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Head Liquidmetal Radical MP, MSV Focus 1.18, 25/24kg
Favourite Players: Federer, Agassi, Safin, Roddick, (Haas), Kohlschreiber, Henman, Hewitt -
Weil die Sanguinetti die Rede war,die Werte sind ja auch nicht immer aktuell...
Glaub volandri hat das inzwischen schon locker getoppt mit seinen 14kg oder so
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In Hamburg waren es bei Volandri 11 Kilo!Kommentar
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Achtung Nachbarplatz
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die lässt er sich extra für die Spiele draufmachen, die er verschieben will *g*Kommentar
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Oder so,hehehe
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Hallo,
Paradorn Srichaphan hat ja am Griffende so eine Wulst.
Wisst ihr woraus die besteht und wie man die an den Griff bekommt(über oder unter das Overgrip)?
Danke
Bild-Url: http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Se..._BNu_vQAEAAA.#Kommentar
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VIelleicht ähnlich wie bei Muster,Hrbaty oder damals auch Kafelnikov...
Einfach n sehr starkes aber schmales Tesaband nehmen und am Griffende mehrlagig wickeln,es gab sogar mal irgendwann einen Bericht im TM,hab ich aber nichtmehr...
Sei selbst kreativ,das ist sicher nicht sooo schwer...Kommentar
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Hallo,
ich habe mal eine Frage:
Der Spieler Paradorn Srichaphan hat ja früher ein Racket mit 18*20 Saiten gespielt, mit 23,5kg(quer) und 24,5kg(längs).
Mit viel kg würde er eurer Meinung nach jetzt besaiten lassen, mit seinem Racket, wo 16*19 Saiten sind, um die gleiche Flächenhärte zu bekommen?
Vielen Dank im VorausKommentar
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musst du jede frage in mehreren threads stellen?Kommentar
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Head (Dunlop) Amelie - allez!
Hätte auch gut in den Head Radical Club gespasst
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@ Flo
ich hab die Auktion auch gesehen. Hab den Verkäufer mal kontaktiert um die Daten des Schlägers zu bekommen. Mal sehen was resp. ob er antwortet...http://www.tennisflohmarkt.de/showmemberads.php?uid=6Kommentar
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Der Link wurde heute schonmal gespostet.Kannte ihn schon,wollte ihn dennoch mal posten,da ganz interessant
Racquet Man
New York City’s Roman Prokes has become the stringer to the stars
RPNY Tennis Located on the second floor of a small, non-descript walk-up building on East 51st St. in Manhattan sits RPNY Tennis. Upon first entering you might think that it’s just your run-of-the-mill retail tennis shop. To your left you’ll probably find a stringer lacing up a racquet, on the walls there are some new racquets and packages of strings, and in the middle of the floor there’s a desk where customers place their orders. Nothing screams that this is a unique store that caters to the needs of the game’s most finicky players.
But as you make your way towards the back, you start to realize that something is a little different about RPNY. There you will find a wall made up of dozens of square cubby holes, each housing 8–10 racquets with names like Roddick, McEnroe, Agassi, and Sharapova written on the bottom. You will also see racks of racquets from various manufacturers without handles and equipment that would seem to be more appropriate in an auto mechanic’s garage.
This is the workplace of Roman Prokes, stringer and racquet customizer to some of the biggest names in tennis. He can modify a frame’s length, weight, and balance, then match it with a string so that the racquet is tailor-made for a particular player’s needs. We caught up with Prokes at his shop right before the U.S. Open to talk about the finer points of racquets and strings.
TENNIS: Say somebody comes into your store looking to buy a new racquet. What do you tell them?
Roman Prokes: When people first come in I almost always try to talk them out of buying a racquet. Because if they buy a racquet and leave, then come back in two weeks and say that their elbow hurts, or the ball flies too much or not enough, they won’t be happy. So I try to get them to demo a frame. Even if they demo a frame once and come back and say that they loved it, it’s great, I try to get them to demo it at least two more times. It’s just like a toy. You get excited the first time and the first time everything feels great. The second time maybe it’s not so great. But it’s better if it takes them two or more times to demo the racquet.
How do you steer a player toward a particular racquet?
