Tsitsipas Blacked out racket!

Just keeping the theme about Courier and Brett Harber (sp?) talking about rackets a lot (which we love as R-holics, here) when they cut to the terrace with Medvedev the hosts went right in about his racket, too.
Medvedev said basically he changed it up in 2022 (actually, now that I am remembering better.. I think he was talking about the strings in 2022)
or something like that and that he doesn't think he'll ever change rackets, now.

Unrelated in a way.. but definitely much more gear questions getting thrown at the players.
 
tele said:
yes, but surely some players have more stamina than others, and the longer the points, the more stamina necessary
Click to expand...
Conditions requiring Extreme Stamina + endless moaning = Pushery, Trolling and Hackery for insomniacs 2001-2022
vs
Conditions requiring exciting Athletics + good stamina = Speed, quick reactions, diverse all round tennis 2023-2024

sortof said:
An atrocious rally indeed - in which I see primarily Hurkacz being unable or unwilling to punish short balls and unable or not willing to hit big forehands (to win the point directly or to finish it at the net thereafter). I would definitely not blame the court or the balls for Hurkacz`s lack of aggression.
Click to expand...
He is playing Massu style of trolling will secure a Gold plated silver Medal for Polska by 2028 as ball max speeds max @ 60mph. Massu Bi-Polar tips went from stiff strings for Thiem to soft sticks for Hercats.

Blade_X said:
As I told before he also tried 4G with pure aero 98 and that video confirms it.

Babolat you can’t found a better marketing material like that in the interview….. "an upgrade to my tennis"
Click to expand...
Yep no more Wilson string, then unless its a Willy owned string then that Logo is an easy courtcase in favor of Babolat.
In commerce to endorse using a logo means it still is that companies product and design.

Personally still think he will play better with the Diadem Elevate v3, its pips the Axis 98 for flat shots, feel, control
and more accurate for depth/length than the Axis and the PA. Badosa could also ditch hers and both could get
% of unit sales or shares and establish Diadem in the big league.
 
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Subway Tennis said:
There seemed to be a very deliberate approach in the match against Berettini. Every point it looked like he had a very specific plan to play extremely angular tennis and move forward, ending the point as soon as possible.
Click to expand...
Which match against Berrttini? I know he did some of that against Medvedev last year at IW in R4 since Medvedev was returning from the stands.
 
DariaGT said:
Conditions requiring Extreme Stamina + endless moaning = Pushery, Trolling and Hackery for insomniacs 2001-2022
vs
Conditions requiring exciting Athletics + good stamina = Speed, quick reactions, diverse all round tennis 2023-2024
Click to expand...
And 2025 if the new ball sponsor of the ATP has anything to add, it will be Exciting Athletics + Extreme Stamina = just past redlining on every tennis match in in every tournament to where everyone is injured during the season due to the ball coupled with slow courts. So bad, the only people not injured are under 25 on the ATP maybe at 25 max, or else caught on PED's or things like a very low dose HGH/keeping Adrenaline toped off.
 
Dae18 said:
Which match against Berrttini? I know he did some of that against Medvedev last year at IW in R4 since Medvedev was returning from the stands.
Click to expand...
He also seemed to be going for more spin then his usual flat pace. But of course I only saw the short highlights.
 
Basically a Dogs breakfast of extra retirements since 2022 thanks to the pure bureaucracy, arrogance, stupidity and greed of the ATP/LTA corrupt overloards.

Stef will lose to a pusher, like Meds more than Rune if they dont succumb again to "food poisoning/stomach pains" aka vascular thrombogenicity and gastrocardiac syndrome.
It goes from chest, stomach, dizziness, back pain and nausea from a accumulated damage from the concentration of micro-razor cuts due to previously administered graphene.
Players know to stop asap no medical time out and hence more retirements than ever since 2022 to avoid SADS.

CiscoPC600 said:
He also seemed to be going for more spin then his usual flat pace. But of course I only saw the short highlights.
Click to expand...
Stef in fact did hit his inside out FH and X BH to the Berretini BH yet the higher bounce of the ball
subdued Matteos usual killer FH & took away the confidence he recently had in his improved BH.


