PS97S & Dimitrov Prototype Frame Observations

moon shot

Hall of Fame
I was looking at the photo of the yet to be released PS97S, which peterfig called boxier, so I was trying to figure out how much boxier. It is near impossible to tell from a single photo, and even in the mockup below different lighting pretty much makes it a wash for comparing beam shape. I did find some other things though.
JRJ6NYj.jpg


By this photo the top of the grip and where it reaches full diameter appear to be lower. The head guard also looks to end one cross lower (4th) than the previous version (3rd).

Other than that all I can see left is the PWS. The five strings across the PWS are centered. The grommet below and top grommet of the PWS are no longer on extremely close to the rise of the PWS. It reminded me of an earlier thread where others pointed out Grigor's string pattern didn't look retail across the PWS. I'd made this graphic to compare TW product photo to the frame he was playing with. Now I see the head guard finishes at the 4th cross.

XmBUv47.jpg


In that thread Wilson Fan posted a link which has a few photos that show this as well where both changes are visible in prototype frames. http://photozou.jp/photo/list/3001446/8035522/?lang=en

This is my the most telling of the bunch, there are two crosses above the photo.
yP4g5k7.jpg


Carpe Diem's head guard is higher, boxy beam's PWS rises and falls centered between grommets.

Just spot checking some photos it appears he used:
Australian Open (of course), Miami, Madrid,and Roland Garros his racquet has similar traits to Carpe Diem. Queen's Club he has some warm up / press shots with the boxy beam but plays with Carpe Diem. Wimbledon and Cincinnati played with the boxy. US Open, Stockholm, and Basel he plays with the boxy and sometimes practices with Carpe Diem.

So by the time Wilson was selling the 97S to us Dimitrov was already playing matches with a different frame. By the looks of it the future 97S has similarities with what he switched to. Boxy was pretty much all we saw in red and gold. Now that it looks like we might get boxy it looks like he might have jumped ship again.

It is curious that he makes more changes to gear at the beginning of the grass season. I'll be interested to see if he continues to use the old 93 painted like a 95S (which is possibly discontinued?) or if it gets painted like the new 97S. I suppose he could switch again...
 
Last edited:

moon shot

Hall of Fame
Where are you guys finding the pics of the other soon to be released Pro Staffs? I can't find them....

I saw them here : New RF 97


Previous Dimitrov talk was in these threads:
The first questions about string pattern & beam shape I read here: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/inde...d-dimitrovs-ps97s.553747/page-2#post-10048011

This thread discussed his recent return to the 93: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/did-dimitrov-change-racquets-again.566696/
 

moon shot

Hall of Fame
Here are a couple of pictures of his rackets from two weeks ago:

GrigorDimitrovRacket18.jpg


GrigorDimitrovRacket19.jpg


Hope this can be of help,

ProStringing

Here is the boxy version mentioned in the first post. Head guard and pws / drill location are as described. In the second pic the third to last main exits in line with the black of the throat.
 

RanchDressing

Hall of Fame
It blows my mind that racquet companies don't get in more trouble for this stuff. Saying XXXX player's racquet the _____________ frame is absolutely misleading. Especially with these new prostaff frames.

To me it just seems like wilson has decided to make the retail sticks look very close to what their pro's use and leave it at that. Leaving the weight distribution all whacky and other differences that matter hidden in plain sight.

Eventually someone's going to wind up another class action lawsuit like they did with fed's 90's. False advertisement is still basically happening and it's a joke considering how much racquets sell for new.

I just got 2 more chinese "knock off" ps97 frames. Believe it or not, they actually weigh EXACTLY the same. I can't wait to string them up and measure SW and balance (it's too low to get any kind of useful reading on the balance board unstrung), because the static lines up weirdly well between 3 "low quality" "cheap" "knock off frames." Far better than any 3 legitimate wilson racquets I've owned.
 

moon shot

Hall of Fame
It seems the issue may not be Wilson's desire to release Dimitrov's racquet, but that they started production and he switched again within a month of product launch. I doubt they wanted to throw them all in a landfill and start from scratch. At least it appears they will potentially be selling what he played as a red and gold 97S.

Since he switched back to the 93 at Boodles, Wimbledon, DC, and Rogers I wonder if they'll try to release that or paint it as a 97S. I haven't heard about the 95S returning, but it might.

