The Max 200g "could" become my racquet of choice

Was my racket of choice for 30+ years.
I only started experimenting with modern rackets a couple of years ago.
I might still go back to my 200G's when all is said and done, but I'm giving some new ones a fair shake.

BTW, OP you should know that not all 200G's are created equal.
As nice as your version plays, you'll find the originals are in a class all their own.

(I missed this post when I was away on vacation last summer) :)
 
great frame. Not much to say that hasnt been said. They are a little delicate and can warp so its always something to watch for. Most frames this flexible are a bit noodley (which I kind of like). 200gs are little different because they are so thick there is a lot of stability. They are good frames but a bit overated IMO (mostly due to McEnroe) A nice high flex mid weighted and lead tape on at 3 and 9 will give you similar feel and stability without the bulk. Still... obvioussly they are a great frame. John used them for what....17 years? I find them great racquets when playing in the cold or the rain.

You can also just go all the way and pick up some jack kramer woodies. It always cracks me up when people complain they cant play with them. Like the men and women tennis players were body builders back then LOL.

200gs are balance a little better than woodies though. I would say best for players with at least eastern grips. You start going western or semi its going to be a bit tougher. Obvioussly more of a finesse frame.
 
PistolPete23 said:
A few weeks ago I snagged a total bargain on a Max 200g Pro in mint condition. Although I was already happy with my Donnay Pro One Penta 97, I wanted to at least try the legendary McEnroe/Graf racquet, with plans to hang it up on the wall soon afterward. The first thing I noticed was how hefty the racquet was, "feeling" substantially heavier than even my Taiwan PS85. I strung it up with a full bed of Volkl Cyclone 17g at 53 lbs. (I know, I know, I really should have gone with natural gut or a softer multi and at lower tension, but I was curious), put a leather grip on, and the racquet weighed over 360g. While bouncing the ball on the ground, the sweet spot felt small, but once I started hitting with it, it was another story. Yes, the headsize is small, but the unexpected thing is that I had no trouble at all finding the sweet spot, and my arms did not feel as tired as I thought they would be. And even off-centered shots didn't feel jarring on the arm. There was a lovely feedback I couldn't put into words; it was plush and firm at the same time, and now I finally know what players mean when they talk about being able to "massage" the ball. The launch angle was admittedly low, but I had no problem striking the ball with a modern swing and putting plenty of topspin on the it (maybe because of the poly?), even with that tight 18x20 string pattern. Plenty of power on the flat serve, much more than I expected, and noticeably better placement than my Donnay. If Dunlop were to retro this frame (they would never because the factories that did injection moulding no longer exist), I would seriously purchase at least 5 of these sticks to use for the next 20 years. I really didn't want to like this racquet as much as I did and I definitely did not expect a 30+ year old model to hit so nice.

VTeYP4.jpg
Click to expand...
Loved mine (original 200g) back in the day, but now l just get tennis elbow thinking about it ;)
 
magnut said:
thats shocking as they are one of the best rackets to help with that. You must have either very modern strokes or hit extremely late. I was always suprised Graf did not have elbow issues from that forehand.
Click to expand...
It's more the weight as I'm now used to lighter racquets.
And, yes, possibly a tad late on my forehand.
 
Yeah man what a stick !
They are incredibly durable . Meaning they don’t crack easily .. warping is a different story . As long as it’s strung slowly and one main on each side at a time no stringing one Half of mains at one time . If you alternate you should be fine .
The walls on this frame are super thick . The thickest I’ve ever seen .
I’ve said this before and please know it’s just my opinion and my experience.
As far as injuries are concerned weight has played a role .
Now I also firmly believe form “ can exacerbate tennis elbow and shoulder crunch as well as wrist problems ..
For instance if you have a problem with hitting late on the forehand , weight can really mess up your tender shoulder .
If you straight snap your elbow on slice backhands weight will hurt ya too .
Too much wrist without stretching before playing can take a toll too with a heavier frame .
I’m mentioning these 3 scenarios cuz I have gotten hurt doing these with a very well known “ arm freindly old sticks”
The weight was what hurt me personally...
But I too love the max 200 g so much but again “for me “ weight was a major issue .
so I was able to get a full ounce and a half off the frame by sanding off the first layer of paint / decal layer ..
I can’t remember off hand before and after weight but it was a lot .
And it was a better for me .. so some stuff to think about :)
 
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About the only benefit to the sport basically dieing and going elitist again is you can pick up great old racquets cheap. Your typical country club player wont be caught dead playing with a classic stick. Many of my favorites are dirt cheap. Its great if you have an appreciation for old racquets. The prices have dropped even from just a few years ago for old frames. I am regularly suprised at deals out there.
 
michael valek said:
Anything play like it today?
Click to expand...
Good question.
When I started my quest two years ago I was searching for a new(ish) racket that had as many of the characteristics of the200G as possible,
except for its weight.
I wanted to shave off 10-20 gms.

