Your Match Day Loadout (Racquets, etc)

[gino]

Deploying this concept in a larger thread that our buddy @Seth cooked up

Here's the premise: the night is always darkest before the dawn. You can't sleep. Tomorrow is the biggest match of your life. One for the ages. The tennis ball is a watermelon, you will not miss tomorrow.

What racquet will you bring to battle for the match of your life? What shoes? What bag? What other necessities?

Interpret the pretense however you want, but I will answer the thread in a 6-part way. Selecting my frames, bag, string, shoes, ball, and overgrip of choice. Include as many pics as you want

Wanted to include Seth's loadout post first since that was the inspo for the thread:

Diary of a Racketaholic

A couple years ago I became intrigued with the idea of the Tecnifibre RackPack. Bought one. Smoke from a distant fire led me astray, so I sold it to my good friend @mpournaras who later reminded me of the gem this bag really is. Luckily, @KickVicious had one he was no longer using. It really...

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

Happy hitting to all. Best of luck preparing your load out. & look up again at that sweet retro graphite HEAD set up in the Tec RackPack (one of the best organized bags I've seen). Thanks for the inspo Seth!

 

[gino]

I'm always torn between deploying my trusty old Wilson 6.1 95 (used on/off for 20+ years) and the current frame of choice (RF97/Pro Staff 97):

Frames:
Wilson nCode/pro stock 6.1 95s 16x18
OR
Wilson RF97s (v10/v11)
OR
Wilson v14 Pro Staff 97 Custom

Shoes: Nike Vapor Pro 1

Bag: Wilson K-Factor Super Six

String: Volkl Cyclone Tour 18 black & Topspin Cyberflash 17L

Ball: U.S. Open Extra Duty

Overgrip: Tourna Mega Tac

Towel: SAP Open Towel/Wimbledon 2023 Towel

Other: Nike clothes & hats, more Nike gear, Nike "The GHOAT", Nike compression sleeves, KT Tape, stinger waffles/sugar, ASO Ankle Braces, water bottle of some variety (currently Gatorade Serena)

 

[gino]

Pro pics with graphite to serve as some inspiration for the gear holics (first one courtesy of Seth):

 

[gino]

More pros X graphite

 

[Alcawrath]

I love this question, here it goes:

• Racquet: Babolat Pure Strike VS '22 (x2)
• Strung with Solinco tour bite 16g @ 48#
• Freshly wrapped with Wilson pro OG (white)
• Balls: Dunlop ATP extra duty or Wilson USO extra duty
• Shoes: Nike vapor pro 2s
• Nike wrist bands (terry cloth, not the super thick ones)
• Head tie for sweat
• Fresh white towel for changeovers
• Two liquid IV packs for hydration
• Bag: Babolat 6 pack bag '24
• Snack: Banana
• Clean shirt, shorts, and shoes to change into for the ride home

 

[Rosstour]

@gino we do like a lot of the same stuff. Is this a hypothetical? Can't imagine the BC2 are still totally good, those are old now.

I played in my Vapor 9.5 clays the other day and then the next time out (wearing other shoes), I tore my calf. Coincidence?

My normal tournament stack for one day (assuming two matches) is a Babolat 15, 3 v1 98 Clashes with Cyclone Tour 17 in red at 40lb, one pair of GPs and one pair of Cage 4s, a few pairs of Nike 2-in-1 shorts (not always tennis ones; the running ones are good too and can usually be had much cheaper), and 6 fancy performance shirts. I sweat a lot and change shirts after every set

Of course a hat, water, vape pen, towel, etc

 

[am1899]

Cool thread!

Right now it goes like this:

Racquet: 2022 Ezone 98
Bag: Wilson RF
String: freshly strung Hawk Touch or ALU @ 50lbs
Grip: fresh white Wilson pro or Head Prime Tour
Balls: W. USO - reg duty for clay, x duty for hard
Shoes: Vapor 9.5 for hard, ASICS GR8 for clay
Drink: Hydroflask w/ ice and filtered water.
Food: Banana
Misc: hat, sunblock, clean wrist band, clean towel, nuun tablets

 

[gino]

@gino we do like a lot of the same stuff. Is this a hypothetical? Can't imagine the BC2 are still totally good, those are old now.