CtLVRr8.jpg
 
Last edited:

Automatix

Legend
Since he switched back to the 93 at Boodles, Wimbledon, DC, and Rogers I wonder if they'll try to release that or paint it as a 97S. I haven't heard about the 95S returning, but it might.
If they'd release his 93 18x17 I'd demo out of curiosity if without the epoxy in the handle the racquet plays decent, because modified to his likes it played like crap IMHO.
 

Roddick85

Hall of Fame
So what's going on with the PS97S? I actually play tested the PS97S for a couple of days this week, and really loved the frame even in stock form. It's exactly what I'm looking for so it will replace my pair of RF97A. Now I understand that the new PS line will be out in a couple of weeks, so I figured it'd be better to wait for that. If it's an all black paint job like the new RF97A, I'd much rather have that color than red & black, doesn't matter even if it cost a bit more. What I'd like to know, which is what really matters, is about the specs. Will the *new* PS97S that will be released in the coming weeks keep the same specs + new paint job or will it change? Given that the frame is barely a year old, I'd be surprised to see changes? So in other words, if I see a pair of PS97S, should I jump on them or can I wait for the new paint job?
 

macattack

Professional
So what's going on with the PS97S? I actually play tested the PS97S for a couple of days this week, and really loved the frame even in stock form. It's exactly what I'm looking for so it will replace my pair of RF97A. Now I understand that the new PS line will be out in a couple of weeks, so I figured it'd be better to wait for that. If it's an all black paint job like the new RF97A, I'd much rather have that color than red & black, doesn't matter even if it cost a bit more. What I'd like to know, which is what really matters, is about the specs. Will the *new* PS97S that will be released in the coming weeks keep the same specs + new paint job or will it change? Given that the frame is barely a year old, I'd be surprised to see changes? So in other words, if I see a pair of PS97S, should I jump on them or can I wait for the new paint job?

Somewhere in one of the RF97 threads the PS97S was mentioned. I can't remember exactly, but I believe it will be more headlight (instead of even balance) and maybe slightly heavier? Someone will be able to say more definitively, but the specs will be different.
 
So what's going on with the PS97S? I actually play tested the PS97S for a couple of days this week, and really loved the frame even in stock form. It's exactly what I'm looking for so it will replace my pair of RF97A. Now I understand that the new PS line will be out in a couple of weeks, so I figured it'd be better to wait for that. If it's an all black paint job like the new RF97A, I'd much rather have that color than red & black, doesn't matter even if it cost a bit more. What I'd like to know, which is what really matters, is about the specs. Will the *new* PS97S that will be released in the coming weeks keep the same specs + new paint job or will it change? Given that the frame is barely a year old, I'd be surprised to see changes? So in other words, if I see a pair of PS97S, should I jump on them or can I wait for the new paint job?

Two main differences:
- goes from 3pt HL (unstrung) to 6pt HL (unstrung)
- the frame geometry become more 'boxy'

And it gets the new design similar to the RF97 but with red 3&9 and Wilson logo accents. Same Black Velvet paint, same laser / metallic lettering, same attention to details as the RF97.
- Peter
 

Sander001

Hall of Fame
So what's going on with the PS97S? I actually play tested the PS97S for a couple of days this week, and really loved the frame even in stock form. It's exactly what I'm looking for so it will replace my pair of RF97A. Now I understand that the new PS line will be out in a couple of weeks, so I figured it'd be better to wait for that. If it's an all black paint job like the new RF97A, I'd much rather have that color than red & black, doesn't matter even if it cost a bit more. What I'd like to know, which is what really matters, is about the specs. Will the *new* PS97S that will be released in the coming weeks keep the same specs + new paint job or will it change? Given that the frame is barely a year old, I'd be surprised to see changes? So in other words, if I see a pair of PS97S, should I jump on them or can I wait for the new paint job?
Cost a bit more? More like $100 more; I've seen the 97S on huge sales right now, offline.
 

mk3alex10

Rookie
Two main differences:
- goes from 3pt HL (unstrung) to 6pt HL (unstrung)
- the frame geometry become more 'boxy'

And it gets the new design similar to the RF97 but with red 3&9 and Wilson logo accents. Same Black Velvet paint, same laser / metallic lettering, same attention to details as the RF97.
- Peter
Peter,

I believe you mentioned you've been hitting the prototype 97S. What have you noticed regarding plow/power due to the balance point change. Also, is it noticeably more manueverable? I play with the current 97S and would love some added manueverability but don't want to end up with a racquet that deals dead in the upper hoop like the 95S (my previous racquet).

