Moving away from Gravity Pro ...

[Jamesm182]

Hi All

I currently am a tournament player and play with the Gravity Pro with a leather grip.

I love the gravity sweet spot , how the entire racket feels like the sweet spot and there are no "dead" zones. I still play well with it, and recently won a tournament. However I have recently injured my hand and wrist , and ever since I have noticed the extra weight on my one handed backhand, and started to struggle more than i would like and having been slicing the ball more and more.

I'm looking at lighter alternatives, ideally good for spin and with high comfort.

I was looking at the Extreme tour , and ,maybe adding a few grams of lead ... thoughts?

Any advice or other suggestions are more than welcome

Ideally I am looking for good spin, comfort and a tad more free power

Thanks

 

[edelp]

Hi, would the Speed Pro be an option? Also closed pattern and 100 head, good spin, very comfortable and a little more power than the gravity I read. The Extreme tour I am not so sure, I mean awesome frame but a little firmer sweet spot smaller for me.

 

[jbdbackfan]

Prince Phantom 100P

 

[smithie]

Why not just go with the Gravity Tour?

 

[1HBHfanatic]

-either one of these are great options for the 1HBH, def swing much easier through the air than the h.grav.Pro
-98" wilson blade v8 18/20 with most/any copolys
-98" head.radical.PRO (2021) with soft copolys

 

[smalahove]

The Extreme Tour is a very nice and plush feeling frame, especially at low tensions.
The problem is the low stock SW and lack of plow and pop, despite the 16x19 pattern.
It's very easy to swing stock, but it needs a little bit of lead to give you "easy power" (more plow and easy depth).
Ime, this is almost the same for the Rad MP, albeit that one is def nice stock.

But adding lead is a bit tricky ime, as you win some (easy depth) and lose some (maneuverability and racket head speed).
If your RHS isn't too much affected by adding lead, then it's a very nice option.

 

[BBM]

Gravity Tour is your stick then. I chose it over the Pro because I couldn't handle the Pro's SW. Feels very similar, great stick. Or Gravity MP + lead for more spin.

I also own the Extreme Tour and although it's a fantastic frame, plays nothing like the Gravity. It's way more muted, doesn't flex too much, offers a bit more spin (but less heavy shot), and is way faster to swing. Power level very similar to the GTour IMO. All my frames are customized to 330SW btw.

I also play OHBH and I've moved away from the Gravity because I feel that the head is too big to swing around. But I sure as hell miss that huge sweetspot, couldn't find it elsewhere.

 

[Jamesm182]

The Extreme Tour is a very nice and plush feeling frame, especially at low tensions.
The problem is the low stock SW and lack of plow and pop, despite the 16x19 pattern.
It's very easy to swing stock, but it needs a little bit of lead to give you "easy power" (more plow and easy depth).
Ime, this is almost the same for the Rad MP, albeit that one is def nice stock.

But adding lead is a bit tricky ime, as you win some (easy depth) and lose some (maneuverability and racket head speed).
If your RHS isn't too much affected by adding lead, then it's a very nice option.

Thanks have you tried this with or without lead?

 

[Jamesm182]

Hi, would the Speed Pro be an option. Also closed pattern and 100 head, good spin, very comfortable and a little more power than the gravity I read. The Extreme tour I am not so sure, I mean awesome frame but a little more firm, sweet spot smaller for me.

I have looked at this too , will add into consideration. Thanks

 

[Jamesm182]

Gravity Tour is your stick then. I chose it over the Pro because I couldn't handle the Pro's SW. Feels very similar, great stick. Or Gravity MP + lead for more spin.

I also own the Extreme Tour and although it's a fantastic frame, plays nothing like the Gravity. It's way more muted, doesn't flex too much, offers a bit more spin (but less heavy shot), and is way faster to swing. Power level very similar to the GTour IMO. All my frames are customized to 330SW btw.

I also play OHBH and I've moved away from the Gravity because I feel that the head is too big to swing around. But I sure as hell miss that huge sweetspot, couldn't find it elsewhere.

