I agree its easy to overthink things and drive yourself a bit crazy...I'm a fan of more focusing on your game and not worrying about the racquet. I always think of pete sampras winning the us open with his 85 wilson pro staff when a lot of players had switched to bigger racquets. That's why i've always gravitated towards control, average racquets but who knows, maybe a more powerful or spinny racquet would help my game. I just like the versatility of being able to do everything...hit my serves on a dime, hit effective volleys/slices etc. I think a lot of it is what you started with, are comfortable with and gravitate towards.
100% agree! I played with Aero for years but got frustrated with limited control level and feel. When 98 came I demo it and threw few other ones to the mix to have some level of comparison. One of them was Speed MP. Even though it was not in the scope of my interest I liked it so much more than others. The balance, maneuverability and the touch feel so great. I finally feel that racket doesn’t dictate how I should play, now I can play like I want.
Agree with you but a warning concerning the blade 98 which IS a little bit hard to play if WE are not in a good physical condition. However the blade 100 give more power and more indulgency and WE have the blade sensation. Magical for me
I think dunlop and prince within these years have been underrated due to marketing schemes imposed by the big dogs in the industry , head speed in my opinion is not a classic players racquet although it is one of the best
Good content. Yes Pro, heavy, small head rackets feel great for 15 mins, thennbecome a liability. Ave. MP rackets with 100si head are more suitable fpr "normal" people playing 2-3 times a week.
I own 2 speed mp 2022. head hawk touch at 22kg. I agree that you can play all style but it's erratic. You can play everything but it's launchy. I don't know wich raquet I'm going to buy. My speed are beaten up. I don't know what to do. percept ??
I'm beginner, started tennis 6 month ago with a 100"inch wilson ultra and after 2 month i switched and now i'm currently using a VCORE 98 (2023) From my point of view this racket improved my game as no other could have done it. Why ? - I need to use the right technique for each shot - print spin and power in every shot to get decent path/ground stroke - 98inch" obligate me to improve and get better footstep Right now i find myself so different from the flat pusher i was 4 month ago and even if its because its the gamestyle i developed (aggressive baseliner) i wouldn't be as good (i mean average beginner 😂) today if i were practicing with a forgiving racket From a competitive point of view, its probably good to switch back to 100inch , but i feel like i need to improve 1year maybe 2 more with a small headsize to grow faster my tennis skill. At the end it depend what ur objective are : -Play really casually for fun, dont care about improving : beginner racket - getting better at tennis (practice) unforgiving racket - u are already good but not pro : probably an average racket but i dont know cannot answer this one Sorry for my english BTW , not native speaker
Hi, so it really depends on your goals as you said. If you don't plan to get better, just play with a very forgiving tennis racket. If you plan to get better grab the racket that has enough future potential to grow with you.
Do you think Blade 98 16*19 is a better choice than Tecnifibre 315 16*19? Do you think these rackets are similar? If not, what are the bigger differences?
These rackets are quite different. Blade has more feel, more touch and overall playability is better. TF 315 feels heavy and slow. TF has a lot better stability, but you sacrifice the overall playability. TF 315 also feels like a racket for flatter hitters with one handed backhand. For me the Blade 98 16x19 is a lot versatile and players friendly racket with great overall performance.
I would say that for a rec player such as myself, that the racket help the player for example: off center hits, dampening to save the arm. I will never be a professional or get paid to play the game but I know that my serve and volley and backhand will never be the best but it would be nice to have a racket I can lean on to help me out just a bit.
I agree. A helping hand for a recreational player is always welcome. Most people need free power and forgiving feel. That's why 300 g rackets or lighter are so popular. 100 inch2 headsize or bigger is a must to feel the help from a tennis racket.
Interesting point but not sure I would agree. I’ve almost always played with the babolat pure aero (5 years now and still counting) and it has really determined my game style during my years of progression, which is not a bad thing in my opinion. Maybe I can’t really play flat, or maybe my backhand could be better, but my forehand is so good and I can put so much spin in my shots. I’m sure I wouldn’t be better if I had played with the head speed mp instead. As you said, the speed is a tool, the pure aero is a weapon. Depends on what you want from a racquet.
Yeah, it really depends on what you want from a tennis racket and what are your goals. But when you feel there is enough potential to change and improve in your game, don't get stuck with just one favourite racket for the rest of your life. You can miss something great.
It depends. I'm talking about all rackets that are specifically made for a particular type of player - Head Extreme, Boom, Wilson Clash, Ultra, Shift, Dunlop SX, Babolat Pure Aero etc. These rackets presume that you have established a quite specific type of play - you are not all-round and you have your weaknesess (not good at spin, power, control etc.).
