MikeHitsHard93
Hall of Fame
I would LOVE to hear your take on the Wilson Pro Open!
SmilinBob's Racquet Reviews
- Thread starter SmilinBob
- Start date
I would LOVE to hear your take on the Wilson Pro Open!
MikeHitsHard93
Hall of Fame
Yes or this!!!
RA of 70...Yikes.
I know the 70 RA sounds scary. Just suggested as some of the play testers and others have said that it plays much softer. Just a suggestion. I've enjoyed your reviews. When you finish your search, there should be a whole batch of new offerings coming from Wilson, Head, etc... Just heard today that Wilson is planning to introduce a Blade "S."
Let me see what kind of string the local shop has in it. If it's a hybrid with a soft multi I'll give it a whirl. However if it has a stiff poly in it I'm probably going to pass.
As for the new stuff coming out, I'll be excited to give it all a try. The guys at the local shop have been very generous with their demo program to me. I'd be really interested to see what a softer frame and the open pattern feels and plays like from Wilson. If they could make it so the string bed was a little more predictable on volleys and flatter shots while keeping the crazy spin, that would be fantastic.
Federerkblade
Hall of Fame
Do others concur with the review below ? not trying to suggest its not accurate or accurate. i just want more opinion
My experience has been that all Babolats have a rather unique feel, one that Bob doesn't seem to care for. Personally, I didn't mind the feel at all. It's just different. He found it tinny, I thought it felt kind of alive.
Bob has a fairly specialized game, serve and volley, and he is looking for a frame that enhances that game. The Storm is not really aimed at his type of player, although Sam Stosur has made a living out of hitting kick serves with one.
The other thing I would say about Bob's review is I believe when he used this frame, he perhaps was not as aware of how much difference string type and tension can make. The one I hit with was strung with full poly at low tension, probably no more than 40. If it had been strung at 60, I likely would have had a different reaction.
I have had very limited experience with this frame, but I have to say I loved it. It's a control frame but one that has a lot of power in reserve. You don't have to wail away at the ball to get it deep or produce a lot of spin, unlike many control frames.
Federerkblade
Hall of Fame
Retro
Thank you. Would you say that is at the top end of tweener ? slightly playerish stick
Thank you. Would you say that is at the top end of tweener ? slightly playerish stick
I don't know how to answer that. Looking at the specs, you would say it is a player's frame, not a tweener at all. It hits a lot different from low powered control frames though, so your description might be apt. I suspect how it is strung would make a big difference.
I'm probably not a very good reviewer, because I'm kind of subjective, not analytical like Smiling Bob. The things I liked about the Storm were the feeling of confidence it gave me, the easy depth of shot and the easy spin. I guess those sound more like tweener attributes, but I'm not sure how much of it was frame and how much stringing. A lot of times playing points, you are pressured on a shot or slightly late, etc. I always felt with the Storm I could get those shots back deep, but at the same time, it wasn't going to send a shot to the fence if I was off slightly.
I've looked back over my notes and the versions I've posted here repeatedly as I've demoed more racquets. While I'm sure the strings had something to do with it (it was a hybrid job with poly in the mains, which is how most from my local shop are strung) I just thought the Pure Storm was nothing special in all regards.
To me (and that's the important part, me...Your thoughts/feelings could be completely different) it was like a Pro Staff 95 with less control. I would also say it played like a Rebel 98 or X Force without nearly as soft a feeling. I would also say it played a lot like the 99S in that first serves lacked a little heat and returns were OK, but it didn't have quite the same plow-through and lacked the 99S's ridiculous spin. What I'm getting at is that I found there was always a better frame for something.
I'm sure it's a fine frame in the right hands and it does get a lot of love here on TT, but it seems to me there's plenty of other frames that can do the same things it does only better in other regards, be it control, power, arm friendliness, spin, etc. It might be a string sensitive frame and the hybrid I played with could have sucked too.
And yes, I really don't care for the Babolat feel. The Pure Storm is much better than the others, but there's something distinctive about them that just leaves a bad feeling with me on contact.
Does that help answer your question?
counterpuncher
Hall of Fame
How did your other playtests go on the weekend?
Any racquet would twist on a volley struck that near the edge of the frame.