Thanks
 

Roddick85

Hall of Fame
Somewhere in one of the RF97 threads the PS97S was mentioned. I can't remember exactly, but I believe it will be more headlight (instead of even balance) and maybe slightly heavier? Someone will be able to say more definitively, but the specs will be different.

Two main differences:
- goes from 3pt HL (unstrung) to 6pt HL (unstrung)
- the frame geometry become more 'boxy'

And it gets the new design similar to the RF97 but with red 3&9 and Wilson logo accents. Same Black Velvet paint, same laser / metallic lettering, same attention to details as the RF97.
- Peter

Cost a bit more? More like $100 more; I've seen the 97S on huge sales right now, offline.
Perhaps in the US, but here in Canada, it still retails at 260$ per frame at my local retailer. Yeah we love to overpay for things here.:mad:

Thank you all for the feedback, very appreciated. I gotta say, I'm a bit disappointed that Wilson is making many changes to the frame as I really liked the way it played with the test unit I got for the last couple of days. More HL is nice and I can see why they would do that as lots of people would probably prefer that. Where it hurts is the more boxy frame. I like the thin beam, if it gets thicker like the RF97, then it loses some of it's appeal for me. Perhaps I should jump on the current model if ever I get a decent deal.
 
Where it hurts is the more boxy frame. I like the thin beam, if it gets thicker like the RF97, then it loses some of it's appeal for me. Perhaps I should jump on the current model if ever I get a decent deal.

It's still a 19.5mm beam thickness ... that has not changed. it's just the edges of the frame are more squared off - it's a minor visual difference.

- Peter
 

Roddick85

Hall of Fame
It's still a 19.5mm beam thickness ... that has not changed. it's just the edges of the frame are more squared off - it's a minor visual difference.

- Peter

Oh I see. That's good. Swing weight and static weight will remain the same though? Same string pattern? I mean if the only difference is that it's more head light, that probably wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. Is there an estimated release date? The store who gave me the demo said around the holidays, my local club shop says maybe September? I'm looking at changing ASAP. December is way too far.
 

moon shot

Hall of Fame
I see measurements are now in at TW and TWU of the new 97S
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/cgi-bin/compareracquets.cgi

TWU - single sample
previous compared to 2016
Weight (gm) 327 to 324
Balance (cm) 34.3 to 33
Swingweight (kg*cm2) 337 to 317
Flex (RDC) 66 to 67
Twistweight (kg*cm2) 14.7 to 14.6
Vibration (Hz) 140 to 150
Power (%) 42 to 40
Sweet Zone (cm2) 116.1 to 103.2

TW - averages
previous compared to 2016
Weight (gm) 326 to 326
Balance (cm) 34.29 to 33.48
Swingweight (kg*cm2) 336 to 325
Flex (RDC) 65 to 66

Sample variation is alive and well. It appears the frame TWU got was about as low as it could be in swingweight.

The vibration frequency is now in the same range as the RF97 at 150, while most previous Pro Staff or Six.One were around 141 - 146 as measured by TWU.
 
Last edited:

Raizu

Semi-Pro
I was looking at the photo of the yet to be released PS97S, which peterfig called boxier, so I was trying to figure out how much boxier. It is near impossible to tell from a single photo, and even in the mockup below different lighting pretty much makes it a wash for comparing beam shape. I did find some other things though.
prostaff-versions.jpg

By this photo the top of the grip and where it reaches full diameter appear to be lower. The head guard also looks to end one cross lower (4th) than the previous version (3rd).

Other than that all I can see left is the PWS. The five strings across the PWS are centered. The grommet below and top grommet of the PWS are no longer on extremely close to the rise of the PWS. It reminded me of an earlier thread where others pointed out Grigor's string pattern didn't look retail across the PWS. I'd made this graphic to compare TW product photo to the frame he was playing with. Now I see the head guard finishes at the 4th cross.

dimitrov-compare.png


In that thread Wilson Fan posted a link which has a few photos that show this as well where both changes are visible in prototype frames. http://photozou.jp/photo/list/3001446/8035522/?lang=en

This is my the most telling of the bunch, there are two crosses above the photo.
dimitrov-carpe-vs-boxy.jpg


Carpe Diem's head guard is higher, boxy beam's PWS rises and falls centered between grommets.

