tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9906588862605071622025-09-13T11:15:32.459-04:00Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-48591348590542716892025-01-29T15:26:00.002-05:002025-01-29T15:28:04.366-05:00

Artengo / Decathlon tennis ball bounce - less fun with tennis...

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-68521668728346551622024-11-07T08:20:00.003-05:002024-11-07T08:37:08.956-05:00

As I had trouble finding retailers (and up the chain, manufacturers) that would send me at least 3 true to spec racquets, I decided to try and order a bunch myself and keep the (best) fitting ones.The last few years, I mostly played with the 2019 Prince TeXtreme Tour 100 310g. Occasionally switching back to the trusty RF97A. Had demo'd a bunch lately including the VCORE 98 but couldn't find

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-27633287190538025652024-10-27T17:35:00.012-04:002024-11-07T07:22:27.630-05:00

Bought 6, sent 5 back...But let's start at the beginning. As quickly mentioned before, I felt drawn back to the 2023 VCORE 98 when demoing racquets. Mostly I liked how fast it moved through the air. The frame felt like a natural match for my longer swings. For some time, I'd been wondering if I should move from my quite balanced 310g / 310mm Prince frame to something that would be a bit

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-91574926459280420442024-09-08T08:52:00.007-04:002024-09-10T08:30:36.430-04:00

Word on the courts has been that Yonex was pretty much the only brand from which you can pick up sticks off the shelf and they'd be very close to spec. Meaning also one would not have to worry about matching between them. I was looking at the Percept 97H, as that's pretty much the only heavy racquet on the market since the RF97A had left the show. Measured a few and was surprised and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-43196199849181938342023-04-05T14:32:00.001-04:002023-04-05T14:32:44.419-04:00

Some of us, myself included, are always trying to find the perfect racquet and setup. Getting that right to the gram and kps. Then put much effort into ending up with additional racquets that match, including the frame itself, the string jobs, the grip feel, and so on.However, part of the fun of playing tennis can also be experiencing different gear. Just as we can appreciate multiple stadium

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-60384587266673161792023-04-05T11:16:00.002-04:002023-04-05T11:16:47.791-04:00

Personally I really like the shape of the classic Wilson pallets, however I (currently?) seem to fall right between sizes 2 and 3 (4 1/4 and 4 3/8). 2 options: 1) make the thicker one thinner, or 2) make the thinner one thicker.Assuming one uses overgrips, the easiest thing is to apply them with different pull and overlap, and try different kinds brands and models there (e.g. different

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-31778593450644427712023-04-05T08:38:00.000-04:002023-04-05T08:38:04.947-04:00

Time is always precious, but in places like New York where people queue up at Central Park before 6am or pay ~$140/hour just for the court, you quickly start to wonder how to make the most out of a session. Of course one would want to make sure the gear is in top shape, to fuel up beforehand, and arrive with time for prep and a off-court warm-up.As for the actual hit, here's a sample plan

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-45259963547558674932023-04-05T07:29:00.001-04:002023-04-05T07:29:28.375-04:00

... is probably the opposite of second guessing oneself.From personal experience, I can say if we'd like to e.g. hit that crazy high risk drop shot, then go for it all the way. Any second thoughts and we'll probably mess it up. Putting that doubt into the middle of stroke.Even though I'm conscious of this self-sabotage, it still happens. Hopefully less so over time.Same with anything we do on

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-30410474445079790772022-06-12T07:34:00.007-04:002025-01-16T09:33:21.618-05:00

I see this quite often and have of course experienced myself: backing off on match point. That might still win the point and hence the match, but if it doesn't a few things tend to happen: Getting even tighter from then on. Handing over control to the opponent. And if the match does slip away, regrets: why didn't I go for it?In a 2x2 of won / lost, and having taken  / given charge,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-51132137973627856212019-08-07T06:37:00.001-04:002021-11-10T15:23:59.911-05:00

Think this has been covered quite a few times by now, but I'm still seeing and hearing even better players talk about light or heavy racquets, and with that referring to static weight. However, except for block volleys the racquet is usually in motion, and the measure for how heavy that feels is swing weight - one could argue the most important spec! Tennis-Warehouse e.g. measures and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-8881059994044668632019-07-24T08:56:00.000-04:002019-07-29T07:04:09.166-04:00

[BETA POST to get the content out there, will brush up if there's interest] TL;DR: In 2019, still can't go wrong with the Wilson US Open Extra Duty or Slazenger Wimbledon. You know how to shop... Since a friend asked me about this the other day, here are some quick thoughts on the state of tennis balls in 2019. There surely are a lot of options on the market - but subjectively,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-76101433440222361472018-12-25T14:10:00.001-05:002018-12-28T09:57:47.962-05:00

Alright, so I've put on record before that subjectively, TeXtreme is so far the nicest playing material of the millennium. Well done Prince! Also, I felt the last couple generations of Prince's lineup were well thought out - nice specs, good range of racquets. Personally I've just been missing a replacement for the somewhat hefty but friendly Speedport Tour that I've played for a few years. The

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-19508438624310547632018-07-24T05:28:00.001-04:002021-11-09T13:16:35.086-05:00

I've now used the Hyper-G for the last couple of seasons in practice and 100+ competitive matches, so I thought a quick long-term review is in order: I remember at first, I didn't believe the hype. Supposedly Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, and active pros like Sam Querrey, Donald Young were quite excited about the Hyper-G and were using it voluntarily. Initially, when I tried the string short after