Agreed. Speed enabled me to diversify my game coming from years of Pure Aero. Question: Wouldn't the Radical MP fall into a similar category of the Blade as you mentioned? Head even markets it as such (never played with it so I can't really tell)
The Radical MP is not that easy to play with. I'm not sure why, but it takes more time and effort to hit this stick properly. And the feel is not that great compared to Blade. It is a quite unforgiving frame. By far the most demanding MP in the HEAD's line.
Depends a lot on what racquet you begin with. I don t imagine a guy who learned on a pure aero prefering a speed than a boom or an extreme... And more, some guys here juste hate to play with the oval-vertical string bed of the speed and they are intermediate and avanced players. Some hated the stiffness of older gen speed (graphene) and now some hâte the Auxetic/muted/low ra feel and prefer stiff sticks... If it was so simple, in a perfect World maybe, everybody would have bought a speed and nobody would ever thought about watching a racquet review... But facts are : everyone has is own feeling from what he began with, his body, his Stokes, his injuries... Maybe you just found your holy grail, good... That doesn t mean it could suits every body sensations...
Totally agree. But at the same time, it would be very boring to talk about how you can buy any racket in the world and that it doesn't matter. It's always very individual. But the more advanced player, the more you see this pattern - Blades, Speeds, Vcore Pro's, Pro Staffs etc. Pure Aeros and Pure Drives are also still very popular. Now the trend is to make the most out of the racket while maintaining energy levels. So I can see why many also pro's are looking for more free power, dropping tension and trying to save as much energy as possible. Because tennis has become super brutal, intense and very physical. Maybe we will see come back of oversized rackets ala Andre Agassi's Radical OS. We can't take nothing for granted and what works for me must not work for others, for sure. But this is.my channel and I want to talk mainly about my experience which only can be true to it's meaning. Thanks for your comment.
I would add something about the weight of the racquet. Mainstream these days is 300 to 315grams. I would highly advice before counting yourself as a "almost pro I got all the strokes" and getting a 305+ racquet see who are you playing against. If you aren't playing vs someone who bombs you with 200km/h serves or just pushes you out of the court with their crazy power... there are 0 reason you should ever consider "pro spec". Leave 340gr+ strung racquets to those who earn money by playing tennis and stop struggling in matches. Yes you can swing rf97 in practice, but I guarantee if you will have to play for your life, you will grab that 97L.
Very true. I am a big Roger fan and own a Pro Staff and it's OK to play with this when I am playing with someone I can handle easily, but when competition gets tough I always go back to my Vcore Pro 97L.
I agree. It's important to have a racket you can control the whole match. And this can be for many hours. Last year I have played my longest match - 4 hours 15 minutes on clay against a super fit 20 year old talent. I have lost 6/7 in 3rd set and walked away with some minor cramps. I was proud of myself I endured the match with an aggressive approach until the very last shot. And this was only possible thanks to the relatively easy playing Artengo TR960 Control Tour, customizee to 320g unstrung, but with a nice SW around 328. This is.my sweetspot SW. Anything above 330 SW is super demanding to swing for 4 intense hours even for an advanced player.
True but as any other Hobbie hobbies are for fun and cost. I ride motocross and I change every now and then, others buy cars not for everyday mobility so same goes for some with rackets.I have 95 heavy racket among others and I wish I could play like Lehechka Gojo Karlovic and etc others play with Rafa Origin Hobbies = Fun = Cost
Hi my friend, I am new subscriber. I have been playing with the Wilson Profile 95 since they came out in the late 80s early 90s. I have 5 of them and I get them strung at 48 on mains and 44 on the crosses. The only reason I stopped playing with these racquets is the weight is 13 once’s, and it weighs 377 grams with the strings. I am 52 years old and my foot works sucks right now. I am playing with the Babalot pure drive 110 and the racquet is nice and I am getting used to the size and the weight of it. I recently got a ball machine and I have been posting videos of it and myself practicing. I haven’t played tennis in 24 years and I just started playing tennis again about 8 months ago my friend. I have tried about 10 different types of racquets and they are either too flimsy or they are just complete trash my guy. So if the profiles weren’t so heavy for me, I would still be hitting with them. Great job on the video my friend. Thank you for sharing this video.
I agree its easy to overthink things and drive yourself a bit crazy...I'm a fan of more focusing on your game and not worrying about the racquet. I always think of pete sampras winning the us open with his 85 wilson pro staff when a lot of players had switched to bigger racquets. That's why i've always gravitated towards control, average racquets but who knows, maybe a more powerful or spinny racquet would help my game. I just like the versatility of being able to do everything...hit my serves on a dime, hit effective volleys/slices etc. I think a lot of it is what you started with, are comfortable with and gravitate towards.
