Murray to Yonex

[oldmanyellingatcloud]

for the folks complaining about the supposed lack of transparency i this thread, I mentioned it previously: we aren't going to get definitive answers here. some people here work directly with AM and are not allowed to share details; others from the Head side have been kind enough to list out the many racquets he tried before he made the switch, etc.

if you're fans of other sports this is the equivalent of a Schefter or Shams tweet saying "AM and Head mutually agreed to part ways." AM's contract was up, Head decided not to pursue renewing it and he didn't see a reason to renew it from his end.

the thread on the 2004 ESPN article about paintjobs that similarly rocked these forums --- before I started lurking here, to be clear --- continued to get bumped periodically until 2012. maybe we'll get something after he retires or the smallest possibility he decides to share in a long-form setting like a podcast.

I guess I'm the only one who thinks this is the end of an era. the confirmation of the existence of PT57A set off the frenzy about attaining, defining, comparing, categorizing, etc. pro stocks on here, and the rest is history. I do remember lurking and reading threads about the mysterious H22 or whether TGKs are made from different materials as retail (before Head streamlined its categorizations and Dan rips my head off) and whether MG Prestige and PT630 shared a mold or not, for example

 

[PistolPete23]

for the folks complaining about the supposed lack of transparency i this thread, I mentioned it previously: we aren't going to get definitive answers here. some people here work directly with AM and are not allowed to share details; others from the Head side have been kind enough to list out the many racquets he tried before he made the switch, etc.

if you're fans of other sports this is the equivalent of a Schefter or Shams tweet saying "AM and Head mutually agreed to part ways." AM's contract was up, Head decided not to pursue renewing it and he didn't see a reason to renew it from his end.

the thread on the 2004 ESPN article about paintjobs that similarly rocked these forums --- before I started lurking here, to be clear --- continued to get bumped periodically until 2012. maybe we'll get something after he retires or the smallest possibility he decides to share in a long-form setting like a podcast.

I guess I'm the only one who thinks this is the end of an era. the confirmation of the existence of PT57A set off the frenzy about attaining, defining, comparing, categorizing, etc. pro stocks on here, and the rest is history. I do remember lurking and reading threads about the mysterious H22 or whether TGKs are made from different materials as retail (before Head streamlined its categorizations and Dan rips my head off) and whether MG Prestige and PT630 shared a mold or not, for example

What I don’t understand is what’s the sensitive information here? He’s playing with a Yonex now and is not under contract. What could be sensitive about his racquet journey as a free agent that would cause him to tell a fake story? The forum members who work directly with AM, are they also the ones who have cast doubt on his story? If so, maybe they shouldn’t be trusted to work directly with AM lol.

Edit: If there’s sensitive info to hide, he could have provided a super generic answer like, “I’ve been testing different racquets and ended up gelling the most with the Yonex.” He didn’t have to go into details.

 

[Honza]

The thing is, both stoties can coexist. The switch to Yonex could have been a logical step because of members of his team, and still he could have bought 10 frames in a shop and experimented with lead and SW machines himself.

I dont get why the "insiders" are hardening the fact, that AM lies.

 

[Crozzer95]

This thread man..

 

[Chopin]

so to recap...

1) it is IMPOSSIBLE for a tennis player to actually walk into a tennis shop and buy some rackets. And if you believe that you're a weirdo
2) Murray ACTUALLY requested an urgent meeting with the shadow government of the UK and the Illuminati council to discuss his next equipment
3) Yonex was identified as the ideal partner due to their connection with the Anunnaki
4) A team of 25 writers lead by JJ Martin was secretly hired to come up with the store story, word by word
5) A secret operation was initiated to acquire compromising pictures of Jonas in order to then manipulate him to describe the events as convenient
6) AM just got destroyed in the second round of a challenger tournament but he's laughing his ass watching his secret bank account reading 20B+ thanks to this operation.

it all sounds pretty linear and logical to me
internet we did it again! congrats everybody

Brilliant!