The sticks from the top of the crop aka SinRaz are what works best with these sub tennis quality balls.
The Aero and PD users are loving these balls. Lucky for Sneaky Willy that DeMinaur is using a Blade PJd Steam
since Today all the last Blade runners are dead.
 
Last edited:
DariaGT said:
Basically a Dogs breakfast of extra retirements since 2022 thanks to the pure bureaucracy, arrogance, stupidity and greed of the ATP/LTA corrupt overloards.

Stef will lose to a pusher, like Meds more than Rune if they dont succumb again to "food poisoning/stomach pains" aka vascular thrombogenicity and gastrocardiac syndrome.
It goes from chest, stomach, dizziness, back pain and nausea from a accumulated damage from the concentration of micro-razor cuts due to previously administered graphene.
Players know to stop asap no medical time out and hence more retirements than ever since 2022.


Stef in fact did hit his inside out FH and X BH to the Berretini BH yet the higher bounce of the ball
subdued Matteos usual killer FH & took away the confidence he recently had in his improved BH.


The sticks from the top of the crop aka SinRaz are what works best with these sub tennis quality balls.
The Aero and PD users are loving these balls. Lucky for Sneaky Willy that DeMinaur is using a Blade PJd Steam
since Today all the last Blade runners are dead.
Click to expand...
That main stadium court at IW this year is getting HUGE bounce! Crazier than ever imo. Practice courts look more like standard Indian Wells bounce (which was always high and nice and lively).

Meanwhile main stadium court the ball is literally up at ear height or bouncing over player’s heads on every ball. It’s phenomenal how much spin and bounce the court is taking o_O
 
Subway Tennis said:
That main stadium court at IW this year is getting HUGE bounce! Crazier than ever imo. Practice courts look more like standard Indian Wells bounce (which was always high and nice and lively).

Meanwhile main stadium court the ball is literally up at ear height or bouncing over player’s heads on every ball. It’s phenomenal how much spin and bounce the court is taking o_O
Click to expand...
When do we see players wearing from sponsors if they make running shoes, some of the Running shoe daily super trainers? In case you don't know Daily super trainers for running have a mix of super foams and a bit of standard EVA but are still lighter then most older style trainers that some models are not legal in most official World Athletic races becuse the shoes are over the 38 mm foam/and rubber sole limit just to gain some advantage in height here.
 
Casey 1988 said:
When do we see players wearing from sponsors if they make running shoes, some of the Running shoe daily super trainers? In case you don't know Daily super trainers for running have a mix of super foams and a bit of standard EVA but are still lighter then most older style trainers that some models are not legal in most official World Athletic races becuse the shoes are over the 38 mm foam/and rubber sole limit just to gain some advantage in height here.
Click to expand...
Yes I know that basketball has had to place similar laws against certain shoes for similar reasons. They could provide massive advantages.

Very interesting idea to use the technology in tennis but I wonder whether the athletes would get scared to use shoes that are so high to the ground. The potential for lateral movement injuries would be pretty high imo.
 
Absolutely spot on, even Djoko humbly quipped about the difference from outside vs stadium court as you mentioned.
Bounces as high or higher than clay courts I heard him mention, no wonder Munar was making inroads on HCs.

Meds if he stays fit and wins should be the ultimate test for Stef and his new steel but Meds has the right height to
counter the spin and flatten out or troll back with ease as he has massive experience countering Nadal fizz.

Stef big difference for me is not the BH but the Spin he is looping off the FH, volleys, drop shots and flicks off drop shots.
The BH is more stable but not really a weapon yet, maybe 3 mp extra there on average but fundamentally the returning
off that side is still not as reliable as it could be if he sliced and blocked at Fed, Dimi and Stan are able to.

Dunlop is a sponsor at the main club I coach but Im not using an SX model till its as thin as their Unicorn JP only model.
I found them too stiff back in 2013 as it was strung @ 52lbs then a traveling Japanese student recently had them strung @ 40lbs
with Hyper G 1.25 and it became my daily now. It is different to the Tour F international model as it has the V-engine grooves and still 97 inches.