Just spot checking some photos it appears he used:
Australian Open (of course), Miami, Madrid,and Roland Garros his racquet has similar traits to Carpe Diem. Queen's Club he has some warm up / press shots with the boxy beam but plays with Carpe Diem. Wimbledon and Cincinnati played with the boxy. US Open, Stockholm, and Basel he plays with the boxy and sometimes practices with Carpe Diem.

So by the time Wilson was selling the 97S to us Dimitrov was already playing matches with a different frame. By the looks of it the future 97S has similarities with what he switched to. Boxy was pretty much all we saw in red and gold. Now that it looks like we might get boxy it looks like he might have jumped ship again.

It is curious that he makes more changes to gear at the beginning of the grass season. I'll be interested to see if he continues to use the old 93 painted like a 95S (which is possibly discontinued?) or if it gets painted like the new 97S. I suppose he could switch again...
If by boxy you mean more squared then yes compared to older pro staffs. Not quite as much as the 6.0 line. I can upload some pictures tomorrow just tell me what angles you want.
 

moon shot

Hall of Fame
If by boxy you mean more squared then yes compared to older pro staffs. Not quite as much as the 6.0 line. I can upload some pictures tomorrow just tell me what angles you want.

If you have the previous model as well perhaps some side by side of PWS, top of the handle, bridge. I'm seeing a slight widening at the top of the throat in this pic that looks to be indicative of the new model and not present on the previous retail or Carpe Diem.

Oh, and by boxy I was refering to the term used by Wilson Fan in the link provided.
 

Raizu

Semi-Pro
Yep I will take them tomorrow and upload them for you. The throat in that picture to me looks identical to the new one.
 

gino

Legend
Damn. A modern mid would be wonderful. The 93 18x17 Grigor frame should be released. There is a blatant lack of transparency here. Dimitrov's historical performance with the 93 (Wimbledon SF run, 3/4 titles, wins over Murray/Nadal) infer that this frame is relevant for the modern game in a "midsize" head.

Chris from TW talks about how he basically requested this frame to be made in a blade variant. 93 sq inches with a spin pattern. Pretty much identical (aside from box-beam) construction, to what Grigor is using. Hm..... Food for thought. Maybe the mid-size isn't dead after all!!!
 

lidoazndiabloboi

Hall of Fame
Damn. A modern mid would be wonderful. The 93 18x17 Grigor frame should be released. There is a blatant lack of transparency here. Dimitrov's historical performance with the 93 (Wimbledon SF run, 3/4 titles, wins over Murray/Nadal) infer that this frame is relevant for the modern game in a "midsize" head.

Chris from TW talks about how he basically requested this frame to be made in a blade variant. 93 sq inches with a spin pattern. Pretty much identical (aside from box-beam) construction, to what Grigor is using. Hm..... Food for thought. Maybe the mid-size isn't dead after all!!!

In all honesty, when I used the 93 18x17, I personally didn't feel that much of a difference from the 90. From a marketing standpoint, a 93 is just harder to sell, since most rec players are going 98-100.
 

gino

Legend
In all honesty, when I used the 93 18x17, I personally didn't feel that much of a difference from the 90. From a marketing standpoint, a 93 is just harder to sell, since most rec players are going 98-100.

Totally agree. But there will always be a demand for "player edition" frames. If Grigor was the player endorser for a 93 mid, i bet it would sell. I mean sure most people are moving towards 98-100's, but there is such a huge market-segment of older players who value/appreciate the added feel/touch/control from a mid. Obviously, I'd prefer if @Wilson Official brought back the PS90, but a PS93 S pattern is a close second
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
In all honesty, when I used the 93 18x17, I personally didn't feel that much of a difference from the 90. From a marketing standpoint, a 93 is just harder to sell, since most rec players are going 98-100.
That's a good thing! :)

I don't believe a 93 would be harder to sell as Wilson sold plenty of 90s over the past 12 years, especially if Dimitrov continues to get back to his previous form.
 

SpinToWin

Talk Tennis Guru
Totally agree. But there will always be a demand for "player edition" frames. If Grigor was the player endorser for a 93 mid, i bet it would sell. I mean sure most people are moving towards 98-100's, but there is such a huge market-segment of older players who value/appreciate the added feel/touch/control from a mid. Obviously, I'd prefer if @Wilson Official brought back the PS90, but a PS93 S pattern is a close second
The market segment by no means is huge, that's the problem.
 

moon shot

Hall of Fame
In all honesty, when I used the 93 18x17, I personally didn't feel that much of a difference from the 90. From a marketing standpoint, a 93 is just harder to sell, since most rec players are going 98-100.