I played in my Vapor 9.5 clays the other day and then the next time out (wearing other shoes), I tore my calf. Coincidence?

My normal tournament stack for one day (assuming two matches) is a Babolat 15, 3 v1 98 Clashes with Cyclone Tour 17 in red at 40lb, one pair of GPs and one pair of Cage 4s, a few pairs of Nike 2-in-1 shorts (not always tennis ones; the running ones are good too and can usually be had much cheaper), and 6 fancy performance shirts. I sweat a lot and change shirts after every set

Of course a hat, water, vape pen, towel, etc

Hah I was hoping someone would ask about the BC2. After 10 years of searching, literally every damn day, I found two NOS pairs in my size this year. Somehow they didn’t get destroyed by time or elements. I’ve been hitting in them a ton. They hold up super well & remain an all time shoe for me. I’ll probably get 6 more months out of those and tap into my remaining stash of older Nikes (10 usable pairs of vapor 9/9.5s, 7 GP turbos, and 5 vapor pro 1s). If I had to main something “on the market” it would probably be the VP2 or GPC1, I’m still having a hard time trying stuff outside of Nike (don’t need to yet), but if I did try I’d probably use the court ff3

Love the load out notes. Especially the cyclone and pen lmao have you started to consider what shoe you will go to if they stop the Cage 4? Curious what you’re eyeing

 

[gino]

I love this question, here it goes:

• Racquet: Babolat Pure Strike VS '22 (x2)
• Strung with Solinco tour bite 16g @ 48#
• Freshly wrapped with Wilson pro OG (white)
• Balls: Dunlop ATP extra duty or Wilson USO extra duty
• Shoes: Nike vapor pro 2s
• Nike wrist bands (terry cloth, not the super thick ones)
• Head tie for sweat
• Fresh white towel for changeovers
• Two liquid IV packs for hydration
• Bag: Babolat 6 pack bag '24
• Snack: Banana
• Clean shirt, shorts, and shoes to change into for the ride home

Thanks for chiming in dude. Load out here is sick. I have three of those PSVS sticks stashed away. They are awesome & what a GOATed PJ. Appreciate your Nike loyalty mate. Those liquid iv packs good stuff? Always curious but have never tried

 

[gino]

Cool thread!

Right now it goes like this:

Racquet: 2022 Ezone 98
Bag: Wilson RF
String: freshly strung Hawk Touch or ALU @ 50lbs
Grip: fresh white Wilson pro or Head Prime Tour
Balls: W. USO - reg duty for clay, x duty for hard
Shoes: Vapor 9.5 for hard, ASICS GR8 for clay
Drink: Hydroflask w/ ice and filtered water.
Food: Banana
Misc: hat, sunblock, clean wrist band, clean towel, nuun tablets

another vapor 9.5 loyalist - cheers my friend you are in good company. Load out is kickass, love that you go with the Wilson rf bag. I think the nuun tablets are awesome btw, low sugar and good taste. Really balanced electrolyte delivery

 

[leng jai]

Two Prestige Mids and a half empty Mount Franklin water bottle.

 

[gino]

Two Prestige Mids and a half empty Mount Franklin water bottle.

All a man or woman needs

 

[gino]

@gino we do like a lot of the same stuff. Is this a hypothetical? Can't imagine the BC2 are still totally good, those are old now.

I played in my Vapor 9.5 clays the other day and then the next time out (wearing other shoes), I tore my calf. Coincidence?

My normal tournament stack for one day (assuming two matches) is a Babolat 15, 3 v1 98 Clashes with Cyclone Tour 17 in red at 40lb, one pair of GPs and one pair of Cage 4s, a few pairs of Nike 2-in-1 shorts (not always tennis ones; the running ones are good too and can usually be had much cheaper), and 6 fancy performance shirts. I sweat a lot and change shirts after every set

Of course a hat, water, vape pen, towel, etc

& sorry to hear about your calf. I had a torn quad last August which was brutal. Mine happened loading for a serve so can’t blame the shoe at all, but i was in the modern vapor pro 1. Shiit happens man, hard to explain, but i hope the shoe had nothing to do w it

 

[Rosstour]