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
It would be funny if everyone who complained about stability in a racquet were then filmed in slow motion with the racquet.
We might find that the instability was due to off centre hits.
In all probability the racquets we find unstable are simply the ones we play badly with for whatever reason.
With the most likely reason being whether or not they deviate, and by how much, from what we are accustomed to hitting.
We might find that the instability was due to off centre hits.
In all probability the racquets we find unstable are simply the ones we play badly with for whatever reason.
With the most likely reason being whether or not they deviate, and by how much, from what we are accustomed to hitting.
Well, I kind of messed up my playtest time this weekend. Saturday morning I decided to climb a mountain and managed to destroy my feet pretty good. I only had a few short hits with the Pro Staff 100 before my feet decided we were done with activities for the weekend. I will most definitely be giving it another try though...
In reading the TW reviews and watching the video review, I think they got too hung up on the "Pro Staff" name to objectively look at how the racquet played. I'm a HUGE fan of the TW playtesters and think they do a great job at getting plenty of info out there, but their review of the PS 100 just seemed off. In the few hits I had, I'll tell you I think this is a racquet with a TON of potential.
It felt a bit light in the hoop but the kind of lightness, much like the Six.One Team, where a little lead near the tip would help a lot. It felt very much like the Pro Staff 95 but I think there's a bit more headroom and forgiveness with the 100. I'm going to see if I can't squeak in a mid-weeker before I end up traveling again over the holiday weekend and might even try leading it up right out of the gate.
Spec-wise, I'm surprised I missed this one earlier.
Short answer...Crappy weekend for tennis, but what I did get harbors potential. Stay tuned.
One thing I've been wondering for the past few weeks...
I've definitely noticed that my misses are very much towards the 12 and 6 positions of the string bed, not nearly as much towards 3 and 9. As such, I probably think the lighter racquets are more stable than many others might.
Another thing is that I build up all the grips I demo to 4 1/2 + an over-grip, my normal grip size. It's my personal opinion (and only mine so take it for what it's worth) that many players have grips that are much too small and limits their ability to have a stable grip on off-center shots. A bigger grip is such a help, especially for a serve-and-volleyer.
counterpuncher
Hall of Fame
Funny you mention this, but they are my thoughts. I have one in my bag that I purchased for my wife and intend having a longer demo at some point.
I added about 10 grams to the handle and after some experimentation with lead at 3 & 9, 10 & 2 and at 12, I came to the conclusion that about 3 grams from 11 to 1, worked best.
It's still not HL enough for my liking, but the results were promising with a couple of brief hits that I had. Looking forward to your thoughts.
Me too. I think that marks us as old school. When I got back into tennis, I was surprised at the popularity of very small grips. Has the average male hand size decreased?
I'm not really disagreeing with you on the Pure Storm. I haven't hit any of the frames you compared it to, so it's possible I would have the same reaction. I just felt a ton of confidence right from the first ball with it, plus I found it a lot of fun to hit for some reason. I would be pretty happy to use it in a match, but at the end of the day, I went with the PDR+.
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
PS100 is a nice racquet, but lacks power. You have to keep the swingspeed up pretty high to be succesful with it IMO.
It wasn't harsh at all, but noticeably firmer than the X Force. From a frame firmness perspective, it actually played a lot like the new Blade 98 with the 16x19 pattern. I'd be inclined to match it up to the Extreme Pro 2.0 as well in terms of feel. Both play softer than the racquet's RA would indicate, but are still firm-feeling (not stiff/harsh) on contact.
Based on what I've read of the "Pacific/Fischer Feel", I'd say the X Force was the most representative example of said ball feel I've hit with.
Yep, much like the PS 95. It's why I might just lead it up right out of the gate when I get another opportunity with it. I'll either go lead at 12 or somewhere around 10 and 2, bringing the swing weight up somewhere north of 325-ish or so.
RollTrackTake
Professional
I am just noticing TW dropped the price on the X-Force. After reading your review I am very tempted to try one out. What was it about the X-Force that didn't close the deal for you?
I would still put the X-Force near the top of the list of racquets that I've liked, especially the feel. If you want a soft, muted feel, the X Force is a good way to go. For the sale price, it's absolutely worth a demo.
