets that are one model old and are on sale. No need for the newest. Also look in the used section here. Many folks upgrading to new racquets are selling pairs of older ones. Depending on condition and what you are looking for you should be able to get a pair for around $200. A pair is probably all you need right now.

Try something in the mid 11 oz range, less than 68 stiffness and probably around 98-100. Prince Textreme Warrior, Yonex DR 98, Wilson Blade 98, Babolat Pure Pure Strike. Those would all probably be fine.

It may be nice to also try a stiffer Babolat (pure drive, pure aero) just to see what they are about, but watch out if you have any twinge in the elbow.

May be worth hitting a smaller frame like a Phantom 93p just to see what it is about. Strings will last longer and it is very precise.

Demo demo demo.

 

[jonestim]

Were you using the Graphite 2 OS (107) or Graphite 2 Midplus (95)?

99% of people don't string that tight.

If you were using the Midplus, that was a 14x18 string pattern and was a string eater. They should last longer with a newer racquet because you will have a more closed pattern (16x18, 16x19 or 18x20), and you realistically won't be hitting as hard as you did when you were 22.

If you do start breaking strings quickly you are a good candidate for poly strings. They last longer, but should still be replaced after 10-15 hours whether you break them or not. If you leave them in you risk your arm health.

There are plenty of good racquets that are one model old and are on sale. No need for the newest. Also look in the used section here. Many folks upgrading to new racquets are selling pairs of older ones. Depending on condition and what you are looking for you should be able to get a pair for around $200. A pair is probably all you need right now.

Try something in the mid 11 oz range, less than 68 stiffness and probably around 98-100. Prince Textreme Warrior, Yonex DR 98, Wilson Blade 98, Babolat Pure Pure Strike. Those would all probably be fine.

It may be nice to also try a stiffer Babolat (pure drive, pure aero) just to see what they are about, but watch out if you have any twinge in the elbow.

May be worth hitting a smaller frame like a Phantom 93p just to see what it is about. Strings will last longer and it is very precise.

Dem

 

[Hersh]

It was definitely a mid-plus and not oversize. I remember thinking it the head was too big at the time, but grew to like it a lot. This was the last racquet I used. Before that, it was a Wilson Pro Staff. The one that had like orange, red, and black colors. Before that, I had a 90 sq inch head from Dunlop that was 1 inch long. It was the racquet that Mark Philippoussis used. I loved that racquet but couldn't find them anymore. I doubt anyone remembers that racquet.

Thanks for the advice. I'll see about demoing some of these options.

 

[Shroud]

Hello. I have not played tennis since 2003. I grew up a tennis brat and played at a pretty high level and simply burned out, but now I have the itch to join a local league. I'm 37 and in pretty decent shape. I'm completely lost on what new sticks and string to purchase.

I used to play a head light racquet. The last one I used was a Prince Graphite 2. I would string it tighter than recommended, like 66 lbs.

I've heard no one strings racquets that tight anymore. Is that true?

I used to have a stringer and would routinely break a set of strings every 3 days or so. However, I can't afford 3 new racquets. How long to strings last these days?

Any recommendations on more modern racquets and strings for me?

Polys are stiffer so people dont string them as high. That said I was playing the Precision graphite before I took 15 years off.

It was a long road but now I string kevlar/poly at high tensions. If you are coming from small heads to bigger heads you may find you need to string a bit tighter depending on the kind of string.

If you try poly then start with a softer copoly within the recommended range and adjust from there going up in tension or up in string stiffness.

Imho Prince screwed up their racquets with the oports and goofy grommets. Some of their sticks still have real grommets so look at those.

Demo is your friend.

 

[Dartagnan64]

I string my POG 107 at 62 lbs and it definitely needs higher tensions.

But most people are using polyester strings these days which definitely need lower tensions for 90% of rec players. Even gut strings are frequently being strung at mid 50's in a gut/poly hybrid.

I'd suggest looking at the following rackets:
1) Wilson Blade line
2) Prince Phantom line
3) Yonex Ezone DR line

I'd probably stay away from the really light and stiff sticks like Babolat Pure Drives and Pure Aeros if you are just getting back to the game. While many folks can handle them fine, they definitely have wrecked a few elbows.

AS for strings, it sounds like you are a string breaker so a soft co-poly strung in the mid to high 40's would be a good consideration. I'm not a poly user so others could likely steer you to good options.

 

[Hersh]

I used to have a pretty big forehand and played an inside-out type of game. I couldn't keep anything in the court if it wasn't strung really tight. I'm blown away that players string their racquets so light these days. The strings must have changed a lot. When I was playing, it was all about Prince Synthetic Gut and it was cheap and I had my own stringer, so you'd just buy reels of it and string up a few racquets a week before tournament weekends.

