Interview with Nate Ferguson at 2009 BNP IW (also talks about racquet specs)

Jack & Coke

Jack & Coke

Professional
Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eql8Jnpa9Bs


Here are some short notes from the interview:
  • Monfis and Safin string string tension = upper 20's kg (60+ lbs)
  • Djokovic string tension = 27-28 kg (60 - 62 lbs)
  • Federer string tension around 22 kg (48-49 lbs)
  • Wawrinka is 30 kg mains, 28 kg crosses (66 lbs and 62 lbs)
  • Federer racquet.. 4 ⅜ grip, 27", not a lot of lead in the head, but they sneak a little under the bumper at the top, string in 40's (lbs)
  • Gael Monfis' racquet.. [comparing it to the K90 that Nate was holding] "it is a much more manly racquet.." big handle, very club-like, got a lot of weight in the head, string tight with all lux
  • Andy Murray's racquet.. Radical, custom handle - somewhere between a 4 ⅜ and 4 ½, lux mains, nat gut crosses, custom pallet shape that they widen out just a little bit..
  • Djokovic's racquet.. 2 overgrips on a 4 ½ handle, leather grip underneigth, lead tape under the bumper guard, nat gut mains, lux crosses..
  • Marat Safin's racquet.. full lux BB original, 28-29 kg
  • Fernando Gonzales' racquet.. just over 27", added weight to the head, full lux BB ALU rough, custom big butt cap flare
  • Mardy Fish's racquet.. 27.5", 4 1/2 handle, 18 x 20, custom weight and bal, nat gut mains, lux crosses, 55 lbs.
 
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Wow that is very informative!
The Roger Federer racquet: "Just like you can buy it at the stores" ... "We sneak a little lead under the bumper guard"

Finally!
 
Jack & Coke said:
Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eql8Jnpa9Bs


Here are some short notes from the interview:
  • Monfis and Safin string string tension = upper 20's kg (60+ lbs)
  • Djokovic string tension = 27-28 kg (60 - 62 lbs)
  • Federer string tension around 22 kg (48-49 lbs)
  • Wawrinka is 30 kg mains, 28 kg crosses (66 lbs and 62 lbs)
  • Federer racquet.. 4 ⅜ grip, 27", not a lot of lead in the head, but they sneak a little under the bumper at the top, string in 40's in lbs.
  • Gael Monfis' racquet.. [comparing it to the K90 that Nate was holding] "it is a much more manly racquet.." big handle, very club-like, got a lot of weight in the head, string tight with all lux
  • Andy Murray's racquet.. Radical, custom handle - somewhere between a 4 ⅜ and 4 ½, lux mains, nat gut crosses, custom head shape that they widen out just a little bit..
  • Djokovic's racquet.. 2 overgrips on a 4 ½ handle, leather grip underneigth, lead tape under the bumper guard, nat gut mains, lux crosses..
  • Marat Safin's racquet.. full lux BB original, 28-29 kg
  • Fernando Gonzales' racquet.. just over 27", added weight to the head, full lux BB ALU rough, custom big butt cap flare
  • Mardy Fish's racquet.. 27.5", 4 1/2 handle, 18 x 20, custom weight and bal, nat gut mains, lux crosses, 55 lbs.
Click to expand...

Great video. Thanks for sharing the link with us.

The video left me wondering about something.... When Nate held Djokovic and Safin's racquets, he said they use "Head overgrips." I'm wondering if they're indeed using Head overgrips these days. I'm saying this because a while ago, there was a picture of Safin holding a pack of Wilson Pro overgrips.
 
Raiha said:
how exactly do they widen out the head of any murray's racquet?
Click to expand...

one way could be just by stringing it up....if he is actually playing a Radical, the heads of those tend to squat down in the process of stringing making the racquet wider in the hoop. it is also possible to lengthen <stretch> the head of racquets by the way you mount them in the stringer..this makes the racquet narrower in the hoop and slightly longer
 
great vid! i guess when he says luxilon ALU it means alu power and not rough as he said at 9:41 alu rufff. also what head overgrips do you think novak and marat use? lastly as he said like federer and novak use between x and y tension, does this mean they have the same tension on main and cross? cause he said wawrinka had different tensions but not novak..?
 