As for me, I want something that is going to let me hold serve without worry, which means a good serving racquet (both control and power) and great for volleying. That's my game: Serve-and-volley. The X Force is a very good jack-of-all-trades racquet, it's just that I've found a few frames that fit MY game a little better.
sunof tennis
Professional
That's what I did. A little lead at 12 and switched the grip to leather which adds some wieght to the handle. The increased weight gives it some more power as does stringing it with gut in the mains (power/feel) and a soft poly in the crosses (spin/control)
RollTrackTake
Professional
The only other Pacific I've tried was the X Fast Pro & I did not like the boardy feel one bit. Sidebar, the Pro Staff 100 was the frame that surprised me the most with its playability. Yes, stock form it was light & lacked punch but all I needed was 2 grams of lead at 10 & 2, 4 grams of lead in the trap door and presto, great stick. Does everything well and I love the feel. I've taken to it so much I use it in league play now. Great platform to customize to your own specifications.
+2 on this (yep, it's maths time again, Bob!)... great thread, reminds me of years gone by on TT when there quite a few of these kind of insightful threads... and what fresh news I wonder from Bob, for the racketaholics grow restless!
Thanks for the kind words guys! It is much appreciated. I'm glad my journey is benefiting others as well.
I have plenty-o-updates, including a fresh list of racquets that might be coming my way soon.
I played a tournament last weekend with the Graphene Speed MP and the V98 Team. Things did NOT go well and I lost both matches (they both came down to a single service break), but in the process I really discovered some very distinct differences between the frames. So much so that I'd recommend to others if you really want to know how a racquet plays, use it under pressure. I noticed things between each frame that never really stood out to me before and the strengths and weaknesses of each frame were amplified.
I'm going to write up two fresh reviews today in my review form for both frames, and then I'll post up my next demo list.
I have plenty-o-updates, including a fresh list of racquets that might be coming my way soon.
I played a tournament last weekend with the Graphene Speed MP and the V98 Team. Things did NOT go well and I lost both matches (they both came down to a single service break), but in the process I really discovered some very distinct differences between the frames. So much so that I'd recommend to others if you really want to know how a racquet plays, use it under pressure. I noticed things between each frame that never really stood out to me before and the strengths and weaknesses of each frame were amplified.
I'm going to write up two fresh reviews today in my review form for both frames, and then I'll post up my next demo list.
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
Bob, be careful not to blame the racquets for your losses. Focus more on how you hit the ball with those racquets....did u like the way they felt while playing? Not too heavy...not too light? Power and depth OK? A tough opponent can make ANY racquet feel inadequate. The Speed MP is such a well rounded racquet, I can't imagine it getting in the way of your play? Do you really think a different racquet would have given the match drastically different results?
Head Youtek Graphene Speed MP (Part 2)
First Impressions:
This was not at all my first go-around with the Speed MP, however it was the first time I've played a tourney with it. I had it strung with Dunlop DNA 17 at 54 lbs on a constant-pull machine and the frame was customized with 3 grams of lead at 12 o'clock.
Groundstrokes:
I really liked the open pattern of the Speed MP from the baseline as it gave the ball plenty of spin and really helped keep shots from flying deep, especially on my forehand side. It also opened up some tighter cross-court angles, and I managed to rope one for an outright winner that really dived over the net. My backhand was a slightly different story though, and I had some trouble with depth control. I've been transitioning to a one-handed backhand so it is my weaker side, and I wasn't getting quite the bite on the ball. I caught a few a little too flat and they floated long. Directional control was OK, but not spectacular. My consistent miss on groundstrokes throughout the match was leaving the ball short, which gave my opponent more offensive opportunities.
Volleys:
With the admission that for some reason my net game was terrible throughout the tournament, I really struggled with the Speed MP at the net when leaded at 12. While the lead moved the sweet spot more towards the tip (which is my usual miss on the string bed) the racquet felt unstable against my first opponent, who was a harder hitter. I had a really difficult time controlling half-volleys and hit a few that sat up and went by me on the next shot. With lead at 3 and 9 the Speed MP was a great volleyer, but at 12 it played more wild.
