Ultimate racket for tennis elbow

[Leftybutnotreally]

Im so done, this is like my 5th racket and I keep having elbow pain after 1 or 2 hours of hit.
High flex, mid flex, poly, synt, gut, 26kg, 20kg... nothing do.

Please just tell me what would be the ultimate racket for tennis elbow, even if I play my worst tennis ever at least I would be able to play.
Prince Phantom?
Wilson Clash?
Which string?
....

 

[barneygumble]

Prokennex PRO 5G or 7G, if you can find them.

 

[robin1982]

Wilson Clash with stringproject Gold string at 20 kilo's. A lot of cliënts play with that setup now and are very pleased with it.
I play with my PT57A's and stringproject Gold string at 12 kilo's in the mains and 14 kilo's in the. First setup in 20 years that i have no pain in my arm and shoulder.

 

[landcookie]

What racquets have you tried? What strings have you tried?

 

[tonylg]

I've never had tennis elbow, but my Clash 98 strung with gut and cream does nothing to upset a wrist condition that flares up simply cutting carrots.

Having said that, perhaps post a video of yourself hitting. Even a full bed of gut in a wooden racquet can cause pain.

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

What racquets have you tried? What strings have you tried?

-AeroPro Team, Pure Drive, BLX Pro Open, Pro Staff 97S, Yonex Ezone DR 100, Burn 95CV
-RPM Blast, prince synt gut, 4G, Element, Babolat natural gut, Vokl Cyclone...

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

I've never had tennis elbow, but my Clash 98 strung with gut and cream does nothing to upset a wrist condition that flares up simply cutting carrots.

Having said that, perhaps post a video of yourself hitting. Even a full bed of gut in a wooden racquet can cause pain.

That might be the technique you are right... But Im a little embarrassed to post myself. I played with a tennis coach for a few sessions and he didn't say anything particular about my forehand so idk

 

[tonylg]

That might be the technique you are right... But Im a little embarrassed to post myself. I played with a tennis coach for a few sessions and he didn't say anything particular about my forehand so idk

Fair enough. Your list above is like a who is who of arm damaging equipment, so may as well start there.

 

[Fedinkum]

I chased that phantom arm-friendly rackets for a number of years, until I realise the problem was my technique.

When I finally understood tennis was about letting go and not fighting the balls, my arm and shoulder issues disappeared within a few months (together with self massage and sensible rest). I now even play with the Pure Drive and no arm or shoulder issues.

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

I chased that phantom arm-friendly rackets for a number of years, until I realise the problem was my technique.

When I finally understood tennis was about letting go and not fighting the balls, my arm and shoulder issues disappeared within a few months (together with self massage and sensible rest). I now even play with the Pure Drive and no arm or shoulder issues.

I can't be entirely sure but I believe I hit the ball correctly, I don't muscle up most of my shots. In fact I have a very loose grip...Even too much when it comes to volley lol

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

Fair enough. Your list above is like a who is who of arm damaging equipment, so may as well start there.

I will give a shot to an overly flexible racket just to be sure, but I've read online that the Pro Staff97S and the Ezone DR 100 were relatively easy on the arm depsite being 65 and 69RA, I also tried playing them full bed natural gut at a low tension

 

[WilPro]

Im so done, this is like my 5th racket and I keep having elbow pain after 1 or 2 hours of hit.
High flex, mid flex, poly, synt, gut, 26kg, 20kg... nothing do.

Please just tell me what would be the ultimate racket for tennis elbow, even if I play my worst tennis ever at least I would be able to play.
Prince Phantom?
Wilson Clash?
Which string?
....

Try better technique. For example get a really good coach and ask for help with proper wrist lag.

I found out many times lack of wrist lag is the problem.

Some people easily hit with kevlar, no problem at all. I know people who regularly break kevlar and no tennis elbow at all. it is the kevlar that has a tennis elbow, not the other way around.

Do you think they have stronger hands? titanium hands? No, they have better technique.
Sometimes it hapens due to bad one handed backhand technique. So, you need a good coach to help you with technique.