Hah I was hoping someone would ask about the BC2. After 10 years of searching, literally every damn day, I found two NOS pairs in my size this year. Somehow they didn’t get destroyed by time or elements. I’ve been hitting in them a ton. They hold up super well & remain an all time shoe for me. I’ll probably get 6 more months out of those and tap into my remaining stash of older Nikes (10 usable pairs of vapor 9/9.5s, 7 GP turbos, and 5 vapor pro 1s). If I had to main something “on the market” it would probably be the VP2 or GPC1, I’m still having a hard time trying stuff outside of Nike (don’t need to yet), but if I did try I’d probably use the court ff3

Love the load out notes. Especially the cyclone and pen lmao have you started to consider what shoe you will go to if they stop the Cage 4? Curious what you’re eyeing

Nothing yet. I have three pairs of GPT that are getting close to done, but then another six pairs I've never worn. Then a brand new Cage4 that I have to wear out, plus a Cage 2 I've worn like twice. And then five pairs of clay shoes. So it's gonna be a while until I need to shoe shop again. That really feels like 3-4 seasons worth of shoes, IMO. There will be enough Cage 4s out there for a while too, IMO.

 

[Rosstour]

& sorry to hear about your calf. I had a torn quad last August which was brutal. Mine happened loading for a serve so can’t blame the shoe at all, but i was in the modern vapor pro 1. Shiit happens man, hard to explain, but i hope the shoe had nothing to do w it

I don't like Vapors for this reason, I always end up pulling something in the leg when the shoes get old. Love the look and feel but I can't float in them like the GPs or dig/grip like the Cage4

I wouldn't be surprised if it was related

 

[vsbabolat]

Depending on my mood:
Prestige Classic 600
Pro Tour 630
Prestige Pro 2023

Shoes:
Nike Vapor 9.5

 

[Alcawrath]

Thanks for chiming in dude. Load out here is sick. I have three of those PSVS sticks stashed away. They are awesome & what a GOATed PJ. Appreciate your Nike loyalty mate. Those liquid iv packs good stuff? Always curious but have never tried

Yes! The older I get the more I think Gatorade is just way too sweet, but electrolyte mixes are a must in any singles action for me. Love your 6.1 collection!!

 

[socallefty]

Asics Gel Resolution 9 shoes
Thorlo L3 mini-crew socks
Lacoste tennis shorts (red/black)
Lacoste/Ellese tennis performance polo (red/black/white)
Adidas sports underwear (not cotton)
Handkerchief
UnderHammer Playmaker gallon sports jug filled with water

Wilson 12-pack black bag
3 Babolat Pure Strike Tours (G3) strung with VS17/HyperG Soft 18 at 47/44 lbs
Overgrip (white/red) - Wilson Pro/Perf, Babolat VS, Volkl V-Dry or Head ExtremeSoft (including 1 spare)
Babolat Vibrakill white dampeners (including one spare)
Tecnifibre X1 balls (New can and 12-15 old balls in drawstring bags)
Adidas or Nike red tennis caps - 3
Oakley sunglasses - 2 (lighter and darker lens)
Adidas or Nike double red/black wristbands (synthetic and not cotton) - about 8-10
2-3 Lacoste/Fila crewneck tennis performance tops (black/white) to change during match
2 small towels + 1 spare handkerchief
Drawstring Bag to put wet clothes/OGs/Wristbands/Caps/towels after use (store in shoe compartment of bag)
Medicine bag - inhaler, salt pills, Advil, bandaids, anti-bleeding spray, upset stomach pills, Icyhot spray, spare contacts, eye drops, athletic tape, scissors
Sunscreen spray - non-greasy
Clif Bloks orange flavor energy gel - 3-4 packs
Reading glasses, pen, sticky notepad, Iphone
Braces in case of injury/tweaks - neoprene ankle brace, thin calf sleeve, fabric knee brace, airbubble elbow brace, thin arm sleeve
Sometimes - 4th racquet for practice when I’m trying a new racquet or stringjob

Did I mention I sweat a lot. The only thing I might change to equipment I used in the past is my shoes - all-time favorite is the Adidas Barricade 7 (aka Novak).