I love the frame on my forehand and serve and have considered just taking the leather off to see if that would help much? However not really a fan of even balance sticks and only added leather to make it more head light.

With the Extreme tour , looking at everyone opinions I would need to add some lead but with it being so headlight was thinking may get away with some and still have a lighter more manoeuvrable racket? In my mind if I got a swingweight around 325 ish I think would be ideal

 

[Tranqville]

Yonex VCORE PRO 100 (2021). Huge sweetstpot thanks to isometric shape, good feel, super comfortable, lower swing weight (321 vs 332).

 

[daman sidhu]

I moved to a VCore 98 and then a 95 coming from Gravity Pro myself. While i miss the bigger sweet spot, I love the maneuverability of the 95 and it's fairly easy on the arm as well.

 

[BBM]

I love the frame on my forehand and serve and have considered just taking the leather off to see if that would help much? However not really a fan of even balance sticks and only added leather to make it more head light.

With the Extreme tour , looking at everyone opinions I would need to add some lead but with it being so headlight was thinking may get away with some and still have a lighter more manoeuvrable racket? In my mind if I got a swingweight around 325 ish I think would be ideal

Gtour isn't that head heavy at 320mm. You can use TW's matching service to try to get one that's more headlight, or just add leather/lead to the handle.. I really don't find static weight to play much of a role these days, it's more about balance and SW, and adding to the handle doesn't change SW.

For the Extreme Tour, my experience is that if you make it head heavier than the 315mm it comes with, it loses its whippy personality, and I really felt it with the one hander. So when you do lead it up (because it's very underpowered at 317SW stock, which is what mine came with), you need to balance at the handle. I leaded it up to 330SW strung and balanced out on the handle and it plays totally different, super solid stick. But it's very different from the Gravity's feel. More muted and although it's super comfortable, you will not feel it bend like the Gravity does. Also, keep in mind you'll lose plenty of sweetspot - very hard to match the Gravity in this sense.

 

[smalahove]

Thanks have you tried this with or without lead?

Both. Owned it twice, tried various string setups as well. There’s something I really like about this racket when it comes to feel, that f.inst. the Pure Strike doesn’t have, but it lacks a bit of pop in stock form, and I couldn’t play as well with it with lead, but that’s prob due to a lack of RHS.

 

[MarcoAZ]

I just switched from the Gravity Pro to the Extreme Tour last month. I'm a former college player on the wrong side of 40 and found that the GP was just too sluggish for me on defense against bigger hitters. I demoed over 20 racquets. Loved the maneuverability of the Extreme Tour, but had some reservations. The HL weight would get away from me when I tried to swing out and I really missed the plush and substantial feel of the GP. Anyway, with the exception of the new Yonex VCP 910, nothing else felt great in my hand, so I bought three ETs and started experimenting with a bunch of different set ups. Landed on 2g of tungsten at each of 10, 12, and 2, a Head leather grip, and Tour Bite Soft at 48 (also overgrip and dampener). Now I am very happy with it. Feels almost as substantial as my GP but retains plenty of maneuverability. Also gained a bit more pop, which was very welcome, though the increased stiffness over the GP is definitely a bit harder on my arm. The VCP would have been a very easy switch from the Gravity as well (especially with that sweet Miami Vice paint job), but I wanted a little more help that I was afraid the more flexy VCP wouldn't give me.

 

[SinneGOAT]

Hi All

I currently am a tournament player and play with the Gravity Pro with a leather grip.

I love the gravity sweet spot , how the entire racket feels like the sweet spot and there are no "dead" zones. I still play well with it, and recently won a tournament. However I have recently injured my hand and wrist , and ever since I have noticed the extra weight on my one handed backhand, and started to struggle more than i would like and having been slicing the ball more and more.

I'm looking at lighter alternatives, ideally good for spin and with high comfort.

I was looking at the Extreme tour , and ,maybe adding a few grams of lead ... thoughts?