After trying more than 20 rackets, I came up with a couple that are very decent.
I would say the Prince Phantom Pro 93P probably comes the closest in overall feel to the 200G, however I could not fall in love with it and saw no point
in 'downgrading' to this racket just to save 10-15 gms.

The rackets I am using now are:
-Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Plus (337 gm)
-Wilson Triad XP5 (341 gm)

Although they have a completely different feel to the 200G, they are 10-20 gms lighter
and they cover all the important bases (power, comfort, feel/touch).
The Triad XP5 stock comes in under 300 gm but really starts to shine when you bump up the weight to 330-340 gm.

Honorable mentions that I also bought but don't use are:
-Wilson Ultra Tour
-Wilson Blade v.7 16x19
 
Hmm
I’m considering a return to max 200g after watching McEnroe destroy edberg on YouTube in japan in 1992 (?). That is if tennis ever starts again.
 
michael valek said:
How do new Dunlops compare? I mean cx or nt frames?
Click to expand...
Good question. I wanted to try the new CX frames but none of the local stores had any demos.

However, after trying out more than a dozen different rackets, the racket that ended up on top for me
just happened to be the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Plus! So still in the Dunlop 200 family.
Was Nikolay Davydenko's racket of choice when he was playing.

I saw a used pair being sold locally and had a feeling they would be right up my alley.
I bought them without even trying them. The price was right and I just had this feeling.
The grip size was even one size too big but it didn't stop me.
They were gently used and looked brand new.

How does it compare to the Max 200G?
Completely different feel overall and a much bigger head (100 sq. in.)
But... like the 200G it has lots of power, control, comfort and feel.
What else could you ask for in a racket?
And of course it is around 20 gms. lighter.

The whole reason I started my search for a 200G replacement was to get something lighter, but not
lose any of the other features it had.

So these are my top two rackets now:
Max 200G
Biomimetic 200 Plus
 
Last edited:
michael valek said:
The two max200g I grabbed are 345 and 350 strung. If only tennis was allowed!!
Click to expand...

Those are very good weights!
Are you sure they are the originals? Because I have four 200G's.
Three originals and one later model and these are their weights.

Here's how they weigh in various configs:
1. 363 gm, no head protector, no over grip.
2. 359 gm, head protector, over grip
3. 354 gm, head protector, over grip
4. 354 gm, no head protector, over grip (later model)

So there was quite a variance even on the originals +15 gm.
The later model I have has a blue-green top half of the hoop, the rest is black.

I just A/B/C'd the first three last night in my basement and have narrowed them down to
1 and 2. Better feel. So I am still willing to put up with the extra weight if everything else is working.
 
Can’t wait to get back on court and see how they stack up against my becker world champ frames, prince nxg and modern Pacific pro 1 252.
 
teachingprotx said:
Yeah man what a stick !
They are incredibly durable . Meaning they don’t crack easily .. warping is a different story . As long as it’s strung slowly and one main on each side at a time no stringing one Half of mains at one time . If you alternate you should be fine .
The walls on this frame are super thick . The thickest I’ve ever seen .
I’ve said this before and please know it’s just my opinion and my experience.
As far as injuries are concerned weight has played a role .
Now I also firmly believe form “ can exacerbate tennis elbow and shoulder crunch as well as wrist problems ..
For instance if you have a problem with hitting late on the forehand , weight can really mess up your tender shoulder .
If you straight snap your elbow on slice backhands weight will hurt ya too .
Too much wrist without stretching before playing can take a toll too with a heavier frame .
I’m mentioning these 3 scenarios cuz I have gotten hurt doing these with a very well known “ arm freindly old sticks”
The weight was what hurt me personally...
But I too love the max 200 g so much but again “for me “ weight was a major issue .
so I was able to get a full ounce and a half off the frame by sanding off the first layer of paint / decal layer ..
I can’t remember off hand before and after weight but it was a lot .
And it was a better for me .. so some stuff to think about :)
Click to expand...
Keeping one for one on the mains is the only way to string and protect the frame
 
joe sch said:
I also have a couple of mint condition models I have been saving in my collection including this
Golden Gran Slam Max 200g model

dunlop_max_200g_GGS.jpg
Click to expand...
Do you have the weight, balance and grip size of your Golden Grand Slam? I'm trying to establish whether all the GGSs were Steffi-spec, or if they were available in the usual range of sizes.
 
