Searching for a Racquet

[ElSantoVicioso]

Hi All,

I have just restarted tennis and am playing 3 days a week for the last month, taking lessons to correct my technique, all of which was work of my own under the tutelage of the masters on TV.

I have been using a pretty basic stick as of now and want to go for a tweener racquet to improve my game. Since we don't have any demo programs in this part of the world, I am forced to buy on pure instinct (nothing to do with Babolat ).

At 27 years, 5'8 and 140lbs, I am not comfortable wielding those heavy rackets for prolonged sessions. I have a fierce swing and ideal follow through, as per my coach, so I am looking for a lighter yet snappy racket that allows me to hit those deep balls from the baselines and is maneuverable enough to develop a single handed backhand, alongwith decent control. Please feel free to suggest if you feel a heavier racquet will aid my progression as a player so that I can think about preparing myself mentally about the same but I have felt my arm muscles getting strained, at times.

Used some of the rackets that my coach has, for a session or two. Out of those, I found the
Babolat Aero Storm to be slightly bulky and tougher to swing through a long rally whereas the AeroPro Drive GT Lite was amazing.

Could you please suggest some good racket that will allow me to improve my all-round game, considering the constraints that I have mentioned. These are some of the options I have, apart from the newer APDs

Babolat Aeropro Drive (Cortex)
Babolat AeroStorm
Babolat AeroPro Control (I know it's an outdated version but still available here)
Babolat E-Sense Lite
Babolat Drive Z Lite
Babolat Drive Z Tour
Dunlop Aerogel 4D 3Hundred
Dunlop BioMimetic 300/500
Head Microgel Extreme
Head YouTek IG Speed Revolt
Head Microgel Instinct
Wilson Pro Lite BLX
Wilson Tidal Force BLX
Wilson Pro open 100 BLX
Wilson K Court 100
Prince EXO3 Hybrid 104
Prince O3 Hybrid Team MP

Thanks in Advance

 

[lobman]

First, congratulations on taking lessons at this point in your tennis life. Second, go to TW's Racquet Forum FAQ and find The JO11yroger Guide to Racquet Selection and read it through and through. Also refer to TW's racquet finder (www.racquetfinder.com). Since you don't have access to a demo program locally check out TW's demo program. Finally, since you really liked your coach's Aero Pro Drive GT Lilte, use that as a base when you check out the Racquet Finder. Good luck.

 

[rst]

im 6'3" and approx a 185lbs. i like light rackets with low tension.

i use donnay x-yellow and x-dual silver lite...each below 11 ounces and with sub 300 swingweights strung at 50 lbs. i like the mix of power and maneuverability i get with the light racket - low tension setup. the beams on these rackets are very thin - around 18mm and cut thru the air deliciously.

x-yellow isnt made anymore but x-silver lite still is i think. donnay also sells a separate balancing kit for these rackets that can shift weight somewhat from butt to tip...lead tape is cheaper though.

maybe a racket or two to consider.

 

[rst]

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Dunlop_Biomimetic_200_Lite/descpageRCDUNLOP-DB2HL.html

i demoed this racket. is has a plush but quick swing to it

 

[ElSantoVicioso]

Hi All,

I have just restarted tennis and am playing 3 days a week for the last month, taking lessons to correct my technique, all of which was work of my own under the tutelage of the masters on TV.

I have been using a pretty basic stick as of now and want to go for a tweener racquet to improve my game. Since we don't have any demo programs in this part of the world, I am forced to buy on pure instinct (nothing to do with Babolat ).

At 27 years, 5'8 and 140lbs, I am not comfortable wielding those heavy rackets for prolonged sessions. I have a fierce swing and ideal follow through, as per my coach, so I am looking for a lighter yet snappy racket that allows me to hit those deep balls from the baselines and is maneuverable enough to develop a single handed backhand, alongwith decent control. Please feel free to suggest if you feel a heavier racquet will aid my progression as a player so that I can think about preparing myself mentally about the same but I have felt my arm muscles getting strained, at times.

Used some of the rackets that my coach has, for a session or two. Out of those, I found the
Babolat Aero Storm to be slightly bulky and tougher to swing through a long rally whereas the AeroPro Drive GT Lite was amazing.

Could you please suggest some good racket that will allow me to improve my all-round game, considering the constraints that I have mentioned. These are some of the options I have, apart from the newer APDs

Babolat Aeropro Drive (Cortex)
Babolat AeroStorm
Babolat AeroPro Control (I know it's an outdated version but still available here)
Babolat E-Sense Lite
Babolat Drive Z Lite
Babolat Drive Z Tour
Dunlop Aerogel 4D 3Hundred
Dunlop BioMimetic 300/500
Head Microgel Extreme
Head YouTek IG Speed Revolt
Head Microgel Instinct
Wilson Pro Lite BLX
Wilson Tidal Force BLX
Wilson Pro open 100 BLX
Wilson K Court 100
Prince EXO3 Hybrid 104
Prince O3 Hybrid Team MP

Thanks in Advance

Thanks for the encouraging words, lobman.
I have been a tennis fan since I was 7 years of age, Bruguera's French Open triumph over Courier being my earliest memory of the sport. Then I flirted with tennis during my college years and did fairly well for a self-learner by winning the inter-collegiate and breaking into the University team (but then tennis still doesn't have that sort of cult following in India, because of the costs and infrastructure required).