 

[Crocodile]

1. Pro Kennex Q Tour 325 in NRG 2 or Natural Gut
2 Angell K7 Lime
3. Older versions of Volkl 10 series particularly Tour 10 mp
4. Prince Phantom 100P
5. Pacific X Tour 97
7. Yonex V Core Duel G 330 ( orange)
8. Yonex V Core 95
Just some options to try.

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

Try better technique. For example get a really good coach and ask for help with proper wrist lag.

I found out many times lack of wrist lag is the problem.

Some people easily hit with kevlar, no problem at all. I know people who regularly break kevlar and no tennis elbow at all. it is the kevlar that has a tennis elbow, not the other way around.

Do you think they have stronger hands? titanium hands? No, they have better technique.
Sometimes it hapens due to bad one handed backhand technique. So, you need a good coach to help you with technique.

I'll try a different coach then. But I know that my body is fragile sadly, pro may not have titanium hands but still If I was a pro, I would probably end up being one of those that spend half of the year injured

 

[WilPro]

I'll try a different coach then. But I know that my body is fragile sadly, pro may not have titanium hands but still If I was a pro, I would probably end up being one of those that spend half of the year injured

Not all of those people who break kevlar are pros. Many of them are juniors or amateurs. It's just that they have very good mechanics. Their shots are very good.

Also don't forget to take a break until it heals. Also diclofenac and ibuprofen until you are back to perfect health.

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

Not all of those people who break kevlar are pros. Many of them are juniors or amateurs. It's just that they have very good mechanics. Their shots are very good.

Also don't forget to take a break until it heals. Also diclofenac and ibuprofen until you are back to perfect health.

I never break... I didn't realize breaking your string was a proof of how well you hit the ball. Then it is definitely the technique.

I appreciate the advice.

 

[landcookie]

-AeroPro Team, Pure Drive, BLX Pro Open, Pro Staff 97S, Yonex Ezone DR 100, Burn 95CV
-RPM Blast, prince synt gut, 4G, Element, Babolat natural gut, Vokl Cyclone...

Yeah okay that explains a lot. Like someone else said , all the racquets you've tried are like the Fed, Nadal, Novaks of tennis elbow causing equipment (save the BLX maybe, never played with that before).

Look for racquets with RA ratings no higher than 65.
Current models I would try:
Prince Phantom for sure
Ezone 98 (stay away from the 100); the DR98 was great and if this one's anything like it, it'll be a treat.
Vcore Pro 97
Wilson Clash potentially?
Blade? I remember the BLX Blade being real plush; but not sure what the current Blades are like.
Angell K7; anything Angell really

My stringer swears by Volkl for people with TE so could be worth looking there. Just stay away from Babolat.

Strings:
Syngut, Natural gut, and Lux Element aside, stay away from all the other strings you've listed. And stay away from any other Lux.
Try a multifilament, or if you want to hit with poly, do a nat gut mains/ poly cross hybrid. RS Lyon full bed @ no higher than 50 is probably the only 'safe' poly option I can think of.

Yes technique is important, but you are going to need a setup that allows you to play pain free while you develop that. Good luck.

 

[WilPro]

I never break... I didn't realize breaking your string was a proof of how well you hit the ball. Then it is definitely the technique.

I appreciate the advice.

Breaking the string is not proof of how well you hit the ball. I was giving extreme example to illustrate the power they put in their shot and still don't get tennis elbow.
That was the point. They have a technique that allows them to put their whole power into it without getting tennis elbow and also use the most extreme and rigid string without getting the tennis elbow.

 

[landcookie]

I never break... I didn't realize breaking your string was a proof of how well you hit the ball. Then it is definitely the technique.

I appreciate the advice.

I wouldn't say that. I know pros who break strings in 45 minutes, some don't break strings for weeks; and I know rec players who break strings in 2 hours. Typically, the more spin you hit with, and the more open your racquet is, the quicker you break strings.