I get more control off my OHBH and better overall accuracy/maneuverability @ 40lbs vs the RF97.
It is a little stiffer than the RF97 @ ra68-69 unstrung and ra65-66 strung. Its a gem and likely before any Bab went to PAVS.

http://www.srixon-tennis.world/racket/img/revocv3t_eng16.png

the throat is narrower than any PK "Destiny" derived mode even the PA by almost 5mm each side and narrower than the P strike.
 
Last edited:
pico said:
The sx300 tour is 26mm at 3 and 9 though?
Click to expand...
You're right. I confused it with the FX500 Tour. You get my point though. I can only imagine how big an adjustment it has to be to be hitting with slower/heavier balls and even so, balls that their playability changes very fast during the first 5-6 games of the set. They say they become flaflier faster than ever before.

Last week, I hit with a previously one-hour used can of balls, the court itself felt slower than ever before. Anyway, with the Diadem Elevate I struggled to get easy depth, but when I switched to my V5 Blade with used strings, I got the depth I wanted much easier without missing long. The Elevate's pattern is much more open at the sweet-spot, but the last mains are much closer to the frame than the Blade, so it reduces it's catapault effect. The Blade is much more powerful while being much lighter.

I felt sorry for Dominic Thiem coming back from a very serious injury like Nick Kyrgios. It was obvious he wasn't getting near close to 75-80% of his strenth. He should also try a more powerful Babolat racket like the Aero 98. He would be able to not be getting pushed around as much as with his Pure Strike with the super dense 18x20.
 
konstantinos kalfountzos said:
You're right. I confused it with the FX500 Tour. You get my point though. I can only imagine how big an adjustment it has to be to be hitting with slower/heavier balls and even so, balls that their playability changes very fast during the first 5-6 games of the set. They say they become flaflier faster than ever before.

Last week, I hit with a previously one-hour used can of balls, the court itself felt slower than ever before. Anyway, with the Diadem Elevate I struggled to get easy depth, but when I switched to my V5 Blade with used strings, I got the depth I wanted much easier without missing long. The Elevate's pattern is much more open at the sweet-spot, but the last mains are much closer to the frame than the Blade, so it reduces it's catapault effect. The Blade is much more powerful while being much lighter.

I felt sorry for Dominic Thiem coming back from a very serious injury like Nick Kyrgios. It was obvious he wasn't getting near close to 75-80% of his strenth. He should also try a more powerful Babolat racket like the Aero 98. He would be able to not be getting pushed around as much as with his Pure Strike with the super dense 18x20.
Click to expand...
People talk about PD and PA being harsh on the arm and for some reason the PS never got the same reputation but some of them were very boardy with the wrong string setup. I wonder what his feedback was when he tried the whole Babolat range during the development of the PS.
 
Subway Tennis said:
People talk about PD and PA being harsh on the arm and for some reason the PS never got the same reputation but some of them were very boardy with the wrong string setup. I wonder what his feedback was when he tried the whole Babolat range during the development of the PS.
Click to expand...
Not sure about never, I recall many people talking about comfort issues with the first versions. Haven’t heard as much with the recent one though. But I hadn’t heard as much about the PA98’s discomfort either so I don’t know how much I trust that lol
 
SpinToWin said:
Not sure about never, I recall many people talking about comfort issues with the first versions. Haven’t heard as much with the recent one though. But I hadn’t heard as much about the PA98’s discomfort either so I don’t know how much I trust that lol
Click to expand...

The PA98 is much more comfortable than the PAVS, that is for sure and that also shows in feedbacks
Same kind of accounts for the PD, although at a completely different level, considering a 72 RA

The Strike is also not really arm friendly and I think the new generation didn't change much from the previous
All in all, Babolat does not really offer an arm-friendly racket at that, but I see them making steps in the right direction overall
 
yourtennisfit said:
The PA98 is much more comfortable than the PAVS, that is for sure and that also shows in feedbacks
Same kind of accounts for the PD, although at a completely different level, considering a 72 RA

The Strike is also not really arm friendly and I think the new generation didn't change much from the previous
All in all, Babolat does not really offer an arm-friendly racket at that, but I see them making steps in the right direction overall
Click to expand...
The VS was even worse? Yikes.