100% agree! I played with Aero for years but got frustrated with limited control level and feel. When 98 came I demo it and threw few other ones to the mix to have some level of comparison. One of them was Speed MP. Even though it was not in the scope of my interest I liked it so much more than others. The balance, maneuverability and the touch feel so great. I finally feel that racket doesn’t dictate how I should play, now I can play like I want.
Agree with you but a warning concerning the blade 98 which IS a little bit hard to play if WE are not in a good physical condition. However the blade 100 give more power and more indulgency and WE have the blade sensation. Magical for me
I think dunlop and prince within these years have been underrated due to marketing schemes imposed by the big dogs in the industry , head speed in my opinion is not a classic players racquet although it is one of the best
Good content. Yes Pro, heavy, small head rackets feel great for 15 mins, thennbecome a liability. Ave. MP rackets with 100si head are more suitable fpr "normal" people playing 2-3 times a week.
I own 2 speed mp 2022. head hawk touch at 22kg. I agree that you can play all style but it's erratic. You can play everything but it's launchy. I don't know wich raquet I'm going to buy. My speed are beaten up. I don't know what to do. percept ??
I use the same setup at 25 kg, way better, no erratic launches
If i would like something “standard” like Wilson Blade 98 16x19 but i like stiff rackets like RF97A, which “standard” racket would you recommend?
What about the RF 01 Pro? With 67 RA it's one of the stiffest 98's around. Most 98's are softer.
I'm beginner, started tennis 6 month ago with a 100"inch wilson ultra and after 2 month i switched and now i'm currently using a VCORE 98 (2023)
From my point of view this racket improved my game as no other could have done it.
Why ?
- I need to use the right technique for each shot
- print spin and power in every shot to get decent path/ground stroke
- 98inch" obligate me to improve and get better footstep
Right now i find myself so different from the flat pusher i was 4 month ago and even if its because its the gamestyle i developed (aggressive baseliner) i wouldn't be as good (i mean average beginner 😂) today if i were practicing with a forgiving racket
From a competitive point of view, its probably good to switch back to 100inch , but i feel like i need to improve 1year maybe 2 more with a small headsize to grow faster my tennis skill.
At the end it depend what ur objective are :
-Play really casually for fun, dont care about improving : beginner racket
- getting better at tennis (practice) unforgiving racket
- u are already good but not pro : probably an average racket but i dont know cannot answer this one
Sorry for my english BTW , not native speaker
Hi, so it really depends on your goals as you said. If you don't plan to get better, just play with a very forgiving tennis racket. If you plan to get better grab the racket that has enough future potential to grow with you.
Do you think Blade 98 16*19 is a better choice than Tecnifibre 315 16*19? Do you think these rackets are similar? If not, what are the bigger differences?
These rackets are quite different. Blade has more feel, more touch and overall playability is better. TF 315 feels heavy and slow. TF has a lot better stability, but you sacrifice the overall playability. TF 315 also feels like a racket for flatter hitters with one handed backhand. For me the Blade 98 16x19 is a lot versatile and players friendly racket with great overall performance.
I would say that for a rec player such as myself, that the racket help the player for example: off center hits, dampening to save the arm. I will never be a professional or get paid to play the game but I know that my serve and volley and backhand will never be the best but it would be nice to have a racket I can lean on to help me out just a bit.
I agree. A helping hand for a recreational player is always welcome. Most people need free power and forgiving feel. That's why 300 g rackets or lighter are so popular. 100 inch2 headsize or bigger is a must to feel the help from a tennis racket.
Interesting point but not sure I would agree. I’ve almost always played with the babolat pure aero (5 years now and still counting) and it has really determined my game style during my years of progression, which is not a bad thing in my opinion. Maybe I can’t really play flat, or maybe my backhand could be better, but my forehand is so good and I can put so much spin in my shots. I’m sure I wouldn’t be better if I had played with the head speed mp instead. As you said, the speed is a tool, the pure aero is a weapon. Depends on what you want from a racquet.
Yeah, it really depends on what you want from a tennis racket and what are your goals. But when you feel there is enough potential to change and improve in your game, don't get stuck with just one favourite racket for the rest of your life. You can miss something great.
Can you give an example of the rackets we shouldn’t use then?
It depends. I'm talking about all rackets that are specifically made for a particular type of player - Head Extreme, Boom, Wilson Clash, Ultra, Shift, Dunlop SX, Babolat Pure Aero etc. These rackets presume that you have established a quite specific type of play - you are not all-round and you have your weaknesess (not good at spin, power, control etc.).
Agreed. Speed enabled me to diversify my game coming from years of Pure Aero.
