Sampras' New Racquet

wangs78

wangs78

Legend
Anybody hear anything new regarding Pete's new racquet? Last thing I saw was the article that followed Pete and Roger's MSG showdown where a Wilson rep said they were working on the prototype.

Since then, Pete's announced entering the Outback Champion's Series, so I would guess that they will unveil this new racquet at around the time he starts playing matches in that series.

Any news would be appreciated.
 
Question in regards of Pete's racket.
When I look at the game between him and roger, he has a double stripe stencil on his racket...is it babolat logo or what is it?
 
xanctus said:
Question in regards of Pete's racket.
When I look at the game between him and roger, he has a double stripe stencil on his racket...is it babolat logo or what is it?
Click to expand...
Yes, he's always had the Babolat logo on his stringbed because he uses Babolat VS Natural Gut strings (now only in the mains).
 
ah ok, thx
I was quite confused with it...cause I dunno if wilson will be happy if he's not using the "W" logo but babo stripe on wilson racket. hahaha
 
i guess we'll see this weekend in boston at the champion's cup whether or not anything has (obviously) changed since the match at MSG.
 
quest01 said:
You never know, Wilson may never release this racquet to the general public.
Click to expand...
Don't worry, they will. They wouldn't be trying so hard to keep it a secret if they were never going to release it to the public. They would just come out and say that now so that it doesn't hurt the sales of the K90, which it's doing as all these people are waiting for the new racquet instead of buying new K90's.
 
He had been using an NCode, but he used an all-black frame with a Wilson stencil in his match with Federer at MSG.

If the frame he used was not a pj of some existing frame (which appears unlikely in the photos I've seen) then the speculation is that it's a prototype of a new player's frame developed in conjunction with Sampras.
 
Hatari! said:
Isn't Pete using an ncode Tour 90?
Click to expand...

this has been discussed.... even when he was using the ncode pj,... it was exactly like the Fed racquet except in a 4 1/2 grip size


i actually had one that I picked up from a famous stringer in Ny but I sold it (didnt know what I had) should have sold it for more... o welll
 
BreakPoint said:
Don't worry, they will. They wouldn't be trying so hard to keep it a secret if they were never going to release it to the public. They would just come out and say that now so that it doesn't hurt the sales of the K90, which it's doing as all these people are waiting for the new racquet instead of buying new K90's.
Click to expand...

ya.. and why paint it black at the match at MSG if they werent hyping it up
they could have just painted it Kfactorized paint style and sold more K90
 
jorel said:
this has been discussed.... even when he was using the ncode pj,... it was exactly like the Fed racquet except in a 4 1/2 grip size


i actually had one that I picked up from a famous stringer in Ny but I sold it (didnt know what I had) should have sold it for more... o welll
Click to expand...

please tell us the story..I am interested.
 
slappano said:
please tell us the story..I am interested.
Click to expand...

It was a once in a lifetime chance coincidence that I picked it up… I stopped into this stringers shop (this stringer is known for getting pro level equipment with a special relationship with many racquet manufacturers.) I saw it on the wall and at first I could not believe it (at that time the only ncode tour 90 was the longer handle one) so I knew immediately that this was the Fed mold…. But the handle turned out to be 4 ½.;.. I thought to myself strange since I know Fed uses a 4 3/8.. I finally brought it home and hit with it… … I played with it a few times and it was nice but way beyond my ability… I couldn’t sustain a rally, couldn’t volley and kept shanking, and was losing the doubles match until I switched to a more manageable racquet..
 
Last edited:
Hatari! said:
Isn't Pete using an ncode Tour 90?
Click to expand...

Tarboro said:
He had been using an NCode, but he used an all-black frame with a Wilson stencil in his match with Federer at MSG.
Click to expand...
Sampras never used a nCode 90. He was using the same racquet that Federer used from 2004-2007, which was a K90 with the nCode 90 paintjob on it. In fact, Wilson gave Pete those racquets from Federer's stash in early 2006 because he requested Wilson to "send me some of Federer's exact racquets".
 