Did you hit with his frame or something else that was 93 18x17? I did a rough comparison of the 93 and 97 and they appear to be very close in pattern, mainly wider outer mains to get that string out of the shared hole.

oBZ7a6E.jpg
 

gino

Legend
The market segment by no means is huge, that's the problem.

How would you even know that? Any market research data for me? Any quarterly sales reports broken down by segment?

You are uninformed if you think that
 
Last edited:

moon shot

Hall of Fame
How would you even know that? Any market research data for me? Any quarterly sales reports broken down my segment?

You are uninformed

I'm just guessing here that the market would be similar to:

Head Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro
Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85
Yonex VCORE Tour F 93
Pacific X Feel Pro 90 Vacuum
ProKennex Heritage Edition Type C Redondo Mid
Pro Staff 90
Volkl Power Bridge 10 Mid
Prince Tour Diablo Mid
Wilson KBlade Tour
Estusa Power Beam Pro
HEAD YOUTEK IG Prestige Mid
Wilson ProStaff ROK 93
Dunlop Aerogel 4D 100 (1 Hundred)
Boris Becker 11 Mid
Donnay X-Red 94
Yonex VCORE Tour 89
Wilson Pro Staff 95S

There must be a reason of all these only around 4 are still on the market, of those 2 are leaving soon, of those 2 one isn't sold in America. I'm all for more variety and but the general trend isn't pretty.
 

lidoazndiabloboi

Hall of Fame
Did you hit with his frame or something else that was 93 18x17? I did a rough comparison of the 93 and 97 and they appear to be very close in pattern, mainly wider outer mains to get that string out of the shared hole.

oBZ7a6E.jpg

I had two of his frames with the white and red PJ. Sold one though, so only have 1 left. I used to use the 90s, so hitting with his 93 wasnt too far off. Maybe there was a slight increase in spin, but the headsize didnt make a difference on the sweetspot. I also have his prototype of the 97S with the Carpe Diem at the throat. I can confirm, that what he used was just the retail frame plus lead tape at 3 and 9. This was turning his initial phase of racket testing. Afterwards, he switched to the boxy version of the 97S.

Totally agree. But there will always be a demand for "player edition" frames. If Grigor was the player endorser for a 93 mid, i bet it would sell. I mean sure most people are moving towards 98-100's, but there is such a huge market-segment of older players who value/appreciate the added feel/touch/control from a mid. Obviously, I'd prefer if @Wilson Official brought back the PS90, but a PS93 S pattern is a close second

Dimitrov was supposed to be a big marketer for Wilson, but his results haven't panned out recently. Hopefully with his recent run, that will change.
From what I've seen in my area, the older players are actually less likely to spend money on new rackets. Maybe theyre more frugal, so they stick to rackets from years and years ago. Whereas the younger crowd and juniors are more likely to switch rackets. Parents are also more willing to buy new stuff for their kids. So I think the racket companies know that, so they design rackets that fit more for that crowd, which means a no go for 90-93 sq in. Head stopped selling the Prestige Mid cause it just wasn't selling well. It's a shame but what can you do, it's all about money.
 

SpinToWin

Talk Tennis Guru
How would you even know that? Any market research data for me? Any quarterly sales reports broken down by segment?

You are uninformed if you think that
@moon shot put it exactly right, manufacturers' lineup decisions don't lie.

Additionally, it's pure logic. It's predominately older generations that appreciate these head sizes; however, as they age they will start to want more help from the racquet, as their body no longer can provide all the power (lacks explosiveness, flexibility, endurance, etc.). The target group essentially is a predominately older generation that inevitably will migrate to other more forgiving (modern) frames. Such a dwindling target group has been judged to not be a viable market by manufacturers.

Finally, it's not like there aren't such racquets around... Being sold from private hands that is. Just compare how long it takes to sell a mid vs a Midplus. I needed over a year to sell my 90s. When I sold my APDs in much worse condition they were gone within weeks.
 

lidoazndiabloboi

Hall of Fame
@moon shot put it exactly right, manufacturers' lineup decisions don't lie.

Additionally, it's pure logic. It's predominately older generations that appreciate these head sizes; however, as they age they will start to want more help from the racquet, as their body no longer can provide all the power (lacks explosiveness, flexibility, endurance, etc.). The target group essentially is a predominately older generation that inevitably will migrate to other more forgiving (modern) frames. Such a dwindling target group has been judged to not be a viable market by manufacturers.