Serves:
The Speed MP responded well with lead at 12 o'clock and my flat serves up the T were working well. The open pattern (it's a pretty open 16x19) really put plenty of spin on the ball so topspin/kick serves into the body were also effective. I had trouble moving the ball out wide in the deuce court and found it difficult to keep my opponent honest on that side. Slices wide to the ad court worked well (lefty) but weren't swinging off the court hard. I was getting decent but not great pace on my serves, however it was much better than an unleaded Speed MP frame, or even one with lead at 3 and 9.
Second serves were a real strength of the Speed MP. The ball was really jumping off the court and forced my opponent to play the ball quite high generating some weak returns. I did serve up a few meatballs (if anything the Speed MP lacks power on serve) but overall I was able to hold somewhat easily. I gave up a break in each set, which ultimately cost me the match.
Serve Returns:
In my initial go-around with the Speed MP, I noticed that returns, particularly my chip/block returns, were a weakness of an unleaded frame. The same issue came back during my match and I was really struggling to put any pressure on my opponent's service games. I was leaving returns short and directional control was only OK, which had me forcing returns into the middle of the court. I failed to break serve the entire match and struggled quite a bit on returns, especially on my backhand side. The Speed MP was screaming for lead on the sides of the frame to stabilize it on hard first serves and add some extra spin for aggressive returns on second serves.
Overall:
Without putting any pressure on my opponent's serve it ended up putting pressure on mine, something I'm not normally used to, and my poor net game during the match ultimately cost me. While I still think the Speed MP is a great frame, I found as my game tightened up the "Window of Control" (a term I just made up now) with the Speed MP got smaller. The minute I had to play defensively, the Speed MP (and ultimately my game, in the end it's the player, right?) didn't respond well. As long as I was on the offensive (both within the point and within the flow of the match) the Speed MP performed well. Unfortunately my opponent played very well and I found myself either in neutral or on the defensive for much of the match, especially on return games.
The best I've played with the Speed MP was with lead at 3 and 9, which makes it a spin monster on serve and from the baseline, and really solidifies the frame on volleys and adds a lot to returns. The only downside with that config is first serves. I plan on trying some different lead placements that approximate lead at 10 and 2 (probably closer to 9:30 and 2:30) to try and move weight more towards the tip than 3 and 9.
During the first return game of the second set, I switched to the V98 Team. It completely changed my game as you'll read about below.
First Impressions:
This was not at all my first go-around with the Speed MP, however it was the first time I've played a tourney with it. I had it strung with Dunlop DNA 17 at 54 lbs on a constant-pull machine and the frame was customized with 3 grams of lead at 12 o'clock.
Groundstrokes:
I really liked the open pattern of the Speed MP from the baseline as it gave the ball plenty of spin and really helped keep shots from flying deep, especially on my forehand side. It also opened up some tighter cross-court angles, and I managed to rope one for an outright winner that really dived over the net. My backhand was a slightly different story though, and I had some trouble with depth control. I've been transitioning to a one-handed backhand so it is my weaker side, and I wasn't getting quite the bite on the ball. I caught a few a little too flat and they floated long. Directional control was OK, but not spectacular. My consistent miss on groundstrokes throughout the match was leaving the ball short, which gave my opponent more offensive opportunities.
Volleys:
With the admission that for some reason my net game was terrible throughout the tournament, I really struggled with the Speed MP at the net when leaded at 12. While the lead moved the sweet spot more towards the tip (which is my usual miss on the string bed) the racquet felt unstable against my first opponent, who was a harder hitter. I had a really difficult time controlling half-volleys and hit a few that sat up and went by me on the next shot. With lead at 3 and 9 the Speed MP was a great volleyer, but at 12 it played more wild.
Serves:
The Speed MP responded well with lead at 12 o'clock and my flat serves up the T were working well. The open pattern (it's a pretty open 16x19) really put plenty of spin on the ball so topspin/kick serves into the body were also effective. I had trouble moving the ball out wide in the deuce court and found it difficult to keep my opponent honest on that side. Slices wide to the ad court worked well (lefty) but weren't swinging off the court hard. I was getting decent but not great pace on my serves, however it was much better than an unleaded Speed MP frame, or even one with lead at 3 and 9.