Any advice or other suggestions are more than welcome

Ideally I am looking for good spin, comfort and a tad more free power

Thanks

Gravity MP or, if you want some more pop and a slightly crisper feel, the Speed MP. Gravity MP is softer than the speed with more control, Speed has more power and feels crisper.

 

[Lorenn]

I'm looking at lighter alternatives, ideally good for spin and with high comfort.

Ideally I am looking for good spin, comfort and a tad more free power

Depends on how much free power you need. Speed Pro or MP 360+. I currently play with the Gravity Pro and will switch to the Speed MP 360+ when I need to relax a little more. One handed back hand as well. they both have nice large sweet spots but slightly different feel. Prince Textreme Tour series would work well.

I enjoy the Radical Pro/MP 360+, Prince Beast 98. Blade would work. Depends on the injury.

 

[Jamesm182]

Depends on how much free power you need. Speed Pro or MP 360+. I currently play with the Gravity Pro and will switch to the Speed MP 360+ when I need to relax a little more. One handed back hand as well. they both have nice large sweet spots but slightly different feel. Prince Textreme Tour series would work well.

I enjoy the Radical Pro/MP 360+, Prince Beast 98. Blade would work. Depends on the injury.

Thanks

PLaying well but with an injury from the gym on top of hand and wrist and is aggravated by takeback and follow through on the backhand side.
I dont "NEED" free power, just every little helps right haha

I'll check the speeds , a few people have mentioned them, the mp rackets too light really. Did demo the textreme once too but cant remember my thoughts , think i ordered the wrong grip size and ended up feeling that more than the racket

 

[Jamesm182]

I just switched from the Gravity Pro to the Extreme Tour last month. I'm a former college player on the wrong side of 40 and found that the GP was just too sluggish for me on defense against bigger hitters. I demoed over 20 racquets. Loved the maneuverability of the Extreme Tour, but had some reservations. The HL weight would get away from me when I tried to swing out and I really missed the plush and substantial feel of the GP. Anyway, with the exception of the new Yonex VCP 910, nothing else felt great in my hand, so I bought three ETs and started experimenting with a bunch of different set ups. Landed on 2g of tungsten at each of 10, 12, and 2, a Head leather grip, and Tour Bite Soft at 48 (also overgrip and dampener). Now I am very happy with it. Feels almost as substantial as my GP but retains plenty of maneuverability. Also gained a bit more pop, which was very welcome, though the increased stiffness over the GP is definitely a bit harder on my arm. The VCP would have been a very easy switch from the Gravity as well (especially with that sweet Miami Vice paint job), but I wanted a little more help that I was afraid the more flexy VCP wouldn't give me.

Thanks , this sounds similar to how i find myself , its mainly the sweet spot anf feel i would miss , and i have never experienced anything like it. Is the ET a lot harsher on your arm? I've been a high level player for most of my adult life and coaching , and at 38 it's starting to take a toll so comfort is always welcome.
With the yonex i'm not an enormous fan of the lack of flare on the buttcap.

 

[Power Player]

Hi All

I currently am a tournament player and play with the Gravity Pro with a leather grip.

I love the gravity sweet spot , how the entire racket feels like the sweet spot and there are no "dead" zones. I still play well with it, and recently won a tournament. However I have recently injured my hand and wrist , and ever since I have noticed the extra weight on my one handed backhand, and started to struggle more than i would like and having been slicing the ball more and more.

I'm looking at lighter alternatives, ideally good for spin and with high comfort.

I was looking at the Extreme tour , and ,maybe adding a few grams of lead ... thoughts?

Any advice or other suggestions are more than welcome

Ideally I am looking for good spin, comfort and a tad more free power

Thanks

Newest Head Radical MP has a really nice sweet spot feel and is a lighter frame. I think between that and the Extreme Tour you should get sorted out.

 

[BBM]

Don't let the 300g from the Speed MP fool you.. it feels way heavier. Mine is 330SW unstrung with no customization

 

[Tranqville]

Yonex VCORE PRO 100 (2021). Huge sweetstpot thanks to isometric shape, good feel, super comfortable, lower swing weight (321 vs 332).