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i will find it very surprising if wilson release a new players stick. they have the k90, k95 and team and now the two blades. this is a big line up of players rackets, no other company has this. head have the radicals and prestiges, in 3 versions each. babolat, dunlop, prince, yonex etc all do not have a massive lineup of players sticks. what im getting at is, as exciting as it would be to have a new sampras racket out, i dont think they will as it will hurt the sales of the blades and six ones. i would not be surprised if he just uses a blacked out racket for the next few years, maybe he is trying the next thing after k factor, not a bad playtester! we all know that pete's relastionship with wilson was never the best, so i think he is using feds sticks, but will use either a blacked out frame, or the ncode colour sceme.
 
jorel said:
It was a once in a lifetime chance coincidence that I picked it up… I stopped into this stringers shop (this stringer is known for getting pro level equipment with a special relationship with many racquet manufacturers.) I saw it on the wall and at first I could not believe it (at that time the only ncode tour 90 was the longer handle one) so I knew immediately that this was the Fed mold…. But the handle turned out to be 4 ½.;.. I thought to myself strange since I know Fed uses a 4 3/8.. I finally brought it home and hit with it… … I played with it a few times and it was nice but way beyond my ability… I couldn’t sustain a rally, couldn’t volley and kept shanking, and was losing the doubles match until I switched to a more manageable racquet..
Click to expand...

By any chance have you played with the K90?

Thanks for the background.:)
 
slappano said:
By any chance have you played with the K90?

Thanks for the background.:)
Click to expand...

i found the same issue with the K90... actually thought the N90 and Original TOur 90 were easier to play with??? (maybe its the swingweight) K90 is higher

I actually find the 6.0 85 much more friendly ?????????????????
 
jorel said:
i found the same issue with the K90... actually thought the N90 and Original TOur 90 were easier to play with??? (maybe its the swingweight) K90 is higher

I actually find the 6.0 85 much more friendly ?????????????????
Click to expand...

me too. I still play the PS 85 and never makes my arm/shoulder tired...the US K90 was too heavy. I hated it.
 
BreakPoint said:
Sampras never used a nCode 90. He was using the same racquet that Federer used from 2004-2007, which was a K90 with the nCode 90 paintjob on it. In fact, Wilson gave Pete those racquets from Federer's stash in early 2006 because he requested Wilson to "send me some of Federer's exact racquets".
Click to expand...

Perhaps I should have said that Sampras was using an nCode paintjob. I hadn't heard the theory that the N90 that Sampras and Federer were using was just new paint on a K90, though I had heard that Sampras tried Federer's N90 and liked it enough to ask Wilson for some of his own.
 
master_stringer_mitchy said:
i will find it very surprising if wilson release a new players stick. they have the k90, k95 and team and now the two blades. this is a big line up of players rackets, no other company has this. head have the radicals and prestiges, in 3 versions each. babolat, dunlop, prince, yonex etc all do not have a massive lineup of players sticks. what im getting at is, as exciting as it would be to have a new sampras racket out, i dont think they will as it will hurt the sales of the blades and six ones. i would not be surprised if he just uses a blacked out racket for the next few years, maybe he is trying the next thing after k factor, not a bad playtester! we all know that pete's relastionship with wilson was never the best, so i think he is using feds sticks, but will use either a blacked out frame, or the ncode colour sceme.
Click to expand...

You make some good points and I would tend to agree that there is no need for another player's racquet from Wilson, but Wilson has already said that they are working on this new racquet. I don't think they'd say that if they weren't going to release it commercially. I also don't think that a new Wilson racquet will cannibalize K90 and nblade sales much. I for one would just want to own all of them. So it just translates into more overall sales for Wilson.
 
It doesn't sound like they're making a new line of racquets altogether, just one new tour racquet, which casts doubt on there being some advanced technology associated with it.