I ask them questions. How do you play? What are you looking for? If you get a kid who is 17 or 18, most of the time he’s playing from the back of the court with heavy topspin. Right there you already know that the guy needs control and things to keep the ball in the court. So you need smaller head size, non–wide body, a player-type racquet. There’s no right brand because they all make great racquets. You have to try them all because they each offer a different feel that you might like. So you’re basically within four or five frames by talking with me.
How can altering the weight or other specifications in a racquet come into play?
If someone says he loves the racquet, but didn’t like it on the serve because the ball flies too deep, it’s a very simple solution. Make the racquet more head heavy and the racquet will come down on the ball. If someone says he loves the racquet, but it’s too light, weight doesn’t mean anything because we customize. Just by adding a little weight to make it heavier helps a lot.
What about matching strings to the player?
I always will first ask a person how they play. And by how they play it doesn’t mean if they’re a good or bad player. It’s more about do you have a short or long swing? Do you come to the net a lot? Do you play at the baseline? Do you use heavy topspin?
Let’s say you’re someone who comes to the net all the time and play a lot of doubles. At that point you have a choice between polyester strings, synthetics—there are many different kinds—and natural gut. The next question would be how often do you break strings? If you hit pretty flat and come to the net often, you rarely break strings. Then I would recommend probably natural gut. It gives you the most feel, the most of everything. And since you’re not going to break it, you’re not concerned about the cost.
If you tell me that you break strings all the time, play with heavy topspin like Nadal, that’s great for me if you use natural gut because you’re going to break strings twice a day. Then I would recommend Luxilon strings. Any kind of polyester really, but I like to work with Luxilon because I think they’re great. It lasts longer, it bites the ball, it gives you the control.
So basically by me questioning and you giving me the answers I kind of steer you in a certain direction. A lot of times it takes a couple tries.
You brought up Luxilon. It’s made a huge impact on the pro tour. Do many of your recreational clients play with it?RPNY Tennis
A lot of our retail customers love Luxilon. People just have to know how to string it as far as tension, because people make a mistake and string it too tight. The string has such control, you really don’t have to string it that tightly.
What about hybrids? It seems pretty popular to put Luxilon or another polyester in the mains for durability, and gut in the crosses to soften the string bed. Do you string a lot of racquets that way?
Most of our players use Luxilon or combine it with natural gut. You kind of get the best of both worlds. You get great control and bite on the ball from Luxilon, and great feel from natural gut. Usually you string the gut a couple pounds tighter. For instance for a Head Prestige Mid it’s usually 53 lbs for Luxilon and a couple pounds more for the gut.
How do the racquets you customize for the pros different from what the regular player buys off the rack?
People see things in magazines that the pros use completely different frames. It’s not really the case. There could be slight, slight differences. But mostly it’s in the customizing. So the inside of the frame is made the same or in a very similar way. The company may add a little weight because the player needs it to be heavier, but otherwise it’s very similar to what you buy.
What’s the biggest change you can make on a racquet?
Changing the length of the racquet makes the biggest difference. Some people say to just make the racquet a quarter of an inch longer, but a quarter of an inch is huge in a racquet. When you change the length you have to change everything—weight, balance, swing weight—so that you can handle the racquet.
Can you take me through the process of customizing a racquet for a professional?
I work closely with Prince. And when Maria Sharapova was switching to the O-Ports I went down to Florida a couple of times to find out what she wants. I can’t tell her how to hit a forehand, but [I find out] what can we do with her equipment to make it better. You just have to be able to listen basically and communicate with people. So we go back and forth with Prince to find out what is possible, and what’s not. We come up with sample racquets. Slight different tweaks that they can customize. Then Maria tests them out and from the response we’re much closer to the actual product that Maria will use.
The racquet she played with before which she thought was great was something she played with when she was younger. As she got bigger and stronger, we all felt she needed a racquet that was more of a weapon. A much heavier racquet. With the O-Ports we were able to, because the way it goes through the air, it doesn’t slow you down. It allows you to build up the weight on the racquet without the player saying she’s too slow. That’s allowed us to go noticeably higher weight for her. Now when she’s pushed she can hit a decent defensive shot. There’s more weight on the ball.
How heavy is Sharapova’s racquet?