Here'a a quote about VCORE PRO 100 from Tennisnerd review that is relevant. I think all the racquets he mentions are good alternatives for you:

A more forgiving VCORE Pro! The older 100s always lacked stability and it still lacks some of the punch of a true tweener frame, but this is a definite improvement. More solid, still relatively whippy, nice sweet spot. It competes well with a Gravity Tour, Prince Phantom 100X and the Wilson Pro Staff 100. A control-oriented 100 sq inch racquet, without any standout features, but who does most things well.

 

[MarcoAZ]

Thanks , this sounds similar to how i find myself , its mainly the sweet spot anf feel i would miss , and i have never experienced anything like it. Is the ET a lot harsher on your arm? I've been a high level player for most of my adult life and coaching , and at 38 it's starting to take a toll so comfort is always welcome.
With the yonex i'm not an enormous fan of the lack of flare on the buttcap.

I've been out on the court with the Extreme Tour for about 10 hours of singles over the past week with mostly 5.0/5.5 guys, and I haven't had to resort to the Advil yet, so I think that's a good sign. I've had rotator cuff problems since my junior days, so wouldn't have chosen the ET if I thought there was a big risk of aggravating my shoulder. That being said, I don't think I've ever played with something as comfortable as the GP.

With the soft poly/low tension/extra weight, I think I've been able to get reasonably close to the feel, balance, and comfort of the GP with the ET. It now plays like a very different racquet than in stock form. The leather grip helped with the solid feel, but I also tried 4g of tungsten tape under the stock grip, which was probably easier on the arm, so worth keeping in mind. Sweet spot is certainly a bit smaller on the ET, and it punishes you more that the GP for mis-hits, which is when you feel the extra stiffness of the racquet the most, but I think the added weight definitely makes it significantly more forgiving.

FYI, I aIso tried Solinco Confidential at 50lbs, which a lot of people seem to like in the ET, but I thought it was far too harsh and really accentuated all the potential un-Gravity-like qualities of this racquet. I'd definitely recommend sticking with a softer string at lower tension.

Agree with you on the Yonex buttcap. Would have had to build that up.

 

[BBM]

Confidential @ 50lbs user here lol. What string are you using? I tried Hyper-G 1.20mm @ 50lbs but it became a bazooka. Took me a while to adjust to it.

PS: yes the added weight does wonders to it

 

[MarcoAZ]

Confidential @ 50lbs user here lol. What string are you using? I tried Hyper-G 1.20mm @ 50lbs but it became a bazooka. Took me a while to adjust to it.

PS: yes the added weight does wonders to it

I'm using Solinco Tour Bite Soft 17g at 48lbs. It's been my favorite for awhile now, though I honestly don't experiment with strings that much. TBS can definitely launch the ball if you aren't hitting with decent topspin, but I find it gives me very good depth and a very plush feel. I used it in my Gravity Pro, and now I'm really liking it in the Extreme Tour at a slightly lower tension.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Another honeymoon ends...

If you go to a frame with more power, you will lament the loss of comfort and control.

I swear racket manufacturers predict this and produce both power rackets and comfort/control rackets for this purpose. So people can yo yo back and forth and keep buying new frames in an effort to buy a game.

 

[smalahove]

Another honeymoon ends...

If you go to a frame with more power, you will lament the loss of comfort and control.

I swear racket manufacturers predict this and produce both power rackets and comfort/control rackets for this purpose. So people can yo yo back and forth and keep buying new frames in an effort to buy a game.

"Power" = (degree of) trampoline effect (first and foremost: actual string pattern density)
"Forgiveness" = size of the sweet zone (and racket TW)
"Control" = tightness/density of the actual string pattern (in the middle of the sweet zone)
"Comfort" = at low tensions: actual string pattern density ; at high tensions: racket stiffness.


Ofc, string choice and string tension also play a major part, but can be seen as control variables.