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-31716873708448567582018-07-23T16:07:00.002-04:002024-11-11T11:35:33.958-05:00

(2018 update: added quick EZONE 98 comparison below)(2024 update: since there's no more DR 98, here's a review of the 2023 VCORE 98) I did quite enjoy hitting with the Ai 98, so have really been looking forward to try its successor. Let's jump right into it: Specs Length: 69 cm (measured on demo) Frame width: 23 / 24 / 19 mm (Yonex) Head size: 98 in² / 632 cm² (Yonex) String pattern: 16 x 19

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-27856625441601006252018-07-22T18:16:00.002-04:002024-11-11T11:31:33.434-05:00

Opinions seem differ on this, but I found that string color can significantly affect string performance. For example, the Kirschbaum Pro Line 2 feels nice and plush in red, but pretty stiff in black. So how about the Völkl Cyclone, one of the most popular polys out there, and (again) my current string of choice? In general, the Cyclone has been considered a great half-priced alternative to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-58108813229043404562018-07-21T16:33:00.000-04:002018-12-26T10:25:33.352-05:00

aka "the best overgrip" for tennis (and maybe other racquet sports like badminton too...): This can be short one - at the end of the day, the white grips packaged as 2 x 15 rolls seem to be much grippier than the other colors. And in my experience, even white grips in other packaging such as individual wraps or rolls (e.g. in the 60 box). It's still my favorite overgrip, despite having to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-5118986463115929182018-07-20T04:20:00.000-04:002018-07-26T04:25:21.499-04:00

Just a few lines about the popular (and quite expensive!) "Champions Choice" string job - a hybrid of Wilson's own gut and Luxilon's Alu Power Rough. Of course Roger made it famous. Like a few other top pros like Novak and Andy, he has the gut put in the mains for power. If you want to prioritize spin, you'd put the Rough there (since the racquet head mostly brushes up on the ball sideways).

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-65446030230019155482017-04-04T08:30:00.000-04:002018-05-14T03:58:57.581-04:00

[BETA POST to get the content out there, will build out if there's interest] A friend asked me the other day for some pointers regarding stretching for tennis, so I might as well publish what I sent him. Disclaimer that I'm not a physio - the below are exercises that have worked well for me over the last decades, maybe some of them work for you as well! First and foremost, cold-stretching

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-31168511022497675522017-03-16T13:22:00.003-04:002017-03-19T07:33:16.448-04:00

[BETA POST to get the content out there, will build out if there's interest] Some of the questions addressed below * What happens to my tennis game if seeing / vision improves?* Reversely, if I don't see well, what happens to my game?* Should I play tennis with glasses or contact lenses?* What happens when I start playing tennis with glasses?* How does the magnifying effect affect my game?* How

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-56450334990899291032016-09-06T11:20:00.002-04:002024-11-11T11:36:22.120-05:00

These days, it's thankfully easy to look up specs for individual mainstream racquets. One good resource is Tennis Warehouse (RF 97 example), who also offer their Racquet Finder to find racquets within custom ranges. However, I haven't found a nice overview showing the current spectrum of what you can buy, so I took a first pass at creating one. The below charts are derived from roughly 250

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-548823456030517602016-07-31T14:47:00.002-04:002016-09-21T07:45:43.527-04:00

After playing the Tour Bite 1.25 for a good while and occasionally ending up with arm pain, I started looking at the 1.20 and 1.15 mm versions, as they are significantly softer / less stiff. I ended up ordering all 3, and strung up my 3 SixOnes @ 21/20 kg for a direct comparison: My playing impression was that both thinner gauges are playable, even for someone like me who's been committed to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-83079848334270224592016-07-22T17:19:00.001-04:002024-11-11T11:36:59.098-05:00

After about half a year of playing and North of 100,000 ball contacts with the RF, it's probably a good time to post an in-depth review. Remember that Wilson has been stating that the racquet was co-developed with Roger, and that he is actually playing with what you can buy. So here's your chance to feel like Roger, at least a little :) So how does his racquet feel, actually? Specs Official:

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-48586521881803283472016-07-20T10:34:00.001-04:002024-11-11T11:29:08.803-05:00

Took me a while to get hands on this one, but the demo was worth the wait: playing with Prince's 2015-year Tour 95 reminded me a bit of the Wilson Tour 90 - a fun to play, fast, precise, can-do-anything frame. The TeXtreme material was a very positive surprise to me. Out of the last 100+ racquets I've taken for a spin, I'd put the TeXtreme 95 in the top 3 of "most pleasant hitting sensation".

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-37219479639073311492016-06-30T16:32:00.001-04:002024-11-11T11:37:15.961-05:00

[BETA POST to get the content out there, will build out if there's interest] Now that we have somewhat of an overview of mainstream racquets, it's probably interesting to compare that to what the pros are playing with. Most top level pros use frames built upon proven basis, so called "pro stock" frames. Those are then build up to the pro's liking. As a final step, they receive the paint

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-990658886260507162.post-75855848202922762202016-06-28T16:42:00.001-04:002024-11-11T11:37:46.224-05:00

Taking the last string related post a step further, here's a comparison between some strings I consider interesting in 2016. Again, I made the highest value for each string property a 1, and the lowest a 0. Now we can somewhat easily see how they compare to each other: (Click image to enlarge) Takeaways: The Babolat RPM Blast is pretty stiff, gives back a decent amount of energy, but

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com