Super Open String Pattern Racquets: Fad or new reality?

tomseek

New User
I can attest to the fact that these open string patterns break strings. I used to play natural gut with poly cross in a 98 head 16X19 racquet and the setup lasts me forever. I broke the strings once in maybe 6 months.

Now, with a 100 head, 16X16 pattern, the same setup breaks in the middle of the string bed in 5 hours. I am breaking strings consistently now.

Just ordered Klip Legend in 15L to try and make it last longer. But the look of my opponent mishitting and launching the ball 80 feet into the air is priceless.

Tom
 

g4driver

Legend
It would be nice if people commenting here would state their curent level/ranking. What works well at a lower level of play might not at a higher level, and vice-versa. Any 4.5 or above playing with those sticks?

I am a 4.0 USTA Computer rated player. I play singles and doubles in equal amounts and try to hit with 4.5 players about 20% of my playing time in doubles.
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
The guy who generates the most bowling ball heavy spin with the highest kick that I play uses an 18x20 pattern. So my opinion is the tighter the pattern you can use and still generate big spin, the better your advantage is.

That being said I used the Steam for a while and thought it was pretty sweet. I don't like using full poly and hated running through strings every 3 hours though. The string movement was also annoying.

To say that no pros use them is short sighted. Pros are not going to switch what they use their whole life for something new. Most people know it is not what the pros use, it is what the higher ranked juniors are using that determines a newer frames long term success.
 

supineAnimation

Hall of Fame
I don't have the patience to sift through the lists of pros' specs that have been posted on this site, or to try to determine which ones are legit and which aren't, but I wonder if that data would indicate that pros, as determined by current age, are moving in a clear direction in terms of racquet specs.

Like, would a graph show that the younger the pro is the lighter the frame, or the more head light or head-heavy the balance, swingweight, string pattern, etc? In general terms, I mean? Someone other than me should definitely figure this out.
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
You don't have to think that much.Reality is when you were a junior you probably used frames off the shelf. Most likely did not know a thing about customization. I know I didn't. For us, the Prince OS was a very popular frame at the time.

So look at what is for sale now, and look what juniors are using on the court. Most popular frames are lighter and stiffer than 15 years ago. Some have extreme spin patterns as well.

The most popular selling frames are usually what the new wave of kids are using.
 
I can attest to the fact that these open string patterns break strings. I used to play natural gut with poly cross in a 98 head 16X19 racquet and the setup lasts me forever. I broke the strings once in maybe 6 months.

Now, with a 100 head, 16X16 pattern, the same setup breaks in the middle of the string bed in 5 hours. I am breaking strings consistently now.

Just ordered Klip Legend in 15L to try and make it last longer. But the look of my opponent mishitting and launching the ball 80 feet into the air is priceless.

Tom

The guy who generates the most bowling ball heavy spin with the highest kick that I play uses an 18x20 pattern. So my opinion is the tighter the pattern you can use and still generate big spin, the better your advantage is.

That being said I used the Steam for a while and thought it was pretty sweet. I don't like using full poly and hated running through strings every 3 hours though. The string movement was also annoying.

To say that no pros use them is short sighted. Pros are not going to switch what they use their whole life for something new. Most people know it is not what the pros use, it is what the higher ranked juniors are using that determines a newer frames long term success.

That "heavy ball" seems to be the key to getting good match results with ease, i.e with staying in your own comfort zone. Whatever the racquet that enables you to generate the heavy deep topspin ball, with the most margin and the least of fear for overhitting, is THE RACQUET for yourself. For myself, that seems to be the heavy swingweight tight pattern racquet.

After upping my SW by 20+ to 350 in the IGPMP, I've been hitting the heavy deep ball with unprecedented consistency. The heavy SW forces me to generate more spin AND swing with loose arm, but OTOH it gives more power without swinging all-out. So if I just generate the swing with hips/core, it's relatively easy to generate the heavy ball. The tight 18x20 gives the control, so the whole package is relatively easy to control.

Two of my practice matches have now been easy wins, with the opponents badly mishitting my heavy balls. And I've felt like just hitting basic rally balls with like 60-70% effort is all that I need now. It's amazing what a racquet tuned to your own game can do! I'm a natural "hip-swinger", and the heavy swingweight helps me to control that kind of a swing.
 

ultradr

Legend
The guy who generates the most bowling ball heavy spin with the highest kick that I play uses an 18x20 pattern. So my opinion is the tighter the pattern you can use and still generate big spin, the better your advantage is.

Really? The guy must be exceptionally good.

With given string tension and a fixed person who hit the ball (that would be me),
the difference (in spin production) between 18x20 and even 16x19 is very obvious to me.....
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
Really? The guy must be exceptionally good.

With given string tension and a fixed person who hit the ball (that would be me),
the difference (in spin production) between 18x20 and even 16x19 is very obvious to me.....

Yeah, he is a legit 5.5 collegiate player.

Its not as much about spin with patterns as it is about trajectory. You will get more spin with a more open pattern, but you should still be able to make the ball bend sharply with closed patterns as well. It will just take a little more work - or a high take back which is what this guy has.
 

Fuji

Legend
It would be nice if people commenting here would state their curent level/ranking. What works well at a lower level of play might not at a higher level, and vice-versa. Any 4.5 or above playing with those sticks?

I played over a year of 5.0 mens tournaments with the 99S as my primary frame. I was top 30 in 5.0 Men's doubles over the summer nation wide.

-Fuji
 

Alien

Hall of Fame
It would be nice if people commenting here would state their curent level/ranking. What works well at a lower level of play might not at a higher level, and vice-versa. Any 4.5 or above playing with those sticks?

I am an 4.5 equivalent. No such rating in my country but my brother plays at that level in the US, and I tend to be stronger than him.

I use Juice 100s after playing with a 99s for almost a year. Great help, insane spin and power which I need as I am not big. You need your topspin to tame that power machine though. I can flat and finish points. 99s is better for volleying though.

Also, clay is my stuff.
 

g4driver

Legend
Fugi at 5.0 and Alien at 4.5 both did great with the Steam 99S :)

Anyone who says a 5.0 can't win with a Steam 99S is clearly misinformed -

Happy to see others saying they can flatten out balls and finish points with this frame as well.
 

g4driver

Legend
Look at how few pros are playing with them and you'll get your answer.

coloskier,

Not, being mean at all, your argument just falls flat.

Here's a more relevant question

Q: How many professional tennis players use any 110, 115, 118, 120, and 125 square inch frames?

A: not many

But those 110, 115, 118, 120 and 125 frames still have a market, and those companies still make money selling these oversized frames. So are these a fad because a Pro doesn't use them?

Do you think Babolat, Prince, Wilson, Volkl and others who sell those oversized frames, when no pro endorses uses them, should stop selling their oversized frames. You clearly don't understand consumer demand.

Let me guess, you're not the type of player who would use an oversize frame, therefore no need for them to exist in your world. Got it.
 

Sander001

Hall of Fame
Look at how few pros are playing with them and you'll get your answer.
I thought it would take a generation for the spin patterns to begin appearing on tour. So when you see players such as Dimitrov and Dolgopov switching to them mid career, it speaks volumes to their legitimacy.
 
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