 

[Villain]

Full bed natural gut is probably your best starting point to see if equipment will help. Sounds like you tried it, but in some very stiff racquets. Try it in a flexy racquet and see how your arm feels. Wilson Clash 100 Tour and 98 are the most flexible racquets around. The 98 would probably pair better with gut. However, IMO, 18x20 patterns work better with full gut and it helps increase string longevity. Some flexy options for those are Head Prestige MP, Head Gravity Pro or Tour, Yonex VCORE Pro HD, Blade V7, Phantom 18x20. Stay away from leather grips and try a gel cushioned grip like Tourna Pro Gel or Wilson Shockshield. It will take a little bit getting used to these new setups compared to what you listed above, but it’s better to be able to play and practice then hit once and have to take a couple weeks off every time because your arm hurts and you will eventually adjust. If none of the above works, it’s probably either technique or overuse. Hope your situation improves and good luck.

 

[Hansen]

the ultimate comfort racquet with a good mix of spin and control but low power (which isn´t a big problem because you can use softer strings without getting control problems) is the prince tour 100 (ported frame, 18x20 string pattern). some places stil have them for sale. if you use something like a clash 98 with full gut, that will be hard to control. and most other frames like prestige mp vcore hd etc. aren´t that comfortable in comparison to the prince.

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

So I tried the Clash Tour, no doubt that my elbow appreciate this frame a lot. That being said I can't slice or drop shot for the life of me even tho my backhand slice is my very best shot.
Have you guys experimented something similar? I don't even want to try the Phantom anymore since I really do lack power and want some help from my racket.
I have been adviced the Ezone 98, which would be very close(I guess) to my racket of choice the Ezone DR 100. Is it worth the try?

edit1)Being able to hit nice BH slices is really important to me. I need to be able to still hit them, and do damage with it.
edit2)Yonex Vcore has also been suggested, which make a lost of sense. Lower RA than the Ezone and and a better score on slices than the Ezone98(from tennis warehouse reviews)

 

[Villain]

So I tried the Clash Tour, no doubt that my elbow appreciate this frame a lot. That being said I can't slice or drop shot for the life of me even tho this is one of my very best shot.
Have you guys experimented something similar? I don't even want to try the Phantom anymore since I really do lack power and want some help from my racket.
I have been adviced the Ezone 98, which would be very close(I guess) to my racket of choice the Ezone DR 100. Is it worth the try?

It will take you a little time to get dialed in with it so give it a chance before you try something else. Your elbow staying healthy is the most important thing.

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

It will take you a little time to get dialed in with it so give it a chance before you try something else. Your elbow staying healthy is the most important thing.

You are correct, being able to play tennis period is by far the most important thing. But since a very low RA seems to do the trick, I'd like to maybe find something that works well for my game you know? Maybe I'm being a bit too greedy, but I'm a tennis nerd after all, that would not feel right to me to play with a model of racket only because it is the most flexible frame on the market...

 

[Villain]

You are correct, being able to play tennis period is by far the most important thing. But since a very low RA seems to do the trick, I'd like to maybe find something that works well for my game you know? Maybe I'm being a bit too greedy, but I'm a tennis nerd after all, that would not feel right to me to play with a model of racket only because it is the most flexible frame on the market...

Nothing at all wrong with shopping around, I certainly do it too. I guess my point is you won’t find a more flexible racquet than the Clash right now and certainly won’t find a flexy racquet with as much power. I’m mostly a Head guy, but you could do a lot worse than the Clash. Your slice and drop shot will come along as you adjust. Good luck in your search!

 

[tonylg]

So I tried the Clash Tour

Try the 98 instead.

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

Im starting to lose patience ngl. And I really don't feel like wasting 40€ to try a string setup on a test racket...

Should I just close my eyes and order a Clash 98 natural gut main, Cream cross like suggested. Something like 23/22(50/48) and force myself to use it until I can play "ok" with it?

 

[tonylg]

Im starting to lose patience ngl. And I really don't feel like wasting 40€ to try a string setup on a test racket...

Should I just close my eyes and order a Clash 98 natural gut main, Cream cross like suggested. Something like 23/22(50/48) and force myself to use it until I can play "ok" with it?

Just got off court with mine. That's three days in a row, at least 2 solid hours each day. I'm also in my 50s. Zero pain except for a forehand I completely shanked.