 

[GAS]

It seems obvious to me that AM walked into the shop in Miami and bought frames off the rack as a cover-up story.

His secret deal with Yonex was already a done deal and his fully customized frames were shipped directly from Japan.

 

[Chopin]

for the folks complaining about the supposed lack of transparency i this thread, I mentioned it previously: we aren't going to get definitive answers here. some people here work directly with AM and are not allowed to share details; others from the Head side have been kind enough to list out the many racquets he tried before he made the switch, etc.

if you're fans of other sports this is the equivalent of a Schefter or Shams tweet saying "AM and Head mutually agreed to part ways." AM's contract was up, Head decided not to pursue renewing it and he didn't see a reason to renew it from his end.

the thread on the 2004 ESPN article about paintjobs that similarly rocked these forums --- before I started lurking here, to be clear --- continued to get bumped periodically until 2012. maybe we'll get something after he retires or the smallest possibility he decides to share in a long-form setting like a podcast.

I guess I'm the only one who thinks this is the end of an era. the confirmation of the existence of PT57A set off the frenzy about attaining, defining, comparing, categorizing, etc. pro stocks on here, and the rest is history. I do remember lurking and reading threads about the mysterious H22 or whether TGKs are made from different materials as retail (before Head streamlined its categorizations and Dan rips my head off) and whether MG Prestige and PT630 shared a mold or not, for example

I'm not sure what you're getting at ... There's nothing "rocking these forums" here. The guy played a couple of matches with a new racquet. Everyone knows that.

There seems to be some bizarre debate about whether he purchased racquets himself in a store or not...

 

[Chopin]

It seems obvious to me that AM walked into the shop in Miami and bought frames off the rack as a cover-up story.

His secret deal with Yonex was already a done deal and his fully customized frames were shipped directly from Japan.

So, he actually did purchase frames, even though the deal was done? And what was he covering up??

 

[Chopin]

What I don’t understand is what’s the sensitive information here? He’s playing with a Yonex now and is not under contract. What could be sensitive about his racquet journey as a free agent that would cause him to tell a fake story? The forum members who work directly with AM, are they also the ones who have cast doubt on his story? If so, maybe they shouldn’t be trusted to work directly with AM lol.

Edit: If there’s sensitive info to hide, he could have provided a super generic answer like, “I’ve been testing different racquets and ended up gelling the most with the Yonex.” He didn’t have to go into details.

It's totally illogical: members with supposed inside information and ties to Murray wouldn't say both 1) Murray is a liar 2) I can't reveal the truth because of my professional relationship with Murray.

 

[bobeeto]

If you look at the frames in the stringer photos you see the decals for head size, weight, length on the inner throat are all there, which the pro stock Yonex rackets do not have.

They are very much so retail frames that he’s adjusted to his liking. He probably did not pay for them, along with the bags and possibly string, but for sure they’re not inked under some endorsement deal or Yonex would have jumped to post about it

 

[kunos]

It seems obvious to me that AM walked into the shop in Miami and bought frames off the rack as a cover-up story.

His secret deal with Yonex was already a done deal and his fully customized frames were shipped directly from Japan.

lol cover up for WHAT? Is Yonex blackmailing him into using EZones?

 

[PistolPete23]

I think some people just can’t fathom that AM could be testing modded retail sticks. They’re fully convinced that pros can only play with pro stocks, and anything else would not be able to stand up to the rigors of pro competition.

 

[Crozzer95]

It seems obvious to me that AM walked into the shop in Miami and bought frames off the rack as a cover-up story.

His secret deal with Yonex was already a done deal and his fully customized frames were shipped directly from Japane

 

[GAS]

You guys are totally clueless. There are rumors in the circuit that MI6 agents were used in this operation. We all know Andy has deep connections with the Royal Family.

 

[oldmanyellingatcloud]

I'm not sure what you're getting at ... There's nothing "rocking these forums" here. The guy played a couple of matches with a new racquet. Everyone knows that.

