Tennis Elbow Survivor (Head Speed MP 2022)

[AZJ1973]

I am not the most active poster on here but I know I have shared my tennis elbow experience. Long story short, I was sidelined from November of 2018 thru May of 2019 with tennis elbow. It was the worst injury I have ever dealt with as far as consistent pain and longevity of injury.

When I finally returned to the court I played with the original Clash 100, and then made the transition to the Clash 100 v2. This past summer my elbow was feeling pretty good. I had no pain while playing, but if I played a little too much I would have soreness and discomfort after playing, but it would eventually go way. I was so confident I decided to up my flex level and give the Speed MP a try. I played with the Speed MP September thru January. I like the racquet. I don't love the racquet. But all elbow pain went away. It was the first time in years I could confidently say I had absolutely no elbow pain, not while playing and not after playing. I played 3-4 hours of tennis in the 10 of 11 days over my Winter Break. No pain.

Once I saw my former racquet of choice (Pure Strike) was coming out with a new model that offered a lower flex rating I was excited. I bought several frames of the PS 100 16x20. I played with it for one weekend and the elbow pain was back. I quickly returned my unused racquets and put the frame I played with briefly on the TW classifieds. To my surprise it is still sitting there waiting for a home.

I returned to the Clash 100 v2 for a few weekends as I waited to get some matching Speed MP's back. My attempt to find some Speed MP's (2022) using the matching service to find those at advertised spec took longer than I hoped, so I just used my old Clash 100's for a couple of weekends. My elbow pain improved but just like before I would be sore after playing and when I woke up each morning.

Last weekend was my first weekend back with the Speed MP 2022. I played four straight days over President's Day weekend, and twice on Saturday (5 hours), and absolutely zero pain. No soreness. Nothing.

So, what am I trying to say or confirm with other TW'ers. The auxentic technology is better that Wilson's FORTYFIVE, as far as arm comfort goes. If anyone else is out there struggling with elbow pain, I would 1000% endorse giving the Speed MP 2022 a try. I am guessing that would also translate to all Head models that use auxentic technology, but as of now I have not used anything but the Speed MP 2022 model. In the future I may try to give the Radical a try, but for now I am going to stick with my Speed MP's and enjoy the comfort.

 

[Leen]

This post is like exactly what I am looking for thank you.

I currently hit with the Ezone 98 and get mild elbow pain and time to time shoulder. I was debating switching to the new Head Speed MP 2024 and honestly thought of going to a Clash as an extreme end all be all to rid of any arm pain but sounds like even the Clash might not be it.

What strings and tension did you use in your set ups? Kind of surprised the strikes caused immediate pain with it's new low stiffness but maybe the goes to show stiffness isn't the only factor.

 

[Weekendhacker]

I had the opposite results when I used the head speed mp about 9 years ago (the one that first used graphene). I got bad tennis elbow for a while. Not 100% sure it was the racquet or strings but I got rid of them anyway. Probably the current speed racquets with the newer material is better for the arm though.

 

[Leen]

I had the opposite results when I used the head speed mp about 9 years ago (the one that first used graphene). I got bad tennis elbow for a while. Not 100% sure it was the racquet or strings but I got rid of them anyway. Probably the current speed racquets with the newer material is better for the arm though.

The old Speeds were super stiff. I used the Graphene XT ones and had to hybrid it with natural gut to make it playable. Though it was the pro version at the time.

 

[heavyD]

My experience mirrors the OP. I tore my forearm tendon last spring and could barely hold up a glass of water because of the pain. Ditched my 23 VCORE100 and 23 PA for a Pro Kennex Black Ace 105 that I used for a few months while recovering. The racquet itself was just okay and certainly something I wouldn't normally play with but arm pain was lessened. I decided to try a 2022 Speed MP and immediately it felt more comfortable than the Black Ace and the longer I used it, the less and less my TE became a problem. Best part is that I played well with the racquet as the Speed is such a good all around racquet. I went on to an Aux. Extreme MP which was also very good on my arm despite being a stiffer frame. I haven't used a Clash in a while nor did I used one while recovering (I was considering at the time but tried the BA 105 instead) but IMO Auxetic for me was considerably more arm friendly than Pro Kennex Kinetic technology and even better I didn't have to settle for a mediocre frame to get the comfort.

