Tiafoe's Stick

Georgeyboots

New User
Watching Tiafoe vs Pella,
Anyone know what racket Tiafoe is using? i know it's the new colour way, will that just be a paintjob on an old vcore?
 

EasternRocks

Hall of Fame
Old Duel G 310 with no real lead anywhere. Some weight in handle per the customizer he uses in New York City. Strings low with 125 Poly Tour Pro, asking for the stringers to not string the 20th cross.
 

penguin

Professional
Old Duel G 310 with no real lead anywhere. Some weight in handle per the customizer he uses in New York City. Strings low with 125 Poly Tour Pro, asking for the stringers to not string the 20th cross.
What would not stringing the 20th cross do playability wise?
 

EasternRocks

Hall of Fame
What would not stringing the 20th cross do playability wise?

Open up the string bed ever so slightly to give you a bit more pop and spin potential with a loss of that directional control and lower launch angle.

Edit: He used to have some side lead in the hoop and I thought he was hitting a heavier ball then, but I'm sure he playtested both side by side and thought that he lost maneuverability when adding the weight. I think he still should have some since the racquet he uses def could use a bit more stability, but he does have amazing timing -- no one can swing that buggywhip type of forehand and make it to where he's made it.
 

Georgeyboots

New User
Open up the string bed ever so slightly to give you a bit more pop and spin potential with a loss of that directional control and lower launch angle.

Edit: He used to have some side lead in the hoop and I thought he was hitting a heavier ball then, but I'm sure he playtested both side by side and thought that he lost maneuverability when adding the weight. I think he still should have some since the racquet he uses def could use a bit more stability, but he does have amazing timing -- no one can swing that buggywhip type of forehand and make it to where he's made it.

appreciate the response mate
 

David Le

Hall of Fame
The head shape kinda looks like isometric so maybe it’s the 2021/22 VCP 97 310g. The beam looks kinda “thick” but also there isn’t a Yonex stencil.
 
Looks like a Prototype to me, still has a Yonex butt cap and has an isometric shape, but he has been having shoulder issues since he was playing here in Melbourne, so he could be looking a different options to help with that, as for no stencil, not uncommon for players to have an un-stenciled frame when practicing, or making a late change to the stringing and the a stencil wasn't applied
 

BumElbow

Professional
Tiafoe's forehand technique is unorthodox with a very open (too open) stance. I wonder if he's having arm problems and is experimenting with different racquets or racquet customizations.
 

innoVAShaun

Legend
frances-tiafoe-hits-a-forehand-during-the-bnp-paribas-open-on-march-picture-id1239180814

frances-tiafoe-hits-a-forehand-during-the-bnp-paribas-open-on-march-picture-id1239181157

frances-tiafoe-serves-during-the-bnp-paribas-open-on-march-13-2022-at-picture-id1239181146

frances-tiafoe-hits-a-backhand-during-the-bnp-paribas-open-on-march-picture-id1239181079

frances-tiafoe-serves-during-the-bnp-paribas-open-on-march-13-2022-at-picture-id1239180744

frances-tiafoe-hits-a-backhand-during-the-bnp-paribas-open-on-march-picture-id1239180756
 

moon shot

Hall of Fame
16x19, no shared holes -- doesn't seem to be his usual duel G.
Hard to tell from these photos but doesn't seem to have the detailed grooves of the blue/red or green/gold model.
Mold, grommets, string pattern seem to match the current vcore pro 310...but that is still a guess from fuzzy pictures.
 

tomkowy

Rookie
It’s the new VCore Pro 97 mold. Look at the fourth picture, backhand finish. The new VCore pro has characteristic incisions near the connections between throat and hoop. These incisions are visible on the photo. Older VCore Pros did not have these.
Also you can see on the same photo the beam profile in the throat - sculpted like the new VCP, beam edges are very angular

This beam shape and incisions are very visible live and give the frame very „high-tech” look. With the paintjob I immediately thought about Blade Runner and other 80s sci-fi…
 

mavsman149

Hall of Fame
It’s the new VCore Pro 97 mold. Look at the fourth picture, backhand finish. The new VCore pro has characteristic incisions near the connections between throat and hoop. These incisions are visible on the photo. Older VCore Pros did not have these.
Also you can see on the same photo the beam profile in the throat - sculpted like the new VCP, beam edges are very angular

This beam shape and incisions are very visible live and give the frame very „high-tech” look. With the paintjob I immediately thought about Blade Runner and other 80s sci-fi…

very odd if it’s the current VCore Pro 97 mold that he wouldn’t still have that Pj, racquet companies confuse me with things like this
 

Nostradamus

Bionic Poster
Watching Tiafoe vs Pella,
Anyone know what racket Tiafoe is using? i know it's the new colour way, will that just be a paintjob on an old vcore?
his stick wouldn't work for me cause he's big muscular guy. and i would have to build up my muscle like that in order to play with his racket. and i don't want to build up muscles like that big
 

Grieeegoorr

Semi-Pro
his stick wouldn't work for me cause he's big muscular guy. and i would have to build up my muscle like that in order to play with his racket. and i don't want to build up muscles like that big
Wish Kygrios saw it the same way with the sleeveless, Tiafoe is rocking the sleeveless the way it should be rocked
 
Looks like the current Vcore Pro to me too. I was at Tiafoe's match against Nakashima, and he spoke afterward about how he's been struggling to recover from injury. I wonder if the frame change is a part of that?
 

moon shot

Hall of Fame
very odd if it’s the current VCore Pro 97 mold that he wouldn’t still have that Pj, racquet companies confuse me with things like this

The weight, balance, and/or layup of his frame are most likely not the same as the retail model so yonex didn't have the lead time to prepare and paint the set of frames he is trying ... or quite possibly several sets of frames as I'd guess they gave him some options to try.
 

jmnk

Hall of Fame
the word is he will be playing with properly painted racket at Miami. (I suppose in Vcore Pro 2021 paint)
 

bobeeto

Professional
been really curious about the vcore pro 97 310. i own a HD from the previous gen, and wish that it had a little more spin, like my main stick vcore 95. anyone use the VCP 310?
 
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