My racquet journey

[Angelface]

Not sure if this is worthy a thread but I thought that this could be helpful for one or two people out there.

I'm 31 years old and took up tennis again about three years ago from a 15 year break. I play about two to three times a week on hardcourt and during the summer pretty much five times a week, mostly on clay.

When coming back to tennis, I have always had a natural interest in gear and tennis was no exception.

I started reading the forums and had a big admiration for Dominic Thiem, so I ended up buying the Pure Strike 16x19 strung up with RPM Blast at about 55 lbs. Even though I liked the frame, having a history of a broken wrist I got so many issues, at the end of the summer I barely could move it. In hindsight, this was probably more caused by a combination of bad technique and harsh strings. But, I decided I needed something more arm-friendly.

I started researching again and found the Yonex Vcore Pro 97 310, bought one to try and hated it from the beginning, it was strung with Hyper-G at 50 lbs and felt like a trampoline. I kept on trying this frame and at the same time found the world of customization, added a leather grip and some weight at 6, 12 and 9 and it wasn't improving. In hindisght, it didn't need much customization and especially not a leather grip since it is already so headlight. Since I wasn't gelling, even though I should've given it more time, I started demoing other frames.

I ended up ordering a demo of Yonex Vcore 98 Galaxy and Prince Beast 98 O3. I instinctively disregarded the Prince with the O-ports and didn't like the feel at all. For the Yonex Vcore 98 Galaxy it felt really great at demo with YPTP at 49 LBS, great pocketing and spin. I didn't find it as erradic as most reviewers, seemed like no one liked this frame. I ordered two weight matched from TWE, I wasn't getting the same ballpocketing as I found when demoing but really liked the frame. I ended up playing with these two frames with leather grip and yellow YPTP at 48.5 lbs for a bit more than a year. In hindsight, I don't really think they needed the leather grip. My wrist was still aching. I still think this is a great frame. But then came the latest version of Vcore 98.

I was really excited about the new Vcore 98 and completely blinded by all the reviews even though some people on the forum said that one shouldn't fall in the trap of just upgrading when a new version comes. I ended up buying two of the new ones from TWE, same strings and tension. I played them for some hours and didn't like them at all. Coming from the previous gen I thought that the new ones were completely dead, even though better for my wrists. The previous generation was much more lively and also gave me more power, while the new generation had more spin and comfort. I actually ended up placing the new generation in my basement and decided they are not for me. Perhaps I should have given it more time, but it was dislike at first swing that I couldn't overcome. I also tried it with a few other string setup.

At this time, I actually ended up picking Yonex Vcore Pro 97 310 again, removed the leather grip and had it strung with Head Lynx. I actually really liked it this time around and have played for it some time. Also tried RS Lyon but it felt a bit too lively for the frame. The big con with this frame being lack of stability, tried adding lead to 3 & 9 but it didn't help that much. I really liked the direct connection to the ball even though it is a bit dampened. However, this got me interested in player/control frames

Quite recently, I tried my girlfriends frames which is Six.one K-factor Team with some lead at 12, 3 & 9, although it is very head heavy with high swingweight considering the low static weight, I absolutely adored the control and feel of this frame. She uses natural gut which I'm not a fan of, but I really found something I loved about these old-school 95 player frames.

I ended up ordering two Six.One 95 Team (289g) (would have ideally been K-factors but hard to get ahold of) from 2015 and tinkered with them. Wilson being Wilson, they of course came in 10 gram apart. I added 16 gram of Tungsten Putty in trap door and 2.5 gram at 12 and 1 gram at 3 & 9 and weight in throat for them to have same spec. Strung them up with Alu Power 1.20. What can I say, I'm completely in love with these frames. With this frame I get great control, a lot of power and a completely lovely feel at impact. Spin isn't too bad with 1.20 poly either. I also really like the idea of lower static weight and high swing weight. I haven't at all found any issues with adapting to a 95 sqi frame. Manouverabillity is great.

I will now sell my four Vcore 98 and my Vcore Pro 97 and completely focus on the Six.One 95.

Although obvious in hindsight, and often pointed out by other members on this forum, main take aways for me, from this three year period and much money spent:

1. Always demo a frame before buying
2. Demo frames in different segments, control and power, to identify what you like
3. Never start customizing before testing stock form, this includes leather grip
4. If customizing, start out very small and add lead in iterations
5. Newer racquets are not by definition better. To my experience quite the opposite - You can find great bargains on older frames
6. Don't be afraid of testing a lighter frame that can be customized. There is a lot of talk about playing with heavy frames, although I think that is not applicable to the majority of players
7. Don't underestimate what strings means for a frame

 

[Dartagnan64]

My main takeaway is that people gravitate to frames that are similar to what they played with as youth. Wilson 6.1 specs are likely more similar to what you are familiar with and how your arm learned to hit.

