retrowagen
Hall of Fame
I noticed that we have several threads with miscellaneous information on various Yamaha frames, but I haven't seen one which concentrates on, and catalogues the Secret / Proto series of racquets.
From what I can remember, the first Secret (called Proto in Japan) models were introduced in 1989, as a quick response to the widebody craze launched by the introduction of the original Wilson Profile midsize and oversize models in 1988 (which were essentially rebranded Kuebler Resonanz frames, made under license by Wilson in their St. Vincent factories). The first (and most popular) midplus (+- 100 square inch) Secret mold was a compromise between the two Wilson sizes (95 & 110), and more conservative in design, being constant-beam, and far less wide than the massive cross-section of the Wilsons. Various layups were offered by Yamaha, with various flex patterns and prices proportional to their relative stiffness. The Secret 04 was the stiffest and most popular of the line, and featured a unique, very grainy matte grey paint finish that, along with its other low-key graphics, was somewhat evocative of military weapons equipment! I played college tennis in California at the time, and recall that the Secret 04 had a cult following among Bay Area college players and other hotshot tournament players. On the pro tours, Yannick Noah eventually wound up with the Secret 04 towards the end of his ATP career, and on the WTA side, Gabriella Sabatini used an oversized variant.
Other models that I can recall were the Secret 06, Secret 10, Secret 10-II, Secret 20, Secret 100, specimens of which I have had in my bag at one time or another. Can any of you remember other models? I recently found a Proto 03 at a second-hand store; I'm curious as to what its layup and stiffness level are relative to the Secret 04. It seems among the Secret models, the greater the number, the less stiff the layup is, though the midplus models all share the same mold and drill pattern. I notice the higher-numbered models are made in Taiwan, while the (more elite) lower-numbered models were made at the Yamaha tennis factory in Singapore. All variants give the impression of high quality.
Evidently, Yamaha tennis ran into a bit of a problem with its EOS models, which were essentially Secret mold racquets with different mass distribution in the frame (more head-heavy, like Wilson's Hammer series). Wilson too offence to what they felt was a patent infringement on the matter, and Yamaha pulled their tennis line from the US market - was it in 1994? However, the Secret 04 was sold as a Gosen frame, NATO grey graphics and all, for a short while after, then sales stopped.
I rediscovered these interesting frames recently. A frequent hitting partner was still playing with a pair of Secret 04's up to last year (from his high school days in the early 90's!), but struggling with his form and the classic complaint of over-hitting with this frame - it is widely considered a monster, because it is immensely stiff (even by modern standards), weighs 12 ounces or so, and has a thin enough beam and is manoeuverable enough to trick the operator into thinking he or she can take a full cut at the ball (as opposed to making more compact strokes, as would befit "widebody" use). One day, he lost patience, and smashed one frame. He was about to throw the other in the courtside trash can, but I intervened, took it home, cleaned it up, and restrung it. I tried to give the paint a gentle clean with rubbing alcohol, but to my horror, it started coming right off! I rubbed it down to see the carbon fiber beneath, trying to save the graphics, though. I find that the frame plays best / most manageably for my classic long, flat strokes with a very low-tech, "dead" string: Leoina 66 15L. This frame is great to serve with, but volleys require precise technique - if one gets under the net and ball too much, it's all too easy to hit the volley long. Groundstrokes need a bit of adjustment, too, to compensate for the way the racquet transmits kinetic energy to the ball. A shorter swing (or more topspin) is key. I don't play with the Yamahas as my regular racquets, but they are a fun experience, and an interesting interpretation of the Widebody power racquet brief.
If you have more info, photos, model names, or memories to add of the Secret or Proto racquets, please join in!
From what I can remember, the first Secret (called Proto in Japan) models were introduced in 1989, as a quick response to the widebody craze launched by the introduction of the original Wilson Profile midsize and oversize models in 1988 (which were essentially rebranded Kuebler Resonanz frames, made under license by Wilson in their St. Vincent factories). The first (and most popular) midplus (+- 100 square inch) Secret mold was a compromise between the two Wilson sizes (95 & 110), and more conservative in design, being constant-beam, and far less wide than the massive cross-section of the Wilsons. Various layups were offered by Yamaha, with various flex patterns and prices proportional to their relative stiffness. The Secret 04 was the stiffest and most popular of the line, and featured a unique, very grainy matte grey paint finish that, along with its other low-key graphics, was somewhat evocative of military weapons equipment! I played college tennis in California at the time, and recall that the Secret 04 had a cult following among Bay Area college players and other hotshot tournament players. On the pro tours, Yannick Noah eventually wound up with the Secret 04 towards the end of his ATP career, and on the WTA side, Gabriella Sabatini used an oversized variant.
Other models that I can recall were the Secret 06, Secret 10, Secret 10-II, Secret 20, Secret 100, specimens of which I have had in my bag at one time or another. Can any of you remember other models? I recently found a Proto 03 at a second-hand store; I'm curious as to what its layup and stiffness level are relative to the Secret 04. It seems among the Secret models, the greater the number, the less stiff the layup is, though the midplus models all share the same mold and drill pattern. I notice the higher-numbered models are made in Taiwan, while the (more elite) lower-numbered models were made at the Yamaha tennis factory in Singapore. All variants give the impression of high quality.
Evidently, Yamaha tennis ran into a bit of a problem with its EOS models, which were essentially Secret mold racquets with different mass distribution in the frame (more head-heavy, like Wilson's Hammer series). Wilson too offence to what they felt was a patent infringement on the matter, and Yamaha pulled their tennis line from the US market - was it in 1994? However, the Secret 04 was sold as a Gosen frame, NATO grey graphics and all, for a short while after, then sales stopped.
I rediscovered these interesting frames recently. A frequent hitting partner was still playing with a pair of Secret 04's up to last year (from his high school days in the early 90's!), but struggling with his form and the classic complaint of over-hitting with this frame - it is widely considered a monster, because it is immensely stiff (even by modern standards), weighs 12 ounces or so, and has a thin enough beam and is manoeuverable enough to trick the operator into thinking he or she can take a full cut at the ball (as opposed to making more compact strokes, as would befit "widebody" use). One day, he lost patience, and smashed one frame. He was about to throw the other in the courtside trash can, but I intervened, took it home, cleaned it up, and restrung it. I tried to give the paint a gentle clean with rubbing alcohol, but to my horror, it started coming right off! I rubbed it down to see the carbon fiber beneath, trying to save the graphics, though. I find that the frame plays best / most manageably for my classic long, flat strokes with a very low-tech, "dead" string: Leoina 66 15L. This frame is great to serve with, but volleys require precise technique - if one gets under the net and ball too much, it's all too easy to hit the volley long. Groundstrokes need a bit of adjustment, too, to compensate for the way the racquet transmits kinetic energy to the ball. A shorter swing (or more topspin) is key. I don't play with the Yamahas as my regular racquets, but they are a fun experience, and an interesting interpretation of the Widebody power racquet brief.
If you have more info, photos, model names, or memories to add of the Secret or Proto racquets, please join in!
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. This last week, I did string up my Proto 03 as closely to my Secret 04, for a playtest comparison. The racquets played virtually identically.