Question: Wouldn't the Radical MP fall into a similar category of the Blade as you mentioned? Head even markets it as such (never played with it so I can't really tell)
The Radical MP is not that easy to play with. I'm not sure why, but it takes more time and effort to hit this stick properly. And the feel is not that great compared to Blade. It is a quite unforgiving frame. By far the most demanding MP in the HEAD's line.
Exactly. I regret buying the Speed Pro! 😂 Feels good for a short time but I realized that for a recreational player like me it’s too much.
Depends a lot on what racquet you begin with. I don t imagine a guy who learned on a pure aero prefering a speed than a boom or an extreme...
And more, some guys here juste hate to play with the oval-vertical string bed of the speed and they are intermediate and avanced players.
Some hated the stiffness of older gen speed (graphene) and now some hâte the Auxetic/muted/low ra feel and prefer stiff sticks...
If it was so simple, in a perfect World maybe, everybody would have bought a speed and nobody would ever thought about watching a racquet review...
But facts are : everyone has is own feeling from what he began with, his body, his Stokes, his injuries...
Maybe you just found your holy grail, good... That doesn t mean it could suits every body sensations...
Speed is quite famous here in Malaysia. Sold out within days of launching. Stocks are out for few months already. Haha
@@zhafran77 Maybe in malaysia. Here in France, Babolat Pure Drive and Aero are best sellers beside Wilson clash.
Totally agree. But at the same time, it would be very boring to talk about how you can buy any racket in the world and that it doesn't matter. It's always very individual. But the more advanced player, the more you see this pattern - Blades, Speeds, Vcore Pro's, Pro Staffs etc. Pure Aeros and Pure Drives are also still very popular. Now the trend is to make the most out of the racket while maintaining energy levels. So I can see why many also pro's are looking for more free power, dropping tension and trying to save as much energy as possible. Because tennis has become super brutal, intense and very physical. Maybe we will see come back of oversized rackets ala Andre Agassi's Radical OS. We can't take nothing for granted and what works for me must not work for others, for sure. But this is.my channel and I want to talk mainly about my experience which only can be true to it's meaning. Thanks for your comment.
@@CzechTennisGuy 😊👍
I would add something about the weight of the racquet. Mainstream these days is 300 to 315grams. I would highly advice before counting yourself as a "almost pro I got all the strokes" and getting a 305+ racquet see who are you playing against. If you aren't playing vs someone who bombs you with 200km/h serves or just pushes you out of the court with their crazy power... there are 0 reason you should ever consider "pro spec". Leave 340gr+ strung racquets to those who earn money by playing tennis and stop struggling in matches. Yes you can swing rf97 in practice, but I guarantee if you will have to play for your life, you will grab that 97L.
Very true. I am a big Roger fan and own a Pro Staff and it's OK to play with this when I am playing with someone I can handle easily, but when competition gets tough I always go back to my Vcore Pro 97L.
I agree. It's important to have a racket you can control the whole match. And this can be for many hours. Last year I have played my longest match - 4 hours 15 minutes on clay against a super fit 20 year old talent. I have lost 6/7 in 3rd set and walked away with some minor cramps. I was proud of myself I endured the match with an aggressive approach until the very last shot. And this was only possible thanks to the relatively easy playing Artengo TR960 Control Tour, customizee to 320g unstrung, but with a nice SW around 328. This is.my sweetspot SW. Anything above 330 SW is super demanding to swing for 4 intense hours even for an advanced player.
Great video, totally agree. I am playing the speed mp thanks to you (since 2 years)
That's great 👏
Nice video!!
Very good video!
True but as any other Hobbie hobbies are for fun and cost. I ride motocross and I change every now and then, others buy cars not for everyday mobility so same goes for some with rackets.I have 95 heavy racket among others and I wish I could play like Lehechka Gojo Karlovic and etc others play with Rafa Origin
Hobbies = Fun = Cost
Hi my friend, I am new subscriber. I have been playing with the Wilson Profile 95 since they came out in the late 80s early 90s. I have 5 of them and I get them strung at 48 on mains and 44 on the crosses. The only reason I stopped playing with these racquets is the weight is 13 once’s, and it weighs 377 grams with the strings. I am 52 years old and my foot works sucks right now. I am playing with the Babalot pure drive 110 and the racquet is nice and I am getting used to the size and the weight of it. I recently got a ball machine and I have been posting videos of it and myself practicing. I haven’t played tennis in 24 years and I just started playing tennis again about 8 months ago my friend. I have tried about 10 different types of racquets and they are either too flimsy or they are just complete trash my guy. So if the profiles weren’t so heavy for me, I would still be hitting with them. Great job on the video my friend. Thank you for sharing this video.
Hi, thanks for your story. I think you can grab some of the newer Pro Staffs. Maybe aregular 97 or Pro Staff X. You will get into it after a while.
Def solid philosophy 👍
Perfect