Help with a new racquet (?) for my wife

[guilhermefdc]

Hi everybody!

I'm looking for a new racquet for my wife, but I'm unsure of which way to go.

Context:
- About her tennis: she's a 2.5-3.0 equivalent (she is allowed to play on both leagues) who enjoys practicing and playing matches against her friends - currently using the Graphene Touch Radical S. She still regularly takes lessons, but tennis isn't her primary racquet sport - that would be beach tennis. As a result of the technical differences, her forehands (specially) are hit rather flat, slapping the ball constantly. She is able to produce spin, but even then her shots are going long, so she stops the motion midway through - like she does in beach tennis - and now they are flat, but going to the fence.
- Why I think the might need a new racquet: I've tried switching her from pure multis (X1, NRG2) to Triax, with some mild success - specially on her backhand (where she can sustain rallies quite well for her level) and serve (she has probably the best serve among the girls/guys I've seen her practicing/playing with). Her forehands are only mildly improved - she has a little bit more confidence hitting with spin, but not a lot. I didn't really want to put her on poly, as beach tennis is already an injury prone sport… Her racquet has a rather low static weight and a 16/19 pattern which is somewhat tight in the sweetspot (even in a 102 sq.in frame - tighter than my Speed MP).

I am aware that the best answer is probably: "she should get more lessons and practice more", but that isn't a realistic option - she prefers her beach tennis (Brazil's equivalent of padel/pickeball in terms of competing with tennis) and will prioritize that over more tennis lessons. The idea is to mitigate her technical deficiencies with a different setup, so she could hit more confidently and have more fun on the court.

The thing is: my usual answers (slightly thinner beam, more open string pattern, etc) are hampered by the inevitable increase in mass and swingweight. I was even thinking of letting her try my Speed MPs, but they are strung with a copoly @ mid 50s - my guess is that she'll like it, but it's not really a safe option for her arm.

Does anybody have any ideas?

 

[BumElbow]

I have several racquets including a Head Graphene Touch Radical S - a racquet I have mixed feeling about. It's quite flexible and comfortable and light. Also, your wife seems to be playing with a Continental grip or something close to it making it hard to hit topspin on her forehand. I would suggest going with a racquet with a slightly denser string pattern, e.g., 16 x 20, compared to her current racquet's more open 16 x 19. My recommendation is that you consider a Head Gravity MP (100 sq. inches) or a Gravity Team (104 sq. inch head size). The slightly more dense string pattern will help control flat shots but is not as extreme as 18 x 20 or 18 x 19 string patterns. I have both a Gravity S original (now Team) and a Gravity Auxetic MP. Be sure to get an Auxetic version as they are much more comfortable than the harsh feeling original version. The Gravity MP is fairly light at 295 grams in weight. I think the Gravity Team is 285 grams. Both are flexible and comfortable. Playtesting is strongly suggested. I string them with Head Velocity 16 ga. or Head syngut also 16 ga. at 53 lbs.

 

[AmericanTwist]

Get her a midflex 62-64ra iframe n 98-100" size. Your choice of brands and models. Another important factor is the grip size. Gap between fingers and palm should be 3-5mm.