What is your one wish for the racquet industry going forward?

[Casey 1988]

oh i thought you were saying to give less options.

No more like handle grip shapes and even longer grips or up to 1 inch shorter than standard, only making so racquet are legal in use using 27 inch body size for throat and head or you could make a 29 inch racquet and have a non conforming racquet. Make so people can have grip they like, even give room for experimenting on an older rounder oval 0 shape over a standard bevel and even slight rounded square shapes all this Pentagon here you can put on so bevel is on palm or not depending on preference and I bet some aftermarket made by a grip and string company like a Tourna grip could be made or a Chinese clone grip would for sure be made for each brand. You could even have weighted grips too even in. In this way you could have brands charging about $30 for each grip and use less racquets overall, maybe sill having a backup or 2 but no need to find a smaller or bigger grip on same model for use when hands are sore playing or a long time. Could even have players who only like stock grip having several models of same grip on hand done up with factory specs as they would come as backup, not needing to use a thin 1.5 inch wide electrical tape over old grip buying a tennis grip rubber band or using some thin finishing tape. Could then sell old grips for -$10 off depending on how good of shape grips are to people who need a new grip and use over factory or bare on grip material.

 

[gino]

No more like handle grip shapes and even longer grips or up to 1 inch shorter than standard, only making so racquet are legal in use using 27 inch body size for throat and head or you could make a 29 inch racquet and have a non conforming racquet. Make so people can have grip they like, even give room for experimenting on an older rounder oval 0 shape over a standard bevel and even slight rounded square shapes all this Pentagon here you can put on so bevel is on palm or not depending on preference and I bet some aftermarket made by a grip and string company like a Tourna grip could be made or a Chinese clone grip would for sure be made for each brand. You could even have weighted grips too even in. In this way you could have brands charging about $30 for each grip and use less racquets overall, maybe sill having a backup or 2 but no need to find a smaller or bigger grip on same model for use when hands are sore playing or a long time. Could even have players who only like stock grip having several models of same grip on hand done up with factory specs as they would come as backup, not needing to use a thin 1.5 inch wide electrical tape over old grip buying a tennis grip rubber band or using some thin finishing tape. Could then sell old grips for -$10 off depending on how good of shape grips are to people who need a new grip and use over factory or bare on grip material.

i like the idea of weighted pallets or handle options. something that allows for more plug/play customization. the issue would be forecasting the demand for various weights & how many options to deploy

the concept is awesome though, would make sense to tie to something like Wilson pro labs. you already have this premium priced/low supply product for a niche market. lean all the way in and let people get the exact spec they want out of the box. would be really cool & another measure to improve quality control

 

[gino]

Figured I’d start a topic about what the future of the racquet industry holds

It’s the prevailing sentiment that there are no “bad” rackets anymore, across all brands and silos. While that may benefit the uninformed consumer, have found myself wondering why there’s a lack of excitement about impending releases amongst this more informed subset of consumers

I have a couple theories about how this dynamic has come to fruition:

• Paintjobs have neutered the impact of pro endorsement. Simply put, there’s not enough players using the frame they endorse
• There’s too many players endorsing the same stick within brands (Most big Babolat names use aero, nearly all Wilson pros use mostly blades, head pros mostly speeds/radicals, etc). This dynamic limits the number of excitable silos amongst true enthusiasts
• Surface/stylistic homogenization has homogenized frame specs as everyone is looking for a balanced performer that boasts above average performance on groundies
• Industry cycles are longer & thus not as many instances to get excited about (think Babolat is on a 4-year refresh cadence now?)

The confluence of the above makes for a pretty dull current state of affairs. Curious what you all think these companies can do truly excite this segment of the market

i have a new wish. for the prestige and pro staff to never die. long live box beams

 

[TheBoom]

i have a new wish. for the prestige and pro staff to never die. long live box beams

Ditto. I hope with the iconic lines like the ones you mentioned, they always have one frame from those lines available. I like that Head did that with the prestige classic 2.0

 

[AndrewUtz]

i have a new wish. for the prestige and pro staff to never die. long live box beams

im gonna cry

 

[gino]

Ditto. I hope with the iconic lines like the ones you mentioned, they always have one frame from those lines available. I like that Head did that with the prestige classic 2.0

Its a shame really. If we step back, the gravity pro is not much more forgiving than the prestige pro (maybe even less so than the 16x19). Additionally, the Pro Staff 97 is not much less forgiving than the Blade 98. All those frames are pretty close in playability. It all came down the endorsement juice i believe. if you dont feel talented players these legacy silo PJs, they legacy silos are bound to get crushed in sales

im gonna cry

retweet bro

 

[socallefty]

Make a racquet that I will like better than the Pure Strike Tour. I’m emotionally ready to move on after playing with PSTs since 2014!

 

[maksp]

Make sub 20mm beams again...
STOP playing n tricking customers!!!!
STOP MAKING the void in frames bigger n calling it adding to the frame for stability .
STOP making wet noodles with no feel. I want to know when the ball is in the string bed AND when it leaves the bed!!!

 

[landcookie]

QC

 

[vokazu]

Sell the exact same racquets that Pro players are using / sell pro stock racquets in sports shops around the world, so that tennis fans can buy it directly from the shelves at the shops.

The online Pro Stock racquets sold currently are way too expensive.

 

[Maverick13]

Improved QC or transparent specs prior to purchase. I wouldn’t even mind a little more expensive “tour issue” version that have super high tolerance specs similar to tour issue golf shafts.

 

[Tronco20]

Improved QC or transparent specs prior to purchase. I wouldn’t even mind a little more expensive “tour issue” version that have super high tolerance specs similar to tour issue golf shafts.

That’s a brilliant idea! Like all the specs listed on the racquet throat - unstrung weight, SW, balance - the real numbers for each individual stick.

