Old racquets do not become less effective

[markwillplay]

I am a poor communicator. I should not have used the pro 90 as my main example. I play with POG OS 4 stripes mostly and I completely understand the need for more head size. I was mainly talking about slightly heavier more flexible sticks which most out of the 90s are I guess. I used the pro 90 because so many people here seemed to love the K90 so I thought that would be a good comparison. On a good day, I can make the pro 90 work and the shape of it actually gives a pretty good spin window. It is a mid for sure but as easy to play with or even easier (for me at least) than the k90 was. I find it more maneuverable and much easier to generate gobs of spin (14 by 18). I often play with my prince tour 18 20's as well and find them to feel very old school and quite effective for me. I was really responding to the myth that today's stix are the only ones that can hold up in this new modern spin game. I don't find the sticks so different and even like the older ones better for comfort and to not find most of the as anemic as some would say they are.

Having said all that, I sure would like to have some replacement grommets for my POGs (ha ha ha).

 

[n8dawg6]

I completely understand the need for more head size.

thats what she said

 

[DustinW]

If I roll into my 4.5 league singles match, and I can pick between playing a guy with a POG and a guy with a Pure Drive, I will choose to play the POG guy every time. I'm not saying that I won't lose to a guy with an old school racket... but I'm going with the odds. And the odds say that the POG guy will struggle with defense and struggle with having enough time to do what he wants to do.

I still pull out my 12.5 oz Prince Graphite II from high school every once in a while, and its a dream to hit with. But I'm going to win waaaaay more matches with a 11 oz Head Graphene Radical MP. Today's game is about taking time away from your opponent and who can go most easily go from defense to neutral (or offense) easier.

 

[vsbabolat]

I missed it

 

[Power Player]

You missed the point. Obviously there's a big difference between the POG and the Pure Drive. But the question is there a performance difference between the original Pure Drive from 1994 that was just Graphite and Kevlar and today's Pure Drive with cortex, woofer, and tungsten (that turned out not be really in any of the Babolat racquets)?

Thats a good question because IMO, no there is probably not much difference. It is a design that has held up over time with some slight tweaks in string pattern, RA and weighting. I think the OP is talking more about old school soft frames versus stiffer modern ones.

 

[Arthuro]

If I may. I am a PTR coach, have been sponsored by the now defunct TeamPrince, and have never played tournaments beyond hitting with men's and women's teams in college as a stringer and hitting partner. That being said, I have played 4.5 and 5.0s in three different regions and have never used the newest gear. In the 2000s I was using Prince triple threat technology and in the 2010s I have remained dedicated to the Prince Exo3 technology. My older technology has never bent to the newest stuff. I have lost to players with a string advantage, when I used only synthetics, but hybrids/poly equalized and I won the next two matches. This was by a 5.0, but then again it could have been that I just lost and the next two matches I won. Who knows.

 

[Power Player]

I am saying this... if a rec player can be consistant with an older more flexible stick, stay injury free, those older sticks with foam in the handle (like my pogs, graphite pro, and the others) then I do not think that is a bad option or that you will not be able to compete and win with them. The opposite has been said on these forums many times. That is all I am saying. Nothing more, nothing less.

I don't disagree with this.

 

[vsbabolat]

Thats a good question because IMO, no there is probably not much difference. It is a design that has held up over time with some slight tweaks in string pattern, RA and weighting. I think the OP is talking more about old school soft frames versus stiffer modern ones.

I reread the op. you are right.

 

[markwillplay]

The best 4.5 player I know in my area is a gentleman in his 50s. He uses a chang longbody and has probably since they came out. His entire game is about taking time away from you. Takes everything on the rise and hits short angles like crazy. One short ball to him and point is over. Maybe playing with your head graphene helps you to do that and no doubt it may help me...but in no way does playing with a POG OS or longbody prevent one from playing that way. I have had my ass handed to me playing him too many times. He loves to play people who hit big spinny short balls. Now, he may be the exception, but he lives and breathes.

 

[DustinW]

The best 4.5 player I know in my area is a gentleman in his 50s. He uses a chang longbody and has probably since they came out. His entire game is about taking time away from you. Takes everything on the rise and hits short angles like crazy. One short ball to him and point is over. Maybe playing with your head graphene helps you to do that and no doubt it may help me...but in no way does playing with a POG OS or longbody prevent one from playing that way. I have had my ass handed to me playing him too many times. He loves to play people who hit big spinny short balls. Now, he may be the exception, but he lives and breathes.

Agree with everything you said. I certainly wasn't trying to say that its not possible. I know those guys are out there, but they are definitely the exception to the rule.

 

[markwillplay]

I agree with you too bro. I know there are certain advantagrs. If I coukd find a stick that was lighter, foam filled, and had the stability of these old sticks I would play with them.

By the way, I played dubs tonight and got a chance to use the pro 90 for a little while. This is an absolute spin machine...good grief. I know that the flex steals power but I have never played a mid that was easier to play with. Against really good powerful players the POG gets the call. The tours are nice and soft too but foam filled handles are hard to beat.

 

[donquijote]

It's not true that 'modern' racquets help the player with a lighter package. You can use an older light racquet with same head size to play the same game. The only thing changed is the strings. Today we have more effective strings with a great variety for every taste. Any racquet that comes with the 'modern' tag is just marketing bs.

 

[WisconsinPlayer]

You asked what pros play with stiffer racquets. Well I named three right off the bat. Pretty sure I may come across more if I research more. And yeah, true on babolat account. As for Fognini, it was put on RDC (pics are in the article I cited) so his is most definitely 69.

Fognini has tested stiff frames, but predominantly plays with ra64 pd's. I know someone who has 2 of his current pj's and both are 64.

Here's a reputable seller

https://www.prostocktennis.com/products/fabio-fognini-personal-babolat-pure-drive-painted-cortex-1

I knew it wasn't true Faris!

 

[Power Player]

I think a lot of heavily used babs just flex out after being restrung and used a lot. Wouldn't surprise me a bit. Fog's frames are probably being strung up 2-3 times a week.

 

[wangs78]

For most of us playing tennis is about enjoying the experience, which depends on a combination of things such as performance, your gear (face it, all of us are guilty of at least a bit of vanity when it comes to the racquets we choose). So this debate about older/newer racquets, while interesting, is a bit moot there is no right or wrong. We all use the racquets that give us the greatest enjoyment, either bc we play better with a racquet, or we like the looks of a racquet, or we just like having the latest and greatest, etc. The newer racquets tend to have bigger sweet spots and impart spin more due to the evolution of the game, but they often sacrifice a bit of feel, touch and plow through (due to less weight). Both types still work just fine, it just depends on what kind of game you play (flat hitting, touch shots, S&V benefit from classic racquets while baseline rallies with heavy topspin benefit from more modern racquets).