I was at a point where I could only play once a fortnight (sometimes once a month) due to an issue with my wrists. That was with Speed Pros strung with soft multis (Q10) and gut hybrids.

I played for a while with a Phantom and my wrist got better. Tried to play with RF97s, but too stiff. The C98 gives me the pop on my serve that the Phantom didn't but no pain.

Can't guarantee they will work for you, but I'm very happy with mine.

 

[tonylg]

I also have a Clash 100 Tour that I used for a few months, but I never really fell in love with it.

 

[kelvin]

Probably you can try Donnay tennis racket. The modern one but not those old models selling on the bay. Arm-saving is what they promoted, low RA and foam-filled to absorb impact shocks. I don't have tennis elbow issue but have a torn shoulder's ligament with surgery repaired. After the surgery, my repaired shoulder is very sensitive and cannot handle any racket with RA more than 64. Those rackets you used are in high RA. You can try some rackets with low RA, foam filled and large surface area like 100 or 102 or even 107 sq inch. Donnay and Wilson Clash are two can meet these requirement. Can also try Tecnifibre which are mostly foam filled. Personally played with Head Radical tour OS, Bumble Bee, MIA, RA 61 and Zebra RA 58, both 107 sq inch, strung with Ultra cable 52lbs. It didn't cause any pain or sore.

Tennis warehouse and Donnay have demo programs. Try it first. Don't waste money on trying strings and tension.

 

[Fedinkum]

the ultimate comfort racquet with a good mix of spin and control but low power (which isn´t a big problem because you can use softer strings without getting control problems) is the prince tour 100 (ported frame, 18x20 string pattern). some places stil have them for sale. if you use something like a clash 98 with full gut, that will be hard to control. and most other frames like prestige mp vcore hd etc. aren´t that comfortable in comparison to the prince.

That is one very soft but great playing racket. I had a lot of fun with it. Lacks power but just the sweetest thing there is. However, I am not sure how easy to find that racket these days.

 

[tennis347]

The Wilson Blade v7 98 16 x 19 is really an arm friendly racquet. I have had shoulder and some elbow issues over my 30 years of playing and this racquet strung with a synthetic string in the mid 50's causes no arm pain at all! The Blade has a healthy SW and gives you a very plush feel, good plow and decent amount of control. I know that a few people mentioned the Clash but the Blade is more superior frame in my opinion if you have all around solid technique.

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

The Wilson Blade v7 98 16 x 19 is really an arm friendly racquet. I have had shoulder and some elbow issues over my 30 years of playing and this racquet strung with a synthetic string in the mid 50's causes no arm pain at all! The Blade has a healthy SW and gives you a very plush feel, good plow and decent amount of control. I know that a few people mentioned the Clash but the Blade is more superior frame in my opinion if you have all around solid technique.

Did you have to change anything about the racket or are you playing it in stock form? Nothing in the handle for exemple? I like yonex for that...

 

[tennis347]

Did you have to change anything about the racket or are you playing it in stock form? Nothing in the handle for exemple? I like yonex for that...

There's nothing really to change but I just added 1.5 grams total at 10 and 2 as 1.5 grams to the butt of the handle. This extra weight gives me a little more pop. However, the Blade has a healthy SW stock. It really depends on what type of balance you like. Blades are more tip heavy which gives you better plow and pop for put away shots. Definitely one of the best players frames made today IMO.

 

[fed1]

The Head Gravity line has a pretty soft and flexible feel. I’ve had shoulder/arm issues in the past and I have the Gravity Tour strung up with a Gut/Lynx Tour 17 and it’s a really comfortable setup.

 

[Yamin]

So I tried the Clash Tour, no doubt that my elbow appreciate this frame a lot. That being said I can't slice or drop shot for the life of me even tho my backhand slice is my very best shot.
Have you guys experimented something similar? I don't even want to try the Phantom anymore since I really do lack power and want some help from my racket.
I have been adviced the Ezone 98, which would be very close(I guess) to my racket of choice the Ezone DR 100. Is it worth the try?

edit1)Being able to hit nice BH slices is really important to me. I need to be able to still hit them, and do damage with it.
edit2)Yonex Vcore has also been suggested, which make a lost of sense. Lower RA than the Ezone and and a better score on slices than the Ezone98(from tennis warehouse reviews)

I sold my clash tour and am going to re order it in a demo. Also couldn't hit any slice and was launching balls into space for the first few days, but something clicked afterward and everything fell into place.