There seems to be some bizarre debate about whether he purchased racquets himself in a store or not...

all I'm saying is, when an all-time great that used one of the most coveted frames in the history of the boards changes racquets, and that too such a different racquet at that, people are going to have takes

 

[dyslexical-scope]

Anyone know what brand of lead tape he's using nowadays?

 

[PistolPete23]

The veracity of TN’s story was all resolved with AM himself telling more or less the same story. Then insiders come along, supposedly privy to the exact details behind the racquet switch, and hint that AM wasn’t being truthful. It would have been better for these insiders just to not post anything at all … now you’ve piqued ppl’s curiosity, but of course, you’re not allowed to divulge “sensitive” information. Not sure why people do this - so we can admire you for being privy to information that others cannot access? Actually the effect is opposite for me, and I’d imagine others as well. This kind of behavior comes across as obnoxious and elitist; I lose respect for such individuals.

 

[artdeco]

I always think brands are stupid not to keep a well-known top player with them all the way to retirement and beyond.
Surely the aim of sponsorship is to make the consumer believe that the player and the manufacturer have more than just an employee/employer relationship and that the player really believes in that equipment beyond the pay cheque.
As soon as you let them go to another brand you've shattered that illusion.

 

[what_army]

I really couldn’t care less about how Murray found that yonex, it’s really not that important.

All I’m interested in is why he thought it was a good a idea to switch since it’s out there for everyone to see how badly he’s playing. The match against Barrere was a disaster, he was close to getting bagelled on the first set and it became apparent he had zero confidence when going for his shots, with a lot of balls sailing long and an equal amount going directly into the net. I hardly saw him hit a winner in that match. In fact he was hitting down the middle most of the match, waiting for Barrere to open up the court and eventually miss. Most of the points he won were due to grinding. He hit a total of zero aces.

I could understand changing racquets if he wanted to do something different, but I don’t see any obvious changes in his game.

 

[oldmanyellingatcloud]

The veracity of TN’s story was all resolved with AM himself telling more or less the same story. Then insiders come along, supposedly privy to the exact details behind the racquet switch, and hint that AM wasn’t being truthful. It would have been better for these insiders just to not posted anything at all … now you’ve piqued ppl’s curiosity, but of course, you’re not allowed to divulge “sensitive” information. Not sure why people do this - so we can admire you for being privy to information that others cannot access? Actually the effect is opposite for me, and I’d imagine others as well. This kind of behavior comes across as obnoxious and elitist; I lose respect for such individuals.

I generally agree with you especially when it comes to brands' future, limited, or otherwise publicly unavailable releases. in this case, however, why would the "player" and their camp or the "brand" and its affiliates share details about how they reached their respective decisions? when we hear about similar situations in other sports, it's largely spoken through a filter and in code unless from a third party (journalists) or much after the fact (podcasts, interviews, oral histories). the people here who do know aren't quite "anonymous sources" are they

I always think brands are stupid not to keep a well-known top player with them all the way to retirement and beyond.
Surely the aim of sponsorship is to make the consumer believe that the player and the manufacturer have more than just an employee/employer relationship and that the player really believes in that equipment beyond the pay cheque.
As soon as you let them go to another brand you've shattered that illusion.

if anybody is operating on that illusion in 2024, I have a Legendary player's racquet to tell them about...

I really couldn’t care less about how Murray found that yonex, it’s really not that important.

All I’m interested in is why he thought it was a good a idea to switch since it’s out there for everyone to see how badly he’s playing. The match against Barrere was a disaster, he was close to getting bagelled on the first set and it became apparent he had zero confidence when going for his shots, with a lot of balls sailing long and an equal amount going directly into the net. I hardly saw him hit a winner in that match. In fact he was hitting down the middle most of the match, waiting for Barrere to open up the court and eventually miss. Most of the points he won were due to grinding. He hit a total of zero aces.

