Intuitive Tennis Racket Search

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Donmikan

Semi-Pro
A 6 5 tennis coach doesnt use a racket heavier than 305 grams. Why should a 3.5-4.0 player use something heavier? Shouldnt they go lighter?

Coach Nicks Final Play Test:
1. Wilson Shift 300g
2. Yonex Percept 100
3. Solinco Whiteout 305 XTD
4. Technifibre TFight 300
5. 2021 Babolat Pure Drive Plus

 
Yeah, I think he is so confusing about this. I don´t understand why a player of his caliber doesn't play with a higher swingweight.
Here he just explains why you should play with the highest swingweight you can handle well.

 
Gee said:
Yeah, I think he is so confusing about this. I don´t understand why a player of his caliber doesn't play with a higher swingweight.
Here he just explains why you should play with the highest swingweight you can handle well.

Click to expand...

The answer is in the title of the video :)

He prefers stiffer 100 sq inch frames, with thicker beams and open string patterns, all of which maximizes power and stability, without sacrificing maneuverability. The Shift 99 and PD are very stiff racquets that have a tremendous energy return, and produces a fast ball with a low-to-mid SW. As soon as you make the racket smaller in head size, thinner beam and tighter string pattern, you'll need a significant increase in SW to generate a similar ball. The trade-off is that a smaller racket with a thinner beam is often more maneuverable than a bigger racket with a thicker frame - but not necessarily worth the tradeoff.
 
Interesting thing is that he played with the Hyper Hammer 5.2 27.5 inch with a rather high swingweight of 335 strung in the past.

Anyway I guess he would choose the PD Plus as the final winner.
 
I’ve enjoyed the series. He has tried heavier racquets or higher sw like a 28” solinco. I am impressed by how well he hits the ball whichever frame he uses… obviously he condenses days of testing to a 10 minute video so I take his word that the frame is better or worse or more fatiguing even if it doesn’t seem so on the video.
 
Donmikan said:
A 6 5 tennis coach doesnt use a racket heavier than 305 grams. Why should a 3.5-4.0 player use something heavier? Shouldnt they go lighter?

Coach Nicks Final Play Test:
1. Wilson Shift 300g
2. Yonex Percept 100
3. Solinco Whiteout 305 XTD
4. Technifibre TFight 300
5. 2021 Babolat Pure Drive Plus

Click to expand...
Yeah. I was bummed that he didn't pick the Dunlop FX 500 for his final round; he really seemed to like it in his initial testing. I think he's leaning towards the Yonex Percept 100 at this point.
 
Roforot said:
I’ve enjoyed the series. He has tried heavier racquets or higher sw like a 28” solinco. I am impressed by how well he hits the ball whichever frame he uses… obviously he condenses days of testing to a 10 minute video so I take his word that the frame is better or worse or more fatiguing even if it doesn’t seem so on the video.
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I enjoyed the fact that he tried light versions of almost all rackets, most people simply skip over them, at least on the forum.
I have actually seen more Pure Drive and Pure Aero Teams, as well as more Pro Staff and Blade Lites in than the regular versions IRL.
 
Dunlop300g said:
Yeah. I was bummed that he didn't pick the Dunlop FX 500 for his final round; he really seemed to like it in his initial testing. I think he's leaning towards the Yonex Percept 100 at this point.
Click to expand...
FX 500LS and RF Future omitted. Probably lack of comfort and/or stability.
 
Donmikan said:
A 6 5 tennis coach doesnt use a racket heavier than 305 grams. Why should a 3.5-4.0 player use something heavier? Shouldnt they go lighter?

Coach Nicks Final Play Test:
1. Wilson Shift 300g
2. Yonex Percept 100
3. Solinco Whiteout 305 XTD
4. Technifibre TFight 300
5. 2021 Babolat Pure Drive Plus

Click to expand...
The question is what racquet head speed you have and what level of control you have. If someone can only control the ball at low swing speed, then heavy could have more benefit. If someone can swing fast with control but get tired soon, then light is better. Of course there are folks who can swing 12oz very fast with good control for 3 hrs. It's all personal. Takes a while to realize what really is the best fit.
 
dr325i said:
Maybe he would have realized, if he bothered to test and leave his bias aside, that the RA rating (measured at ONE spot of the frame) is a totally useless measurement...
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I don't like his racquet reviews. Respect your experience. RA is surely not perfect. But I have not found an uncomfortable 60RA or a comfortable 67RA. Combined with vibration frequency, RA is still useful for most regular rec players.
 