 

[AZJ1973]

This post is like exactly what I am looking for thank you.

I currently hit with the Ezone 98 and get mild elbow pain and time to time shoulder. I was debating switching to the new Head Speed MP 2024 and honestly thought of going to a Clash as an extreme end all be all to rid of any arm pain but sounds like even the Clash might not be it.

What strings and tension did you use in your set ups? Kind of surprised the strikes caused immediate pain with it's new low stiffness but maybe the goes to show stiffness isn't the only factor.

I am a full poly user. I use a full bed of WeissCannon Ultra Cable at 40 pounds. I cut my strings out after a week of playing in the summer (when I play 6-7 days a week), and about every 2-3 weeks during the school year when I only play 2-3 days a week.

 

[PistolPete23]

Poor Babolat, even when they lower the RA to low 60s (and low vibration frequency), they still cause tennis elbow

In all seriousness, have you tried using a Theraband Flexbar? It helped me get over TE.

 

[amarg]

I had tennis elbow in the past, that cost me months off court. What I can say is this: 4 straight days of tennis will get you there again, even if you play with the most comfortable racquet.
Overuse is the main cause of injuries

 

[PistolPete23]

I had tennis elbow in the past, that cost me months off court. What I can say is this: 4 straight days of tennis will get you there again, even if you play with the most comfortable racquet.
Overuse is the main cause of injuries

Agree. Depending on your age, rest days in between are crucial!

 

[fieryoOo]

I had pretty much the same experience last year. Got tennis elbow from playing too much with a 18x20 tf40. Went back to pure strike gen 2 because I had no elbow problem playing with it for five years. The 16x19 pattern was better for the elbow but I was still struggling. Tried a friend's speed mp for 10 minutes and bought one immediately after the session. My te went away completely in two weeks.

 

[AZJ1973]

I had tennis elbow in the past, that cost me months off court. What I can say is this: 4 straight days of tennis will get you there again, even if you play with the most comfortable racquet.
Overuse is the main cause of injuries

You must have missed the part when I said I played over Winter Break, I played 10 of 11 days and each day was 2.5 to 3 hours of tennis. Every day with the Head Speed MP 2022 with a full bed of poly. Zero elbow issues. No soreness. No pain.

 

[TennisViking]

Tennis elbow is probably a difficult phenomenon to fully understand. I have suffered from it twice and still feel it a little bit. I also used the Clash 100 V2 for a while but for me, it actually did not help at all.

Many people talk about “vibration frequency “ and also “vibration magnitude” as some important factors than have an impact on tennis elbow.

Common wisdom says that heavier racquets are better (laws of physics) but I know many players who swear that their tennis elbow went away after switching to a lighter racquet.

I believe that what one person loves with regards to comfort , can feel very different to another person. We all are different and come in all shapes and physical abilities.

For myself , I have noticed that too soft does not feel good for my arm, and too stiff is also not good.

I had to switch however to multifilament string, full bed, and that really helped in my elbow getting better.

 

[heavyD]

I do agree that how one contracts TE can vary for a variety of reasons as there are so many factors from technique, frame, strings plus the uniqueness of each individual's arm and shoulder makeup, heck even balls according to some pros. When you get TE the cure isn't solely moving to a softer frame and strings. It involves rehab and proper exercises that one may have to continue to do even when symptom free. I got full blown TE while using a 23 VCORE100 which is supposed to be a somewhat comfortable frame but it could be a matter of time and place and maybe racquet/string combination/tension. I ditched both out of caution and as said have found the Auxetic frames seem to work well for my arm but it can vary from person to person.