I could understand changing racquets if he wanted to do something different, but I don’t see any obvious changes in his game.

this is what I'm most curious about as well. but again, I'm not sure when we'll hear more about it if at all

 

[Honza]

I always think brands are stupid not to keep a well-known top player with them all the way to retirement and beyond.
Surely the aim of sponsorship is to make the consumer believe that the player and the manufacturer have more than just an employee/employer relationship and that the player really believes in that equipment beyond the pay cheque.
As soon as you let them go to another brand you've shattered that illusion.

No, you think of it as an emotianal decission but there has to be some sort of revenue for Head, especially for the amount of money AM demands.
Sure he is a legend, but currently playing early challanger stages and with his age, there is close to no marketing damage for Head for letting him go.

 

[GodlessEndeavor]

Evidently due to the high amounts of lead tape and the need for secrecy, the shipment of Andy's first batch of rackets had to be done by military cargo plane. Here is an exclusive photo of the Japanese military plane en route to Bordeaux , being escorted by Royal Air Force jets:

 

[racketspec]

The veracity of TN’s story was all resolved with AM himself telling more or less the same story. Then insiders come along, supposedly privy to the exact details behind the racquet switch, and hint that AM wasn’t being truthful. It would have been better for these insiders just to not post anything at all … now you’ve piqued ppl’s curiosity, but of course, you’re not allowed to divulge “sensitive” information. Not sure why people do this - so we can admire you for being privy to information that others cannot access? Actually the effect is opposite for me, and I’d imagine others as well. This kind of behavior comes across as obnoxious and elitist; I lose respect for such individuals.

You keep fishing, so OK I'll take a little nibble.

TN's video is still incorrect. No-one commented as to which elements of the video were incorrect, just that it was wide of the mark and was largely speculative and 'clickbaity', and that you shouldn't believe everything he posts or take as it as gospel - which a lot do on here. This is the only reason I felt the need to comment as it was particularly frustrating to see so many hang on his every word yet again. In hindsight, I would probably agree with you in that I shouldn't have commented and left everyone to take TN's word as read.

I have not commented on Andy's interview, nor will I.

There are pictures on this very thread that clearly prove TN's video is incorrect and at the same time disprove some of the wild speculation that has been brewing. Much of what is and has been going on remains sensitive and confidential, and until I am explicitly told otherwise it will remain so from my side - at which point anyway I'm sure everyone will have moved on with their lives

 

[Honza]

You keep fishing, so OK I'll take a little nibble.

TN's video is still incorrect. No-one commented as to which elements of the video were incorrect, just that it was wide of the mark and was largely speculative and 'clickbaity', and that you shouldn't believe everything he posts or take as it as gospel - which a lot do on here. This is the only reason I felt the need to comment as it was particularly frustrating to see so many hang on his every word yet again. Similarly I have not commented on Andy's interview, nor will I.

There are pictures on this very thread that clearly prove TN's video is incorrect and at the same time disprove some of the wild speculation that has been brewing. Much of what is and has been going on remains sensitive and confidential, and until I am explicitly told otherwise it will remain so from my side - at which point anyway I'm sure everyone will have moved on with their lives

There is one image with a modding company sticker on the racket. Even that narrative can coexist beside the TN and AM story.

 

[Passingshot78]

It seems obvious to me that AM walked into the shop in Miami and bought frames off the rack as a cover-up story.

His secret deal with Yonex was already a done deal and his fully customized frames were shipped directly from Japan.

Yeah and thats why he play without stencil

 

[esm]

Do we know for sure what grip/pallet he’s using?

The grip looks like the ones he has in his Head racquets.
So maybe he has changed the YY base grip to Karakal grip he likes (I think I read about it before).
He is using Tourna grip, cos it is short on the YY (longer) handle. Or he is trying the “Stan the man” look?!? Lol

 

[esm]

Anyone know what brand of lead tape he's using nowadays?