Grafil Injection said:
Do you have the weight, balance and grip size of your Golden Grand Slam? I'm trying to establish whether all the GGSs were Steffi-spec, or if they were available in the usual range of sizes.
Click to expand...
What are the Steffi-spec's and the range of the usual range spec's??
I will provide answers give you can provide these details.
 
joe sch said:
What are the Steffi-spec's and the range of the usual range spec's??
I will provide answers give you can provide these details.
Click to expand...
The two Steffi used rackets I've seen quoted are 364g and 368g strung, and the latter could be with OG. The weight range of all MAX 200Gs is quoted by Dunlop as 336-377g unstrung.

The grip size I've seen quoted for Steffi is 2, but that could be without OG.

Balance, no Steffi information yet. The balance range is quoted by Dunlop for all MAX 200Gs is 305-320mm unstrung, so 315-330mm strung.

Would be great to see if your GGS figures are near this.
 
Great thread. I feel that way about the Head Composite Edge. So much so that I have accumulated 5 of them and use them in practice and occasional games. For me the issue is grommets. I am super careful stringing them.
 
Grafil Injection said:
The two Steffi used rackets I've seen quoted are 364g and 368g strung, and the latter could be with OG. The weight range of all MAX 200Gs is quoted by Dunlop as 336-377g unstrung.

The grip size I've seen quoted for Steffi is 2, but that could be without OG.

Balance, no Steffi information yet. The balance range is quoted by Dunlop for all MAX 200Gs is 305-320mm unstrung, so 315-330mm strung.

Would be great to see if your GGS figures are near this.
Click to expand...
I sold the NOS unstrung version.
I have one very nice but strung with 16g gut and fairway leather grip so this probably not worth consideration since we are concerned with +/-15 gm tolerances?
 
I have one of John McEnroe’s Dunlop max 200g racquets. It was given to me by my former nanny who was working for the McEnroe’s at that time ( 80’s). A bit discolored from storage and lamb gut strings already snapped in some places.
 
Noli Lopa said:
I have one of John McEnroe’s Dunlop max 200g racquets. It was given to me by my former nanny who was working for the McEnroe’s at that time ( 80’s). A bit discolored from storage and lamb gut strings already snapped in some places.
Click to expand...
Btw - how do i post a photo here ?
 
Noli Lopa said:
This is the actual racquet I have it was given to me by a friend who worked for John McEnroe in the 90’s. Signed on the cover by him.
69877-CD8-B0-AC-41-AB-B72-A-68-B5163963-D4.jpg
Click to expand...
Very nice. A quick and dirty way to find the strung balance of a 200G is to place it carefully across your outstretched index finger (or a pen) and if it balances on the '2' of the 200 it's 31.75cm (8pt HL), the first '0' 32.25cm, the second '0' 32.75cm, and the G 33.25cm.
 
What made you think going back to it? What's been your current stick? Not that I can talk you out of it...
 
I recently shortened mine to 26.5 and it plays much easier and lighter. The modification was a good decision.

Also like to mention, everyone seems to say soft strings like natural gut or multifilament is a way to go with this frame (or any classic frames for that matter), but I find it goes very well with poly.
 
michael valek said:
It’s 374g. Balance no idea but head “light”.
Click to expand...
As I mentioned above, if it's one of the first 5 versions (Graphite, Graphite Injection, Grafil Injection, GGS, Teal), rest it across your finger and if it balances near the '2' you're great, if it balances near the '00' should be ok, if it balances at the 'G' it could be an issue.
 
Last edited:
jxs653 said:
I recently shortened mine to 26.5 and it plays much easier and lighter. The modification was a good decision.

Also like to mention, everyone seems to say soft strings like natural gut or multifilament is a way to go with this frame (or any classic frames for that matter), but I find it goes very well with poly.
Click to expand...
What poly and what gauge and tension?
 
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