Donmikan said:
Thats presumably on the groundstrokes. What about the serve then? If someone doesnt have control with fast swings, i would imagine their serve is also flawed.
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When I was hitting a weighted gravity pro, I can swing harder on serves compared to groundstrokes because I control the toss. As my game evolves, I'm going lighter and lighter racquets. Serves also become easier.
 
johnmccabe said:
He is not a good racquet reviewer. You can't spend that short amount of time and come up with a really reliable review.
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I'm pretty sure he's playing with them much more hours. These short clips are just for YouTube. It takes too much time to re-watch and edit many minutes of footage. Personally, I'd like him pick between the Solinco (Diadem) and the Tecnifibre. See these less popular brands rise.
 
Gee said:
Yeah, I think he is so confusing about this. I don´t understand why a player of his caliber doesn't play with a higher swingweight.
Here he just explains why you should play with the highest swingweight you can handle well.

Click to expand...
If he had played with a higher sw when he was younger, he might have reached a higher ranking and not have had to become an internet coach.
 
Donmikan said:
I enjoyed the fact that he tried light versions of almost all rackets, most people simply skip over them, at least on the forum.
I have actually seen more Pure Drive and Pure Aero Teams, as well as more Pro Staff and Blade Lites in than the regular versions IRL.
Click to expand...

Yes it's true. Although after a video or two, I found he'd almost always say I need more weight/stability when trying the light version. It seems like 300g is his sweetspot.
 
@Honza He's got a pretty solid resume and track record for coaching recreational players, there's nothing arrogant about him, he's very European and I delight in the fact that many people seem to get that arrogant impression from him, but there's plenty of content to get to know him more realistically, about 6 hours of podcasts now with TennisNerd for example.
 
konstantinos kalfountzos said:
Nikola knows better. I'm stunned he didn't include the Dunlop FX500 Light in his final 5. He was saying and seemed so, that he was playing great with that racket + it was light and could get him through long matches.
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During his livestream he said that something happened/reasons why he didn’t include the FX500. I think he will clarify it in the final video.
 
johnmccabe said:
I don't like his racquet reviews. Respect your experience. RA is surely not perfect. But I have not found an uncomfortable 60RA or a comfortable 67RA. Combined with vibration frequency, RA is still useful for most regular rec players.
Click to expand...
A very simple (and currently very active discussion) comparison and my point is the new GT98 vs Prestige Pro.
Both are 98, 16x19, and 58-59RA however, the PP feels significantly softer than the GT98. Sure, if we compare the 60RA vs 67RA, I’d always assume that the 67 is a stiff POC.
But 66 vs 68…I’d try to understand how different they actually are
 
FuzzyYellowBalls said:
@Honza He's got a pretty solid resume and track record for coaching recreational players, there's nothing arrogant about him, he's very European and I delight in the fact that many people seem to get that arrogant impression from him, but there's plenty of content to get to know him more realistically, about 6 hours of podcasts now with TennisNerd for example.
Click to expand...
I have seen a lot from him and he is not very european, he is very "balkan". No clue about his resume or track record, since i am from europe myself, but in his videos he comes across, as if his concepts and solutions are the only right way to go. Since i was not always a recreational player, i think he teaches a lot of ********. My impression from his videos is a bit arrogant and not very skilled/helpfull.
 
FuzzyYellowBalls said:
@Honza He's got a pretty solid resume and track record for coaching recreational players, there's nothing arrogant about him, he's very European and I delight in the fact that many people seem to get that arrogant impression from him, but there's plenty of content to get to know him more realistically, about 6 hours of podcasts now with TennisNerd for example.
Click to expand...
I think his string/Tennis elbow video caused a lot of hate for him. In that video he had an arrogant attitude quoting his vast personal anecdote/experience over anyone else. It was arrogant, but I haven’t seen the same in any other video.

I think he is fairly good person to review racquets, because he is very honest in what is working for him and you know his game style. He wants a lot of free power and likes stiffer frames. So when he doesn’t like a particular frame then you know exactly the reasons for it. Sure it can be a good frame for YOU if you have a different style/physicals than he.
 