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

I sold my clash tour and am going to re order it in a demo. Also couldn't hit any slice and was launching balls into space for the first few days, but something clicked afterward and everything fell into place.

Do you remember why you sold it even after it clicked?

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

Ok so I was thinking of the Prince Phantom 100X(16x18), very good spin/slice on TW reviews, very low RA of course. Only downside: (serious)lack of power. But I intend to play it in natural gut at a reasonably low tension which seem to complement that racket perfectly on top of being very arm friendly.

How does that sound? Im more excited about this setup than the Clash98 one tbh and It's probably easier to use than the Blade 98

 

[Yamin]

Do you remember why you sold it even after it clicked?

Literally just because the sale went through online and I didn't want to deal with figuring out how to reverse it. It's a very technique sensitive racket I found, and works best with low tension poly. I'm recovering from a shoulder surgery and have a v7 blade which is also pretty comfortable but having the weak shoulder and not being in great shape have me looking for something with more power.... If I was in peak form the blade 98 v7 18x20 with low tension poly would be my go to.

 

[nwatts]

Volkl power bridge mid is extremely comfortable. RA is 59.

 

[mad dog1]

Im so done, this is like my 5th racket and I keep having elbow pain after 1 or 2 hours of hit.
High flex, mid flex, poly, synt, gut, 26kg, 20kg... nothing do.

Please just tell me what would be the ultimate racket for tennis elbow, even if I play my worst tennis ever at least I would be able to play.
Prince Phantom?
Wilson Clash?
Which string?
....

Clash 100
PK ki 5g or Q+5

 

[mad dog1]

So I tried the Clash Tour, no doubt that my elbow appreciate this frame a lot. That being said I can't slice or drop shot for the life of me even tho my backhand slice is my very best shot.
Have you guys experimented something similar? I don't even want to try the Phantom anymore since I really do lack power and want some help from my racket.
I have been adviced the Ezone 98, which would be very close(I guess) to my racket of choice the Ezone DR 100. Is it worth the try?

edit1)Being able to hit nice BH slices is really important to me. I need to be able to still hit them, and do damage with it.
edit2)Yonex Vcore has also been suggested, which make a lost of sense. Lower RA than the Ezone and and a better score on slices than the Ezone98(from tennis warehouse reviews)

Honestly sounds more like a technique issue than the racquet.

 

[anarosevoli]

Ok so I was thinking of the Prince Phantom 100X(16x18), very good spin/slice on TW reviews, very low RA of course. Only downside: (serious)lack of power. But I intend to play it in natural gut at a reasonably low tension which seem to complement that racket perfectly on top of being very arm friendly.

How does that sound? Im more excited about this setup than the Clash98 one tbh and It's probably easier to use than the Blade 98

Sounds good, spin is crazy indeed (I hit my best 2nd serves with this racquet), and with gut there will be enough power too. I use Lynx 17 mains @51 and Velocity 16 crosses @55 and can't really complain about power. I have 2 from totally different sources, one was 9 gram under spec, the other 11, so I assume they are all much lighter than they should be. Once that is corrected (or a bit overcorrected, I put 3 x 5 g into the handle, to the throat and at 12 o'clock) the power is not that bad.

Edit: Just noticed it's about the 100X. I have the predecessor (Phantom Pro 100).

 

[Jster]

Im so done, this is like my 5th racket and I keep having elbow pain after 1 or 2 hours of hit.
High flex, mid flex, poly, synt, gut, 26kg, 20kg... nothing do.

Please just tell me what would be the ultimate racket for tennis elbow, even if I play my worst tennis ever at least I would be able to play.
Prince Phantom?
Wilson Clash?
Which string?
....

Powerswing 500, zero vibration. Too heavy to vibrate

 

[phanamous]

Best that you learn to self-diagnose what's causing your tennis elbow if you understand what's going on.
Your elbow tendons are inflamed with too much force put on them repetitively. It's either your forearm muscles are too tight and/or there's too much shock/vibration at impact going toward tendons.

