Help me choose 2 racquets

S

steinfeld

New User
Hello,

Let me introduce myself. I'm about a 3.0 player, who has just started playing again. After not making the cut in varsity soccer, I've decided to focus on my other favorite sport: tennis. My goal is to get more serious about tennis and to start playing competitively in tournaments. I have little to none knowledge about tennis gear, but I've read a lot of informative articles and racquet reviews.

Unfortunately, there are no local shops around my area that will let me demo racquets. I think the best type of racquet for an intermediate player like myself would be a control oriented racquet.

Here is a list of racquets available at the store. They seem to carry the more marketable racquets.

BABOLAT
-AeroPro Drive GT (nadal)
-Pure Drive GT
-Pure Drive 2012
-Pure Drive (roddick)

HEAD
-Youtek IG Speed 18x20 (djokovic)
-Youtek IG Radical Pro (murray)

WILSON
-BLX Pro Staff Six.One 90 (federer)
-BLX Juice Pro / 100 (forget which one)

Please help me pick 2 racquets and explain to me why. Any input is much appreciated.
 
Pure drive because of the brute power and the juice pro for when you get a little better, it's a bit harder to play with than the pure drive
 
You have listed some very different rackets there....

How strong are you, I suppose if you're a soccer player than you could be quite fit so Pure Drive Roddick is a good choice. What kind of game would your like to play? Do you like to hit the ball as hard as you can from the baseline or are you more crafty?
 
Thanks for the replies.

@babolatbarry: You have to be more specific as I've listed 3 Pure Drive models.

@henryshli: I'm 5"6 @ 145 lbs. I workout almost everyday, so overall I am pretty strong. I play to win =). I'm not quite sure about my game style, but I can say that I love hitting hard forehand groundstrokes so most of the time im at the baseline, and I'll attack the net when I see the opportunity. I hope that helps.
 
I would go for the 2012 Pure Drives because IMO there are better than previous models.

Pure Drives are very versatile, plenty of power, good spin, good serves and good volleys and suitable for intermediate as well as advance players......it may sound a bit too good to be true but there is a reason why it is so popular.

I suggested Pure Drive Roddick because it is heavier than the standard PD which I own. I found my PD was just a little too light and I needed more plow. I've added 4g of lead at 3 and 9 on my PD and it is now much much better.

If you are looking to buy two rackets then may be you can get a standard PD as well as a Roddick version. You can always add lead to the PD if you do prefer the heavier stick.
 
steinfeld said:
Hello,

Let me introduce myself. I'm about a 3.0 player, who has just started playing again. After not making the cut in varsity soccer, I've decided to focus on my other favorite sport: tennis. My goal is to get more serious about tennis and to start playing competitively in tournaments.
Click to expand...

IG Radical Pro sounds like a safe bet, considering you want to develop competitive game. As you are young and supposedly athletic, extra heft (compared to tweeners) will not be much of a problem and will help you develop proper technique. Most people agree that it is one of the arm friendliest racquets on the market, suited for modern top spin/power game.

Control frames, such as Six.One 90, require old-school approach to technique development. On the other side of the spectrum, super powerful frames like AeroPro and Pure Drive with full poly stringbeds can spoil you into some bad habits and cost you some arm problems in the long run. IG Radical Pro seems like more balanced solution for your development from 3.0 to a competitive player.
 
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I can't recommend one but I can tell you that the Wilson BLX Pro Staff is not for a 3.0 player. It has a smaller head and requires good stroke technique. IMO, it would be like learning golf with bladed irons instead of cavity backs.
 
I am also a big fan (not a fanboy) of the Pure Drive 2012 model. The thing about that racquet is that if you are taking full swings and are a strong guy, you will have a missle launcher on your hands unless your form is good and you can put some spin on it. I bought one but didn't use it until I worked out some kinks in my game with a different OS racquet. Once my form came around, the Pure Drive changed my game for the better. It's a great stick.
 
You have a good list to choose from. You are probably strong enough to choose any of them. I don't know if I would eliminate the lighter entries because some players prefer their manueverability and you can always add lead. The APDGT is one of the lightest on your list, but Nadal is obviously very strong and adds lead to it.

