Prince Vegeta
Semi-Pro
Preface:
You may skip this and go straight down to the specifications that I chose on my Angell racket if you like. I only included this part for those who want to gather a perspective on my story and what has lead me to Angell in the first place. This way, the reader can fully understand my tennis background and what has driven me to find the perfect racket for my game.
My play style is most similar to that of an aggressive baseliner; although I have been told that I play all parts of the game really well. My biggest strengths are my serves, and play with a one handed backhand.
Introduction:
I wish I would have discovered Angell rackets five years ago. Five years ago, I was playing my last competitive college match, that I had to throw away because of serious tennis elbow problems.
At the time, I had only used Babalot rackets. In high school, I had only hit with the second generation Aero Pro Drive until it cracked. I decided to give the Pure Drive (the black version), a go. I went with the extended length version because I have always been on the shorter side, and felt I could benefit from more power playing against more experienced collegiate level players. By the end of the season, I could barely hit a tennis ball without shrieking in pain from my elbow.
My case of tennis elbow lead to immersing myself into the racket world. I know it sounds crazy, but up until this point I played tennis with whatever racket my coaches recommended. I discovered that polyester strings strung at high tensions, and stiff rackets made for a recipe for disaster. As soon as I felt my arm was good enough to hit a ball again, I opted for a heavier, and softer on the arm, Pure Control Tour. I was immediately amazed by the feel of the ball dwelling on the strings on my racket for what seamed like eternity. The internet also taught me that polyester strings were essentially engineered to thrive at low tensions. My tennis elbow never returned.
Eventually, After craving a tad more power from my Pure Controls, I skeptically decided upon giving an extended racket another go. This time I wanted something very flexible feeling, and swore to never string it as high as 60 pounds. I gave the Yonex DR 98+ a go, and fell in love. It was a fantastic racket. Very powerful, but I wanted to try something that wasn't quite as muted, a bit more solid, and more control oriented for my very powerful game. A name that I kept coming across on this forum was Angell. With a little curiosity, I custom ordered one for myself, and found that it was almost perfect.
Specifications:
Angell TC 95
18x20
63 RA
27.5 inches
330g/305 Bal. UNSTRUNG
Black Leather
L2
A Handle
I enjoy heavy frames now. With the Pure Control that I used to have, I weighted it up immensely to have even more stability and power (once you got it moving that is). I had all of my Pure Controls modded with a leather grip, to about 13 ounces, a 350 swing weight, and 7 points headlight. They were rock solid. I make similar modifications to my rackets since then.
Initial Impression:
Angell frames feel great the moment you get one in your hands. The racket felt like it was made of the highest quality materials on earth. I had it strung up with my go to string since college, Volkl Cyclone 17, and hit the courts.
Serves:
I usually get a feel from how a racket performs mostly from serves. If I cannot serve well with a racket, it's on its way out the door. The TC95 is the best serving stick I have every used. It cuts through the air like a hot knife through butter. This leads to the frame crushing first serves. The added flex with the unique 63 RA (reported 58-57 strung), is very noticeable on serves, and feels very uniform. My Pure Controls of old you could feel the flex in the top of the frame. Honestly, I was worried the TC95 would feel too soft, but it feels fantastic. I would not call it mushy feeling, but it definitely is not firm. I like a higher swingweight, and the lower RA model supposedly requires more fibers to allow the frame to flex, thus increasing swingweight.
The TC95, along with most of the other Angell frames, are foam filled. This is my first time hitting with a fully foam filled racket, and the first thing I noticed was the feel and sound. On the serve, the sound is akin to a crack of thunder, but feels like a memory foam pillow struck a tennis ball at immense speed.
The only issue that I had with this frame was the extended length on my spin serves; more so the kick serve. It really felt long, and if i had to guess, the added swingweight probably was the culprit.
Forehands:
My forehand is somewhat flat. I can hit with loads of spin, but my trajectory over the net is not the highest. I chose the 18x20 pattern so I could go all in on every shot and bully the ball on the court without feeling like I was going to lose the ball. Forehands with the TC95 are immaculate. It feels just as powerful as the serve. Honestly, I did not expect this much spin potential with a 95 inch head and an 18x20 pattern. It was dense enough that I always found my forehands landing deep in the court, but with enough heavy spin to dip the ball just inside the line.
I had two issues with this frame on my forehands. One, the extended length seems to inhibit my ability to paint the ball down the line if I wanted to be aggressive. Second, the net clearance I achieved was too low for my liking. I felt like every forehand I hit narrowly made it over the net.