 

[phanamous]

I gave up on the Gravity Tour as its polarized balance didn't suit my 1HBH very well. Loved its comfy flexy plush feel though and I've been looking for that since.

Head Radical MP and Extreme Tour played quite nice but I found them too stiff overall. The spin grommets system makes the sweetspot plush given the stiff frame but it's a bit jarring off center. A heavy Wilson Shockshield grip might help here to dampen it.

Technifibre TF40 305 gave me the closest feel of the GT I was looking for. Add a heavy grip and it's quite nice and very good for my 1HBH.

Wilson Blade line can get you that Gravity feel also albeit it's all over the place, likely due to poor QC. Blade 101L V7 after mods had the closest feel but its string pattern might be too open for you coming from the GP.

 

[BBM]

I gave up on the Gravity Tour as its polarized balance didn't suit my 1HBH very well. Loved its comfy flexy plush feel though and I've been looking for that since.

Head Radical MP and Extreme Tour played quite nice but I found them too stiff overall. The spin grommets system makes the sweetspot plush given the stiff frame but it's a bit jarring off center. A heavy Wilson Shockshield grip might help here to dampen it.

Technifibre TF40 305 gave me the closest feel of the GT I was looking for. Add a heavy grip and it's quite nice and very good for my 1HBH.

Wilson Blade line can get you that Gravity feel also albeit it's all over the place, likely due to poor QC. Blade 101L V7 after mods had the closest feel but its string pattern might be too open for you coming from the GP.

Interesting... I do feel very much the same way as you about the GT. Adding 2-3d to the throat actually made it a lot better, but it was still rather clunky for my OHBH.

I didn't mind the 18x20 too much because of the huge head size, although I admittedly could use a little more spin. I thought the 18x20 in the TF40 would be worse in that sense?

 

[EggSalad]

Hi All

I currently am a tournament player and play with the Gravity Pro with a leather grip.

I love the gravity sweet spot , how the entire racket feels like the sweet spot and there are no "dead" zones. I still play well with it, and recently won a tournament. However I have recently injured my hand and wrist , and ever since I have noticed the extra weight on my one handed backhand, and started to struggle more than i would like and having been slicing the ball more and more.

I'm looking at lighter alternatives, ideally good for spin and with high comfort.

I was looking at the Extreme tour , and ,maybe adding a few grams of lead ... thoughts?

Any advice or other suggestions are more than welcome

Ideally I am looking for good spin, comfort and a tad more free power

Thanks

If by chance you want to stick with the gravity pro, a few ideas are:

-Replace leather with synthetic (dropped 11g’s on my gravity pro when I did that). You can always put a little putty in the trap door if you want it another 1-2pt headlight
-Try a poly/synthetic gut hybrid

of course, there are tons of good suggestions on here too. Enjoy the process.

 

[phanamous]

TF40 is an open 18X20 so spin is not an issue. Bad QC is the issue so I'd likely pick 2 up from TW with their matching service when they're EOL.

Interesting... I do feel very much the same way as you about the GT. Adding 2-3d to the throat actually made it a lot better, but it was still rather clunky for my OHBH.

I didn't mind the 18x20 too much because of the huge head size, although I admittedly could use a little more spin. I thought the 18x20 in the TF40 would be worse in that sense?

 

[A_Instead]

What about the 360+ Speed Pro...it's nice and swings easier than it's swing weight indicates..

 

[Nanhith]

I gave up on the Gravity Tour as its polarized balance didn't suit my 1HBH very well. Loved its comfy flexy plush feel though and I've been looking for that since.

Head Radical MP and Extreme Tour played quite nice but I found them too stiff overall. The spin grommets system makes the sweetspot plush given the stiff frame but it's a bit jarring off center. A heavy Wilson Shockshield grip might help here to dampen it.

Technifibre TF40 305 gave me the closest feel of the GT I was looking for. Add a heavy grip and it's quite nice and very good for my 1HBH.