It may end up being some limited run Sampras racquet after all.
 
wangs78 said:
You make some good points and I would tend to agree that there is no need for another player's racquet from Wilson, but Wilson has already said that they are working on this new racquet. I don't think they'd say that if they weren't going to release it commercially. I also don't think that a new Wilson racquet will cannibalize K90 and nblade sales much. I for one would just want to own all of them. So it just translates into more overall sales for Wilson.
Click to expand...

yeah, i agree with what your saying really. im just coming from a retail point of view as well sell these rackets. wilson have become very funny! they come in and show us the line of rackets for 08, 6 months ago and we will place a massive stock order, then they come out with other rackets! personaly i think its great, but i know shops arnt quite as happy. also, with talk of new rackets being in the pipe line, how many of us will wait till see if were allready looking at new frames? i know that im hanging on gettin my 2nd and 3rd blade tour. hope it will be awesome thou!
 
jorel said:
It was a once in a lifetime chance coincidence that I picked it up… I stopped into this stringers shop (this stringer is known for getting pro level equipment with a special relationship with many racquet manufacturers.) I saw it on the wall and at first I could not believe it (at that time the only ncode tour 90 was the longer handle one) so I knew immediately that this was the Fed mold…. But the handle turned out to be 4 ½.;.. I thought to myself strange since I know Fed uses a 4 3/8.. I finally brought it home and hit with it… … I played with it a few times and it was nice but way beyond my ability… I couldn’t sustain a rally, couldn’t volley and kept shanking, and was losing the doubles match until I switched to a more manageable racquet..
Click to expand...

I am confused - didn't follow the context here. So, is this supposed to be the new Pete racquet? What color was it? Or are you referring to something else?
 
sureshs said:
I am confused - didn't follow the context here. So, is this supposed to be the new Pete racquet? What color was it? Or are you referring to something else?
Click to expand...

no it was the red ncode version... the one he used before the all black one
 
I was at Westwood tennis shop last week and saw 4 Pete's racquets there. I asked if I could hold one and the owner let me. It was pretty cool to hold his actual frame in my hands. I was trying to be respectful and could not really take a picture or swing it. It is completely black with no marks, 16 x19 string pattern. The mold looks like K90 but I could not compare side by side. The flanges are not cut out, so it looks like the old 6.0. The grip I beleive was 4 5/8 but I am not 100% sure. The mains were Wilson natural gut and crosses ALU Power. Strangely, the stringer said the the mains are VS touch but it clearly said Wilson made in France... There were 3 strips of 1/4 inch lead tape at 3 and 9 oclock, I think that the lead tape started and ended at 4th cross from the top and bottom half. The grip inderneath the tourna over grip was not leather but a pretty think and soft rubber type. The stringer also mentioned the his grip has a custom angle, somehow shaved down at a certain angle that he likes, I did not ask for specific details. One thing I noticed is something that I have never seen before, some connecting grommets had pieces of clear plastic tubes placed inside each gommet so that the string did not touch the sharp edges and did not break, I was told that the tension was "pretty high" but not a specific number, probably in the 70s... I think that the strung weight that was mentioned was 395 grams but I do not recall for sure. The stgringer speculated that this may be a prototype that Wilson is working on with Pete and they are thinking of releasing this model in the future. Again, the mold looked to me like a K90, so it is possibly a different composition, balance and of course the throat that looks like the old 6.0. I think I was pretty lucky to have come across that opportunity, Pete is an icon, still the greatest player to me... Just thought this will be nice to share...
 
Oleg said:
It is completely black with no marks, 16 x19 string pattern. The mold looks like K90 but I could not compare side by side. The flanges are not cut out, so it looks like the old 6.0. The grip I beleive was 4 5/8 but I am not 100% sure. The mains were Wilson natural gut and crosses ALU Power. Strangely, the stringer said the the mains are VS touch but it clearly said Wilson made in France... There were 3 strips of 1/4 inch lead tape at 3 and 9 oclock, I think that the lead tape started and ended at 4th cross from the top and bottom half.
Click to expand...