Honza said:
I have seen a lot from him and he is not very european, he is very "balkan". No clue about his resume or track record, since i am from europe myself, but in his videos he comes across, as if his concepts and solutions are the only right way to go. Since i was not always a recreational player, i think he teaches a lot of ********. My impression from his videos is a bit arrogant and not very skilled/helpfull.
Click to expand...
Well, he's been teaching recreational tennis players since the age of 13, when his dad who was also a teacher would let him teach and the club would too, so he's got a lot of experience at least. He certainly is polarizing it seems.
 
As a noob I found his videos great. I learned a lot of fundamentals there.

His most controversial video about tennis elbow and stiff frames was indeed a single voice against everyone else in the industry.

If his personal racket switch generates so much interest and views, so what, good for him. He has his style and preferences just like everyone else.
 
Honza said:
I have seen a lot from him and he is not very european, he is very "balkan". No clue about his resume or track record, since i am from europe myself, but in his videos he comes across, as if his concepts and solutions are the only right way to go. Since i was not always a recreational player, i think he teaches a lot of ********. My impression from his videos is a bit arrogant and not very skilled/helpfull.
Click to expand...
I know what you are saying. His style may not work for many people. I'm paying a lot for remote coaching right now and I would not hire him for that purpose. He is definitely good for certain things.
 
I like his content & video’s. Love his videos on breaking down pro’s grondstrokes & serves. I wouldn’t consider his racquet journey videos a full racquet review. He’s hitting so many racquets right now trying to find a new racquet for himself. He’s definitely a respected tennis coach & You Tuber having 295,000 subscribers.
 
Honza said:
I have seen a lot from him and he is not very european, he is very "balkan". No clue about his resume or track record, since i am from europe myself, but in his videos he comes across, as if his concepts and solutions are the only right way to go. Since i was not always a recreational player, i think he teaches a lot of ********. My impression from his videos is a bit arrogant and not very skilled/helpfull.
Click to expand...
Perfectly said
 
To see someone else go through the pains of the racquet demo process is good inspiration to stick with what you like and what works.
Nikola is still a man who relies on his racquet to earn money in a sense, so it's probably even more painful for him than it is for us recreational fun loving cool dudes.
 
Per my comment on this video on YT, I think much of this choice will depend on what Nick wants to mainly use the racquet for in the near future.

If competitive play remains even a passive priority, then there's a very real chance that, as anticlimatic as it would be, Nick simply chooses the '21 PD+ (and loads up on as much outgoing stock as he can get). As long as he's not too sour on Babolat and/or committed to picking a new brand from the get-go, then this choice is as probable as anything else, if not more so.

If usability for coaching is the primary intent, then the Percept 100 may very well be his choice, for if you watch all of the play test videos, I think it's fairly obvious that he was hitting by far his most consistent and highest average quality ground stroke with the P100. This would translate into better quality feeding for his students, with less effort/focus/fatigue required. A very real consideration.

Lastly, a bit of image-consciousness. If marketability is a factor at all, Nick may choose Tecnifibre, as much for the all-white cosmetic as for their novelty and up-and-coming-ness. To give credit where credit is due, though, among all the white-colored frames, the TFight 300 would probably make the most sense anyways, as it would offer more reliable overall behavior than the Shift and be a bit more forgiving than both Shift and WhiteOut.

Overall, I predict he'll place most of his decision weight on actual playability (so, competitive and/or coaching), but there will be a healthy dose of image-consciousness thrown in there as well. As for a prediction, I'm honestly stumped at this point, mainly due to his overall tone so far. Regardless, I'm sure the concluding episode will be a good one.
 
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For feeding or coaching I don’t think racquet matters. He had even used bib bubba for a while. Hitting with a high level student or competing in open tournaments though requires a dedicated racquet.
 
Trip said:
Per my comment on this video on YT, I think much of this choice will depend on what Nick wants to mainly use the racquet for in the near future.

If competitive play remains even a passive priority, then there's a very real chance that, as anticlimatic as it would be, Nick simply chooses the '21 PD+ (and loads up on as much outgoing stock as he can get). As long as he's not too sour on Babolat and/or committed to picking a new brand from the get-go, then this choice is as probable as anything else, if not more so.