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I don't think the Fed racquet is straight up something you can buy in the store still.... It might just be advertising.

I as much as I'd like to believe I own the base racquet Fed plays with, I just think there's some level of customization at the racquet level (not lead or anything like that) that we just won't know about :(

But I like that it's as close as I can get to it without actually buying one off him :P
 
So Novaks frip is around 5/8?
Thats huge

Do any of you have an idea how much lead they put on Rogers stick?
 
Great interview....and once again someone who actually knows says that Fed's racquet is the same as the one you can purchase in the store...(with a few grams of lead at the 12 o'clock?)
 
^^Funny, because all my mg prestige mids, purchased from **** also had lead at 12 o'clock, even though I didn't request any specific specs, other than to make sure they matched STOCK SPECS specified by Head.

AND YES, MOJO>>>> THEY WERE STOCK FRAMES. :)
 
dincuss said:
So Novaks frip is around 5/8?
Thats huge

Do any of you have an idea how much lead they put on Rogers stick?
Click to expand...

FWIW, a Babolat #3 with an overgrip actually measures as 5/8, so it's not that big... unless you have a Babolat #5 and an overgrip, which would be huge.
 
drakulie said:
^^Funny, because all my mg prestige mids, purchased from **** also had lead at 12 o'clock, even though I didn't request any specific specs, other than to make sure they matched STOCK SPECS specified by Head.

AND YES, MOJO>>>> THEY WERE STOCK FRAMES. :)
Click to expand...

I don't some can handle the truth.
 
Ferguson was also credited in TENNIS magazine as saying '25% of pros use PJ's'--far less than many on this board would want you to believe.
 
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bladepdb said:
I don't think the Fed racquet is straight up something you can buy in the store still.... It might just be advertising.
Click to expand...
Nate Ferguson has no reason to advertise for Wilson. The players are his clients, not the racquet companies.
bladepdb said:
I as much as I'd like to believe I own the base racquet Fed plays with, I just think there's some level of customization at the racquet level (not lead or anything like that) that we just won't know about :(
Click to expand...
But why? Is it because you can't play as well with your K90 as Federer can with his? :confused:
 
I got to meet the STAR stringing guys at IW and also got to check out some of the players frames. It was a pretty cool experience for me because you hear so much about racquet customization and paint jobs and I've always been curious. I was there on the last saturday for the tourney so there were only a few racquets there. Most interesting were nadals racquets which had the specs listed for each individual frame, the weights and swingweights were all over the place, not one matched or customized. Same with ivanovic, all stock racquets with a sweet "ana" logo on them none matched or customized. The murray racquets were a pretty obvious PJ and had a lot of very specific specs requested.
 
Yep, the grip sizes surprise me and also, Djokovic and Fish nat. gut on mains!
GREAT INTERVIEW !!!!!
 
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NoBadMojo said:
one way could be just by stringing it up....if he is actually playing a Radical, the heads of those tend to squat down in the process of stringing making the racquet wider in the hoop. it is also possible to lengthen <stretch> the head of racquets by the way you mount them in the stringer..this makes the racquet narrower in the hoop and slightly longer
Click to expand...

from what I understood they customize the handle, not the racket head.
the handle is neither a 4 3/8 nor a 4 1/2, "based on the head shape that we widen up just a little bit".
Head (the company) shape referred to the grip, not to the racket head
 
TW CSR said:
I got to meet the STAR stringing guys at IW and also got to check out some of the players frames. It was a pretty cool experience for me because you hear so much about racquet customization and paint jobs and I've always been curious. I was there on the last saturday for the tourney so there were only a few racquets there. Most interesting were nadals racquets which had the specs listed for each individual frame, the weights and swingweights were all over the place, not one matched or customized. Same with ivanovic, all stock racquets with a sweet "ana" logo on them none matched or customized. The murray racquets were a pretty obvious PJ and had a lot of very specific specs requested.
Click to expand...