 

[Leen]

yea yea I get everyone gets tennis elbow in all different sorts of ways, and yes I do exercises and massages to relieve it. But with the frequency I play I just want a list of what rackets people tried that did and did not work for them in the end. With a large enough collection of data I think you can see a trend of what rackets generally help with TE and some that don't. There will always be exceptions and outliers.

Like how a few here have said the Clash did not help them and the Speed did which are very common rackets looked at for TE prevention.

 

[nintendoplayer]

I have written kind of my own „doctoral thesis on TE“ if you look into my very long „is the 93p the right choice for me“ thread and have tried almost every racquet from the „should be good for TE“ list and a lot(!) of string setups as well, from natural gut to poly to exotic setups….almost every string or racquet you can name and are typically stated as good for TE.
And my findings are: there‘s a general tendency to use softer racquets and softer strings but in the end you cannot be certain, at all, that a racquet like the Clash or a ProKennex racquet will help your TE - or any string.

Oh and the Speed MP didn‘t work for me as well, by the way. Too much swingweight and head heavy balance, didn‘t feel comfy, at all.

Weight, Swing weight, balance, stiffness, tension, string choice, head shape, how natural and relaxed you can swing the racquet….all have a part in TE building up.

BUT the most important factor in my experience is your physical fitness and especially the strength of your shoulder. As long as you are not strengthening your shoulder and don‘t have the optimal racquet setup for your personal way of hitting, you‘ll always have a risk of TE coming back.
Switching racquets / strings can help but is no safe long term solution. It‘s like putting on softer running shoes. They kind of „mask“ the actual issue runners regularly have in their running technique. To me „TE racquets“ like the ProKennex racquets do the same. They try to soften your hitting experience but do not contribute much to solve the issues that lead to TE in the first place. Which is primarily related to weaknesses in important areas like your shoulder but also your lats and glutes.

TE is a result of overuse and(!) weakness. Overuse is increased by a weak shoulder, cause your elbow is trying to make up for other parts of your body not being able to hold up.
And in this case, racquet (swing)weight and balance are definitely important factors in stressing your elbow (tendons).

You maybe are able to „continue hitting“ with a TE-friendly racquet but it isn‘t a long term solution in my experience, especially if your goal is to maximize your performance and play competitively.

So the only solution that worked for
me was lifting weights, focusing on exercises that strengthen the parts of my body which are most important for healing TE.
Shoulder, lats, glutes. You play tennis with your whole body, not only with your arm. Your arm and elbow are „the end of the kinetic chain“ but the actual problem starts already at the lower part of your body when you setup for a stroke. If your legs and core aren‘t strong enough, your shoulder and arm will have to put in more work - again leading to potential TE.

 

[KungfuTennis]

First and only racket I've ever hard elbow pain with was the Clash V2. I think the low flex paired with the lower weight causes me to grip tighter to counteract the racket's torsional flex with each shot. Bizzare. I've played Pure Drive with 58lbs poly and have never ever in my life had elbow pain

 

[Move]

I have written kind of my own „doctoral thesis on TE“ if you look into my very long „is the 93p the right choice for me“ thread and have tried almost every racquet from the „should be good for TE“ list and a lot(!) of string setups as well, from natural gut to poly to exotic setups….almost every string or racquet you can name and are typically stated as good for TE.
And my findings are: there‘s a general tendency to use softer racquets and softer strings, but in the end you cannot be certain, at all, that a racquet like the Clash or a ProKennex racquet will help your TE - or any string.

Oh and the Speed MP didn‘t work for me, as well, by the way. Too much swingweight and head heavy balance, didn‘t feel comfy, at all.

Weight, Swing weight, balance, stiffness, tension, string choice, head shape, how you can swing….all have a part in TE building up.

BUT the most important factor in my experience is your physical fitness and especially the strength of your shoulder. As long as you are not strengthening your shoulder and don‘t have the optimal racquet setup for your personal way of hitting, you‘ll always have a risk of TE coming back.
Switching racquets / strings can help but is no safe long term solution in my experience. It‘s like putting on softer running shoes. They kind of „mask“ the actual issue runners regularly have in their running technique. To me „TE racquets“ like the ProKennex racquets do the same. They try to soften your hitting experience but do not attribute much to solve the issues that lead to TE in the first place. Which is in my experience mostly related to weaknesses in important areas like your shoulder but also your lats and glutes.