However, all the time, while some of my shots were consistently good ( e.g. inside out forehand, passing shots), my baseline play was erratic and backhand winners were a matter of chance. Service was another story altogether, for I was either hitting those flat aces, down the middle, by the dozens, or struggling to reach the box for sets altogether.

So, finally I decided to learn the proper way and here I am.

Coming to my problem, what compounds it, is the fact that TW doesn't have a demo program here and the retailers stock either the popular, well advertised items or the lower end versions which people buy without thinking. So I am trying to seek opinion of members who have had experience with the racquets I mentioned.

I am definitely going to dive into the thread that you suggested and will keep you posted about the progress. Thanks

 

[ElSantoVicioso]

6 months have passed by and the hunt is still on. I have been alternating between an Aero Pro Drive and a Head Youtek Speed Revolt, with obviously varied results, since they are altogether different scalpels ( a club, in case of former).

Now looking for something that is easy on my arm and still has decent plowthrough to avoid being bullied by hard hitters ( I am a hard hitter myself, with a very flat forehand), as well as offers a window to inject some spin in my game.

Biggest challenge is the unavailability of the entire spectrum of rackets in this part of the world. So my choices are pretty limited at this point of time

Prince EXO3 Rebel 95 (The green one) - it has been lying on the shelf at a sports outlet, for last 2 years.
Graphene Instinct MP - feels great and maneuverable but stifness rating is alarming
Graphene Speed MP - nothing bad about this one
Youtek IG Speed MP - A bit cheaper than the latest version
Prince EXO Tour 100
Prince Warrior DB 100 ( Can't seem to find warrior 100, out here)
Wilson BLX Blade 98
Wilson BLX Tour
Wilson Six.One 95 BLX
Wilson Pro.Cobra
Wilson Cobra.Team
Prince EXO3 Speedport Black
Wilson Prpen BLX
Youtek IG Radical MP
Dunlop Aerogel 4D 300

Suggestions please.

 

[LeeD]

Can't go wrong with 4D300 or HeadMicroGelMid.
11 oz rackets (OK, 10.9 and 11.2) that are soft, 60 and 58) with SW around 318.
String them in the mid 40's for more power and plenty of control with good spin.

 

[ElSantoVicioso]

Can't go wrong with 4D300 or HeadMicroGelMid.
11 oz rackets (OK, 10.9 and 11.2) that are soft, 60 and 58) with SW around 318.
String them in the mid 40's for more power and plenty of control with good spin.

Thanks a lot for your inputs, but I couldn't get hold of the 4D300 (Dunlop and Prince are non-existent in India, nowadays, thanks to the Babolat wave).

However, I decided to go for the EXO3 Rebel 95 (Old Green version) as I was getting a heavy discount and have heard a lot about it's arm-friendliness, so it was worth a gamble.

Now comes the interesting part of setting the weapon up. I won't mind some free power from the strings since it's a control oriented racquet, but it shouldn't undermine the USP of the stick, that is arm-friendliness. Another aim is to develop some spin on the forehand and serve, since I am mostly a flat hitter.

What string setup would you suggest? I don't break strings often and would be looking to get around 15 hours lifetime.

 

[JasonPerelman]

Thanks a lot for your inputs, but I couldn't get hold of the 4D300 (Dunlop and Prince are non-existent in India, nowadays, thanks to the Babolat wave).

However, I decided to go for the EXO3 Rebel 95 (Old Green version) as I was getting a heavy discount and have heard a lot about it's arm-friendliness, so it was worth a gamble.

Now comes the interesting part of setting the weapon up. I won't mind some free power from the strings since it's a control oriented racquet, but it shouldn't undermine the USP of the stick, that is arm-friendliness. Another aim is to develop some spin on the forehand and serve, since I am mostly a flat hitter.

What string setup would you suggest? I don't break strings often and would be looking to get around 15 hours lifetime.

Its a great racket, go with Luxilon 4g 16l or 16. 16l since that is a very control oriented racket.

 

[tmc5005]

I see a huge difference in the racquets you are looking at. If you want to reduce your chances of any arm problems. You should consider a racquet from one of these
Babolat New Pure Storm-LTD GT (95)
DUNLOP Biomimetic Max 200G
Dunlop Biomimetic 200 (95)
HEAD-Youtek-IG-Prestige-MP
Prince EXO3 Rebel (95)
Prince EXO3 Tour (100) 16 x 18
PRO KENNEX Black Ace 98 MP
Volkl Power Bridge-10 Mid (93)
Volkl Organix 10 325G
Wilson Prostaff Six.One BLX (95)