I've hit with a 6.1 95 and still don't see the magic. Preferred the feel of the Wilson Blade line personally. The Phantom 93P feels better than both.

I also agree that older frames are not necessarily inferior. A lot of modern frame tech is slapping lipstick on a pig. It's most important to find a weight, swing weight and RA that suits your arm and your game. I've learned from my recent 7 year journey that I prefer a stick that, when strung, is about 350 gms, 330 SW, 6-8 points HL and less than 64 RA. That gives me a nice mix of plow, maneuverability and comfort. Then it's about demo'ing for feel.

 

[AmericanTwist]

Thanks for sharing OP. I'm still in the discovery stage too, and it's been about a year. Rotating among 4-5 racquets now, but leading contender is the "erratic string bed" original Pro staff 97. I don't know why reviewers even write that. There are only erratic swings in my book lol...

I'm also a tinkerer so I'm looking to extend my frames and play with the heaviest club I can wield. Bought some syngut to use as a control factor until I nail down my selection. It's been tough deciding among lots of good models out there and brands. When I string up the next racquet I have to think about tension with respect to ambient temps too.

 

[phanamous]

I've been back to tennis for the past 10 years after a 20 years hiatus. One thing I'm certain of is that I still haven't found the racquet I'm looking for. LOL.
I've gone through quite a few false starts thinking I've found the racquet and buy multiples of only to realize soon after it's not working. Much $ has been spent somewhat wastefully.
So I restarted the whole process again a few years ago with this approach:

• Extended year-long demo with each type of racquets of different head sizes, string patterns, weight, and balance.
  • I just buy new or buy/trade used where I can.
  • I have 6 different racquets at all times in my bag. 10 total in my arsenal.
  • Try them out in all situations be it practice, singles or doubles games.
  • Try different strings and mods also. Bought a stringing machine.
• Conclusion so far:
  • Surprisingly, it hasn't mess up my game trying out all the different types. My game has actually gotten better. I've ended learning more about my game with a much better understanding what works best for all the different scenarios. My preference changes too on some days as you're physically never the same.
  • It doesn't take long at all to adapt to a different stick. I do it all the time during matches.
  • What I love hitting with during practice has not carry over to matches. I prefer tight pattern heavier racquets during practice as it's more consistent and requires less effort. For matches however, I've noticed better results with lighter racquets as you're on the run more and never in good hitting position.
  • Gut / soft poly should be tried. Ends up being cheaper too as playability lasts so freaking long. Tricky to get the tension right to but it can make any racquet playable and arm-friendly, no matter how bad.
  • I don't need a 2nd stick of the same type whatever I end up choosing. If I do, it would not be matched as I want one to be a tad lighter for days when you're just not up for it.
  • The stick that has worked best for me so far ended up being a $70 stick that's 7 years old, with 30gr added. Hilarious. I bought it because it was dirt cheap fully not expecting it to suit me.

I've reached a point now where I know what will work for me. However, I'll still keep this going though as it's actually better for my game and I get to try out new racquets also, just more fine tuned in specs. It ends up being cheaper this way too so far.

 

[Shroud]

Not sure if this is worthy a thread but I thought that this could be helpful for one or two people out there.

I'm 31 years old and took up tennis again about three years ago from a 15 year break. I play about two to three times a week on hardcourt and during the summer pretty much five times a week, mostly on clay.

When coming back to tennis, I have always had a natural interest in gear and tennis was no exception.

I started reading the forums and had a big admiration for Dominic Thiem, so I ended up buying the Pure Strike 16x19 strung up with RPM Blast at about 55 lbs. Even though I liked the frame, having a history of a broken wrist I got so many issues, at the end of the summer I barely could move it. In hindsight, this was probably more caused by a combination of bad technique and harsh strings. But, I decided I needed something more arm-friendly.

I started researching again and found the Yonex Vcore Pro 97 310, bought one to try and hated it from the beginning, it was strung with Hyper-G at 50 lbs and felt like a trampoline. I kept on trying this frame and at the same time found the world of customization, added a leather grip and some weight at 6, 12 and 9 and it wasn't improving. In hindisght, it didn't need much customization and especially not a leather grip since it is already so headlight. Since I wasn't gelling, even though I should've given it more time, I started demoing other frames.

I ended up ordering a demo of Yonex Vcore 98 Galaxy and Prince Beast 98 O3. I instinctively disregarded the Prince with the O-ports and didn't like the feel at all. For the Yonex Vcore 98 Galaxy it felt really great at demo with YPTP at 49 LBS, great pocketing and spin. I didn't find it as erradic as most reviewers, seemed like no one liked this frame. I ordered two weight matched from TWE, I wasn't getting the same ballpocketing as I found when demoing but really liked the frame. I ended up playing with these two frames with leather grip and yellow YPTP at 48.5 lbs for a bit more than a year. In hindsight, I don't really think they needed the leather grip. My wrist was still aching. I still think this is a great frame. But then came the latest version of Vcore 98.