• Warm up slowly before hard hitting to allow your forearm muscles to become supple. Hard hitting on cold muscles is bad for tendons
• Stretch your arm muscles after every hit to keep them supple and not tight.
• Do arm & grip exercises to build up your muscles so you can grip and swing with the minimum effort required.
• Grip the racquet with the minimum force possible to keep your forearm muscles from tightening. Use a grippy grip. Build up the butt end of the grip so it doesn't slip easily.
• Serve with a real loose grip and I mean loose. Use just your thumb, index, and middle on the grip for serving as a way to practice how to let the racquet do the work for you.
• Proper techniques means using your body and legs more. Less arming of the ball which one tends to tighten up for better grip and generate power which puts more stress on the tendons and expose them more to shock/vibration. Let the weight of the racquet do the work for you.

If you do all that, the raquet matters much less but it does help to have a dampen racquet for those times when your tendons are exposed like volleys and serve returns where you have to grip your racquet a bit harder for better stability.

As for the racquet, I do the following which makes most elbow friendly.

• Nat gut / Head hawk touch (soft poly)
• Progressive cross tension, less near the frame top and bottom
• Soft rubber worm dampener (Any supper soft ones will do)
• Wilson Shockshield replacement grip (gel lining)
• Memory foam stuffed in the butt
• If racquet is too stiff, flex it repeatedly using your weight to soften it. Leaving it in hot car works also apparently.

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

Sounds good, spin is crazy indeed (I hit my best 2nd serves with this racquet), and with gut there will be enough power too. I use Lynx 17 mains @51 and Velocity 16 crosses @55 and can't really complain about power. I have 2 from totally different sources, one was 9 gram under spec, the other 11, so I assume they are all much lighter than they should be. Once that is corrected (or a bit overcorrected, I put 3 x 5 g into the handle, to the throat and at 12 o'clock) the power is not that bad.

Edit: Just noticed it's about the 100X. I have the predecessor (Phantom Pro 100).

wow 11g under specs I thought Wilson was bad

 

[Leftybutnotreally]

Best that you learn to self-diagnose what's causing your tennis elbow if you understand what's going on.
Your elbow tendons are inflamed with too much force put on them repetitively. It's either your forearm muscles are too tight and/or there's too much shock/vibration at impact going toward tendons.

• Warm up slowly before hard hitting to allow your forearm muscles to become supple. Hard hitting on cold muscles is bad for tendons
• Stretch your arm muscles after every hit to keep them supple and not tight.
• Do arm & grip exercises to build up your muscles so you can grip and swing with the minimum effort required.
• Grip the racquet with the minimum force possible to keep your forearm muscles from tightening. Use a grippy grip. Build up the butt end of the grip so it doesn't slip easily.
• Serve with a real loose grip and I mean loose. Use just your thumb, index, and middle on the grip for serving as a way to practice how to let the racquet do the work for you.
• Proper techniques means using your body and legs more. Less arming of the ball which one tends to tighten up for better grip and generate power which puts more stress on the tendons and expose them more to shock/vibration. Let the weight of the racquet do the work for you.

If you do all that, the raquet matters much less but it does help to have a dampen racquet for those times when your tendons are exposed like volleys and serve returns where you have to grip your racquet a bit harder for better stability.

As for the racquet, I do the following which makes most elbow friendly.

• Nat gut / Head hawk touch (soft poly)
• Progressive cross tension, less near the frame top and bottom
• Soft rubber worm dampener (Any supper soft ones will do)
• Wilson Shockshield replacement grip (gel lining)
• Memory foam stuffed in the butt
• If racquet is too stiff, flex it repeatedly using your weight to soften it. Leaving it in hot car works also apparently.

Thanks a lot! I'm screenshotting this.

 

[PrinceMoron]

Pure Drive Roddick + takes some beating for tennis elbow

 

[HolyMountain]

Clash or PT57A

 

[zipplock]

Yonex Vcore Pro 97 310 with Head Velocity MLT is the most comfortable setup I've hit with in years.