Why do some people prefer to play with mid sized racquets?
- Thread starter zill
- Start date
MasterZeb
Hall of Fame
For me, one is more control. I don’t need power. My game is purely based on getting on the front foot straight away so I’m always trying to find opportunities to take control. And also, typically, smaller head size means smaller beam as well, which together is faster through the air.
No all racquet makers are trying to brainwash the youngsters because of our current gen players which they suck - why? the big 3 still beat them for a long time but their ages are catching up to make some rooms for youngsters to win any grand slam.
Bring back the S&V games. bring back the fast surfaces.
Bring back the S&V games. bring back the fast surfaces.
It's really not about less margin for error. The size difference between my 90 and my 97 is really not very much. It's more the manoeuvrability of the racquet. They tend to have low twist-weights and they feel easy to manoeuvre even at higher static weights.
zill
Legend
Tell Fed that lol
ah okay, so what (right) details are you looking for?
10S-Junkie
Semi-Pro
Control, maneuverability and feel in my opinion. Especially if you use a 1HBH
graycrait
Legend
I've been all over the head size map the last couple of years. But I have gravitated back to the Volkl Tour 10 Mid because it feels good on my arm and at my age talking about power is kind of funny so it appears if I can put the ball where I want to more than trying to smack a winner through the court these 93 18x20s work pretty good. For the time being I am laying the OS rackets aside as they tend to make me try things that aren't good for my arm. If I need an OS I'll stick either a POG 107 or Pure Storm GT Tour 98 in the bag.
Not like he magically stopped shanking the ball every third backhand, has he? : - )
Anyway, I will happily settle for the obsolete pre 2014 Federer game.
TennisLogic
Semi-Pro
Oh the feel, the control, the connection to the ball
Vicious49
Legend
Could you expand on that? Not because I disagree. I think this is actually the case for me but I'm not knowledgeable enough to know what it is about my stroke that just works better with these frames.
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
I have 93, 100 and 107 sq in frames in my bag and love them all for different reasons. Nothing beats the feel and control of a mid. nothing beats the forgiveness of the 107. Gotta know what you need for the moment.
flanker2000fr
Hall of Fame
This.
zill
Legend
Just the way it states lol
racquets have gotten bigger over the years but stroke mechanics have changed. However they haven’t changed much in the last 10, 15 years and stroke mechanics haven’t changed much over those years.
rafa_prestige89
Professional
Controooooolll
ryushen21
Legend
There is just something about how mids are set up that makes them magical. The exhilarating feel when you absolutely crush one in the sweet spot. The way they seem to sing through the air. The brutal honesty they give you when you make a mistake. It's a truly special thing to play with a mid but it is definitely not for everyone.
I couldn't play consistently enough with one after years off tennis so I've gone up in head size.
I couldn't play consistently enough with one after years off tennis so I've gone up in head size.
tomkowy
Rookie
1. Because they usually give great feedback and it's easy to tell whether you hit clean, so-so clean or not clean at all.
2. Because of that great blend of power and control when you hit in the sweetspot.
3. Because even with higher weight and swingweight they are very maneuverable. You need similar effort to get a 95 inch and 100 inch racquet moving. Once build racquet head speed, 95s feel like they are "flying", very fast and controllable in the air. 100s often feel "clunky" with higher swingweight and you need more effort to keep them moving fast through the stroke. If you have a good technique (energy coming from good footwork, hips, shoulders) 95s just feel easy to play fast. If you can consistently hit the sweetspot though
Power Player
Bionic Poster
1. Because they usually give great feedback and it's easy to tell whether you hit clean, so-so clean or not clean at all.
2. Because of that great blend of power and control when you hit in the sweetspot.
3. Because even with higher weight and swingweight they are very maneuverable. You need similar effort to get a 95 inch and 100 inch racquet moving. Once build racquet head speed, 95s feel like they are "flying", very fast and controllable in the air. 100s often feel "clunky" with higher swingweight and you need more effort to keep them moving fast through the stroke. If you have a good technique (energy coming from good footwork, hips, shoulders) 95s just feel easy to play fast. If you can consistently hit the sweetspot though
These are all really solid points. I like 100s but a good 95-98 seems to take a little more weight better and still retain that fast feeling.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
In short it’s about Control and feel
I think you can think about it as the same reason why you might not use a 130sq. in racquet (but to a less extreme degree). The bigger the stringbed, the more deformation it will likely have at impact and it feels less wieldy especially at net. I'm a flatter hitter meaning my preference is to hit down on a ball at its highest point. For my playstyle, the feel and predictability of a smaller head-size are advantages for me. I think that the head size sweetspot is different for everyone depending on their playing style. I actually play with a Prince Phantom 100P and a Yonex Vcore 95 interchangeably but that seems to be the small advantages I experience going between the two.
Bigger head size I feel more margin on my 2h backhand and more spin potential because the additional deformation I get from the stringbed allows me to get a little more action on the ball.
Bigger head size I feel more margin on my 2h backhand and more spin potential because the additional deformation I get from the stringbed allows me to get a little more action on the ball.
Hidious
Professional
Shanking for me means literally hitting the frame of the racquet and is different than still hitting the strings but slightly missing the sweet spot. When hitting the frame, you are quite a long way outside of the sweet spot and I don't think a 2 sq. in difference, let alone 5, would turn a shank into a clean shot.
Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
Better balance and stability in the smaller racquet. Not all necessarily due to head size of course but some of it is.
Oval_Solid
Hall of Fame
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ollinger
G.O.A.T.