 

[leng jai]

Asics Gel Resolution 9 shoes
Thorlo L3 mini-crew socks
Lacoste tennis shorts (red/black)
Lacoste/Ellese tennis performance polo (red/black/white)
Adidas sports underwear (not cotton)
Handkerchief
UnderHammer Playmaker gallon sports jug filled with water

Wilson 12-pack black bag
3 Babolat Pure Strike Tours (G3) strung with VS17/HyperG Soft 18 at 47/44 lbs
Overgrip (white/red) - Wilson Pro/Perf, Babolat VS, Volkl V-Dry or Head ExtremeSoft (including 1 spare)
Babolat Vibrakill white dampeners (including one spare)
Tecnifibre X1 balls (New can and 12-15 old balls in drawstring bags)
Adidas or Nike red tennis caps - 3
Oakley sunglasses - 2 (lighter and darker lens)
Adidas or Nike double red/black wristbands (synthetic and not cotton) - about 8-10
2-3 Lacoste/Fila crewneck tennis performance tops (black/white) to change during match
2 small towels + 1 spare handkerchief
Drawstring Bag to put wet clothes/OGs/Wristbands/Caps/towels after use (store in shoe compartment of bag)
Medicine bag - inhaler, salt pills, Advil, bandaids, anti-blood spray, upset stomach pills, Icyhot spray, spare contacts, eye drops
Sunscreen spray - non-greasy
Clif Bloks orange flavor energy gel - 3-4 packs
Reading glasses, pen, sticky notepad, Iphone
Braces in case of injury/tweaks - neoprene ankle, calf sleeve, fabric knee, bubble elbow, arm sleeve
Sometimes - 4th racquet for practice when I’m trying a new racquet or stringjob

Perfect setup for a UTR 3.3 reveal.

 

[Alcawrath]

Perfect setup for a UTR 3.3 reveal.

Kind of a troll response, if you don't like the premise of the thread just find another. It's boring if you just post one tis6 strung last year and a single use water bottle.

 

[Fed Kennedy]

Asics Gel Resolution 9 shoes
Thorlo L3 mini-crew socks
Lacoste tennis shorts (red/black)
Lacoste/Ellese tennis performance polo (red/black/white)
Adidas sports underwear (not cotton)
Handkerchief
UnderHammer Playmaker gallon sports jug filled with water

Wilson 12-pack black bag
3 Babolat Pure Strike Tours (G3) strung with VS17/HyperG Soft 18 at 47/44 lbs
Overgrip (white/red) - Wilson Pro/Perf, Babolat VS, Volkl V-Dry or Head ExtremeSoft (including 1 spare)
Babolat Vibrakill white dampeners (including one spare)
Tecnifibre X1 balls (New can and 12-15 old balls in drawstring bags)
Adidas or Nike red tennis caps - 3
Oakley sunglasses - 2 (lighter and darker lens)
Adidas or Nike double red/black wristbands (synthetic and not cotton) - about 8-10
2-3 Lacoste/Fila crewneck tennis performance tops (black/white) to change during match
2 small towels + 1 spare handkerchief
Drawstring Bag to put wet clothes/OGs/Wristbands/Caps/towels after use (store in shoe compartment of bag)
Medicine bag - inhaler, salt pills, Advil, bandaids, anti-blood spray, upset stomach pills, Icyhot spray, spare contacts, eye drops
Sunscreen spray - non-greasy
Clif Bloks orange flavor energy gel - 3-4 packs
Reading glasses, pen, sticky notepad, Iphone
Braces in case of injury/tweaks - neoprene ankle, calf sleeve, fabric knee, bubble elbow, arm sleeve
Sometimes - 4th racquet for practice when I’m trying a new racquet or stringjob

This is intense. Anti-blood spray?

 

[gino]

Perfect setup for a UTR 3.3 reveal.

Please share with us what entitles you to be such a douchebagg. Let the guy share what he wants. We’re all waiting for your playing footage now

Kind of a troll response, if you don't like the premise of the thread just find another. It's boring if you just post one tis6 strung last year and a single use water bottle.

Retweet

 

[gino]

delete

 

[gino]

Depending on my mood:
Prestige Classic 600
Pro Tour 630
Prestige Pro 2023

Shoes:
Nike Vapor 9.5

Cheers mate. Classics all around

 

[Alcawrath]

This is intense. Anti-blood spray?

I wish I had anti blood spray about two weeks ago. I've never cut myself opening a can of balls until then. Slit myself right under the cuticle and it just wouldn't stop bleeding. The only thing I had in my bag was a roll of white electrical tape that I use for finishing tape sometimes and had to use that just to play without bleeding everywhere.