Wilson Blade line can get you that Gravity feel also albeit it's all over the place, likely due to poor QC. Blade 101L V7 after mods had the closest feel but its string pattern might be too open for you coming from the GP.

Looking at the specs, wouldn't the tf40 305 be the same as the G Tour with respect the polarization? Seems like the tf40 315 is less polarized and HL than the 305. Wondering why you didn't go for that model.

 

[phanamous]

Not similar. Head Gravity line seems to have all with weight in the upper hoop somewhat similar to the Speed line although not as polarized. It's good for 2HBH players I think, just not 1HBH friendly except for the hefty GP.

TF40 305 is head heavy but the weight is more spread out. Add a heavier grip and I'm set.

TF40 415 would be good too which I had but sold due to its SW being over spec thanks to bad QC. It's probably no different compared to a TF40 305 with a heavier grip mod.

Looking at the specs, wouldn't the tf40 305 be the same as the G Tour with respect the polarization? Seems like the tf40 315 is less polarized and HL than the 305. Wondering why you didn't go for that model.

 

[Songs For A Dead Pilot]

Generally I do recommend Tf40. Despite not being polarized (this is what I do like ab new frames from Head) the feel/touch is superior to all new Head rackets including all Radicals and Gravity Pro. It is a bit stiffer and more stable version of great YouTek/IG Radical MP (used by Taylor Fritz, Thomas Berdych or Diego Schwarzman). It also packs more power due to bigger head size and stiffer layup. The string pattern is also a bit more open to classic dense 16x19 from Head.

 

[Jamesm182]

I've been out on the court with the Extreme Tour for about 10 hours of singles over the past week with mostly 5.0/5.5 guys, and I haven't had to resort to the Advil yet, so I think that's a good sign. I've had rotator cuff problems since my junior days, so wouldn't have chosen the ET if I thought there was a big risk of aggravating my shoulder. That being said, I don't think I've ever played with something as comfortable as the GP.

With the soft poly/low tension/extra weight, I think I've been able to get reasonably close to the feel, balance, and comfort of the GP with the ET. It now plays like a very different racquet than in stock form. The leather grip helped with the solid feel, but I also tried 4g of tungsten tape under the stock grip, which was probably easier on the arm, so worth keeping in mind. Sweet spot is certainly a bit smaller on the ET, and it punishes you more that the GP for mis-hits, which is when you feel the extra stiffness of the racquet the most, but I think the added weight definitely makes it significantly more forgiving.

FYI, I aIso tried Solinco Confidential at 50lbs, which a lot of people seem to like in the ET, but I thought it was far too harsh and really accentuated all the potential un-Gravity-like qualities of this racquet. I'd definitely recommend sticking with a softer string at lower tension.

Agree with you on the Yonex buttcap. Would have had to build that up.

Sorry been super busy... really tempted to try this especially if there are some black friday deals on.. im thinking yonex poly tour pro low tensions, with maybe adding some weight like you say

 

[EggSalad]

Sorry been super busy... really tempted to try this especially if there are some black friday deals on.. im thinking yonex poly tour pro low tensions, with maybe adding some weight like you say

I’m not sure if this is helpful, but I just had my GP strung up with a hybrid; YPTP (1.20) in the mains and Synthetic gut in the crosses.

I had it strung at 53lbs which was a bad idea. I’d probably aim for 48 or lower. But YPTP is pretty comfortable, especially after a couple hours where I’ve probably dropped the tension by 5 or so lbs.

I can send you a half or full set of it if you’d like (if half, I’m happy to send a synthetic gut for the cross too). Just let me know.

 

[jdx2112]

If by chance you want to stick with the gravity pro, a few ideas are:

-Replace leather with synthetic (dropped 11g’s on my gravity pro when I did that). You can always put a little putty in the trap door if you want it another 1-2pt headlight
-Try a poly/synthetic gut hybrid

of course, there are tons of good suggestions on here too. Enjoy the process.