I think the only comfortable option they have an offer (arguably?) is the strike 97.
 
SpinToWin said:
The VS was even worse? Yikes.

I think the only comfortable option they have an offer (arguably?) is the strike 97.
Click to expand...
The craziest thing for me is that even with a fair amount of racquetholism sprinkled in, easily the racquet I have used most often in the last 7-8 years is the Pure Aero 2017. Never had a single arm complaint.

The one time I had weird arm feedback from a racquet over my tennis life was The Dunlop Revolution Tour (dark grey / purple). That thing was like swinging a lasoo rope. Very hard to tell where the racquet face was through the air, and off centre hits those frames shook and wobbled and vibrated like an electric eel. I remember testing them alongside some hyper pro-staffs and it used to feel awesome going back to the HPS with that extra weight and stability in the hoop.
 
SpinToWin said:
The VS was even worse? Yikes.

I think the only comfortable option they have an offer (arguably?) is the strike 97.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say that there is such thing as uniform worse for rackets
The VS was stiffer, less dampened and outright pingy when you hit off center. But does it mean everybody will get arm pain from it?

Babolat just has a tendency to create dynamic from a rather stiff frame and energy return
Some people handle this better, others get arm pain from 58RA noodles like the Vcore Pro HD.
 
yourtennisfit said:
Babolat just has a tendency to create dynamic from a rather stiff frame and energy return
Some people handle this better, others get arm pain from 58RA noodles like the Vcore Pro HD.
Click to expand...
Agree 1000% with this. Anecdotally, I feel like the issue I had with those old Dunlop Revolution Tours was the insane flex and the amount of give in the hoop. The things flopped and wiggled on off-centre hits and you’d get that vibration right into your hand lol.
 
Oldbaby said:
I wonder why no one (pros or rec players here) seriously considers the Ultra

Spec wise not much different than Pure Drive or Aero, not significantly thicker beam

I mean the regular Ultra - not the Pro/Tour. Since we're talking about looking for more power (or something along those lines) to compensate for slower balls and courts.
Click to expand...
A buddy of mine owns a pro shop locally. He said the Ultra is his #3 seller overall being the Blade and ProStaff. The PD is dead around here.
 
why are so many of you guys so sure that Stefanos (& Rune) play with the Pure Aero 98 and not the Pure Aero VS (2020 version)??? i am absolutely unsure but considering that i don't know any pro who plays with the same model it endorses (my knowledge is surely not unlimited) the chances are much higher from my point of view that they don't play with the Pure Aero 98.
 
strange_doood said:
why are so many of you guys so sure that Stefanos (& Rune) play with the Pure Aero 98 and not the Pure Aero VS (2020 version)??? i am absolutely unsure but considering that i don't know any pro who plays with the same model it endorses (my knowledge is surely not unlimited) the chances are much higher from my point of view that they don't play with the Pure Aero 98.
Click to expand...
why would tsitsipas be more.likely to use the older model when he is switching now？
 
strange_doood said:
why are so many of you guys so sure that Stefanos (& Rune) play with the Pure Aero 98 and not the Pure Aero VS (2020 version)??? i am absolutely unsure but considering that i don't know any pro who plays with the same model it endorses (my knowledge is surely not unlimited) the chances are much higher from my point of view that they don't play with the Pure Aero 98.
Click to expand...
this is the consensus because of the throat grommets
 
tele said:
why would tsitsipas be more.likely to use the older model when he is switching now？
Click to expand...
why not? if you don't know it for sure, why should you act as if you would know it for sure? particularly due to the fact that both of these models look the same (apart from the paintjob and some very insignificant grommet differences which are not well visible, as mentioned by some Babolat guy in another thread, as far as I remember it correctly). also, Stefanos wanted to try the same racquet as Alcaraz. and people still seem to be unsure which model Alcaraz uses, no?
 