Yes, a midsize will do that, but if you have a wife....................
flanker2000fr
Hall of Fame
1. Because they usually give great feedback and it's easy to tell whether you hit clean, so-so clean or not clean at all.
2. Because of that great blend of power and control when you hit in the sweetspot.
3. Because even with higher weight and swingweight they are very maneuverable. You need similar effort to get a 95 inch and 100 inch racquet moving. Once build racquet head speed, 95s feel like they are "flying", very fast and controllable in the air. 100s often feel "clunky" with higher swingweight and you need more effort to keep them moving fast through the stroke. If you have a good technique (energy coming from good footwork, hips, shoulders) 95s just feel easy to play fast. If you can consistently hit the sweetspot though
This is s good description.
Point 1. about the feedback is very accurate. I sometimes feel like the ball is somewhat "lost" in the stringbed when I hit with a 100 sq.in., whereas I feel a lot more connected with a 95.
Point 3, I think what you are describing about the clunkyness of 100 sq.in. is due to the twist weight, which is generally higher on larger frames. I find them difficult to wield on my OHBH, resulting in lateness in my shots on that wing. It's much less of an issue with a 95, at least in my case.
smalahove
Hall of Fame
With Head now renaming the 99 sq in Prestige Tour as the (new) Prestige MP, what is midsize nowadays? Up til 98?
Most that prefer 93-95 sq in frames do so for a better feel, maneuverability, more control and sometimes more plow (SW) compared to the larger size frames.
That being said, I also notice that midsize frames are getting rarer the more pace and spin the player faces. Younger players are seldom seen with anything less than 97 sq in, and all the top players I see in the 40+ tournaments have 97-100 sq in frames, with the odd one out rocking an old school prestige, type liquid metal or older.
I really enjoy my VC95s but against really heavy top spin on clay, esp. when the court surface is unpredictable, I get punished for the slightest error, whereas my Rad MP offers me deep returns with relative ease. There are so many players that are competitive as a result of racket forgiveness, even at a 4.5 level, and not just regarding defense. Generating heavy TS with a Pure Aero is so much easier than with a VC95, even though it's def spin friendly too.
Most that prefer 93-95 sq in frames do so for a better feel, maneuverability, more control and sometimes more plow (SW) compared to the larger size frames.
That being said, I also notice that midsize frames are getting rarer the more pace and spin the player faces. Younger players are seldom seen with anything less than 97 sq in, and all the top players I see in the 40+ tournaments have 97-100 sq in frames, with the odd one out rocking an old school prestige, type liquid metal or older.
I really enjoy my VC95s but against really heavy top spin on clay, esp. when the court surface is unpredictable, I get punished for the slightest error, whereas my Rad MP offers me deep returns with relative ease. There are so many players that are competitive as a result of racket forgiveness, even at a 4.5 level, and not just regarding defense. Generating heavy TS with a Pure Aero is so much easier than with a VC95, even though it's def spin friendly too.
DrumWizOHBD
Semi-Pro
As others' have mentioned, most mid sized frames have thin beams, less air resistance and most have a pretty HL balance. Simply put, they cut through the air faster, they allow me to get over the ball easier on my One Hander and my serves. Due to the smaller sweetspot, it's actually easier to feel when you aren't hitting the ball cleanly in the strike zone and make adjustments. Mids also give you the best pinpoint accuracy. I can generate more topspin on backhands with my Prestige Classic Mid (89.5 sq in, very tight 18x20) strung low 40's than I can with a Babolat Pure Drive (100sq in, open 16x19), most likely due to that fact that the Pure Drive is too head heavy for me.
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
You could meet a 100 tennis players in real life today at your local club or park and see maybe 2 or 3 racquets that are below 95 sq inches. And those will be the old guys just hitting with each other and refusing to play a match. Pretty much everyone plays with 95-100 sq inch racquets and a small number that are 50+ in age play with 102-110 sq inch racquets. I think most of the tennis playing world recognizes that 95-98 sq inch head size is a nice compromise between control and forgiveness.
zill
Legend
lol what tension in your PD?
DrumWizOHBD
Semi-Pro
Well, I don't personally own a Pure Drive currently. But I have hit with it many many many times since they came out with various strings and tensions. Love it on flat serves (althought have to aim for bigger targets) and Forehands....not quick enough for me at the net or the backhand. The last Pure Drive I liked was the most recent model strung at mid tension with Excel, pretty sweet, and I'm a poly user, so Multi string didn't last long, but I thought it was a good match for that stick. Just got back from playtesting the new Tecnifibre TF-X1 (300 + 285), been looking for something more forgiving that still is easy on the arm and has good controllable power, these seem to fit the bill. The X1's get around a lot quicker for me on the backhand than the Pure Drive. I actually found myself gravitating to the 285, as it transmitted more feedback to the hand and had a little more power. Both strung up with Triax 16, assuming 2lb over mid rec'd, as that's what TW normally does with their demos. I was close to switching to the Diadem Nova at one point, and ending up buying a couple Elevate FS Tours instead, which I sold after a few months, because I couldn't get on with the extremely muted feel. The new TF's are more maneuvaerable than the Nova. Not that anyone asked! Sorry I veered off the point of this thread. My favorite stick of all time might be the Yonex Vcore 89 Tour. I still have two, but I have them balanced and weight the way I like them up to about 12.6oz, and sadly I can't use them for long matches anymore....but I can swing the Prestice Classic Mid all day! In case anyone was wondering, my main stick these days is the Head Pro Tour 2.0 or the TF40 315, but I whip out my Tecnifibre T-Flash Vo2 315 (Fischer Pro One copy) when I'm tired, teaching, or need a little extra oomph and maneuverablility.