The unstrung weight for Sharapova is 320 grams [or about 11.3 ounces]. Everybody measures in grams because ounces aren’t exact enough. She used to use around 300 grams [or about 10.6 ounces] before. For the most part women like to use lighter racquets because they play with longer racquets.
I noticed Lindsay Davenport has a cubby hole along the wall. What are the specs on her racquet like?
In a way she’s similar to Maria. Longer racquet, 27.5 inches actually, a little bit lighter at 301.5 grams, and noticeably more head heavy. So when you swing the racquet around it doesn’t seem so light anymore. Having a head-heavy racquet could make you late on the ball if you play on a really quick court. If you’re looking for stability you have to balance the weight out. If you add weight to the head, then you have to add to the handle is well. Otherwise it disrupts the balance.
Which pro you work with uses the longest racquet?
Marion Bartoli’s racquet is 29 inches. Incredibly unusual. If you watch her play it makes a little sense she uses two hands on both sides.
Should players use the heaviest racquet they can comfortably handle?
One hundred percent. You just can’t overdo it because it will slow you down. But as heavy as you can handle. I would say we add weight to 9 out of 10 racquets here.
Which pros use particularly heavy racquets?
Most of the older generation of players like the racquets pretty heavy. Tommy Haas and all those guys. Heavy, more evenly balanced racquets. Haas’ racquet is 352 grams [or about 12.4 ounces] unstrung. Same with John McEnroe.
Who has the heaviest racquet?
The heaviest frame I use to do was for Gabriela Sabatini. It was over 400 grams [or about 14.1 ounces]. Mark Woodforde was incredibly heavy, and Thomas Muster was incredibly heavy. They played a little bit over 400.
What about changes in grip sizes?
In general, players are using smaller grips than they used to. The way they hit the ball, you can come over it much, much more.
Any player that you work with who is pretty big in size, but uses an unusually small grip?
The smallest one was Guga Kuerten. He played with one that was like 4 1/8 inches. He actually wouldn’t use a grip—he would just use three overgrips. He would have a bare handle and wrap three super tight overgrips on it. Spanish players in general, because of the way they play on clay courts behind the baseline, a lot of them play with small grip sizes.
Anybody use a 4 and 5/8?
Mike Bryan, but not many else.
What about Agassi?
Andre uses 4 and 7/16.
What about the weight of his racquet?
340 grams [or about 12 ounces].
And the strings?
He uses all Luxilon. It was in Rome, about five years ago between the first and second round, and I had talked to him about Luxilon for some time, that he told me he now wanted to try it. I told him it probably wasn’t the best time.
Agassi strikes me as the type of player who is extremely particular about his racquets specifications. Is that true?
Andre knows what he wants. He’s the ultimate professional.Zuletzt geändert von Gast; 28.01.2008, 19:38.Kommentar
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Tailor Made: Customizing your racquet
Tinkering with the specs on your racquet can turn a good stick into a great one. The pros do it, and so should you.
By Paul Wachter
Odds are that the racquet you see Andy Roddick or Maria Sharapova using spent its early life in a cubbyhole in a nonde-script offi ce in Midtown Manhattan. It sat there for weeks—at that point just a frame, no handle—until Roman Prokes got the call for a resupply. Then he me-ticulously customized the racquet to the player’s demanding specifications.
For the pros, mass-produced frames won’t do. There’s too much variability. A gram too top-heavy and the racquet just won’t feel right. Pete Sampras used to complain that if too much ink was used to stencil the Wilson logo on his strings, he could feel the difference.
Prokes, owner of RPNY Tennis and a TENNIS advisor, likens himself to a tailor. “If you buy a suit off the rack, even if it fi ts well it’s not going to be perfect. The same thing goes for tennis racquets.
”While much of his business involves working with professionals—Prokes often travels with the tours as a stringer—he offers the same customization services to anyone. He’s been in the racquet business for 23 years, long enough to see equipment trends come and go, and he understands what might benefit the average player. So before you buy a new racquet, it may be worth fine-tuning your old one.
FRAME WEIGHT
ToolsFor some time, lightweight racquets were the rage on tour. But recently, as tennis officials have fiddled with balls and surfaces to slow down the game, pros have compensated by adding weight to their frames. More weight equals more power. Most of today’s retail racquets weigh less than 300 grams, but pros’ racquets tend to weigh between 340 and 380 grams (ounces are not an exact enough measurement for the pros’ racquets).
