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Pro Racquets

Q: You have a section that tells the racquets, strings, and tensions used by some of the top pros. Do you have any information regarding how they set their racquets up? I need to know how much pro racquets weigh (total weight) and what the balance points are.

A: We do have information on a few players, past and present, and some of it we’ve published over the years. However, this information is sometimes proprietary, always difficult to come by, and in virtually every instance it is academic to everyone but the player involved (and his racquet technician, of course). There’s no one “pro” racquet, and no pro’s racquet is going to make you play like a pro. It is worth noting that some pros use racquets that are custom-made for them, so that even knowing all the specifications, you still wouldn’t be able to duplicate its feel and playability. We conducted an experiment last year, in which we measured all the specs of a racquet from a well-known player who uses a custom racquet designed and built for him. We then took a retail racquet that looked identical — except for the graphics — and had the same flex. Using lead tape (60 grams of it!), we modified the retail version so that its measurements on a Babolat RDC exactly matched those of the pro’s racquet. We then played with these two racquets, which had identical length, weight, headsize, balance point, flex, and swingweight, and found that where the pro’s racquet was a joy to use, our “identical” racquet felt to be an assembly of disparate components flying in loose formation. The difference was in the “lay up,” or the way the racquets are constructed at the factory. (This is not to say that you cannot use lead tape to match one racquet to another, but rather that the more similar the racquets are to start with, the better your results will be.) Ultimately, you need to find what you like, regardless of what others are using.

From the February 2005 issue
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