If usability for coaching is the primary intent, then the Percept 100 may very well be his choice, for if you watch all of the play test videos, I think it's fairly obvious that he was hitting by far his most consistent and highest average quality ground stroke with the P100. This would translate into better quality feeding for his students, with less effort/focus/fatigue required. A very real consideration.

Lastly, a bit of image-consciousness. If marketability is a factor at all, Nick may choose Tecnifibre, as much for the all-white cosmetic as for their novelty and up-and-coming-ness. To give credit where credit is due, though, among all the white-colored frames, the TFight 300 would probably make the most sense anyways, as it would offer more reliable overall behavior than the Shift and be a bit more forgiving than both Shift and WhiteOut.

Overall, I predict he'll place most of his decision weight on actual playability (so, competitive and/or coaching), but there will be a healthy dose of image-consciousness thrown in there as well. As for a prediction, I'm honestly stumped at this point, mainly due to his overall tone so far. Regardless, I'm sure the concluding episode will be a good one.
Click to expand...
I think its a shame that Babolat didnt offer him at least some minimal sponsorship. I see his journey as a battle of Balkan Spite vs a racket which he enjoys the most and is the most comfortable with, at least mentally.
 
Roforot said:
For feeding or coaching I don’t think racquet matters. He had even used bib bubba for a while. Hitting with a high level student or competing in open tournaments though requires a dedicated racquet.
Click to expand...
Fair point. All the more reason why he may simply end up picking the outgoing '21 PD+. Boring, but understandable.
 
Roforot said:
Hitting with a high level student or competing in open tournaments though requires a dedicated racquet.
Click to expand...
Does he have any high level students he is hitting with or does he play tournaments?

It's simply the fact, that he needs content for his channel. He is making a sensation out of a pretty unimportant choice.
Its all about click bait or who screams the loudest.
 
Honza said:
Does he have any high level students he is hitting with or does he play tournaments?

It's simply the fact, that he needs content for his channel. He is making a sensation out of a pretty unimportant choice.
Its all about click bait or who screams the loudest.
Click to expand...
Im sure he plays the youtube game. Thumbnails w pretty ladies probably get more clicks too… his opinion on strings/gear may be more polarizing on talk tennis, but i suspect videos w a chick probably get more views.

Ive seen him coach safina who was a junior hoping to play college, he has had a guy from brazil who was playing open level tournaments, hes had emma and sarah who played college tennis. These arent pros but would be in the top tier of clubs. I feel he would need a playable racquet to hit with those guys as opposed to a feeding one.

He has said he intended to play and record tournaments. He has also commented on his bad knee so who knows. I don’t know how well it would do on youtube.
 
Donmikan said:
A 6 5 tennis coach doesnt use a racket heavier than 305 grams. Why should a 3.5-4.0 player use something heavier? Shouldnt they go lighter?

Coach Nicks Final Play Test:
1. Wilson Shift 300g
2. Yonex Percept 100
3. Solinco Whiteout 305 XTD
4. Technifibre TFight 300
5. 2021 Babolat Pure Drive Plus

Click to expand...

ive really enjoyed his chronicles regarding this. it seems he is one of the only high level players advocating for lighter sticks at his age. i wonder why, it seems to help him a lot

3/5 of those frames are super light! will be interesting to see what he lands on
 
gino said:
ive really enjoyed his chronicles regarding this. it seems he is one of the only high level players advocating for lighter sticks at his age. i wonder why, it seems to help him a lot

3/5 of those frames are super light! will be interesting to see what he lands on
Click to expand...
Its interesting that you say super light when, in fact, these are the regular models ;)
Goes to show just how much <300 gram rackets are forgotten by TT community.
 
Donmikan said:
Its interesting that you say super light when, in fact, these are the regular models ;)
Goes to show just how much <300 gram rackets are forgotten by TT community.
Click to expand...

Yup, most of us are in 315-360 territory, which to your point makes 300g seem really light. Again if a guy with this much size/skill is using such light frames, makes sense for us all to think with a more open mind
 
Donmikan said:
A 6 5 tennis coach doesnt use a racket heavier than 305 grams. Why should a 3.5-4.0 player use something heavier? Shouldnt they go lighter?