Use a thinner string to lower the SW

 

[Slicehand]

ha! you almost tricked me, you cant move away from gravity! you think you smart eh

 

[fuzz nation]

Hi All

I currently am a tournament player and play with the Gravity Pro with a leather grip.

I love the gravity sweet spot , how the entire racket feels like the sweet spot and there are no "dead" zones. I still play well with it, and recently won a tournament. However I have recently injured my hand and wrist , and ever since I have noticed the extra weight on my one handed backhand, and started to struggle more than i would like and having been slicing the ball more and more.

I'm looking at lighter alternatives, ideally good for spin and with high comfort.

I was looking at the Extreme tour , and ,maybe adding a few grams of lead ... thoughts?

Any advice or other suggestions are more than welcome

Ideally I am looking for good spin, comfort and a tad more free power

Thanks

No idea what might specifically work for you, but the thing I routinely notice these days is how heavier frames like your Gravity Pro don't include much for head-light (HL) balance. The spec sheets look to me like these heavier frames are built to be more stable through the ball and maybe pack a more solid punch, but they also look like they're what I would consider to be inherently sluggish.

I haven't knocked around with your model recently, but if you're working with only around 6 pts. of HL balance, I'd say add some weight to your handle and see how that frame runs for you with maybe 8 or 9 points of HL balance. When I do this sort of tuning with my own frames, I place 1/2" lead tape on my replacement grip and then cover that with an overgrip. It's easy to tweak and also easy to remove if I don't like it. The upside of trying this is that a pack of lead tape is more affordable than playing racquet roulette.

My personal racquet tastes run more old-school. One pair of frames I keep in my bag are leaded up to 12.7 oz., but that layout includes a balance of up around 11 pts. HL. They're not sluggish. In fact I've loaned these in the past to scrawny 11-year-old kids who played with them for over an hour and they had a good time with them. If a middle-weight frame has too much HL balance, it will be twitchy and unpredictable, but even something in the 11.2-11.5 oz. weight range can be quite sluggish without proper balance to fit a particular player.

You might also run the risk of getting less comfort and free power in a lighter alternative, especially with a one-handed backhand. That's what I routinely find when I try them, but again, my tennis DNA was formed as a kid playing with wood racquets. I've evolved from a pure serve and volleyer to an all-court player, but I still feel more at home with a somewhat beefy frame like a Volkl C10 with some lead on the handle.

 

[jdx2112]

No idea what might specifically work for you, but the thing I routinely notice these days is how heavier frames like your Gravity Pro don't include much for head-light (HL) balance. The spec sheets look to me like these heavier frames are built to be more stable through the ball and maybe pack a more solid punch, but they also look like they're what I would consider to be inherently sluggish.

I haven't knocked around with your model recently, but if you're working with only around 6 pts. of HL balance, I'd say add some weight to your handle and see how that frame runs for you with maybe 8 or 9 points of HL balance. When I do this sort of tuning with my own frames, I place 1/2" lead tape on my replacement grip and then cover that with an overgrip. It's easy to tweak and also easy to remove if I don't like it. The upside of trying this is that a pack of lead tape is more affordable than playing racquet roulette.

My personal racquet tastes run more old-school. One pair of frames I keep in my bag are leaded up to 12.7 oz., but that layout includes a balance of up around 11 pts. HL. They're not sluggish. In fact I've loaned these in the past to scrawny 11-year-old kids who played with them for over an hour and they had a good time with them. If a middle-weight frame has too much HL balance, it will be twitchy and unpredictable, but even something in the 11.2-11.5 oz. weight range can be quite sluggish without proper balance to fit a particular player.

You might also run the risk of getting less comfort and free power in a lighter alternative, especially with a one-handed backhand. That's what I routinely find when I try them, but again, my tennis DNA was formed as a kid playing with wood racquets. I've evolved from a pure serve and volleyer to an all-court player, but I still feel more at home with a somewhat beefy frame like a Volkl C10 with some lead on the handle.

Adding to the handle makes a racquet more headlight but also heavier. At some point the static weight will matter. I’m addition to weight in the handle, I would start using thinner strings to reduce weight in the hoop.