Can’t tell from the pic, but he probably also walked into a Golf shop and bought 10 rolls of lead tapes. Lol

 

[GAS]

Yeah and thats why he play without stencil

Actually it's got a stencil made with a special "invisible" ink. You can see it in person if you're wearing polarized sunglasses.

 

[MisterP]

You keep fishing, so OK I'll take a little nibble.

TN's video is still incorrect. No-one commented as to which elements of the video were incorrect, just that it was wide of the mark and was largely speculative and 'clickbaity', and that you shouldn't believe everything he posts or take as it as gospel - which a lot do on here. This is the only reason I felt the need to comment as it was particularly frustrating to see so many hang on his every word yet again. In hindsight, I would probably agree with you in that I shouldn't have commented and left everyone to take TN's word as read.

I have not commented on Andy's interview, nor will I.

There are pictures on this very thread that clearly prove TN's video is incorrect and at the same time disprove some of the wild speculation that has been brewing. Much of what is and has been going on remains sensitive and confidential, and until I am explicitly told otherwise it will remain so from my side - at which point anyway I'm sure everyone will have moved on with their lives

This thread is new to me and now 8 pages long. Can I get a TLDR on why TN’s video is clickbait and wrong and which AM interview you’re referring to?

 

[dyslexical-scope]

Can’t tell from the pic, but he probably also walked into a Golf shop and bought 10 rolls of lead tapes. Lol

There's no way he uses retail lead tape.

 

[longtimelurker]

TT poster comment on TN's youtube.

"Come on Jonas, no one is going to believe your story, there are stringers & people in the industry who have hard evidence that contradicts yours, how you gonna justify your story now ? "

TN "yes"

 

[dr325i]

You keep fishing, so OK I'll take a little nibble.

TN's video is still incorrect. No-one commented as to which elements of the video were incorrect, just that it was wide of the mark and was largely speculative and 'clickbaity', and that you shouldn't believe everything he posts or take as it as gospel - which a lot do on here. This is the only reason I felt the need to comment as it was particularly frustrating to see so many hang on his every word yet again. In hindsight, I would probably agree with you in that I shouldn't have commented and left everyone to take TN's word as read.

I have not commented on Andy's interview, nor will I.

There are pictures on this very thread that clearly prove TN's video is incorrect and at the same time disprove some of the wild speculation that has been brewing. Much of what is and has been going on remains sensitive and confidential, and until I am explicitly told otherwise it will remain so from my side - at which point anyway I'm sure everyone will have moved on with their lives

This reminds me a little bit of the Zverev or Barty switch to Gravity thread and tons of speculations, and a few posters calling on "head insiders" as clueless and not telling the truth that SZ actually did switch from the Speed racket to Gravity. And everything was in front of them, including the PJ, grommets, etc. In the end, I had to get one of each of their personal frames, take the pallets off and show the "TGT344.x" print...
Tough crowd, especially these noobs, but in the end, I agree with a few posters above -- who cares about the story and details, let's move on with the actual racket and how it serves him details...

 

[K1Y]

One of the things that irks me the most on here is ppl who claim to be "in the know" tell others that they're wrong, then refuse to divulge their knowledge. AM told a fantastic story - @uk_skippy and @racketspec imply he's not telling the truth, but they also refuse to set the record straight and provide the actual facts. Again, he's not under contract. Why tell a made up story?

Why do some of you act like you are entitled to know the 'actual facts'? @uk_skippy and @racketspec don't owe you anything. They share enough info on here about alot of things when they are allowed to.

 

[JeffG]

You keep fishing, so OK I'll take a little nibble.

TN's video is still incorrect. No-one commented as to which elements of the video were incorrect, just that it was wide of the mark and was largely speculative and 'clickbaity', and that you shouldn't believe everything he posts or take as it as gospel - which a lot do on here. This is the only reason I felt the need to comment as it was particularly frustrating to see so many hang on his every word yet again. In hindsight, I would probably agree with you in that I shouldn't have commented and left everyone to take TN's word as read.

