Yonex RQ380 where is the love for Monica Seles racket?

nickynu

nickynu

Semi-Pro
This Yonex RQ 380 is a beast, a real rocket launcher, a widebody to end all widebodies, but Im looking at one now and I just wondered what makes an iconic racket truely iconic.

Monica loved these things by all accounts, and she was a loved player with loads of success, so why do her various rackets not get the love of say a Donnay Pro One or a Pro Staff Original 6.0 85 or PST90

Im just using her as an example as i have one in my hands but I could ask the same question of Grafs rackets or the williams sisters or a host of other players.
 
goldenyama

goldenyama

Professional
nickynu said:
This Yonex RQ 380 is a beast, a real rocket launcher, a widebody to end all widebodies, but Im looking at one now and I just wondered what makes an iconic racket truely iconic.

Monica loved these things by all accounts, and she was a loved player with loads of success, so why do her various rackets not get the love of say a Donnay Pro One or a Pro Staff Original 6.0 85 or PST90

Im just using her as an example as i have one in my hands but I could ask the same question of Grafs rackets or the williams sisters or a host of other players.
Click to expand...

The difference that is easiest to spot - Seles, Graf and the Williams sisters(no snarky comments here) are girls whereas the most famous users of the Pro One, PS85 etc are guys. Almost all tennis tech-heads are guys.

Another point I would make is that the RQ-380 is an ugly looking machine, as are most widebodies. In fact the only widebody I can think of that has iconic status is the Yamaha Secret?

Seles used to string her rocket launchers with gut at tensions of up to 90lbs!! to tame some of the power if I remember rightly. That isn't an option for most of us unless we have a suicidal stringer and a wholesale supply of cow intestine...
 
C

Colpo

Professional
The RQ-380 is a great-playing frame that deserves better. Splendid sweetspot feel on contact, controllable power. Alot of power. But it's an exaggerated widebody, particularly in the shoulders, and has a Jacuzzi-sized head. These are two classic ways to NOT develop a cult frame following.

I'd add the Donnay Revolutive Apollo to the most-desireable widebodies list. But a flaky cosmetic, brittle grommets, and removeable buttcap weights that by now have been lost or that someone's dog ate lessen its collectability for me. Unbelievable hit, though -- I for one loved the contoured grip.
 
dadozen

dadozen

Hall of Fame
Hmm, I think I still have like 3 RQ-380 at home... Those were nice racquets, but I don't think I'd use them now. Too much power...
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
Yeah, you certainly had to 'de-power' the 380. We actually sold more 420s during that time.

The inner-hoop angle on most of the YY wide bodies presented some mounting problems. The tip of the peak-shaped area that contacted the mounting posts on most machines of the day was particularly fragile. The Prince P200, Bab Star(s) and Ektelon model machines all relied on interior mounting posts at 6 and 12...very thin pointy areas of the frames. Slazenger Phantom and a number of Dunlop Rev frames were of similar design but didn't require such high string tensions to harness their power.

Plus, the bigger the YY model of that time, the more they felt like a large face with a handle sticking out of it! :) Can you say 'WEED' or 'Wonder Wand' ? :)
 
nickynu

nickynu

Semi-Pro
I know she's a chick :) but there is a cleaness about the cosmetics of the Yonex RQ380 that puts me in mind of other iconic frames.

What do the talk tennis girls out there gravitate towards, would the rq 380 be desirable to you, or would it be the mens classics that you look for also like prestige and prostaff etc ?
 
BruceD

BruceD

Rookie
It's just the frame, for my new freind!

I met a fellow wheelie user, coming out of a local drug store the other day. He was in a very light-weight sports wheelchair and looked thin, but very fit.
I stopped him outside and mentioned I had a Top End T-1 Tennis chair that i use. He said, "I play murder-ball".
What's that? I asked.
"a cross between Rugby and football, played with wheelchairs!"
ok..sounds rough, but have you ever tried tennis?
"No"
So after compelling him to give the game a try, with the offer of a racquet and lessons, he agreed to try it.
I had recently bought, no STOLE one off the 'e bay for a mere$22, shipped with a broken string. after a set of syn-gut, I think this might be just the thing for him.
What tension, OTHER than the seles' 90lbs setup, would be a good starting point for this guy, who i KNOW will WANT to hit hard, but won't have much controll, to begin with and a single handed backhand, too.
 
kicker

kicker

New User
ive got 3 RQ-380 for sale if anybody needs em. Just too heavy nowadays with my bad shoulder
 
kicker

kicker

New User
Mine are black like Monica and Pat. They are 4.5 and in 8.5/10 condition. Go there to see details. Just listed them in classifieds. email me for pics.
 
Grafil Injection

Grafil Injection

Hall of Fame
Has anyone ever tried an RQ-380, or another wide-body monster, strung like Seles did at 80lbs? I wonder if the control would be amazing, but I guess it's too risky to try that these days.
 
D

dkmura

Professional
I played with the Yonex RQ380 back in the day. They were painted with a shiseido developed paint that shifted colors from flat black to shimmering purple (well ahead of the Wilson Blades). It was a powerful frame, but I used a 60M/57C tension regimen to good effect at the time. Compared to a racquet like the Yonex EZ98 Tour I use now, it was a beast.
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
Grafil Injection said:
Has anyone ever tried an RQ-380, or another wide-body monster, strung like Seles did at 80lbs? I wonder if the control would be amazing, but I guess it's too risky to try that these days.
Click to expand...
Would have been interesting to see Seles with a 100" racket(I would have voted for a max of 105" IF the tennis gods had asked before letting the horse out of the barn regarding length and hitting area limits back in the dark ages).
These things were just huge!
 
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