Of course, I am a lot older and haven't played in a really long time. Excited to try out the new equipment, especially the newer strings.

 

[Shroud]

I used to have a pretty big forehand and played an inside-out type of game. I couldn't keep anything in the court if it wasn't strung really tight. I'm blown away that players string their racquets so light these days. The strings must have changed a lot. When I was playing, it was all about Prince Synthetic Gut and it was cheap and I had my own stringer, so you'd just buy reels of it and string up a few racquets a week before tournament weekends.

Of course, I am a lot older and haven't played in a really long time. Excited to try out the new equipment, especially the newer strings.

Yeah man low tension doesnt work for me either. So its best to experiment. Remember that stiffness of the stringbed is both tension and the stiffness of the strings. Syngut is fairly soft compared to poly so poly at a lower tension may give you the same stiffness you need in you stringbed as syngut strung tighter.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Yeah man low tension doesnt work for me either. So its best to experiment. Remember that stiffness of the stringbed is both tension and the stiffness of the strings. Syngut is fairly soft compared to poly so poly at a lower tension may give you the same stiffness you need in you stringbed as syngut strung tighter.

Admittedly, Shroud, you aren't really hitting with a "modern frame". More like Thor's hammer. Mjolnir.

 

[Shroud]

Admittedly, Shroud, you aren't really hitting with a "modern frame". More like Thor's hammer. Mjolnir.

Fwiw I am using the blx 2. Its light and stiff and uber powerful. Only have it weighted up to 337. Much more of a modern frame than the profile. Its a bit light but i am enjoying the maneuverability

 

[Dartagnan64]

Fwiw I am using the blx 2. Its light and stiff and uber powerful. Only have it weighted up to 337. Much more of a modern frame than the profile. Its a bit light but i am enjoying the maneuverability

Cool. Thought you were still using that Profile monster. Although I'd not consider the BLX 2 a modern frame. It's more of a Head TiS6 clone. Some might call it a granny stick but I know Shroud will weight it up to remove that stigma.

I think if we are imagining the more modern frames we are thinking 98-100 sq in 11-11.5 oz 16x19 frames around 65-70 RA.

 

[Shroud]

Cool. Thought you were still using that Profile monster. Although I'd not consider the BLX 2 a modern frame. It's more of a Head TiS6 clone. Some might call it a granny stick but I know Shroud will weight it up to remove that stigma.

I think if we are imagining the more modern frames we are thinking 98-100 sq in 11-11.5 oz 16x19 frames around 65-70 RA.

Ok ok. I was using the Burn 100s. That has to count.

Was hitting with a guy using a wooden racquet. My blx was producing too much spin for him and he was framing alot. Let him hit with the Burn. He hit much better. Ended ip giving it to him. It was strung with kevlar/prince tourna poly at 86/86. He seemed to be ok with it.

Yep was looking at the TiS6 but reviews said it crackd easy so I never bought one.

If they made a light racquet that was stiff but 100” i would jump all over it. But no one makes a 100” with an ra over 73 that is under 300g...

 

[Dartagnan64]

Burn definitely counts.

And my arm goes totally numb whenever I read your racket adventures. How you don’t get TE is beyond me.

 

[n8dawg6]

It was long.

thats what she said

 

[LaZeR]

Hello. I have not played tennis since 2003. I grew up a tennis brat and played at a pretty high level and simply burned out, but now I have the itch to join a local league. I'm 37 and in pretty decent shape. I'm completely lost on what new sticks and string to purchase. I've heard no one strings racquets that tight anymore. Is that true?

Absolutely true. Especially given the trendy influx of harder Poly strings, arm/wrist/shoulder issues, tennis elbow, etc, players now string mains at less than 50lbs and some extremists go lower than 30. If cross strings are softer, tension them 2 to 4 lbs higher, and vice versa if harder.

Just starting up again you might like to go with multi or syn gut mains at around 54lbs, or natural gut if you wanna spend the extra moola $$$. Work your way up to round, soft, smooth, (co)Poly mains.

I used to have a stringer and would routinely break a set of strings every 3 days or so. However, I can't afford 3 new racquets. How long to strings last these days?

Holding your strung racquet close to your ear, smack the stringbed with your open hand, or a wooden spoon, or pen, etc, and if you do not hear a "ping", or it just sounds extremely flat or thuddy, then it's time to re-string. If there's a slight "ping" you're still good.

Any recommendations on more modern racquets and strings for me?