Finally, it's not like there aren't such racquets around... Being sold from private hands that is. Just compare how long it takes to sell a mid vs a Midplus. I needed over a year to sell my 90s. When I sold my APDs in much worse condition they were gone within weeks.

I've seen way too many older guys with Pure Drives.
 

moon shot

Hall of Fame
@moon shot put it exactly right, manufacturers' lineup decisions don't lie.

Additionally, it's pure logic. It's predominately older generations that appreciate these head sizes; however, as they age they will start to want more help from the racquet, as their body no longer can provide all the power (lacks explosiveness, flexibility, endurance, etc.). The target group essentially is a predominately older generation that inevitably will migrate to other more forgiving (modern) frames. Such a dwindling target group has been judged to not be a viable market by manufacturers.

Finally, it's not like there aren't such racquets around... Being sold from private hands that is. Just compare how long it takes to sell a mid vs a Midplus. I needed over a year to sell my 90s. When I sold my APDs in much worse condition they were gone within weeks.

And to compound on the consumer's age and tendency toward one size or another there is the spin string pattern. I would guess among people interested in trying a novel new string pattern and people interested in trying a new 93 with no heritage from decades past there would be quite small overlap. Not to say it might not play wonderful and change some minds, but Wilson would rather spend a decade trying to make something to compete with the pure drive apparently. They twice aimed for the prestige with the ROK and Blade Tour, but walked away from both.
 

gino

Legend
@moon shot put it exactly right, manufacturers' lineup decisions don't lie.

Additionally, it's pure logic. It's predominately older generations that appreciate these head sizes; however, as they age they will start to want more help from the racquet, as their body no longer can provide all the power (lacks explosiveness, flexibility, endurance, etc.). The target group essentially is a predominately older generation that inevitably will migrate to other more forgiving (modern) frames. Such a dwindling target group has been judged to not be a viable market by manufacturers.

Finally, it's not like there aren't such racquets around... Being sold from private hands that is. Just compare how long it takes to sell a mid vs a Midplus. I needed over a year to sell my 90s. When I sold my APDs in much worse condition they were gone within weeks.

I just think there's a direct correlation between what pro's use and popularity. That being said, it doesn't mean that traditional midsize frames won't sell. It's a niche market, yes, but I know teaching pros and older players who don't need help from a larger frame and crave the control/stability a midsize frame provides them. While I don't disagree with you entirely, I think manufacturers stand to gain from limited production of legendary/legacy frames
 

gino

Legend
Dimitrov was supposed to be a big marketer for Wilson, but his results haven't panned out recently. Hopefully with his recent run, that will change.
From what I've seen in my area, the older players are actually less likely to spend money on new rackets. Maybe theyre more frugal, so they stick to rackets from years and years ago. Whereas the younger crowd and juniors are more likely to switch rackets. Parents are also more willing to buy new stuff for their kids. So I think the racket companies know that, so they design rackets that fit more for that crowd, which means a no go for 90-93 sq in. Head stopped selling the Prestige Mid cause it just wasn't selling well. It's a shame but what can you do, it's all about money.

I feel like it is cyclical and dependent on playing style, though. For instance, Agassi was winning with an OS Radical while Federer was dominating with a PS90. Today, Nadal uses a 100, yes. But most of the top 10 (Novak, Murray, Nishikori, Wawrinka, Cilic, and Thiem) use headsizes between 95-98. Just as close to a 90 as they are to a 100....... The headsize is arbitrary. Sure, you get more spin, forgiveness, and power from a 100-110sq in frame. That really shouldn't equate to them being "better." It's all about preference in terms of the playing experience. The feeling of striking a ball. These companies (Wilson, Babolat, Prince, HEAD) have given up on trying to market midsize frames. You can properly market them, just no one knows how. It doesn't really make sense that manufacturers completely remove these offerings from their lineups when they have been proven to correlate with winning tennis.

usopen2005_40789404_gall9_getty_300_display_image.jpg
 

Rabbit

G.O.A.T.
I saw Dimitrov play two matches in Cincy. The first against Giles Simon wasn't even close. The second against Feliciano Lopez was outstanding. Both men played unbelievably entertaining tennis. I was amazed at Lopez's ability to take any ball off the backhand and put a slice down into a right hander's backhand. Dimitrov played great as well and won in a 3rd set tiebreak.

I gotta also say that Ellesse and Lacoste had the best looking kits by far!

3164ygm.jpg
 
Top