 

[dgoran]

Vcore 97 310 2021. Try it

 

[Curtennis]

Making a racquet more headlight by adding handle side weight is only going to help if the swing weight is already in your wheelhouse. If a racquet is already too cumbersome to wield properly, adding more weight is only going to hurt.
On an 18x20 pattern, you should be able to get some life out of 1.15mm strings like a Solinco 18g. That will drop the racquet several swingweight points compared to a 1.30mm string and make it more headlight.

 

[abhi_trip]

Try the Prince Synergy 98 or the Tecnifibre Tfight RS 305. Both the frames are 305g unstrung and the power level is at least the same as or slightly more than a gravity pro.
Spin and comfort is slightly better on the synergy 98 and power is slightly more on the Tecnifibre. I've played with the Gravity pro too, but preferred the aforementioned two as I found the gravity pro a bit demanding with the static weight.

 

[Acegame]

I recently bought 2 Head Extreme Tours after also demoing the Gravity Pro. I like it more because of the HL balance and the crisp feel of the frame.

The problem is though that i've played with them now a couple times and it hurts my wrist. It happened after i put some lead at 10 and 2 and in the butcap. Maybe it's because i used my old Solinco Hyper G string 16g at 23 kg in it which is a bit harsh. But after that i also tried Head Lynx Tour 17g in it at 22kg (without the lead) and my wrist still hurts. I'm taking no risk and will sell them for something else, eventhough i love the feel of them.

I'm coming from a Yonex Ezone DR 98. That would be the ideal racket for you i think. It has a very big sweetspot and is way more HL. It's good for the arm and the one handed backhand. Too bad these frames are hard to get nowdays.

 

[jdx2112]

I recently bought 2 Head Extreme Tours after also demoing the Gravity Pro. I like it more because of the HL balance and the crisp feel of the frame.

The problem is though that i've played with them now a couple times and it hurts my wrist. It happened after i put some lead at 10 and 2 and in the butcap. Maybe it's because i used my old Solinco Hyper G string 16g at 23 kg in it which is a bit harsh. But after that i also tried Head Lynx Tour 17g in it at 22kg (without the lead) and my wrist still hurts. I'm taking no risk and will sell them for something else, eventhough i love the feel of them.

I'm coming from a Yonex Ezone DR 98. That would be the ideal racket for you i think. It has a very big sweetspot and is way more HL. It's good for the arm and the one handed backhand. Too bad these frames are hard to get nowdays.

You should try a much softer poly…cyclone tour snd solstice power black are quite soft…

 

[GreenClay]

Prince Phantom o3. You’ll get more comfort, more spin, and about the same amount of power.

 

[cortado]

Yonex VCore Pro 97D or HD.

 

[puppybutts]

Hi All

I currently am a tournament player and play with the Gravity Pro with a leather grip.

I love the gravity sweet spot , how the entire racket feels like the sweet spot and there are no "dead" zones. I still play well with it, and recently won a tournament. However I have recently injured my hand and wrist , and ever since I have noticed the extra weight on my one handed backhand, and started to struggle more than i would like and having been slicing the ball more and more.

I'm looking at lighter alternatives, ideally good for spin and with high comfort.

I was looking at the Extreme tour , and ,maybe adding a few grams of lead ... thoughts?

Any advice or other suggestions are more than welcome

Ideally I am looking for good spin, comfort and a tad more free power

Thanks

Gravity Tour
Yonex VCP 100
Dunlop CX
Blade v8 (the v7 felt quite dead off-center IMO, the v8 improves this a lot but it's still a little bit there)

 

[Jamesm182]

rackets have been sold on the bay ... i tried yonex poly tour pro in thinnes gauge i could get my hands on which felt great but snapped in 4 hours. The racket still felt sluggish ..still trying to decide between the ET or more likely the Ezone 98, i just don't really like how yonex grips are so flat at the bottom of the handle , but suppose it's an easy fix. Although the ET is significantly cheaper and comparable