I have not commented on Andy's interview, nor will I.

There are pictures on this very thread that clearly prove TN's video is incorrect and at the same time disprove some of the wild speculation that has been brewing. Much of what is and has been going on remains sensitive and confidential, and until I am explicitly told otherwise it will remain so from my side - at which point anyway I'm sure everyone will have moved on with their

Why do some of you act like you are entitled to know the 'actual facts'? @uk_skippy and @racketspec don't own you anything. They share enough info on here about alot of things when they are allowed to.

It’s not a matter of being owed anything or being a newbie or being particularly gullible. Correcting or accusing people and then insisting that evidence in support is a secret is boorish behavior.

 

[Hansen]

the real mystery is why he still uses gut/poly in that thing

 

[Deleted member 807105]

I don't know.

I completely get why those that work with AM don't want to give any information out on here (where there is every chance that they will just be declared liars anyway), given that to do so would potentially effect their chances of a continuing relationship with him or other players if they are identified as being the leak.

It could be something as simple as when Andy tested every Head racket under the sun, his coach suggested he compare to a couple of Yonex, he liked them, but was still under contract at Head so had to wait?

All very innocent, but if that was to get out, it would slightly tarnish Andys image and maybe effect what has seemed a nice relationship with Head.

This is an entirely baseless scenario that I have just made up on the spot, that would tie in with TN and Andys interview, that would also require people that work with him to not disclose the information, so its not hard to fathom both being correct.

 

[shinminsoo86]

the real mystery is why he still uses gut/poly in that thing

Easy, He is just used to or He found out his best match while testing out.

Did Fed changed his string set-up Gut-poly from 90 to 97?

Nope.

 

[GodlessEndeavor]

TT poster comment on TN's youtube.

"Come on Jonas, no one is going to believe your story, there are stringers & people in the industry who have hard evidence that contradicts yours, how you gonna justify your story now ? "

TN "yes"

Which video is this comment on? I can't see it.

 

[dr325i]

It’s not a matter of being owed anything or being a newbie or being particularly gullible. Correcting or accusing people and then insisting that evidence in support is a secret is boorish behavior.

Again, you take and believe what you wish. As RS mentioned, he could have stayed out of the discussion and let everyone believe that indeed, AM woke up one day and walked into a retail store and purchased a bunch of retail frames and 10 lbs of lead tape, and figured out where to get the 4-in-1 machine overnight and the hawk-eye that was laying around... Did he string his own rackets too? He did not mention that...the conspiracy continues! RS (and Skippy) simply said -- aaaah, the story was not quite like that. They also gave a few extra hints like "Andy's coach uses Yonex", or simple ones like -- Andy knows everyone in this industry and has been an important figure in tennis world for past 20 years...a part of the original "Big 4".

Again, back to my Zverev/Barty example above...I could have stayed out of it and let those "experts" still believe that Sascha and Ash are still using old Speeds under the paint, or maybe I could have shown more details about Cilic's actual 2014 USO final racket...but I chose to step away and leave it at it without involving the actual facts any deeper...

Again, this thread has gone sideways over a thing that is totally irrelevant in the whole AM journey...

PS. Did any of you "fabricate" a story to make it sound more interesting using some fictitious ideas heard from someone else (just to make the whole story more powerful)?

 

[Hansen]

Easy, He is just used to or He found out his best match while testing out.

he used poly gut his whole career, only recently switched to gut poly before the yonex switch.

 

[Hansen]

watched the first few games against barrere. i like him as a player but he looked pretty bad. inconsistent, his slices tended to float and he still got overpowered by barrere. his whole game was built around consistency, precision, length control, variety and touch. if he looses that in search for more power (and with his forehand technique he won‘t ever dominate rallies), then what has he left.
he knows best what is good for him yada yada yada, but ezone 100 is the wrong choice.
something like 100d, tecnifibre iso 305 or blade pro 18x20 would make way more sense.
a power racquet doesn‘t make a power player.