Coach Nicks Final Play Test:
1. Wilson Shift 300g
2. Yonex Percept 100
3. Solinco Whiteout 305 XTD
4. Technifibre TFight 300
5. 2021 Babolat Pure Drive Plus

Click to expand...

Have you seen his match play videos? His needs and the needs of club players are not the same.

That fx500 video was super enlightening with him liking the LS a lot. And he's not the only coach on socials who's played surprisingly well with 285g frames.

Locally - I don't know anybody who wins consistently at 4.0 and 4.5 using 330g frames. Older dudes are sometimes at 315g. Everyone else is around 300g. The only people I see playing rf autographs have losing records regardless of ntrp level.
 
I do think some beginners would benefit from a bit of weight from multiple respects. It could help slow down their swings if they are a bit overanxious to swing hard. They will benefit from perimeter weighting and a bit more plow for off center hits. It actually takes higher skill levels to control the racquet face of light racquets well. Most beginners find it harder to feel the racquet head well.
 
I have enjoyed Nick's video's and this series about switching racquets. I haven't found a reviewer that truly provides me information about racquets that strongly mirrors my personal experiences with each racquet (I demo a lot - out of interest in the science and for fun). I think this is because racquets are so personal, subjective and experitential. So I tend to look at aggregates and find trends.

I find Nick's suggestions on what weight to use very odd also. I'd love to understand that at a better level. I've found stability advantages from higher raquets weigths with a very strong correlation, after demoing 40+ raccquets this year. Perhaps he doesn't value stability?
I remember being frustrated as I rose to higher levels in my primary sport (ballroom dance)- that top coaches would frequently seem to contradict eachother. Usually it meant I didn't understand exactly what they were trying to convey to me - and often I would find they were ultimately saying similar things in very different ways.
 
SLionheart said:
I have enjoyed Nick's video's and this series about switching racquets. I haven't found a reviewer that truly provides me information about racquets that strongly mirrors my personal experiences with each racquet (I demo a lot - out of interest in the science and for fun). I think this is because racquets are so personal, subjective and experitential. So I tend to look at aggregates and find trends.

I find Nick's suggestions on what weight to use very odd also. I'd love to understand that at a better level. I've found stability advantages from higher raquets weigths with a very strong correlation, after demoing 40+ raccquets this year. Perhaps he doesn't value stability?
I remember being frustrated as I rose to higher levels in my primary sport (ballroom dance)- that top coaches would frequently seem to contradict eachother. Usually it meant I didn't understand exactly what they were trying to convey to me - and often I would find they were ultimately saying similar things in very different ways.
Click to expand...
Stability comes with almost all weights, especially tweeners , and.......timing. If you have the timing down every racket is stable enough for tennis at the rec level, even the highest, because you are hitting properly. Most tweeners also have thicker beams to supply the stability. As @ohplease said, most everyone is tweener city at the higher levels, blades, strikes, PD, aeros, yonex vcore and ezone, not modded. @gino Prokes recs going lighter for everyone all the way up to 5.0 and he's the most advanced racket guru on the planet by far.

@johnmccabe who are you using, you can dm me if you want instead, just curious, and how is it going?
 
FuzzyYellowBalls said:
@gino Prokes recs going lighter for everyone all the way up to 5.0 and he's the most advanced racket guru on the planet by far.
Click to expand...

its definitely the prevailing sentiment out there & obviously prokes reputation precedes him. I guess we also have to remember he helps novak whos on the opposite end of that spectrum

anyways, i get why it makes sense. some on our forums like @Donmikan are trying to take some of those principles further by leveraging a more scientific approach, which I appreciate

i dont think ill ever lose love for heavy sticks, but i can see if you are trying to win tennis matches why lower SW is better in 2025. not as many tactical approaches these days end points within a few shots. you are talking constant battles of attrition. that means the more you can make the frame whippy, the longer you can last in points. not my brand of tennis, as I finish my college tennis days 10 years ago when ending points quickly was still relatively viable. i get why a high performance junior or college player in this era would go sub 310g, but not really the thing for me as someone who played high level tennis with heavy racquets and old school tactics
 
There's not a lot of trackman videos on YouTube (another good source is the Japanese Windsor racquet shop's rival video series - you'll need to translate but they always show the data tables), but here's one from the tennis mentor where he tests all the head speeds and the MPL comes out looking surprisingly well -
 
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