Rafa hitting with a non-Babolat?

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Uncle toni is still swinging that prototype. Must be something serious since this pic should be today's
 
^^ Uncle Toni wearing Lunarballistecs from the 2014 Austrailian Open even though Rafa wore a pj Courtballistec 4.3 instead.
 
Shaolin said:
Nadal is wayyy too OCD to change racquets. There is no chance of it. He's just hitting with other fames to scare Babolat a little for contract negotiation purposes.

Probably his agent's idea to do it.
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How can he scare them when he isn't winning anymore and is a year or two away from retirement? He has literally no leverage and I think Babolat will be happy to let Head burn millions of dollars on Nadal who is an injury away from being done for good.

Nadal is grasping at straws if he changes frames. Look at last year when he changed strings to BBO and after a month or so he switched right back to RPM. The problem is his body, not his equipment.
 
usually switching racquet brands for a top pro is either a financial or a desperation move & ive rarely seen it work out successfully in the end..
 
big ted said:
usually switching racquet brands for a top pro is either a financial or a desperation move & ive rarely seen it work out successfully in the end..
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I'm sure Djokovic really misses his Wilson Blade :rolleyes: He did seem desperate at the time, and in hindsight it was a huge mistake :p
 
mikeeeee said:
How can he scare them when he isn't winning anymore and is a year or two away from retirement? He has literally no leverage and I think Babolat will be happy to let Head burn millions of dollars on Nadal who is an injury away from being done for good.

Nadal is grasping at straws if he changes frames. Look at last year when he changed strings to BBO and after a month or so he switched right back to RPM. The problem is his body, not his equipment.
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No way Babolat wants to lose Rafa even at this stage in his career. He's still a huge draw and one of the most popular players ever on tour.

That said I'm sure they know how OCD he is and I'm sure they aren't threatened by his trying a Head frame. There's no way he'd change. It would probably take all the strength he has to change just his vibration dampener let alone his frame.
 
big ted said:
usually switching racquet brands for a top pro is either a financial or a desperation move & ive rarely seen it work out successfully in the end..
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i would actually say the opposite is true.

wawrinka head to yonex has proven to be a good thing...
sharapova from prince to head seems to have been pretty decent of a move...
theim head to babolat was pretty solid...
also, djokovic wilson to head didn't seem too bad either...
 
davydenko_fan said:
i would actually say the opposite is true.

wawrinka head to yonex has proven to be a good thing...
sharapova from prince to head seems to have been pretty decent of a move...
theim head to babolat was pretty solid...
also, djokovic wilson to head didn't seem too bad either...
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Nadal from APD to PS90 and he will S&V his way to three consecutive CYGS.

VAMOS VAMOS BAMOS VAMOS

fckya.gif
 
kabrac said:
I respect Nadal for not putting his signature on his racquet and it being massed produced like Wilson and RF AUTOGRAPH.

Seems like Nadal is humble and I respect him for that and he gives his all. Unlike Fed that has to have his face on a frame. What arrogance!!! I think he thinks he is God or something. He gets mad when people cheer against him like 2009 U.S. Open Final. I was wanting Fed to win, but when Delpo took him to push him and show belief, I really became a fan. Delpo, also humble. His winning speech was cut short by also another Fed worshiper, Dick Enberg. Could be the only Slam the guy wins and you just cut him off mid speech.

I don't want to give Fed too much press, because this thread is about Nadal, but Fed has been a cry baby since mid/late 2008. Unless he wins easily, he always sounds like some junior kid playing a tournament in which he came up short. Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda...

Hope Nadal gets back to health...
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You do know Fed consistently wins the ATP Sportsmanship Award....which is conferred by his peers, right? [emoji41]
 
kabrac said:
I respect Nadal for not putting his signature on his racquet and it being massed produced
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Rafa's signature was on the AeroPro Line Tennis Bag though.

Did Rafa use the actual Retail Bag many of us know and love?

Or did Babolat supply him with a "Pro Stock" bag that included solar powered fan cooled compartments to keep his racquets consistent in all playing conditions.
 
octobrina10 said:
Yep, his regular racket is painted to look like the Pure Aero.
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Nadal pro stock racquet did not have cortex like Babolat retail racquet.

Cortex helps to reduce vibration according to Babolat claims.

Nadal did not use racquet with Cortex so he injured his wrist!

Nadal technic is good but he still got wrist injury!
 
Karma Tennis said:
Rafa's signature was on the AeroPro Line Tennis Bag though.

Did Rafa use the actual Retail Bag many of us know and love?

Or did Babolat supply him with a "Pro Stock" bag that included solar powered fan cooled compartments to keep his racquets consistent in all playing conditions.
Click to expand...
Let's not forget the shoes Nike made for him with the Bull emblem.
 
cluckcluck said:
Let's not forget the shoes Nike made for him with the Bull emblem.
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I was not aware of any bag with his signature. I guess the point i was trying to make without bringing out the Nadal stalkers that know his every move and whereabouts, and how many little hairs he has on his left outer ear canal, is his racquet is not an autographed edition. He is not using the "PureAero Nadal 2016"........or something of the sorts. I'm not talking about his personal racquet that has his name on it, or the special shoes he or "god Fed" has with the number of certain titles they have at a particular tournament engraved or sow on their shoe heels. That's great that some of you know this, but it's not what I'm talking about. What's next, " oh!!!!, Nadal has his name on his underwear!!!......."
"So I guess I just proved you wrong about Nadal not having his signature on something"......he says in a stoned out surfer's voice.