Second serves were a real strength of the Speed MP. The ball was really jumping off the court and forced my opponent to play the ball quite high generating some weak returns. I did serve up a few meatballs (if anything the Speed MP lacks power on serve) but overall I was able to hold somewhat easily. I gave up a break in each set, which ultimately cost me the match.
Serve Returns:
In my initial go-around with the Speed MP, I noticed that returns, particularly my chip/block returns, were a weakness of an unleaded frame. The same issue came back during my match and I was really struggling to put any pressure on my opponent's service games. I was leaving returns short and directional control was only OK, which had me forcing returns into the middle of the court. I failed to break serve the entire match and struggled quite a bit on returns, especially on my backhand side. The Speed MP was screaming for lead on the sides of the frame to stabilize it on hard first serves and add some extra spin for aggressive returns on second serves.
Overall:
Without putting any pressure on my opponent's serve it ended up putting pressure on mine, something I'm not normally used to, and my poor net game during the match ultimately cost me. While I still think the Speed MP is a great frame, I found as my game tightened up the "Window of Control" (a term I just made up now) with the Speed MP got smaller. The minute I had to play defensively, the Speed MP (and ultimately my game, in the end it's the player, right?) didn't respond well. As long as I was on the offensive (both within the point and within the flow of the match) the Speed MP performed well. Unfortunately my opponent played very well and I found myself either in neutral or on the defensive for much of the match, especially on return games.
The best I've played with the Speed MP was with lead at 3 and 9, which makes it a spin monster on serve and from the baseline, and really solidifies the frame on volleys and adds a lot to returns. The only downside with that config is first serves. I plan on trying some different lead placements that approximate lead at 10 and 2 (probably closer to 9:30 and 2:30) to try and move weight more towards the tip than 3 and 9.
During the first return game of the second set, I switched to the V98 Team. It completely changed my game as you'll read about below.
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
^^^^^^^^^
sounds like u need a compromise between lead at 12 & 3/9.
You could try lead at 10:30/2:30? Also since leaving the ball short seems to be a recurring theme, why not lower tension or use a more powerful string setup next time?
To be honest, most of these issues seem to be user related, where you just need to make the proper adjustments. Not the fault of the racquet at all.
sounds like u need a compromise between lead at 12 & 3/9.
You could try lead at 10:30/2:30? Also since leaving the ball short seems to be a recurring theme, why not lower tension or use a more powerful string setup next time?
To be honest, most of these issues seem to be user related, where you just need to make the proper adjustments. Not the fault of the racquet at all.
Slazenger V98 Team (Part 2)
First Impressions:
Another racquet that I've ended up purchasing, I took it into a tournament bone-stock. It was strung identically to the Graphene Speed MP I also played with, strung up with Dunlop DNA at 54 pounds on the same constant pull machine by the same stringer. I switched to the V98 Team during the first return game of the second set of my first match and played the rest of the tourney with it.
Groundstrokes:
The V98 Team played well from the baseline. While not nearly as spinny as the Speed MP, I was able to keep the ball deep in the court reliable and had good directional control. The V98 Team wasn't letting me hit the same angles as the Speed MP, so rallies ended up going longer which put some pressure on keeping unforced errors down. I noticed that the V98 was kind of an "equalizer" between my forehand and backhand, improving the weaker side slightly while also not allowing me to be as aggressive on the stronger side. The V98 carried noticeably more mass in the hoop and it swung much heavier than the Speed MP. The other thing about the V98 that really stood out from the first hit was the feel. It has a very lively, bright feel on contact and despite not playing well during the tourney, I did enjoy the V98 from the back of the court. It's simply a fun racquet to hit.
Volleys:
My net game throughout the tournament was pretty bad, but it had more to do with my timing and court feel than anything else. The V98 was solid for me at the net and despite the lighter static weight, played very stable. Directional control was better than the Speed MP, something I attribute to the tighter string pattern (even though both frames are the same pattern, the V98 has the strings much closer together in the middle of the string bed.) The other thing I noticed is that the sweet spot of the V98 Team is higher on the string bed, so I felt like I was catching more volleys in the sweet spot.