Backhands:
My backhands were deadly with the TC95. Honestly, I did not expect to click immediately with the extra half inch on my backhands. What I found was that the very headlight balance really helped me come over the ball and hit with some immense topspin. I somehow managed to find some good angles too if I really wanted to put the ball away. The dense string pattern really allowed me to go all out and never lose control. The 18x20 was also incredibly good with my slice backhands, which is my favorite shot. As a one handed backhand player, I rely on my slice a lot. I use it in both offensive and defensive situations; and I enjoy changing the pace of the rally with my slice.
Also, I really enjoyed the feel of the A shape handle on my one handed backhands. It fit nicely in my palm.
Volleys:
The response off of the string bed was very predicable on the volley. The extra headlight balance really helped with the maneuverability. I do not come to the net too much, but I really felt confident doing so with this frame. ended up adding 5 grams of lead at 3 & 9 to the TC95, and it really made the racket feel extremely stable at the net.
Returns:
Arguably my weakest part of my game. Returns were very predicable with the dense string pattern. Once I added a tiny bit of lead to the frame, it made it easy to step inside the court and be aggressive with my returns. This is particularly true with my one handed backhand topspin return, when I wanted to be aggressive against a second serve. The low RA really felt great on returns as well. It gave the impression that I could almost never over hit. The flex does a fantastic job of redirecting pace. I really felt like I could go for a winner, even if I did not make all of them. Like I said, I am not a great returner, but I am getting there. The TC95 gave me all the confidence I needed in this department, which is all I really needed.
Conclusion:
Like I mentioned early on, my custom TC95 was nearly perfect. I ultimately sold it and will now order the TC95 in a different spec to see if that fixes the problems I had with it.
Since the frame is so powerful, I may be fine going back to a standard length. I have always viewed my modest height as an issue when playing against bigger foes, but the TC95 is powerful enough on its own. It really allows one to dictate points.
The next thing I will probably do is try the 16x19 version. I feel like this could help me achieve a higher launch angle over the net. I would like to hear from those who have used both the 16x19 and the 18x20 and if you felt like you lost any control with the more open pattern? I would also like to hear from those who have tried the 70 RA and tell me if you preferred it to the 63 RA.
I hope that those of you who took the time to read this post enjoyed it. I really want to be a part of this forum on a more consistent basis.
If you have not already, give Angell frames a go. They are fantastic rackets.
You may skip this and go straight down to the specifications that I chose on my Angell racket if you like. I only included this part for those who want to gather a perspective on my story and what has lead me to Angell in the first place. This way, the reader can fully understand my tennis background and what has driven me to find the perfect racket for my game.
My play style is most similar to that of an aggressive baseliner; although I have been told that I play all parts of the game really well. My biggest strengths are my serves, and play with a one handed backhand.
Introduction:
I wish I would have discovered Angell rackets five years ago. Five years ago, I was playing my last competitive college match, that I had to throw away because of serious tennis elbow problems.
At the time, I had only used Babalot rackets. In high school, I had only hit with the second generation Aero Pro Drive until it cracked. I decided to give the Pure Drive (the black version), a go. I went with the extended length version because I have always been on the shorter side, and felt I could benefit from more power playing against more experienced collegiate level players. By the end of the season, I could barely hit a tennis ball without shrieking in pain from my elbow.
My case of tennis elbow lead to immersing myself into the racket world. I know it sounds crazy, but up until this point I played tennis with whatever racket my coaches recommended. I discovered that polyester strings strung at high tensions, and stiff rackets made for a recipe for disaster. As soon as I felt my arm was good enough to hit a ball again, I opted for a heavier, and softer on the arm, Pure Control Tour. I was immediately amazed by the feel of the ball dwelling on the strings on my racket for what seamed like eternity. The internet also taught me that polyester strings were essentially engineered to thrive at low tensions. My tennis elbow never returned.
Eventually, After craving a tad more power from my Pure Controls, I skeptically decided upon giving an extended racket another go. This time I wanted something very flexible feeling, and swore to never string it as high as 60 pounds. I gave the Yonex DR 98+ a go, and fell in love. It was a fantastic racket. Very powerful, but I wanted to try something that wasn't quite as muted, a bit more solid, and more control oriented for my very powerful game. A name that I kept coming across on this forum was Angell. With a little curiosity, I custom ordered one for myself, and found that it was almost perfect.
Specifications:
Angell TC 95
18x20
63 RA
27.5 inches
330g/305 Bal. UNSTRUNG
Black Leather
L2
A Handle
I enjoy heavy frames now. With the Pure Control that I used to have, I weighted it up immensely to have even more stability and power (once you got it moving that is). I had all of my Pure Controls modded with a leather grip, to about 13 ounces, a 350 swing weight, and 7 points headlight. They were rock solid. I make similar modifications to my rackets since then.