Was this the racquet that you saw?

35bclf8.jpg


2hdyydt.jpg


BTW, Wilson natural gut is made by Babolat. That's why the stringer said it was VS gut even though "Wilson" was stamped on the string because they're the same string.
 
Oleg said:
I was at Westwood tennis shop last week and saw 4 Pete's racquets there. I asked if I could hold one and the owner let me. It was pretty cool to hold his actual frame in my hands. I was trying to be respectful and could not really take a picture or swing it. It is completely black with no marks, 16 x19 string pattern. The mold looks like K90 but I could not compare side by side. The flanges are not cut out, so it looks like the old 6.0. The grip I beleive was 4 5/8 but I am not 100% sure. The mains were Wilson natural gut and crosses ALU Power. Strangely, the stringer said the the mains are VS touch but it clearly said Wilson made in France... There were 3 strips of 1/4 inch lead tape at 3 and 9 oclock, I think that the lead tape started and ended at 4th cross from the top and bottom half. The grip inderneath the tourna over grip was not leather but a pretty think and soft rubber type. The stringer also mentioned the his grip has a custom angle, somehow shaved down at a certain angle that he likes, I did not ask for specific details. One thing I noticed is something that I have never seen before, some connecting grommets had pieces of clear plastic tubes placed inside each gommet so that the string did not touch the sharp edges and did not break, I was told that the tension was "pretty high" but not a specific number, probably in the 70s... I think that the strung weight that was mentioned was 395 grams but I do not recall for sure. The stgringer speculated that this may be a prototype that Wilson is working on with Pete and they are thinking of releasing this model in the future. Again, the mold looked to me like a K90, so it is possibly a different composition, balance and of course the throat that looks like the old 6.0. I think I was pretty lucky to have come across that opportunity, Pete is an icon, still the greatest player to me... Just thought this will be nice to share...
Click to expand...

Westwood Sports is good place. Great stringers and this is where Pete get's his sticks done at so I'm sure you saw the new prototype. I'll ask more about it the next time I'm in there. Or if I bump into Pete on the UCLA courts.
 
BreakPoint said:
Was this the racquet that you saw?

35bclf8.jpg


2hdyydt.jpg


BTW, Wilson natural gut is made by Babolat. That's why the stringer said it was VS gut even though "Wilson" was stamped on the string because they're the same string.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is the one I saw last week. Even the way the tournagrip is finished off at the top of the handle (without being cut off in an angle)... I found that strange, but it must be something that Pete likes...
 
boston champions cup shots of sampras

I went to see round two of the boston champions cup and got footage of pete playing arias and johny mac playing courier.

I arrived early enough to see mcenroe warming up with some college player. then Pete came out to warm up with Arias. I literally courtside. as close as i could get. Before taking their sides, I overheard Arias ask Pete about "what he was playing with". Pete said something about the weighting in the head that i missed, but then said "yeah it's the fed racket". This was pretty cool to overhear.

I got some pictures and some super-slow-motion video with my new casio ex-f1 at 300 and 600 fps. I'll post the link below to one of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fHO7dnt2eY
 
eliasf said:
I went to see round two of the boston champions cup and got footage of pete playing arias and johny mac playing courier.

I arrived early enough to see mcenroe warming up with some college player. then Pete came out to warm up with Arias. I literally courtside. as close as i could get. Before taking their sides, I overheard Arias ask Pete about "what he was playing with". Pete said something about the weighting in the head that i missed, but then said "yeah it's the fed racket". This was pretty cool to overhear.

I got some pictures and some super-slow-motion video with my new casio ex-f1 at 300 and 600 fps. I'll post the link below to one of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fHO7dnt2eY
Click to expand...

Can't be the Fed frame as the mold is different... no 'notches' at the throat/neck 'Y'. Wilson has let a few details slip... essentially, it's the PS85 mold in a 90 inch form. What's yet unclear is the material composition... same as PS85, more NCode, or K???

Nice film capture though!
 
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