 

[Fed Kennedy]

Kind of a troll response, if you don't like the premise of the thread just find another. It's boring if you just post one tis6 strung last year and a single use water bottle.

 

[BenC]

Besides the usual mentioned above:
1L fluids per hour of court time
2 Clif bars
finger tape

Since I mostly play at public courts:
Leaf blower
Net repair kit - duct tape, zip ties, rope, small swiss army knife

 

[Alcawrath]

This made my day. It's even more complete with the trader Joe's bag. I would be terrified to play whoever shows up to the courts with this

 

[socallefty]

This is intense. Anti-blood spray?

Anti-bleeding spray.

 

[socallefty]

I wish I had anti blood spray about two weeks ago. I've never cut myself opening a can of balls until then. Slit myself right under the cuticle and it just wouldn't stop bleeding. The only thing I had in my bag was a roll of white electrical tape that I use for finishing tape sometimes and had to use that just to play without bleeding everywhere.

That is one of the common cases when bleeding happens. I’ve also had myself or others fall or run into the fence and suffer cuts that required the spray to stop bleeding.

 

[fed1]

Racquet: Wilson BLX Steam 100 Pro Stock with Blade V9 98 Paint job and specs, with the exception of string pattern.
String: Restring Zero 1.23
Tension: 48 indoors 49 outdoor
Bag: Wilson Super Tour 15 Red
Grip: Wilson Pro Overgrip White
Shoes: Wilson Rush Pro 4.0 and 4.5
Water bottle: Waterdrop ATP Tour with LMNT Watermelon
Clothing: Vuori

 

[Soundbyte]

Since I mostly play at public courts:
Leaf blower
Net repair kit - duct tape, zip ties, rope, small swiss army knife

These are underrated. I also have a cheap squeegee in my car for inevitable puddles.

 

[gino]

Asics Gel Resolution 9 shoes
Thorlo L3 mini-crew socks
Lacoste tennis shorts (red/black)
Lacoste/Ellese tennis performance polo (red/black/white)
Adidas sports underwear (not cotton)
Handkerchief
UnderHammer Playmaker gallon sports jug filled with water

Wilson 12-pack black bag
3 Babolat Pure Strike Tours (G3) strung with VS17/HyperG Soft 18 at 47/44 lbs
Overgrip (white/red) - Wilson Pro/Perf, Babolat VS, Volkl V-Dry or Head ExtremeSoft (including 1 spare)
Babolat Vibrakill white dampeners (including one spare)
Tecnifibre X1 balls (New can and 12-15 old balls in drawstring bags)
Adidas or Nike red tennis caps - 3
Oakley sunglasses - 2 (lighter and darker lens)
Adidas or Nike double red/black wristbands (synthetic and not cotton) - about 8-10
2-3 Lacoste/Fila crewneck tennis performance tops (black/white) to change during match
2 small towels + 1 spare handkerchief
Drawstring Bag to put wet clothes/OGs/Wristbands/Caps/towels after use (store in shoe compartment of bag)
Medicine bag - inhaler, salt pills, Advil, bandaids, anti-bleeding spray, upset stomach pills, Icyhot spray, spare contacts, eye drops
Sunscreen spray - non-greasy
Clif Bloks orange flavor energy gel - 3-4 packs
Reading glasses, pen, sticky notepad, Iphone
Braces in case of injury/tweaks - neoprene ankle, calf sleeve, fabric knee, bubble elbow, arm sleeve
Sometimes - 4th racquet for practice when I’m trying a new racquet or stringjob

Appreciate how detailed you went. The idea behind the thread was to answer the question however you like & i appreciate the detail. You

Couple questions out of this:

• How long have you been using Thorlo & what cuts have you tried?
• Of the overgrips listed, what is your go-to?
• Salt pulls a good shout, never thought about that
• Rarely see people endorse Tec balls. what do you like about them over others?
• How are you liking the hyper G soft 18? personally love thin guage soft poly

 

[gino]

Besides the usual mentioned above:
1L fluids per hour of court time
2 Clif bars
finger tape

Since I mostly play at public courts:
Leaf blower
Net repair kit - duct tape, zip ties, rope, small swiss army knife

net repair kit! haha thats a fun one

 

