multi racket material slam winners ?

[joe sch]

How many players were able to win slams with more than one of the following racket types : wood, metal, graphite composite ?

The first that comes to my mind is John McEnroe:

dunlop maxply fort & wilson jk prostaff woodies
dunlop max 200g graphite

Connors surely won some wood yielded slams before his metal wilson t2000

Chris evert:
Wilson Christ evert auto
Wilson ps 6.0

Im sure if dubs was included, the list would grow

 

[joe sch]

nobody interested in this thread ?

 

[AndrewD]

Joe,

Connors never won a major using anything other than the T2000. I gather he changed to that frame when he was still a junior and it was certainly what he used for his first and last major.

Evonne Goolagong springs to mind. She won early majors using a wooden racquet and then the 1980 Wimbledon using a metal Dunlop Volley.

BJK won with wood and also won with a T2000 before going back to wood.

Navratilova won with wood before moving on the the Yonex.

Mandlikova did the same. Early majors with a Wilson wood and later US Open with a graphite.

Guillermo Vilas won two Aus Opens with a wood composite and his two early majors using a standard wooden frame.

Arthur Ashe used the Head comp to win the 75 Wimbledon but his first major at the US Open was won using wood.

Ann Jones won the 1969 Wimbledon using a metal frame (think it was the T2000) and believe she won her 66 French using wood (dont quote me on that one)

If you don't take into account the doubles players then I think that's about it.

 

[joe sch]

Nice additions Andrew
Stan Smith must have won with both his wilson wood autograph and his fischer graphite autographs ?

 

[Ed Lee]

Winning Slams with Different Compositions

Hi Joe,

This is challenging, but I will go out on a limb here. I contend that John Newcombe won many of his slams using the Slazenger Challenge #1, but he won at least one (perhaps the '75 Australian with a Rawlings Tiebreaker (aluminum composition).

Any thoughts?

 

[154Ace]

Borg did im sure

 

[joe sch]

Hi Joe,

This is challenging, but I will go out on a limb here. I contend that John Newcombe won many of his slams using the Slazenger Challenge #1, but he won at least one (perhaps the '75 Australian with a Rawlings Tiebreaker (aluminum composition).

Any thoughts?

I think you maybe correct, nice addition Ed !

 

[joe sch]

Borg did im sure

Borg won all his slams with wood.
He even attempted to use his beloved woodie in his comeback during the graphite era and could not compete. He did goto graphite and his game looked diff on the senior tour.

 

[Ed Lee]

Grand Slam Winners with Different Compositions

Joe, I must have a lot of time on my hands, but I have a few more suggestions to consider:

Stefan Edberg used a Wilson Pro Staff (wood) before he won several slams with the Wilson Pro Staff 6.0/6.1. Do you recall him winning a slam with the wooden pro staff?

Also, I am sure that Ken Rosewall started using a Seamless aluminum racquet (later Seamco) in 1971-1972. I recall him beating Rod Laver in the WCT finals in 1972 with it. I believe he won another slam after that date.

 

[AndrewD]

Hi Joe,

This is challenging, but I will go out on a limb here. I contend that John Newcombe won many of his slams using the Slazenger Challenge #1, but he won at least one (perhaps the '75 Australian with a Rawlings Tiebreaker (aluminum composition).

Any thoughts?

Ed,
Newk used a Slazenger wood when beat Connors at the 75 Aus Open. Im looking at a few pics of it now but can't quite make out what the model is. He used it again in 76 when he lost to Mark Edmondson in the final.

Edberg used an aluminium racquet before signing with Wilson. Think the brand was Rossignol. There's a few pics of him using it in an early book of Pat Cash's. After that he played with a Wilson graphite. Had a funny feeling it was a black and white one. Could it have been called the Javelin? Then he went to the ProStaff but I think you'll find he played his entire professional career with the PS85. It came out in about 82, Edberg turned pro in about 84.

I do know he won his first major using the PS85 as it was here in Australia and I was lucky enough to be at Kooyong to see him.

Ken Rosewall did win another major after 71, the 1972 Australian Open using a wooden Slazenger again I think it was but his losses to Connors in 74 were with a metal frame and he was runner-up for the US doubles in 73 which might have been with a metal frame.

It's a bit of a funny one but Im sure its got something to do with sponsorship. Every pic Ive seen of Rosewall playing the Aus Open, even through 74, he's using a wooden racquet. Perhaps it was just a personal choice or, perhaps, a sponsorhip arrangement. Not sure but Joe might have some clue.

Have to say though, Ken Rosewall and Stefan Edberg, could there have been two classier blokes?

 

[AndrewD]

Joe,
Not sure if you're aware of this site but thought it might hold some interest for you. It's a fellow collector here in Australia.
http://www.merindolhall.com/tennis.html

Otherwise,
While I was looking for a pic of Stefan Edberg using the ProStaff for his first major title I came across this site and thought others might find it interesting.