I'll go with the easy/lame answer, which is to demo all of them and pick your favorites. With that in mind, here are some tidbits to help in your decision:

- The Babolats on your list are stiffer and less arm-friendly than the other racquets. Chances are, a young guy like you can handle the harshness, but if your arm begins to feel twinges, that's probably something to consider.

- The Babolats and the Juice will have more power than other racquets. If you have a slow swing, the power might help. If you have a fast swing, you would need to be good at applying topspin to keep the ball in.

- The heavier racquets are the Roddick, both Heads, the Pro Staff 6.1 90, and Juice Pro. They will give more plow against heavy hitters. The lighter racquets will be easier to manuever and make it easier to prepare early and apply extra spin. That being said, I don't think you'll find any of the racquets to be excessively heavy, and all of them will be fine against heavy hitters.

- The Pro Staff 6.1 90 is the least powerful with the smallest head. When I grew up, these kind of racquets were supposed to be good for all players including beginners and intermediates because of their control. Now the prevailing wisdom is that these type of racquets are only supposed to be for advanced players. Bottom line is: lots of control, low power, and a small head which doesn't leave as much room for off-center hits.
 
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At the 3.0 level, doesn't matter which ones you play with. You're still learning core mechanics, and you'll adapt. The two rackets you CANNOT get are the Wilson 90 and Juice Pro. They're too hard for you to use right now. the others are fair game.

Those two Head rackets are easy enough to use now, and they'll give you room to improve in the future. The Babolats are instant power now, but it'll be too much racket for you in a few years. Given that you're in high school, instant gratification can be a good idea (Babolat), but understand that you'll be switching to a lower powered racket in 4-5 yrs.

In 4-5 years, you'll start considering the PS90. That's IF you get good enough.

My suggestion for now, get a Pure Drive (for instant gratification) and a Speed (to allow you to learn to improve). Buy a used nCode 90 for $40 when you feel like really, really learning good tennis.
 
Not many choices...

I would avoid the Babolats. They are unnecessarily stiff and powerful, especially if you want control rackets. I think a less powerful frame is better for developing your strokes.The Fed frame is probably quite a handful though... Maybe the Speed 18x20? It's not very stiff, has quite low swingweight, has a big face, weight is moderate, and 18x20 might add some control...
 
personally, I demo-ed all of those rackets. And my taste, I like a racket that is solid, powerful, and control. So I bought pure drive gt, federer six.one 90, aero pro drive, and a prestiges. 4 different rackets and you could ask why did I bought 4 different rackets and I can answer with because I like a challenge.
 
Why don't you pay $20 and use the TW demo program. They will mail you 4 rackets to try for a week.

I don't think any of the rackets on the list are ideal.

Try a Dunlop 300 or a Head Radical or a Volkl PB 295 or the older model of Wilson Pro Open.
 
steinfeld said:
Hello,

Let me introduce myself. I'm about a 3.0 player, who has just started playing again. After not making the cut in varsity soccer, I've decided to focus on my other favorite sport: tennis. My goal is to get more serious about tennis and to start playing competitively in tournaments. I have little to none knowledge about tennis gear, but I've read a lot of informative articles and racquet reviews.

Unfortunately, there are no local shops around my area that will let me demo racquets. I think the best type of racquet for an intermediate player like myself would be a control oriented racquet.

Here is a list of racquets available at the store. They seem to carry the more marketable racquets.

BABOLAT
-AeroPro Drive GT (nadal)
-Pure Drive GT
-Pure Drive 2012
-Pure Drive (roddick)

HEAD
-Youtek IG Speed 18x20 (djokovic)
-Youtek IG Radical Pro (murray)

WILSON
-BLX Pro Staff Six.One 90 (federer)
-BLX Juice Pro / 100 (forget which one)

Please help me pick 2 racquets and explain to me why. Any input is much appreciated.
Click to expand...

I'm you dude... I'm a sophomore in high school. Why don't you use tw instead they've got a nice demo program. Look into solinco rackets. But if it has to be this selection the babolats are the easiest to use.
 
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