[gino]

Racquet: Wilson BLX Steam 100 Pro Stock with Blade V9 98 Paint job and specs, with the exception of string pattern.
String: Restring Zero 1.23
Tension: 48 indoors 49 outdoor
Bag: Wilson Super Tour 15 Red
Grip: Wilson Pro Overgrip White
Shoes: Wilson Rush Pro 4.0 and 4.5
Water bottle: Waterdrop ATP Tour with LMNT Watermelon
Clothing: Vuori

sweet loadout mate. how are you liking the restring zero? also curious to know what you think of the waterdrop products. is the closest common sports bev something like vitawin water?

also, that steam pro stock with blade paint sounds sick

 

[socallefty]

Appreciate how detailed you went. The idea behind the thread was to answer the question however you like & i appreciate the detail. You

Couple questions out of this:

• How long have you been using Thorlo & what cuts have you tried?
• Of the overgrips listed, what is your go-to?
• Salt pulls a good shout, never thought about that
• Rarely see people endorse Tec balls. what do you like about them over others?
• How are you liking the hyper G soft 18? personally love thin guage soft poly

Thorlo - maybe 20 years. I‘ve tried Experia, but always go back to the maximum padding since I play every day and need the extra cushioning. Mini-crew is just a style choice as I prefer it to the full crew look
OG - no go-to. I use different OGs on each of my 3 racquets to differentiate them (so I don’t have to look at serial numbers) as I keep track of stringjob hours on each racquet. The ones I listed all work well - somewhat thin with some tack and absorb sweat well. Tried many others that don’t make the cut.
Salt pills - I use only on very humid days. I eat them before the match rather than during the match
Tec X1 balls - they are the best! Lasts very long, high bounce, doesn’t fluff up too much too soon, no bad quality cans in a case, comes 4 to a can. If I play 3-balls cans (social doubles sometimes), I use ProPenn XDs which play well, but don’t last as long as X1s in terms of high bounce and have more bad cans in a case.
HyperG Soft 18 - experimented with many soft poly crosses about 5 years ago including round and shaped ones and picked HyperG as the best for me. A year later HG Soft came out and it performed similarly, but had more comfort. So I switched to it and haven’t tried anything else since - I break my gut in about 15 hours. HG Soft doesn’t go dead in less than 15 hours for me. I tried it in fullbed a couple of times, but prefer the hybrid.

I‘ve extensively tried different models/brands in just about every category I’ve listed that goes into my bag and feel like what I use are the best that work for my needs.

 

[Power Player]

Pretty much what's always in my bag:

Definitely some energy bars and 64 ounce of water with electrolyte powder. I always have salt tablet chews.
Some Oakley shades, plus I have some cheap yellows for crappy dusk lighting.
Shoes are Diadora Blue shield wides
Clothes - whatever is clean and matching. Wilson is making the best quality right now.
3 frames, whatever I am into at the time. Right now it would be some old Pure Drives.
2-3 cans of Pro Penns, and some over grips.
Chapstick, sunscreen,extra caps and wristbands.

More importantly than all that would be an epic stretch session and a 30 minute pre match warmup somewhere. That trumps all gear for me, besides needing food and water.

 

[fed1]

sweet loadout mate. how are you liking the restring zero? also curious to know what you think of the waterdrop products. is the closest common sports bev something like vitawin water?

also, that steam pro stock with blade paint sounds sick

I like the Zero a lot!! Not to stiff and holds tension really well.
The Waterdrop bottle was a gift and it came with some sample packets of their hydration products, I wasn’t a huge fan. I really like the LMNT products.

 

[leng jai]

Exactly this minus the bag, just put your phone and car keys in your pocket mate.

Please share with us what entitles you to be such a douchebagg. Let the guy share what he wants. We’re all waiting for your playing footage now



Retweet

Kind of a troll response, if you don't like the premise of the thread just find another. It's boring if you just post one tis6 strung last year and a single use water bottle.

That super long list of stuff just reminded me of the meme where players showing up decked out in all the gear with 5 rackets and a massive bag just to turn out to be a beginner.

I'm the meme of the guy that turned up with two old school rackets and a bottle minus the destroying everyone part. I'm sure socallefty would double bagel me just by spamming cross court forehands to my single hander.