Initial Impression:
Angell frames feel great the moment you get one in your hands. The racket felt like it was made of the highest quality materials on earth. I had it strung up with my go to string since college, Volkl Cyclone 17, and hit the courts.
Serves:
I usually get a feel from how a racket performs mostly from serves. If I cannot serve well with a racket, it's on its way out the door. The TC95 is the best serving stick I have every used. It cuts through the air like a hot knife through butter. This leads to the frame crushing first serves. The added flex with the unique 63 RA (reported 58-57 strung), is very noticeable on serves, and feels very uniform. My Pure Controls of old you could feel the flex in the top of the frame. Honestly, I was worried the TC95 would feel too soft, but it feels fantastic. I would not call it mushy feeling, but it definitely is not firm. I like a higher swingweight, and the lower RA model supposedly requires more fibers to allow the frame to flex, thus increasing swingweight.
The TC95, along with most of the other Angell frames, are foam filled. This is my first time hitting with a fully foam filled racket, and the first thing I noticed was the feel and sound. On the serve, the sound is akin to a crack of thunder, but feels like a memory foam pillow struck a tennis ball at immense speed.
The only issue that I had with this frame was the extended length on my spin serves; more so the kick serve. It really felt long, and if i had to guess, the added swingweight probably was the culprit.
Forehands:
My forehand is somewhat flat. I can hit with loads of spin, but my trajectory over the net is not the highest. I chose the 18x20 pattern so I could go all in on every shot and bully the ball on the court without feeling like I was going to lose the ball. Forehands with the TC95 are immaculate. It feels just as powerful as the serve. Honestly, I did not expect this much spin potential with a 95 inch head and an 18x20 pattern. It was dense enough that I always found my forehands landing deep in the court, but with enough heavy spin to dip the ball just inside the line.
I had two issues with this frame on my forehands. One, the extended length seems to inhibit my ability to paint the ball down the line if I wanted to be aggressive. Second, the net clearance I achieved was too low for my liking. I felt like every forehand I hit narrowly made it over the net.
Backhands:
My backhands were deadly with the TC95. Honestly, I did not expect to click immediately with the extra half inch on my backhands. What I found was that the very headlight balance really helped me come over the ball and hit with some immense topspin. I somehow managed to find some good angles too if I really wanted to put the ball away. The dense string pattern really allowed me to go all out and never lose control. The 18x20 was also incredibly good with my slice backhands, which is my favorite shot. As a one handed backhand player, I rely on my slice a lot. I use it in both offensive and defensive situations; and I enjoy changing the pace of the rally with my slice.
Also, I really enjoyed the feel of the A shape handle on my one handed backhands. It fit nicely in my palm.
Volleys:
The response off of the string bed was very predicable on the volley. The extra headlight balance really helped with the maneuverability. I do not come to the net too much, but I really felt confident doing so with this frame. ended up adding 5 grams of lead at 3 & 9 to the TC95, and it really made the racket feel extremely stable at the net.
Returns:
Arguably my weakest part of my game. Returns were very predicable with the dense string pattern. Once I added a tiny bit of lead to the frame, it made it easy to step inside the court and be aggressive with my returns. This is particularly true with my one handed backhand topspin return, when I wanted to be aggressive against a second serve. The low RA really felt great on returns as well. It gave the impression that I could almost never over hit. The flex does a fantastic job of redirecting pace. I really felt like I could go for a winner, even if I did not make all of them. Like I said, I am not a great returner, but I am getting there. The TC95 gave me all the confidence I needed in this department, which is all I really needed.
Conclusion:
Like I mentioned early on, my custom TC95 was nearly perfect. I ultimately sold it and will now order the TC95 in a different spec to see if that fixes the problems I had with it.
Since the frame is so powerful, I may be fine going back to a standard length. I have always viewed my modest height as an issue when playing against bigger foes, but the TC95 is powerful enough on its own. It really allows one to dictate points.
The next thing I will probably do is try the 16x19 version. I feel like this could help me achieve a higher launch angle over the net. I would like to hear from those who have used both the 16x19 and the 18x20 and if you felt like you lost any control with the more open pattern? I would also like to hear from those who have tried the 70 RA and tell me if you preferred it to the 63 RA.
I hope that those of you who took the time to read this post enjoyed it. I really want to be a part of this forum on a more consistent basis.
If you have not already, give Angell frames a go. They are fantastic rackets.
Last edited:
