Racquet Collection - Thomas Muster - 1st Racquet as Pro on ATP Tour?

H

HÖHO

New User
Hello and first of all many thanks to the admins to approved my Account.

Shortly Overview of mine, I am a big Thomas Muster Fan from Austria and this is why I open this Thread, in hope anybody
can answer my Question or help me in this case.

I collect, next to the different Lotto Apparel Thomas Muster use in his career, primary his Racquets.
Luckily I can say I have all of them, EXCEPT...the very first one in his career cause I am not really sure which Model he use?

In my Opinion its a AMF Head Graphite Pro Mid - Special Edition but I am not sure about.
Company Head does not give me a answer on my request yet, but for sure I think they have something better to do than work on my Request :)

So back to my Question...does anybody knows maybe the first Racquet Model using by Thomas Muster from 1985 to 1987?

Many thanks and sorry if my English is badly, does not have much opportunities for practice my skills.
 
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H

HÖHO

New User
Hi GregN,many thanks for your comment!

The Prestige Series was launched in 1987...Muster's first Pro-Season was 1985..so i search for the racquet he use in the periode 85-87.
 
treblings

treblings

Hall of Fame
I think it‘s probably a Special Edition . If you google „Thomas Muster Cambio LeRoy“ you will find an old advertisement that shows Muster playing with it , imho
 
H

HÖHO

New User
Hi treblings, thanks for your comment.

This is exactly the Picture why i was thinking he use the Special Edition,but was not sure anyway...now i feel much more confirmed and can round off my collection,many thanks for your Help
 
Subway Tennis

Subway Tennis

G.O.A.T.
HÖHO said:
Hello and first of all many thanks to the admins to approved my Account.

Shortly Overview of mine, I am a big Thomas Muster Fan from Austria and this is why I open this Thread, in hope anybody
can answer my Question or help me in this case.

I collect, next to the different Lotto Apparel Thomas Muster use in his career, primary his Racquets.
Luckily I can say I have all of them, EXCEPT...the very first one in his career cause I am not really sure which Model he use?

In my Opinion its a AMF Head Graphite Pro Mid - Special Edition but I am not sure about.
Company Head does not give me a answer on my request yet, but for sure I think they have something better to do than work on my Request :)

So back to my Question...does anybody knows maybe the first Racquet Model using by Thomas Muster from 1985 to 1987?

Many thanks and sorry if my English is badly, does not have much opportunities for practice my skills.
Click to expand...

Welcome to Talk Tennis (y)

There are many Muster fans on here (myself included) and it's always good to meet another!

You will find a lot of information on Talk Tennis about Head racquets from Muster's time, as that is considered a bit of a "Golden Era" for the company by many of us.
 
treblings

treblings

Hall of Fame
HÖHO said:
Hi treblings, thanks for your comment.

This is exactly the Picture why i was thinking he use the Special Edition,but was not sure anyway...now i feel much more confirmed and can round off my collection,many thanks for your Help
Click to expand...
Gerne, hat mir gestern keine Ruhe mehr gelassen. why don‘t you post pictures of your collection? There are many Muster fans here
 
H

HÖHO

New User
I'm happy that there are many Thomas Muster Fans in this Forum, was not thinking that he is very popular outside of Austria.
Its exciting that he have a relative broad Fan Base, generally he was not really a unapproachable Player / Person but for sure a great Fighter and hard Worker on and off the Court.
For me for sure one of the greatest but I see him trough Austrian Eyes of course ;-)

I search many of the different Threads, get many informations but don't find the answer which was his first racquet before...now you make it easy forme and as I say,
exactly the Picture from Cambio was why I think he use a Special Edition in the past.

About the pictures...is it possible to upload them directly into thread or does I need a Web Url for it?
 
H

HÖHO

New User
Thanks...you are right...in my opinion there was two Kneissl Paintjobs he use on PT630.
The first (and worst) black/gold/silver i am sure you can see on Pictures of the BMW Open 1996.

But i also mean he use the white/black Kneissl Paintjob also later on PT 630 Frame.
 
O

ozbikebuddy

Rookie
HÖHO said:
Click to expand...

Love this pic,

I have personally over the year had 1 of those green Prestige, Prestige 600, Pro Tour 630, and the Toms Reach Machine 28". This is when you look back at your younger self and say why did they have to break, or why did i sell those :(

Out of all of them the Green Prestige (without the CAP grommets) was my all time fav. The best frame i have yet played with and I played my best with that 1. (Bring back the Legend Head!!!)
 
H

HÖHO

New User
vsbabolat said:
Henri Leconte was using the Prestige Pro in 1986 and used it to get to the 1986 semifinals of the French Open.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your information and comment...frankly say I dont have much knowledge about Henry Leconte...I connected him always more with the Elite Pro during my Research,
but anyway looks really like a Prestige 1, you are right.
What I know ( or was thinking to know ), was that Head launched the first Prestige globally in 1987...I know overall first one was in late 1986 but I was not thinking during or before French Open.

Thanks again for your comment!
 
H

HÖHO

New User
@ozbikebuddy and subway tennis...

except Prestige I, Prestige II and PC600 silver /green, I played with all of them...but not with the racquets on picture, I was have same models over the years which I played with.
The frames on picture are just collectible, some in almost new condition, some in good used condition...as you correct say ozbikebuddy...I could curse myself about all the racquets
I broke and give away during my teenager years.

Honestly I am not a big Fan of the Kneissl Frames, none of them...what I love is the sound of the Prestige Tour 600 and its a great racquet but not for daily use, at least for me.
Actually I use the PT630, also great racquet...we are not the best friends yet but I will work on my skills :-D
 
O

ozbikebuddy

Rookie
Gotta say this year's 99" prestige looks interesting, but if I could get my hands on a pair of the 93mids of the last couple of years I'd happily sell off my current Yonexs.

But would love to get my hands on a pair or the Prestige 600XL's. The 1model I never really got a chance to try properly. Couldn't afford then at the time
 
vsbabolat

vsbabolat

G.O.A.T.
HÖHO said:
Thank you for your information and comment...frankly say I dont have much knowledge about Henry Leconte...I connected him always more with the Elite Pro during my Research,
but anyway looks really like a Prestige 1, you are right.
What I know ( or was thinking to know ), was that Head launched the first Prestige globally in 1987...I know overall first one was in late 1986 but I was not thinking during or before French Open.

Thanks again for your comment!
Click to expand...
Henri Leconte never used the Elite Pro. Henri used the Edgewood, Tournament Edge, Comfort Edge, and Prestige Pro.
 
DariaGT

DariaGT

Professional
"sound of the Prestige Tour 600" I totally agree, its like some kind of sound from a science fiction weapon, very awesome.
 
M

mctennis

Legend
I have used just about each of those racquets over the years. I liked the color and playability of the PT630. The black/gold/silver looked very nice but it just did not give me the depth of shots I needed. I REALLY wanted to like it but it never did well for me. The Reach was nice and played well also. All the racquets I had and sold , I should have kept them. One website always had great " closeout" sales and had stock longer than any other online company. I scooped them up when they were really cheap.
 
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H

HÖHO

New User
I see,before i should spend hours and hours in Research the web,and still geht the wrong informations,i have should registrated me here in this Forum..many thanks again to each of you for help and your comments
 
Slodge630

Slodge630

Rookie
HÖHO said:
Click to expand...
Muster never played the kneissl reach machine that you see on the pic. It was a pt57a4 painted like it. I have one of those if you want to see I will post a picture below. He also played the white reach machine only on hard court. On clay it was also a painted pt57a4. See pictures below
 
H

HÖHO

New User
Slodge630 said:
Muster never played the kneissl reach machine that you see on the pic. It was a pt57a4 painted like it. I have one of those if you want to see I will post a picture below. He also played the white reach machine only on hard court. On clay it was also a painted pt57a4. See pictures below
Click to expand...
Thanks for your comment Slodge630...the black/gold one Tom´s Machine ( no Reach ) you are fully correct from my site, I also just see him played with the pt57a mold and Kneissl Paint Job.
For the both Reach Machines in white color, of course he played both of them from Kneissl, but you are right, most time it was also just a pt57a with Kneissl Paint Job...special on Clay.
 
H

HÖHO

New User
Slodge630 said:
Very nice. Where did you get it?
Click to expand...
This Racquet was a Birthday Present from Ronnie Leitgeb to a personal friend in ÖTV...luckily I can achive now the Racquet from him.
Have no idea how long Muster play this racquet but this is not important for me.

Congratulations to your very rare and special Racquet, on the pt57a frame the Paint job looks very good...instead as on the Kneissl mold ;-)
 
Slodge630

Slodge630

Rookie
HÖHO said:
This Racquet was a Birthday Present from Ronnie Leitgeb to a personal friend in ÖTV...luckily I can achive now the Racquet from him.
Have no idea how long Muster play this racquet but this is not important for me.

Congratulations to your very rare and special Racquet, on the pt57a frame the Paint job looks very good...instead as on the Kneissl mold ;-)
Click to expand...
Nice! I got mine from his stringer. Are all your rackets sticks that muster really played with? I don’t remember him ever playing the prestige classic 600. i think he moved from the green prestige right to the pro tour
you also show the prestige classic in
 
O

ozbikebuddy

Rookie
From what I remember, when he returned from his knee was when he moved to the Pro Tour, I think I have seen a pic at some point of him using a 600, when hitting in the chair during rehab
 
H

HÖHO

New User
Slodge630 said:
Nice! I got mine from his stringer. Are all your rackets sticks that muster really played with? I don’t remember him ever playing the prestige classic 600. i think he moved from the green prestige right to the pro tour
you also show the prestige classic in
Click to expand...
Slodge630 said:
Nice! I got mine from his stringer. Are all your rackets sticks that muster really played with? I don’t remember him ever playing the prestige classic 600. i think he moved from the green prestige right to the pro tour
you also show the prestige classic in
Click to expand...
Its really a nice looking racquet you have. I see the yellow string-data sticker on it, so if I am not complete wrong the Racquet comes from Peter Lehrner, right? Really a beautiful stick, congrats.
Muster change from Prestige 600 ( silver green ), which was special created from Head for him, directly to the Pro Tour 630 if I remember correct... I just added the Classic cause it looks nice and its also part of the History ;-)

But there are some Specialists here in this Thread which know it exactly I am sure.
 
NickJ

NickJ

Professional
Muster, like all pros, current and older, only ever use Pure Drives painted to look like their 'endorsed' model . . . . . true fact.

Honest.

No, really. Pure Drives. Everyone . . . .

Hmm? What's that?



Oh.
 
H

HÖHO

New User
ozbikebuddy said:
From what I remember, when he returned from his knee was when he moved to the Pro Tour, I think I have seen a pic at some point of him using a 600, when hitting in the chair during rehab
Click to expand...
He using the Prestige Second Generation after his Knee Injury, after this he change to the PC600 and later to the PT630.
 
Slodge630

Slodge630

Rookie
HÖHO said:
Its really a nice looking racquet you have. I see the yellow string-data sticker on it, so if I am not complete wrong the Racquet comes from Peter Lehrner, right? Really a beautiful stick, congrats.
Muster change from Prestige 600 ( silver green ), which was special created from Head for him, directly to the Pro Tour 630 if I remember correct... I just added the Classic cause it looks nice and its also part of the History ;-)

But there are some Specialists here in this Thread which know it exactly I am sure.
Click to expand...
Yes, got it from the stringer. I am currently trying to get one of the capped pro tours he used during french open 1995. I have one uncapped with standard grommets he used in essen 1994.
unfortunately muster used the pt57a4 which is very stiff so that I can not use these rackets for playing together with my regular pt57a2 sticks
 
innoVAShaun

innoVAShaun

G.O.A.T.
Thomas-Muster-accident-Miami-1989-entrainement-jambe-platre.jpg
 
Subway Tennis

Subway Tennis

G.O.A.T.
HÖHO said:
But the coronation of my collection is, until now, this Master Piece which I could achieve last week!!!

[url=https://postimg.cc/GTcwSVxL] [/URL]
Click to expand...

o_O Very nice! Congratulations on receiving this racquet. A piece of history there. It's so cool that you have access to the history of these racquets. With your network you can be sure that it's the genuine aryicle.