strange_doood said:
why not? if you don't know it for sure, why should you act as if you would know it for sure? particularly due to the fact that both of these models look the same (apart from the paintjob and some very insignificant grommet differences which are not well visible, as mentioned by some Babolat guy in another thread, as far as I remember it correctly). also, Stefanos wanted to try the same racquet as Alcaraz. and people still seem to be unsure which model Alcaraz uses, no?
Click to expand...
where did I act lIke I know for sure？perhaps you have me confused with someone else. You made the claim that he was more likely using the VS, so I questioned the logic behind that claim.
 
strange_doood said:
could you please explain what the grommet differences are? are they visible on the pictures from the dubai and indian wells tournaments?
Click to expand...
yeah, the vs has wider 'spin' grommets for the 6 center mains that allow for more string movement along the plane of the racquet face. yes, feel free to search getty images. here's one to get you started:

bnp-paribas-open-day-7.jpg
 
Rabbit said:
A buddy of mine owns a pro shop locally. He said the Ultra is his #3 seller overall being the Blade and ProStaff. The PD is dead around here.
Click to expand...
They are still selling N & KBlades PJd as the latest Blades or actual Pro stocks? LOL the normies....

For the yappy blind chihuahuas go back and read, its a PA98 nothing Willy.

Do doubt the real test, was was always going to be Super Trolls with these balls.
Meds/Rune have world class backhands that have always troubled the Greeks OHBH
the PA98 has given him better confidence but never going to fix his BH just a bandaid atm.

Stef needs coach Edberg or Lubicic to fix that BH, Serve and mentality asap.
He loses balance to the left after he serves much like Delpo, very poor accuracy
for tall men and overall he is in a belligerent rushed state of mind not as bad as
Shapo but similarly premature in his point construction and improvisation.
 
DariaGT said:
They are still selling N & KBlades PJd as the latest Blades or actual Pro stocks? LOL the normies....

For the yappy blind chihuahuas go back and read, its a PA98 nothing Willy.

Do doubt the real test, was was always going to be Super Trolls with these balls.
Meds/Rune have world class backhands that have always troubled the Greeks OHBH
the PA98 has given him better confidence but never going to fix his BH just a bandaid atm.

Stef needs coach Edberg or Lubicic to fix that BH, Serve and mentality asap.
He loses balance to the left after he serves much like Delpo, very poor accuracy
for tall men and overall he is in a belligerent rushed state of mind not as bad as
Shapo but similarly premature in his point construction and improvisation.
Click to expand...
OHBH is tough in todays game.
Heavy spin has to be the one ball to either take early consistently or your toast.
 
ChrisJR3264 said:
OHBH is tough in todays game.
Heavy spin has to be the one ball to either take early consistently or your toast.
Click to expand...
Its super tough again now with Homogenized tennis balls v3
Stan, Thiem and Almagro could handle Nadals high jumping sidewinders on the BH
but since Sinner, Alcaraz and recently Shelton and Gio taking average ball speeds
to another level of excitement the Normies have to be homogenized with longer
rallies for tv programming/ad time.
 
DariaGT said:
They are still selling N & KBlades PJd as the latest Blades or actual Pro stocks? LOL the normies....

For the yappy blind chihuahuas go back and read, its a PA98 nothing Willy.

Do doubt the real test, was was always going to be Super Trolls with these balls.
Meds/Rune have world class backhands that have always troubled the Greeks OHBH
the PA98 has given him better confidence but never going to fix his BH just a bandaid atm.

Stef needs coach Edberg or Lubicic to fix that BH, Serve and mentality asap.
He loses balance to the left after he serves much like Delpo, very poor accuracy
for tall men and overall he is in a belligerent rushed state of mind not as bad as
Shapo but similarly premature in his point construction and improvisation.
Click to expand...
So I had more than a little trouble following your post. My comment was in response to a question about the Ultra, not Tsitsipas’ current frame. A little off topic but still…
 
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