 

[Chairman3]

Near miss with the title
We almost had "your match day load"
Totally different thread

Now back to your regularly scheduled posts...

 

[Chairman3]

Alright alright, serious post
Match for your life gear

Bag: Tecnifibre Endurance 15 pack (current bag)
Balls: ProPenn Marathon
Shoes: Vapor 9.5 (hard court), Vapor X (clay)
Apparel: Nike Aeroreact shirt, shorts, white Nike ankle socks, plain white head band (or a mcenroe Americana one)
Large white towel

Frames: Wilson Ultra Tour (prostock)
String: Head Lynx 17, Luxilon Timo 110, Element Soft IR, Poly Tour Strike 1.20
Overgrip: Dunlop ViperDry
Fluids: 32oz chilled water, 20oz electrolyte drink (liquid iv, prime, nuun)

Misc extras: Snack (granola bars or the like), extra electrolyte supplement, extra headband, extra shirt, wristbands, sunscreen

Good topic, took me awhile to come up with this.

 

[Fed Kennedy]

This made my day. It's even more complete with the trader Joe's bag. I would be terrified to play whoever shows up to the courts with this

"To realize that all your life - all your love, all your hate, all your memory, all your pain, it was all the same thing. It was all the same dream, a dream that you had inside a locked room. A dream about bein' a person.... And like a lot of dreams, there's a monster (with a Ti.S6) at the end of it"

 

[socallefty]

We almost had "your match day load"

Better to have the wife around and drop off your load before you battle in the match of your life.

Best warmup to keep the testosterone levels optimal.

 

[gino]

Nothing yet. I have three pairs of GPT that are getting close to done, but then another six pairs I've never worn. Then a brand new Cage4 that I have to wear out, plus a Cage 2 I've worn like twice. And then five pairs of clay shoes. So it's gonna be a while until I need to shoe shop again. That really feels like 3-4 seasons worth of shoes, IMO. There will be enough Cage 4s out there for a while too, IMO.

Smart man stocking on the GPTs. I think they are gonna be one of those icons that gets reissued in 15 years even tho they didnt have a huge ATP tour presense

Been thinking on that a little more lately, some things I dont love about the GPT are the chunky rocker feel and the medial toe thick/stiff rubber. I wonder if either of those elements kept vapor guys from trying

I don't like Vapors for this reason, I always end up pulling something in the leg when the shoes get old. Love the look and feel but I can't float in them like the GPs or dig/grip like the Cage4

I wouldn't be surprised if it was related

I think anytime we wear a more minimal shoe (what the vapor was intended to be), you sacrifice some of the protective elements like cushion, strong uppers, etc. Kind of a trade off imo for speed

 

[gino]

Pretty much what's always in my bag:

Definitely some energy bars and 64 ounce of water with electrolyte powder. I always have salt tablet chews.
Some Oakley shades, plus I have some cheap yellows for crappy dusk lighting.
Shoes are Diadora Blue shield wides
Clothes - whatever is clean and matching. Wilson is making the best quality right now.
3 frames, whatever I am into at the time. Right now it would be some old Pure Drives.
2-3 cans of Pro Penns, and some over grips.
Chapstick, sunscreen,extra caps and wristbands.

More importantly than all that would be an epic stretch session and a 30 minute pre match warmup somewhere. That trumps all gear for me, besides needing food and water.

Love it dude, especially the Diadora Blue Shields (if I give up on Nike will try). Ya'll are making me think I need to go get some salt tabs/pills. Good shouts on the pre-match routines, a must!

 

[gino]

Near miss with the title
We almost had "your match day load"
Totally different thread

Now back to your regularly scheduled posts...

lmaoooooooo

Alright alright, serious post
Match for your life gear

Bag: Tecnifibre Endurance 15 pack (current bag)
Balls: ProPenn Marathon
Shoes: Vapor 9.5 (hard court), Vapor X (clay)
Apparel: Nike Aeroreact shirt, shorts, white Nike ankle socks, plain white head band (or a mcenroe Americana one)
Large white towel

Frames: Wilson Ultra Tour (prostock)
String: Head Lynx 17, Luxilon Timo 110, Element Soft IR, Poly Tour Strike 1.20
Overgrip: Dunlop ViperDry
Fluids: 32oz chilled water, 20oz electrolyte drink (liquid iv, prime, nuun)

Misc extras: Snack (granola bars or the like), extra electrolyte supplement, extra headband, extra shirt, wristbands, sunscreen

Good topic, took me awhile to come up with this.