Sounds like Nadal can beat everyone with just about any racquet.
 
bladepdb said:
I don't think the Fed racquet is straight up something you can buy in the store still.... It might just be advertising.

I as much as I'd like to believe I own the base racquet Fed plays with, I just think there's some level of customization at the racquet level (not lead or anything like that) that we just won't know about :(

But I like that it's as close as I can get to it without actually buying one off him :P
Click to expand...

With Wilson quality control you could eventually find the right specs. But no it is not stock when they are putting lead under the bumper, you would need and even lower static and SW than what the TW specs are.
 
its more surprising seeing how many pro's use SMALL grips. everyone's reacting like a 4 1/2 is a huge grip, but i have small hands and by following the general rule on matching grips, i should be playing with a 4 5/8. djokovic's racquet is about halfway between a 1/2 and 5/8, if he doesn't have his grips heavily overlapped.

i could play with it, that's for sure (not well, but it's by no means huge)

i also though fishy used tournagrip, but did he change?
 
Gugafan said:
Interesting..Federer and Djokovic both use lead under the bumper guard.
Click to expand...

A few weeks back, I spoke over the phone with Warren Bosworth (mentor to Nate Fergusson) for a good length of time. He stressed to me at length the virtues of polarizing the lead weight added to a racquet. Most pros are adding lead at 12 o'clock and/or under the butt cap, but seldom under the grip and 3/9 o'clock these days. Try it, and you too will believe.
 
Raiha said:
how exactly do they widen out the head of any murray's racquet?
Click to expand...
giolp said:
from what I understood they customize the handle, not the racket head.
the handle is neither a 4 3/8 nor a 4 1/2, "based on the head shape that we widen up just a little bit".
Head (the company) shape referred to the grip, not to the racket head
Click to expand...

Ahh! I heard it as they made his frame rounder (short and wide) instead of oval. Indeed, maybe they were just talking about the grip!
 
giolp said:
from what I understood they customize the handle, not the racket head.
the handle is neither a 4 3/8 nor a 4 1/2, "based on the head shape that we widen up just a little bit".
Head (the company) shape referred to the grip, not to the racket head
Click to expand...
Good catch - amazing the way some people tried to make it a custom mold or intentional stringing warping!
 
i guess when he says luxilon ALU it means alu power and not rough as he said at 9:41 alu rufff. also what head overgrips do you think novak and marat use? lastly as he said like federer and novak use between x and y tension, does this mean they have the same tension on main and cross? cause he said wawrinka had different tensions but not novak..?
 
Nate wasn't referring to the head of the racquet when he said he widens the head shape of Murray's frame.

He was referring to his grip size being between a 3/8 and 1/2 and said "based on a Head shape that we widen out just a little bit. He plays with tournagrip."

So he builds a custom grip that is sized 4 7/16 and is wider that the normal Head grip with a tournagrip on top. It has nothing to do with the headshape(hitting area), but the Head pallet instead.
 
Lindsay said:
Nate wasn't referring to the head of the racquet when he said he widens the head shape of Murray's frame.

He was referring to his grip size being between a 3/8 and 1/2 and said "based on a Head shape that we widen out just a little bit. He plays with tournagrip."

So he builds a custom grip that is sized 4 7/16 and is wider that the normal Head grip with a tournagrip on top. It has nothing to do with the headshape(hitting area), but the Head pallet instead.
Click to expand...

Great catch, thanks for clarifying.
 
Lindsay said:
Nate wasn't referring to the head of the racquet when he said he widens the head shape of Murray's frame.

He was referring to his grip size being between a 3/8 and 1/2 and said "based on a Head shape that we widen out just a little bit. He plays with tournagrip."

So he builds a custom grip that is sized 4 7/16 and is wider that the normal Head grip with a tournagrip on top. It has nothing to do with the headshape(hitting area), but the Head pallet instead.
Click to expand...
Exactly correct. :)
 
Luxilon is making a killing.Some time soon I'll string this combo up.Good info, still tomorrow some one will post."any one know Fed's setup.Count on it.
 
Great thread and thanks for putting it out there. It supprises me that Fish is the only one playing with an stick that is extended.
 
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