While I don't normally mention overheads, it's worth saying something here. I hit two overheads in the first match I played with the V98 that were absolute thunderbolts. I hit them so hard, even when backpedaling, my first opponent completely abandoned hitting lobs as a strategy. In my second match it was much the same, however he kept trying to hit them over me and only managed to get one behind me. The sound of an overhead from the V98 when hit flush and hard was downright terrifying. It sent a clear message to both opponents.
Serves:
The V98 Team was a great on first serves. The first serve I hit with it was an ace out wide to the deuce court (lefty) that was an absolute cannon of a serve. It totally froze my opponent and he didn't even bother trying for it. Serves up the T were also working well and I was earning lots of free points on first serves. I had a little bit of difficulty getting a heavy slice wide to the ad court, which I'm guessing was due to the tighter string pattern. The only other issue on first serves is that I noticed my first serve percentage was a little lower than with the Speed MP. There was one issue on first serves though: The racquet played firm and left my arm pretty tender. I caught a few serves outside of the sweet spot and the vibration when straight up my arm. I thought the firm volley I caught a month or so ago with the V98 was an anomaly, but after playing a few matches and having a sore arm, I'm starting to think that fun, lively feel is actually due to some stiffness in the hoop.
Second serves were a little bit of a different story and was one of two areas where my game completely changed when switching racquets. With V98 Team I wasn't getting nearly the spin on my topspin/kick seconds so my margin for error was smaller and I gave up a few double faults. The ball also wasn't jumping off the court nearly as much and when I switched racquets in my first match, I was actually giving my opponent easier second serves to deal with. I was still able to be effective with my serves, just not dominating.
Serve Returns:
The second area where my game completely changed was on returns. The V98 Team instantly improved my return game and put much more pressure on my first opponent to hold serve. The first return game I played took six deuces for him to close out. I was able to play my chip/block return game with more control and more depth than the Speed MP, which kept me in more points. My second match was against a weaker server and I returned OK but not great against him. I tried to be more aggressive and managed an early break in the first set that I failed to consolidate.
Overall:
I really like the V98 Team but which is offered a little bit more spin and didn't play so firm. It helped my return game significantly when compared to the Speed MP, however despite some good pace on first serves, made my second serve easier for opponents to deal with. If I can figure out a way to tame some of the firmness, I'd have no problem playing another tourney with the V98 Team, but would really work to find a string combination that played well, and I'm thinking that natural gut mains and a soft poly cross might really be the ticket for comfort and spin. While the Speed MP needs some help with lead, I think the V98 Team needs some help with strings.
First Impressions:
Another racquet that I've ended up purchasing, I took it into a tournament bone-stock. It was strung identically to the Graphene Speed MP I also played with, strung up with Dunlop DNA at 54 pounds on the same constant pull machine by the same stringer. I switched to the V98 Team during the first return game of the second set of my first match and played the rest of the tourney with it.
Groundstrokes:
The V98 Team played well from the baseline. While not nearly as spinny as the Speed MP, I was able to keep the ball deep in the court reliable and had good directional control. The V98 Team wasn't letting me hit the same angles as the Speed MP, so rallies ended up going longer which put some pressure on keeping unforced errors down. I noticed that the V98 was kind of an "equalizer" between my forehand and backhand, improving the weaker side slightly while also not allowing me to be as aggressive on the stronger side. The V98 carried noticeably more mass in the hoop and it swung much heavier than the Speed MP. The other thing about the V98 that really stood out from the first hit was the feel. It has a very lively, bright feel on contact and despite not playing well during the tourney, I did enjoy the V98 from the back of the court. It's simply a fun racquet to hit.
Volleys:
My net game throughout the tournament was pretty bad, but it had more to do with my timing and court feel than anything else. The V98 was solid for me at the net and despite the lighter static weight, played very stable. Directional control was better than the Speed MP, something I attribute to the tighter string pattern (even though both frames are the same pattern, the V98 has the strings much closer together in the middle of the string bed.) The other thing I noticed is that the sweet spot of the V98 Team is higher on the string bed, so I felt like I was catching more volleys in the sweet spot.