TE is a result of overuse and(!) weakness. Overuse is maximized by a weak shoulder in this case, cause your elbow is trying to make up for other parts of your body not being able to hold up.
And in this case, racquet (swing)weight and balance is definitely an important factor in stressing your elbow.

You maybe are able to „continue hitting“ with a TE-friendly racquet but it isn‘t a long term solution in my experience, especially if your goal is to maximize your performance and play competitively.

So the only solution that worked for
me was lifting weights, concentrating on exercises that strengthen the parts of my body which are most important for healing TE. Shoulder(most important), lats,
glutes. You play tennis with your whole body not only with your arm. Your arm and elbow are „the end of the kinetic chain“ but the actual problem starts already at the lower part of your body when you setup for a stroke. If your legs and core aren‘t strong enough, your shoulder and arm will have to put in more work - again leading to potential TE.

Lots of great info, appreciated. My experiences are quite similar

 

[sharif]

I have written kind of my own „doctoral thesis on TE“ if you look into my very long „is the 93p the right choice for me“ thread and have tried almost every racquet from the „should be good for TE“ list and a lot(!) of string setups as well, from natural gut to poly to exotic setups….almost every string or racquet you can name and are typically stated as good for TE.
And my findings are: there‘s a general tendency to use softer racquets and softer strings but in the end you cannot be certain, at all, that a racquet like the Clash or a ProKennex racquet will help your TE - or any string.

Oh and the Speed MP didn‘t work for me as well, by the way. Too much swingweight and head heavy balance, didn‘t feel comfy, at all.

Weight, Swing weight, balance, stiffness, tension, string choice, head shape, how natural and relaxed you can swing the racquet….all have a part in TE building up.

BUT the most important factor in my experience is your physical fitness and especially the strength of your shoulder. As long as you are not strengthening your shoulder and don‘t have the optimal racquet setup for your personal way of hitting, you‘ll always have a risk of TE coming back.
Switching racquets / strings can help but is no safe long term solution. It‘s like putting on softer running shoes. They kind of „mask“ the actual issue runners regularly have in their running technique. To me „TE racquets“ like the ProKennex racquets do the same. They try to soften your hitting experience but do not contribute much to solve the issues that lead to TE in the first place. Which is primarily related to weaknesses in important areas like your shoulder but also your lats and glutes.

TE is a result of overuse and(!) weakness. Overuse is increased by a weak shoulder, cause your elbow is trying to make up for other parts of your body not being able to hold up.
And in this case, racquet (swing)weight and balance are definitely important factors in stressing your elbow (tendons).

You maybe are able to „continue hitting“ with a TE-friendly racquet but it isn‘t a long term solution in my experience, especially if your goal is to maximize your performance and play competitively.

So the only solution that worked for
me was lifting weights, focusing on exercises that strengthen the parts of my body which are most important for healing TE.
Shoulder, lats, glutes. You play tennis with your whole body, not only with your arm. Your arm and elbow are „the end of the kinetic chain“ but the actual problem starts already at the lower part of your body when you setup for a stroke. If your legs and core aren‘t strong enough, your shoulder and arm will have to put in more work - again leading to potential TE.

this all seems very true to me since my TE started with rotator cuff tendonitis & I'm also prone to lower back episodes. I know I was also not using my whole kinetic chain like I should & certainly not my core.. I was def guilty of muscling the ball & am still working on that.

 

[vsbabolat]

A friend of mine that I practice with 2 times a week has had terrible shoulder issues since he switched to the Babolat Pure Aero. The HEAD Boom MP went on sale and I told him about them. He decided the price was too good to pass up and bought 2 to try. We played doubles over the weekend and he’s been playing with the Boom MP since Wednesday. I asked after our 3 set doubles match how his shoulder felt and he said he was in no pain.