Unless it's mass produced and it's a tennis racquet with his signature, and sold to the public, meaning anyone or anything that has money and could purchase such goods if they......it existed, then your getting off topic of my point. Of which the topic I was trying to make, I don't even care about now, as so much , as the fact that it takes all of this just to explain something so plain and clear. Jesus Christ people. Lot of smart asses here
 
Stoner: "You people ever hear of that Andy Roddick Autograph Babolat racquet?" "Shawwwww!o_O:cool:"

Totally sane person: "Yes, you mean the Pure Drive Roddick?"

Stoner: "jaaaawwwwo_O yeah I guess....."

Stoner: " Hey maaan, you know Rapha....Raphael Nadal I think mAN?!?!? Does he have one toooooooo_O"

Totally sane person: "No".

It's not complicated people c'mon
 
Would you rather
A professional player in conjunction with an brand:

1) Sell you the racquet they actually play with.

2) Sell you the latest and greatest thing they don't use.
Show up every other year with the current paint to get paid.
Allow any kid who is inspired by them to go buy a fiction that the brand concocted.
 
kabrac said:
I was not aware of any bag with his signature. I guess the point i was trying to make without bringing out the Nadal stalkers that know his every move and whereabouts, and how many little hairs he has on his left outer ear canal, is his racquet is not an autographed edition. He is not using the "PureAero Nadal 2016"........or something of the sorts. I'm not talking about his personal racquet that has his name on it, or the special shoes he or "god Fed" has with the number of certain titles they have at a particular tournament engraved or sow on their shoe heels. That's great that some of you know this, but it's not what I'm talking about. What's next, " oh!!!!, Nadal has his name on his underwear!!!......."
"So I guess I just proved you wrong about Nadal not having his signature on something"......he says in a stoned out surfer's voice.

Unless it's mass produced and it's a tennis racquet with his signature, and sold to the public, meaning anyone or anything that has money and could purchase such goods if they......it existed, then your getting off topic of my point. Of which the topic I was trying to make, I don't even care about now, as so much , as the fact that it takes all of this just to explain something so plain and clear. Jesus Christ people. Lot of smart asses here
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Some people are just ocd, some just can't get the point of an argument. I hear you, it can be irritating. To your point, I would think Nadal might consider himself slighted by Babolat when he's got a bunch of majors and is the best clay courter ever, and he doesn't get an autograph frame? Roddick got one with one major?
 
jackcrawford said:
Some people are just ocd, some just can't get the point of an argument. I hear you, it can be irritating. To your point, I would think Nadal might consider himself slighted by Babolat when he's got a bunch of majors and is the best clay courter ever, and he doesn't get an autograph frame? Roddick got one with one major?
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Nadal is humble guy!
 
jackcrawford said:
I would think Nadal might consider himself slighted by Babolat when he's got a bunch of majors and is the best clay courter ever, and he doesn't get an autograph frame? Roddick got one with one major?
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Nadal is forever associated with the AeroPro Drive. He and his achievements will forever be linked to him using a Babolat AeroPro Drive. That line never needed his signature on it because most people associate the Yellow/Black PJ with Rafa. Most juniors and others went out an bought the APD because Rafa used it even though that racquet really only suits a certain style of player, physique and play.

Roddick's model was a pure product marketing exercise to differentiate a particular Pure Drive model and to gain Babolat traction in a particular segment of the North American market.
 
Isn't this rather common? Rafa will try every racquet -- wheter it's from Wilson, Head or Prince, --, and if he says like: I like this Radical Pro, Babolat will make him a frame identical to the Radical Pro specs? I wouldn't think Rafa testing racquets from another brand will mean he'll switch to that brand.

Just a thought.
 
It all does not matter much as he will likely drop out of TOP10 soon(tm) and nobody will care about "crapstick" he's playing with

Edit: and I think, that APD is really a crapstick today... It was a game changer 10 years back but now its really mediocre - no comfort, not that good spin for us, not that good pop...
 
DonDiego said:
Isn't this rather common? Rafa will try every racquet -- wheter it's from Wilson, Head or Prince, --, and if he says like: I like this Radical Pro, Babolat will make him a frame identical to the Radical Pro specs? I wouldn't think Rafa testing racquets from another
brand will mean he'll switch to that brand.

Just a thought.
Click to expand...
Babolat will just use a combination of the Aero & Strike line and reuse the 'Aero Strike' name for it. Another thought would be Babolat making a totally new frame but use Nadal to endorse the Pure Strike Tour P17.
 
mikeeeee said:
How can he scare them when he isn't winning anymore and is a year or two away from retirement? He has literally no leverage and I think Babolat will be happy to let Head burn millions of dollars on Nadal who is an injury away from being done for good.

Nadal is grasping at straws if he changes frames. Look at last year when he changed strings to BBO and after a month or so he switched right back to RPM. The problem is his body, not his equipment.
Click to expand...
Babolat losing Rafa would be there dumbest move go to any junior tennis tournaments the amount of kids using a babolat just because Rafa uses is crazy. It would be a BIG loss for Babolat if they lost rafa
 
Swan Song said:
Well, Nadal is back to his Aero Pro Drive.
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There was no chance of him ever actually using another companies frame. It was all for show.

Nadal would probably have to take shelter in a panic room at the thought of even changing his vibration dampener much less his frame.
 
On a slightly different note, I'm wondering if maybe he's using RPM Rough now? Remember he and Babolat were in collaboration on the original RPM Blast so it wouldn't be a stretch to think that was also the case for this new string.
 
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