While I don't normally mention overheads, it's worth saying something here. I hit two overheads in the first match I played with the V98 that were absolute thunderbolts. I hit them so hard, even when backpedaling, my first opponent completely abandoned hitting lobs as a strategy. In my second match it was much the same, however he kept trying to hit them over me and only managed to get one behind me. The sound of an overhead from the V98 when hit flush and hard was downright terrifying. It sent a clear message to both opponents.
Serves:
The V98 Team was a great on first serves. The first serve I hit with it was an ace out wide to the deuce court (lefty) that was an absolute cannon of a serve. It totally froze my opponent and he didn't even bother trying for it. Serves up the T were also working well and I was earning lots of free points on first serves. I had a little bit of difficulty getting a heavy slice wide to the ad court, which I'm guessing was due to the tighter string pattern. The only other issue on first serves is that I noticed my first serve percentage was a little lower than with the Speed MP. There was one issue on first serves though: The racquet played firm and left my arm pretty tender. I caught a few serves outside of the sweet spot and the vibration when straight up my arm. I thought the firm volley I caught a month or so ago with the V98 was an anomaly, but after playing a few matches and having a sore arm, I'm starting to think that fun, lively feel is actually due to some stiffness in the hoop.
Second serves were a little bit of a different story and was one of two areas where my game completely changed when switching racquets. With V98 Team I wasn't getting nearly the spin on my topspin/kick seconds so my margin for error was smaller and I gave up a few double faults. The ball also wasn't jumping off the court nearly as much and when I switched racquets in my first match, I was actually giving my opponent easier second serves to deal with. I was still able to be effective with my serves, just not dominating.
Serve Returns:
The second area where my game completely changed was on returns. The V98 Team instantly improved my return game and put much more pressure on my first opponent to hold serve. The first return game I played took six deuces for him to close out. I was able to play my chip/block return game with more control and more depth than the Speed MP, which kept me in more points. My second match was against a weaker server and I returned OK but not great against him. I tried to be more aggressive and managed an early break in the first set that I failed to consolidate.
Overall:
I really like the V98 Team but which is offered a little bit more spin and didn't play so firm. It helped my return game significantly when compared to the Speed MP, however despite some good pace on first serves, made my second serve easier for opponents to deal with. If I can figure out a way to tame some of the firmness, I'd have no problem playing another tourney with the V98 Team, but would really work to find a string combination that played well, and I'm thinking that natural gut mains and a soft poly cross might really be the ticket for comfort and spin. While the Speed MP needs some help with lead, I think the V98 Team needs some help with strings.
I mentioned the exact same thing about the lead at the end of my Speed review. It's high enough on my list in fact, I've already peeled off the lead at 12.
You're probably right Jack in that yes, my net game cost me my matches, but I've really tried to isolate the differences in the frames and think about what the racquets helped or hurt despite my play not being up to snuff.
I'm also a guy who hates losing. As a result, I went back and pulled my match results from last year, my notes about the frames I played with, and started running some stats on my game to really understand what areas of my game I should focus on. After this tourney, clearly I need to bump up my return game. I'll add a separate post later today about some stats I've pulled and maybe how I'll ever so slightly change some of my desired specs on my racquet search to better help collect the Ws.
+2 on this (yep, it's maths time again, Bob!)... great thread, reminds me of years gone by on TT when there quite a few of these kind of insightful threads... and what fresh news I wonder from Bob, for the racketaholics grow restless!
I agree - this is one of my favorite threads on the forum. I'm always excited to see a new post because it might be a new review from Bob.
As for me, I'm still waiting to see Bob review the TFight 315 (hopefully both versions), unless I overlooked it.
Keep up the good work Bob.
New reviews are coming!
Well, I ended up having some unexpected travel for work this week and will be traveling next week, however it's for leisure. There's courts where I'm going so a fresh demo order is in to TW!
Here's what I have coming:
Wilson BLX Pro Staff 100L
ProKennex QTour 295
Donnay Formula 100
Jack, I tried and tried to get the Blade 104, but apparently you've made it too popular (I assume it's you and not the Venus/Serena combo) and it's out of stock with a waiting list at both TW and the local pro shop here. Same goes for all you Technifibre crackheads. I couldn't get the 315 Ltd. in either string pattern for at least another two weeks, and it's the only Technifibre frame with an RA that holds any appeal to my arm. I want to hit both, but they'll have to wait until the next round.