From a personal standpoint, that Prestige has to be one of the nicest looking racquets ever.
 
T

tkramer15

Semi-Pro
HÖHO said:
Hello and first of all many thanks to the admins to approved my Account.

Shortly Overview of mine, I am a big Thomas Muster Fan from Austria and this is why I open this Thread, in hope anybody
can answer my Question or help me in this case.

I collect, next to the different Lotto Apparel Thomas Muster use in his career, primary his Racquets.
Luckily I can say I have all of them, EXCEPT...the very first one in his career cause I am not really sure which Model he use?

In my Opinion its a AMF Head Graphite Pro Mid - Special Edition but I am not sure about.
Company Head does not give me a answer on my request yet, but for sure I think they have something better to do than work on my Request :)

So back to my Question...does anybody knows maybe the first Racquet Model using by Thomas Muster from 1985 to 1987?

Many thanks and sorry if my English is badly, does not have much opportunities for practice my skills.
Click to expand...

I just stumbled upon this thread many months late. Welcome to the group! It's nice to talk to other big Muster fans. Rest assured that there are knowledgeable tennis people in the US who appreciate Muster's career. Thomas should have been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame by now.

I started following the ATP closely in 1995 and Muster quickly became my favorite player. I've attended the Cincinnati tournament every year since 1996 (except the NY version in 2020). In 1997 and 1998, I saw Muster in person for Cincinnati matches with Martin Damm, Jan Siemerink and Tim Henman.

On the Thursday after he was eliminated by Todd Martin in the 1998 event, I watched Muster practice with Jason Stoltenberg up close for nearly an hour. Sadly, my family didn't bring a camera, but I do have vivid memories. Ronnie Leitgeb wasn't there, but another younger trainer was overseeing the practice. I believe he was a new addition to Muster's team around that time. My dad, who is very outgoing, approached Muster's trainer who was standing in a corner of the court. My dad returned a couple minutes later and said that the trainer told him that Muster was playing the following week in Indianapolis and then in Boston, which was different than the summer hard court schedule Muster had played in the previous few years.

One interesting takeaway from that practice: After Muster and Stoltenberg departed, two teenaged female workers arrived to replenish water and towels. My dad asked them which players were the nicest or treated them the best. The girls' response: "Chang and Muster."
 
DariaGT

DariaGT

Professional
Muster was very approachable very similar to Thiem his character off the court, respectable and sweet.
 
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Subway Tennis

Subway Tennis

G.O.A.T.
tkramer15 said:
I just stumbled upon this thread many months late. Welcome to the group! It's nice to talk to other big Muster fans. Rest assured that there are knowledgeable tennis people in the US who appreciate Muster's career. Thomas should have been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame by now.

I started following the ATP closely in 1995 and Muster quickly became my favorite player. I've attended the Cincinnati tournament every year since 1996 (except the NY version in 2020). In 1997 and 1998, I saw Muster in person for Cincinnati matches with Martin Damm, Jan Siemerink and Tim Henman.

On the Thursday after he was eliminated by Todd Martin in the 1998 event, I watched Muster practice with Jason Stoltenberg up close for nearly an hour. Sadly, my family didn't bring a camera, but I do have vivid memories. Ronnie Leitgeb wasn't there, but another younger trainer was overseeing the practice. I believe he was a new addition to Muster's team around that time. My dad, who is very outgoing, approached Muster's trainer who was standing in a corner of the court. My dad returned a couple minutes later and said that the trainer told him that Muster was playing the following week in Indianapolis and then in Boston, which was different than the summer hard court schedule Muster had played in the previous few years.

One interesting takeaway from that practice: After Muster and Stoltenberg departed, two teenaged female workers arrived to replenish water and towels. My dad asked them which players were the nicest or treated them the best. The girls' response: "Chang and Muster."
Click to expand...

Fantastic anecdote. Muster for me offers the classic example of the best type of tennis personality. A person who fights to the absolute death on court, but when the match is finished is a very nice, friendly and serious person.

It was so interesting with Muster that as soon as he won, his incredible in-game focus would yield to unrestrained joy so quickly. I used to love the way he celebrated winning. It was joyous but never meant to be disrespectful to the opponent.
 
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