I’ve read through the comments and must agree with most:
- stop muting racquets
What I want is raw feel, knowing what is going on in the stringbed when I hit the ball. These racquets are extremely hard to find now.
- box beam - why is it gone??
- re-issue frames like Steam, Pure Control, YT Radical, Aeropro Drive, Vcore SV, Ezone DR etc etc

 

[heavyD]

I wish more manufacturers would to the matched pair thing that Babolat does for the VS/98 series frames. I wish Babolat would do that for the regular PA and PD actually.

 

[glenWs]

Buy 2, Get 1 Free. All rackets must have glossy finish.

 

[Donmikan]

I would love to see the lighter versions of a racket with the same mold, not with increased beam size and head size. And a racket with no weights in the handle would be nice. Something like 260g 290sw unstrung.

 

[swish41]

I'd like to see cx200+

 

[veelium]

I'd like to see cx200+

Did they stop making it?

 

[swish41]

Did they stop making it?

Yes

 

[socallefty]

Publish the vibration frequency spec of their racquets.

 

[Fintft]

Have more affordable prostocks in NA so that we won't to buy them from Germany anymore.

 

[artdeco]

Make sub 20mm beams again...
STOP playing n tricking customers!!!!
STOP MAKING the void in frames bigger n calling it adding to the frame for stability .
STOP making wet noodles with no feel. I want to know when the ball is in the string bed AND when it leaves the bed!!!

I'm convinced thicker beams are a scam. My Pro Staff 90 is as stiff or stiffer than my Pro Staff 97, despite the beam being much thinner.
It's just an illusion. Thick beam must mean stiffer, more powerful right? Because it's bigger.

 

[veelium]

I'm convinced thicker beams are a scam. My Pro Staff 90 is as stiff or stiffer than my Pro Staff 97, despite the beam being much thinner.
It's just an illusion. Thick beam must mean stiffer, more powerful right? Because it's bigger.

There's also the layup, if you put the 90 layup in the 97 it would be even stiffer.

 

[Swkiehl]

Babolat, Yonex and Head — please bring back grip size 5.

 

[Casey 1988]

I wish more manufacturers would to the matched pair thing that Babolat does for the VS/98 series frames. I wish Babolat would do that for the regular PA and PD actually.

Yes, there is about one other manufacture and the headquarters are based out of Australia where they match the frames and you can pick them according to the weight as a matched pair, weighing every set like how some Guitar stores do online for all Guitars and Bass. The problem is the brand with the 1--3 offerings is only sold from Australia, so the shipping is very high no matter where they send besides Southwest Asia and NZ.

 

[heavyD]

I'm convinced thicker beams are a scam. My Pro Staff 90 is as stiff or stiffer than my Pro Staff 97, despite the beam being much thinner.
It's just an illusion. Thick beam must mean stiffer, more powerful right? Because it's bigger.

Does your Pro Staff 90 weigh 300 grams unstrung?

 

[gfwp]

Babolat, Yonex and Head — please bring back grip size 5.

Yep. Please please please. And Wilson, too. Sooo hard to get Grip 5 In Switzerland.

 

[NattyGut]

Manufacturers could "cheat" toward smaller end of grip sizes so when overgrips installed they are near or barely beyond true L2/ L3/ L4 -- some are saying that is exactly the case with the new TFight 300 (albeit some have commented the grip on the TFIGHT 300 is unsatisfactory)

 

[Rabbit]

Glossy paint

 

[BumElbow]

Since most tennis racquets are manufactured in China and since Trump has introduced a tariff on all goods imported into the USA from China, expect racquet prices to increase in the United States. I think the result may be increased sales of quality racquets sold at lower prices like the Head Instinct, Wilson Burn and Babolat Boost models. All racquet manufacturers would be wise to consider similar quality budget lines for customers turned off by or unable to pay the higher prices.

Separately, I'm really turned off by some of the neon bright racquet colorways especially the new Radical line. The vivid orange color is so bright that it could be distracting to opponents and make the tennis ball harder to see (it's brighter than the optic yellow balls). Also, frankly, it's just way overdone.

 

[Casey 1988]

i like the idea of weighted pallets or handle options. something that allows for more plug/play customization. the issue would be forecasting the demand for various weights & how many options to deploy

the concept is awesome though, would make sense to tie to something like Wilson pro labs. you already have this premium priced/low supply product for a niche market. lean all the way in and let people get the exact spec they want out of the box. would be really cool & another measure to improve quality control

Handle options like most brands having different grip shapes/sizes in a standard replaceable grip similar to what Head does as long as and try to have a standard in grip. I could see China making clones of the other brands model grip shapes for the brands fit of removable grip if they only wanted to make own grip design. In my idea, you could add under the grip weights easier in my idea if the brands are not too crappy. Also, this could be on the premier brands so less of the budget models like rec level graphite models or beginner aluminum.

A missed opportunity is to also market the modern 85 inch practice heads for people who want a modern take that can handle the heavier modern power on the old small head wood or 1970's steel/aluminum frame models, not just the practice aspect.

 

[andrewc]

Make all racquets in a glossy

 

[Casey 1988]

Make all racquets in a glossy

Yes, not just Pro Kennex with most models.

Of course, if very careful and do only light sanding between coats one can add gloss to the racquet.

When glossy began to die was actually ironically a trend in non wood models from 2004--2005 that Pro Kennex started on the trend of non glossy having some of the first titanium models and one of its last aluminum Pro Ace Jr models using a powder coat finish.

This early design happened about the same time Pro Kennex moved its cheap end of metal racquets this part of the factory from Taiwan to China because China could mass produce even more of the cheap models then what Taiwan could do. I think a few years later the Higher end models moved to being Chinese from Pro Kennex.