Well, I ended up having some unexpected travel for work this week and will be traveling next week, however it's for leisure. There's courts where I'm going so a fresh demo order is in to TW!
Here's what I have coming:
Wilson BLX Pro Staff 100L
ProKennex QTour 295
Donnay Formula 100
Jack, I tried and tried to get the Blade 104, but apparently you've made it too popular (I assume it's you and not the Venus/Serena combo) and it's out of stock with a waiting list at both TW and the local pro shop here. Same goes for all you Technifibre crackheads. I couldn't get the 315 Ltd. in either string pattern for at least another two weeks, and it's the only Technifibre frame with an RA that holds any appeal to my arm. I want to hit both, but they'll have to wait until the next round.
Looking forward to your thoughts on the TF 315 Ltd once you get the chance.
droliver
Professional
Bob,
I've enjoyed this thread immensely. Have been doing a lot of demos myself recently. I might suggest two other sticks that I don't think you've made it to yet that I both enjoyed for different reasons:
ProKennex Ionic Ki 20 PSE: this looks like an old lady stick but plays like an oversized player's stick. VERY open pattern really lets you get some violent spin on the serve.
Yonex EZONE Xi 98: A very comfortable player's racquet that falls somewhere between a AeroPro and a Radical in terms of power and performance. I ended up buying one
I've enjoyed this thread immensely. Have been doing a lot of demos myself recently. I might suggest two other sticks that I don't think you've made it to yet that I both enjoyed for different reasons:
ProKennex Ionic Ki 20 PSE: this looks like an old lady stick but plays like an oversized player's stick. VERY open pattern really lets you get some violent spin on the serve.
Yonex EZONE Xi 98: A very comfortable player's racquet that falls somewhere between a AeroPro and a Radical in terms of power and performance. I ended up buying one
RollTrackTake
Professional
I'm looking forward to reading your take on the PK Q Tour 295. I haven't heard much about it yet and the specs look tantalizing!
Bob
Anymore time spent with/thoughts on the Graphene MP? Had a long outing with it yesterday (mini-"review" in diary thread).
In brief, I'm still not convinced by it somehow, possibly find it a little more APD-like than I'm presently looking for, plus it doesn't quite swing right for me, but I actually played pretty well with it and what it basically does suits my basic game (haha), so will continue looking at it.
Anymore time spent with/thoughts on the Graphene MP? Had a long outing with it yesterday (mini-"review" in diary thread).
In brief, I'm still not convinced by it somehow, possibly find it a little more APD-like than I'm presently looking for, plus it doesn't quite swing right for me, but I actually played pretty well with it and what it basically does suits my basic game (haha), so will continue looking at it.
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
That's too bad since I think you will love it. 2 other similar racquets (but not quite as good) are the Gamma Rzr 105 and the Volkl PB7. I really liked the Gamma and it was a close 2nd to the 104, but it's better suited for baselining IMO. It a real overlooked gem. Chris Edwards, in the TW review, said he could switch to it if it were a little more comfortable. I didn't find any comfort issues with it FWIW.
The PB7 is also well suited for S&V play. It's a 107 that plays like a mid. Very unique.
Bob, I don't know what your NTRP is, but as a writer, you're open class. Loved this one:
"The sound of an overhead from the V98 when hit flush and hard was downright terrifying. It sent a clear message to both opponents."
Slazenger might want to hire you to write ad copy for them.
"The sound of an overhead from the V98 when hit flush and hard was downright terrifying. It sent a clear message to both opponents."
Slazenger might want to hire you to write ad copy for them.
At the least, TW could get Bob to take the playtesters comments and write the reviews up.
The Slaz just has a different sound when you hit the ball hard. I didn't notice it on the Dunlop M3.0 but I would guess it's close to the same. The V98 has almost a ceramic sound to it (especially when you scrape it against the court) but playing on an indoor court, a hard shot has a noticeable cracking sound to it. The first overhead I hit (which was a bit of a short meatball) sounded like I popped several mains at once when I hit it. I'm tellin' ya, even against a guy who could have hit lobs over me all day, a few thunderbolts and he stopped cold-turkey. I've never had a racquet's sound change an opponent's game like that.