Basically a number of free, downloadable clips of Edberg serving, volleying, hitting backhands, etc. Only brief but still very memorable.

http://edberg.free.fr/videos/videos_baseline_3.htm

 

[joe sch]

Joe, I must have a lot of time on my hands, but I have a few more suggestions to consider:

Stefan Edberg used a Wilson Pro Staff (wood) before he won several slams with the Wilson Pro Staff 6.0/6.1. Do you recall him winning a slam with the wooden pro staff?

Also, I am sure that Ken Rosewall started using a Seamless aluminum racquet (later Seamco) in 1971-1972. I recall him beating Rod Laver in the WCT finals in 1972 with it. I believe he won another slam after that date.

Hi Ed,
I dont think Ken won a slam with that Seamless and as AndrewD mentions, he went back to wood. That WCT final was a very big win, nice point! Rod Laver also hated the aluminum rackets, and went back to wood.

 

[joe sch]

Joe,
Not sure if you're aware of this site but thought it might hold some interest for you. It's a fellow collector here in Australia.
http://www.merindolhall.com/tennis.html

Thats Adrian Keats website, I do know him thru collecting. I think your correct that Edberg may have used the Wilson Javelin in his early days. It was an unusual racket with angled cross beam stabolizers that were white colored on one side.

 

[Ed Lee]

Racquet Material Changes

Joe and Andrew,

Thanks for your corrections. I wasn't sure about what racquets were used during the Australian Opens since we seldom got to see them here, certainly in the early to mid 70's. Most of the tournaments that were broadcasted here on TV during that era were based in the U.S. Laver used Chemold, Newcombe Rawlings, and Rosewall Seamless. I tried the Chemold. It was awful! Felt like a $10 racquet. I owned a Seamless, pretty powerful. However, I'll take the Maxply Fort any day! BTW, did Margaret Court win any slams once she changed to aluminum?

 

[Rabbit]

Edberg won all of his with the same frame.

I can't believe I get to be the first to mention this multi-Slam multi-racket winner....

Chris Evert won with the wooden Evert Auto and the ProStaff.

I'm pretty sure that Stan Smith won his with Wilson only.

Laver used to paint his Dunlops with Chemhold at the throat. And, he'd paint the whole racket gold.

Arthur Ashe won his first Grand Slam with a wooden frame and his last, the 75 Wimbledon title with the Head Comp.

 

[AndrewD]

I think Joe mentioned Chrissie in the first post and we tagged Ashe in the second.

Ed,
I don't know about Margaret Court winning any of her final majors with a metal racquet. I had wondered about her but just can't recall any images of her using one. Still, it could possibly be something she used in 73.

Also made me think, going on what we've been talking about, Pat Cash must be the last player to win a major with a metallic racquet (Wimbledon in 87) but prior to that, who were the only men to win a major singles title using one?

I can only think of Jimmy Connors and Mark Edmondson in 76 (Aus Open) but was Roscoe Tanner using an alloy frame when he won the 77 Australian?

 

[tandayu]

How about RosieCasal?

Did she won double slam before with wood, and later with graphite?

I think several doubles player won slam with various frames?

 

[AndrewD]

Here's the answer Ed

Joe and Andrew,

Thanks for your corrections. I wasn't sure about what racquets were used during the Australian Opens since we seldom got to see them here, certainly in the early to mid 70's. Most of the tournaments that were broadcasted here on TV during that era were based in the U.S. Laver used Chemold, Newcombe Rawlings, and Rosewall Seamless. I tried the Chemold. It was awful! Felt like a $10 racquet. I owned a Seamless, pretty powerful. However, I'll take the Maxply Fort any day! BTW, did Margaret Court win any slams once she changed to aluminum?

By a slight stroke of good fortune my girlfriend brought Paul Fein's 'You can quote me on that: greatest tennis quips, insights and zingers' home from work (she's a librarian). One of the sections deals with racquet-related quotes and, surprise, surprise there's one from Margaret Court about the Chemold.

She said: "The big joke- although it wasn't funny at the time- was that the metal racquets Chemold were giving us were nothing but junk. Mine used to snap off at the throat, and they couldn't string them properly. I still don't know how I was able to win three of the four Grand Slam tournaments with them - in France, England and the United States" (Margaret Court, in her 1975 book, Court on Court: A life in tennis)

So, I guess that is the answer. She must have used a metal racquet to win a few major tournaments. Im assuming it was in singles but not sure if the three titles are incorrect and it should have been France, Australian and US Open or if she's including doubles in the equation.

Either way it does explain why you thought the Chemold played like a $10 racquet LOL.