I was really excited about the new Vcore 98 and completely blinded by all the reviews even though some people on the forum said that one shouldn't fall in the trap of just upgrading when a new version comes. I ended up buying two of the new ones from TWE, same strings and tension. I played them for some hours and didn't like them at all. Coming from the previous gen I thought that the new ones were completely dead, even though better for my wrists. The previous generation was much more lively and also gave me more power, while the new generation had more spin and comfort. I actually ended up placing the new generation in my basement and decided they are not for me. Perhaps I should have given it more time, but it was dislike at first swing that I couldn't overcome. I also tried it with a few other string setup.

At this time, I actually ended up picking Yonex Vcore Pro 97 310 again, removed the leather grip and had it strung with Head Lynx. I actually really liked it this time around and have played for it some time. Also tried RS Lyon but it felt a bit too lively for the frame. The big con with this frame being lack of stability, tried adding lead to 3 & 9 but it didn't help that much. I really liked the direct connection to the ball even though it is a bit dampened. However, this got me interested in player/control frames

Quite recently, I tried my girlfriends frames which is Six.one K-factor Team with some lead at 12, 3 & 9, although it is very head heavy with high swingweight considering the low static weight, I absolutely adored the control and feel of this frame. She uses natural gut which I'm not a fan of, but I really found something I loved about these old-school 95 player frames.

I ended up ordering two Six.One 95 Team (289g) (would have ideally been K-factors but hard to get ahold of) from 2015 and tinkered with them. Wilson being Wilson, they of course came in 10 gram apart. I added 16 gram of Tungsten Putty in trap door and 2.5 gram at 12 and 1 gram at 3 & 9 and weight in throat for them to have same spec. Strung them up with Alu Power 1.20. What can I say, I'm completely in love with these frames. With this frame I get great control, a lot of power and a completely lovely feel at impact. Spin isn't too bad with 1.20 poly either. I also really like the idea of lower static weight and high swing weight. I haven't at all found any issues with adapting to a 95 sqi frame. Manouverabillity is great.

I will now sell my four Vcore 98 and my Vcore Pro 97 and completely focus on the Six.One 95.

Although obvious in hindsight, and often pointed out by other members on this forum, main take aways for me, from this three year period and much money spent:

1. Always demo a frame before buying
2. Demo frames in different segments, control and power, to identify what you like
3. Never start customizing before testing stock form, this includes leather grip
4. If customizing, start out very small and add lead in iterations
5. Newer racquets are not by definition better. To my experience quite the opposite - You can find great bargains on older frames
6. Don't be afraid of testing a lighter frame that can be customized. There is a lot of talk about playing with heavy frames, although I think that is not applicable to the majority of players
7. Don't underestimate what strings means for a frame

I always break 1,2,3,4. Always. 5,6,7 are good findings

 

[Lorenn]

1. Always demo a frame before buying
2. Demo frames in different segments, control and power, to identify what you like
3. Never start customizing before testing stock form, this includes leather grip
4. If customizing, start out very small and add lead in iterations
5. Newer racquets are not by definition better. To my experience quite the opposite - You can find great bargains on older frames
6. Don't be afraid of testing a lighter frame that can be customized. There is a lot of talk about playing with heavy frames, although I think that is not applicable to the majority of players
7. Don't underestimate what strings means for a frame

Thank you for the tale. The main interesting point to me...Is you need to know yourself.

The main thing is to know what you like so you have a reference point to start from...What would be interesting is to know your Childhood racquets. I started with heavy wooden racquets, then Prince Original Graphite. After a few Prince racquets I switched to the Head Radical Series and upgraded every generation until the Liquid Metal. I disliked Microgel so I just stuck with LM. After a long time switched to the Head Gravity Pro, mainly because the Radical line was neglected last year and was still 360 tech. I prefer racquets to be as naturally heavy as possible as all are lighter than my childhood wooden racquets. I like a bit of flex in my frames. If you swing well and have good timing you can use the flex to your advantage. I always found with a bit of flex, good time and a full swing you could hit at 11.

The secondary point is feel of racquets influence one strongly. One of the hardest things is to put aside feel and look objectively at results. O ports for example require players to look past feel. Normally players only switch if they need something kind to body... and they have tried everything else. I find the beast 98 03 a surprisingly good racquet. Then again I played with the original O ports so I knew what to expect. The hardest thing for me last time was to admit that the Speed MP 360+ was actually a great racquet, even if the feel was off.

Third point, just because your favorite player uses a frame, doesn't mean it is the right frame for you.