Some sweet stuff in here. Love to hear youre still working the 9.5/10 vapor combo depending on surface. In a vacuum, which is your favorite?

McEnroe headband is GOATed. Whats the spec on your ultra tours? Curious how you have those modified if at all. Also cool to see another fan of the Nuun stuff. I think Im going to try waterdrop too, but have always liked Nuun

& appreciate the shout. Feels like we need more broad discussions like this in our subforum, a lot of zoned in on certain makes/models. This def allows for some cool dialogue

 

[Chairman3]

lmaoooooooo



Some sweet stuff in here. Love to hear youre still working the 9.5/10 vapor combo depending on surface. In a vacuum, which is your favorite?

McEnroe headband is GOATed. Whats the spec on your ultra tours? Curious how you have those modified if at all. Also cool to see another fan of the Nuun stuff. I think Im going to try waterdrop too, but have always liked Nuun

& appreciate the shout. Feels like we need more broad discussions like this in our subforum, a lot of zoned in on certain makes/models. This def allows for some cool dialogue

1. It's hard to say because I have only used the 9.5 on hard court and only used the X on clay. They're so similar but I might give the edge to the X. Seems like a slightly deeper heel cup and somehow faster feeling.

2. I got the Ultra Tours from a former WTA pro she had them spec'd to 315g unstrung and I think 31.5 cm balance. I added a leather grip and they end up like 345g, 31.8cm w/OG strung, Strung SW is 335-340. Silicone in the handle and lead under the head guard. So solid feeling. Worst part was the 1/4 grip which feels small to me, especially when my hand starts sweating. I retired these last year as they got harder for me to use facing tougher opponents. I've been longing to pull them back out though.

Prime is good too, they sell the powder sticks and they've got some interesting flavors. I try to find them on sale cause otherwise they're a bit pricey.

 

[Rosstour]

Smart man stocking on the GPTs. I think they are gonna be one of those icons that gets reissued in 15 years even tho they didnt have a huge ATP tour presense

Been thinking on that a little more lately, some things I dont love about the GPT are the chunky rocker feel and the medial toe thick/stiff rubber. I wonder if either of those elements kept vapor guys from trying



I think anytime we wear a more minimal shoe (what the vapor was intended to be), you sacrifice some of the protective elements like cushion, strong uppers, etc. Kind of a trade off imo for speed

I think in the case of the Vapor it is more about "feel" than true speed. The GPT and VC4 are faster despite being heavier

And that is why Nike haven't persisted with the super-light "speed shoes" anymore, because you can actually run harder in something that offers more support, especially when you add the goofy looking heel

 

[gino]

1. It's hard to say because I have only used the 9.5 on hard court and only used the X on clay. They're so similar but I might give the edge to the X. Seems like a slightly deeper heel cup and somehow faster feeling.

2. I got the Ultra Tours from a former WTA pro she had them spec'd to 315g unstrung and I think 31.5 cm balance. I added a leather grip and they end up like 345g, 31.8cm w/OG strung, Strung SW is 335-340. Silicone in the handle and lead under the head guard. So solid feeling. Worst part was the 1/4 grip which feels small to me, especially when my hand starts sweating. I retired these last year as they got harder for me to use facing tougher opponents. I've been longing to pull them back out though.

Prime is good too, they sell the powder sticks and they've got some interesting flavors. I try to find them on sale cause otherwise they're a bit pricey.

1: agreed with the heel cup / fit of the X being superior. I still like the 9/9.5 outsole/midsole better, but were splitting hairs here. Both are terrific

2: So cool man. Great spec range and I bet those play like absolute tanks

3: Gotta look into prime, I see them all over grocery stores but the per bottle cost has held me back lol

 

[McGradey]

2x Wilson Blade 2015 tight patterns strung with Element or PTP
1L water
Luxilon O dampeners
Wilson Pro overgrips
Clothes: black/white Nike polo, Nike Sinner cap, Asics shorts, Thorlos, Nike Vapor 11.