According to Dave Holland, Prince’s senior category director, performance tennis, companies don’t mass produce heavy frames because the extra weight might be unwieldy, especially for juniors, their primary marketing target. “But I always recommend that players use the heaviest racquet that they can comfortably handle,” Holland says.
Your Turn >> Trying out demo racquets of varying weights or adding lead tape to your current model are the best ways to see if you improve with a heavier stick. In general, baseliners benefit by adding weight to the racquet head to boost power and create a bigger sweet spot. If net-rushers want a heavier racquet without sacrificing maneuverability, adding lead tape to the handle, under the grip, is the best option. Serious players who carry around several racquets might consider having them customized to the same specifications, given the variability of mass-produced retail models. “If someone has four of the same racquet, I guarantee they like one more than the others,” says David Bone, executive director of the U.S. Racquet Stringers Association and TENNIS technical advisor.
Racquets and GreepsGRIP SIZE
During a recent Federer-Nadal battle, you may have heard the commentators note how both players use unusually small grips. The pros’ handles are customized to fi t their hands, and they use much more precise measurements than the 1/8-inch increments found in store models. Nadal’s grip is roughly 4 1/8 inches in circumference, a size most recreational male players stopped using in middle school. According to Prokes, the smaller-grip trend began with clay-court specialists such as Sergi Bruguera and Gustavo Kuerten. “A smaller grip is useful for open-stance forehands. You can use a lot of wrist and it helps create sharp angles,” Prokes says.
Your Turn >> If you think your grip may be too small, it’s easy to build it up. Adding an overgrip typically increases the size by 1/16 of an inch. If that’s not sufficient, a racquet technician can add a heat-shrink sleeve (a tight fitting piece of plastic) over your handle, which adds about 1/8 inch. However, dropping down in grip size is problematic. Most of to-day’s handles aren’t made to be shaved down, and even if you could do it, the procedure could cost almost as much as a new racquet. So if you want a smaller grip, your best bet is to buy a new stick. Before you make the investment, make sure you test it out thoroughly. Just be-cause Rafa creates extra spin with a tiny grip doesn’t mean it’s going to do the same for you.
STRINGS
Fifteen years ago, most professionals were using natural gut exclusively. Today, polyester strings and blends of polyester and natural gut are the most popular. “A lot of European and South American players grew up with poly-ester because it’s a cheap and durable string,” Bone says. “When they got to the tour, they stuck with it.” The most popular polyester-based brand is Luxilon. Pros fi nd that poly offers enhanced control. Though some pros string their racquets entirely with it, most use a hybrid of polyester and natural gut. The gut provides power, while the polyester adds precision.
Prokes says the pros burn through strings, and that he restrings many pros’ racquets that they haven’t even used. That’s because over the course of a day a freshly strung racquet still loses a bit of tension. So even if Roddick uses only fi ve of the 10 racquets he has strung for a match, he’ll still have all 10 restrung.
Your Turn >> Polyester-based strings like Luxilon offer the pros greater control than natural gut or nylon, but that doesn’t mean recreational players should make the switch. “When we do blind playtests of Luxilon, it doesn’t score that high with our recreational players,” Bone says. “You may have to be a high-level player to appreciate its benefits.” If you experiment with different strings, adjust your tensions accordingly. Switch to polyester, which is stiff, and you may want to string 5 to 10 per-cent looser than normal. With natural gut, a comfortable and highly resilient string, a tighter tension may be necessary. Remember that tension drops up to 10 percent in the fi rst 24 hours after a string job. So, unless you’re restringing daily like the pros, it’s best to wait a day until the strings have settled before passing judgment.
And if you string with a hybrid, all at the same tension, keep in mind that the crosses will be tighter than the mains since they’re shorter. Plus, during stringing, as the cross strings are pulled through the main strings they loosen the mains slightly. In the end, customizing your racquet may not be enough. Each time you hit a ball, you break racquet fibers. Though there may not be a visible crack in the frame, a racquet will eventually start to feel dead. Most pros go through 50 to 70 racquets a year. In his playing days, Andre Agassi used about 100 annually. If your racquet feels dead, or “soft,” you might need an upgrade.Kommentar
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