 

[Seth]

I have (on very good authority, mind you) sensitive information that I will share with you now:

Andy read this thread prior to his match yesterday. Doing so distracted him so much that he ended up losing in Bordeaux. He was heard speaking with a Yonex exec, asking if they can engineer CAPs for the Ezone 100. He’s also considering the use of a dampener, but can’t decide between the Yonex Vibra Stopper 5 or a #64 rubber band.

I’ll provide further updates as events warrant.

 

[taylor15]

I think some people just can’t fathom that AM could be testing modded retail sticks. They’re fully convinced that pros can only play with pro stocks, and anything else would not be able to stand up to the rigors of pro competition.

People forget that todays pro stocks are mostly yesterdays retail frames. Cue the Novak, or Murray string pattern blah blah, but I did say mostly. Yes, they are lighter to start but as heavy as Murray plays I think everything is game for customization.

 

[UruguayanPLayer]

This thread, lol. Would love to see a video playing tennis of the ones questioning the truth of andys words and being mad that he switched to yonex. Most prob use a heavy modified gravity pro pushing the ball with a 3.0 forehand.

 

[heavyD]

I don't care about the details of how he ended up with Yonex. To me the biggest surprise is how extreme the change is from his old racquet to an Ezone 100. It would be much less surprising if he went with the 98 as the 100 is pretty lively.

 

[PistolPete23]

You keep fishing, so OK I'll take a little nibble.

TN's video is still incorrect. No-one commented as to which elements of the video were incorrect, just that it was wide of the mark and was largely speculative and 'clickbaity', and that you shouldn't believe everything he posts or take as it as gospel - which a lot do on here. This is the only reason I felt the need to comment as it was particularly frustrating to see so many hang on his every word yet again. In hindsight, I would probably agree with you in that I shouldn't have commented and left everyone to take TN's word as read.

I have not commented on Andy's interview, nor will I.

There are pictures on this very thread that clearly prove TN's video is incorrect and at the same time disprove some of the wild speculation that has been brewing. Much of what is and has been going on remains sensitive and confidential, and until I am explicitly told otherwise it will remain so from my side - at which point anyway I'm sure everyone will have moved on with their lives

I was more on the skeptical side of agnostic towards TN's video until somebody posted AM's interview. I just think it's more than coincidence for AM to tell the story that he did, seemingly confirming the general gist of TN's account. At this point, I'm less interested in the details of AM's racquet-testing journey and more intrigued as to why AM would tell a fake story. You didn't comment on AM's video, but the other insider did, and you liked his comment and others' comments who have casted doubt on the veracity of AM's interview ...

 

[jrzinho]

the real mystery is why he still uses gut/poly in that thing

Maybe he doesn't want to risk getting a wrist injury in this transition to a very different racquet with higher stiffness rating.

 

[JSchaff]

I'm extremely surprised Head are willing to let him go given everything, but Yonex may have made a considerable offer - it's likely to get them a lot of publicity for his final matches and then post career events/publicity etc... and they make great racquets so who knows

You know, players are suckers for performance. And so are you and me. Especially when they can't overcome the limitations of their present equipment to produce results. Murray is no different. 1000 more rpms, 35% more mph. That's hard to ignore. He can go back and sign with Head for retirement income.

 

[JSchaff]

Could’ve gotten the Percept 100 or 100D, not sure how the feel differs from the Ezone 100 but that route I’d go if I were him. Both provide easy power from the constant 23mm beam yet still have control, unless his route was going more towards modern

Players who have switched to Percept do not seem to be playing as well. Tiafoe, Giron, etc. For SURE, Tiafoe should go back to his old frame. Still was Yonex.

 

[GAS]

Players who have switched to Percept do not seem to be playing as well. Tiafoe, Giron, etc. For SURE, Tiafoe should go back to his old frame. Still was Yonex.

PJ...