RACQUETS ~ go with the following: 1) at least 11oz strung, 2) a more OPEN string pattern if SMALLER than a 100 sq inch head, 3) a more CLOSED string pattern if LARGER than a 100 sq inch head, and d) at least a couple points Head Light.

Another thing to keep in mind regarding racquets ~ stiffness around 60 is extremely boring & feels unsatisfactory. Stiffness around 70+ is lotsa fun but could be bad for your arm so make sure you implement top spin. Just starting up again you might like to go with stiffness around 66 +/-. And, "extended length" racquets are kindy gimmicky ~ the shorter the better.

Tennis racquets are sold at over 100% profit on margin. Look for previous year models, sales, clearance, etc, and save lotsa moola $$$.

STRINGS ~ order a couple reels from Golden Set, and not only will you save lotsa moola right off the bat, additional discounts will be applied. When it's time for re-stringing, cut out the stringing pattern lengths LESS ONE FOOT for mains & crosses, and take everything to your stringer.

THANKS!!

 

[DanS]

Well, I didn't realize you had two identical threads going at the same time, I'll repost it:

Prince Phantom 93P - just wanted to beat everyone to it! lol

Seriously though, they are right about demoing. Prince is still a good place to start. They still make flexible frames like the entire Phantom line (I have a couple Phantom Pro 100P's), and the Tour line is great as well, albeit a tad stiffer over all. The biggest plus is that you're already used to the Prince grip shape. Another great, arm friendly racquet is the Wilson Ultra Tour.

Also, don't shy away from the For Sale or Trade forum on here to save yourself some money! Not everyone can afford to buy 3 racquets at $220 a pop.... Myself included!

Good luck, and glad to see you back!

 

[fuzz nation]

It was definitely a mid-plus and not oversize. I remember thinking it the head was too big at the time, but grew to like it a lot. This was the last racquet I used. Before that, it was a Wilson Pro Staff. The one that had like orange, red, and black colors. Before that, I had a 90 sq inch head from Dunlop that was 1 inch long. It was the racquet that Mark Philippoussis used. I loved that racquet but couldn't find them anymore. I doubt anyone remembers that racquet.

Thanks for the advice. I'll see about demoing some of these options.

I'll bet that the Dunlop you're talking about was some generation of the Revelation - never played that one myself. I also used a ProStaff a while back - sounds like you're referring to the 6.1 Classic, which is sometimes referred to as "the Edberg racquet". A true gem for any avid serve and volley player, but I switched from that into a more flexible alternative with similar weight and balance that gave me more control around the baseline a the stability I like.

LOTS of racquets these days are what I consider to be middle-weights (10.8-11.3 oz.) that are also rather stiff. It sounds like you were using frames with more heft and probably some extra flex back before your break. Prince was suggested above - not a bad idea considering that the grip profile may feel rather familiar for you. I haven't tried their new Phantoms, but if I wanted to sample anything different today, I'd give one or two of those a whirl.

Babolats have become super popular - you'll see lots of their Pure Drives and Pure Aeros (or Aero Pro Drives) in your travels, along with similar frames from other labels. Many racquets like these are rather quick and powerful, but they can be tough to control without a less lively string bed, especially for stronger hitters. So lots of these racquets have beds of poly or poly hybrids.

While I can appreciate your excitement in terms of trying some of this new stuff, it's important to understand that this newer trend of racquet and string combos offers a trade-off. While they might allow some players to swing bigger with more control, they're not for everyone. Poly (and newer co-poly) plays a bit more "dead" than other string types like syn. gut or multifiber because the polys are typically less resilient than those other strings. That means more impact shock can be transmitted into a player's arm, which is VERY not good if that player has less than very good technique/swing mechanics.

If you try this and that among the newer string options, proceed with some degree of awareness and caution. Poly hybrids can be much easier on the arm than some full beds of poly, especially when the poly is a lighter gauge. You may love some of these new strings, but if your trials with something give you a grumpy elbow, get back into a moderately soft string when you can. Syn. gut is still around and can be great for lots of players - I string at home and use it all the time.

My racquet recommendation is to look over what's available from Volkl. My switch from the 6.1 Classic happened when I discovered their C10, which plays great for me strung with a snug bed of 16 ga. syn. gut (58-60 lbs.). This frame has a bit of its own personality (semi old-school layout with a larger, more modern 98" head) and isn't for everybody. Fortunately though, Volkl has a number of decent players these days - I'm very eager to try their V-Sense 10 Tour and maybe also their V-Sense 10 mid.

 

[nvr2old]

I’d seriously consider a Prince phantom 93 or 100p. Great new/old racquet tech and feel.