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"Tennisnerd" interview: Pro Rackets? "We hobby players need help"

Jonas Eriksson is known among tennis freaks as "Tennisnerd", on his website he reports on the actual racquets used by the pros and gives tips on correct racquet tuning. We spoke with him.

by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Jun 24, 2022, 09:17 am

Jonas Ericsson
© Jonas Ericsson
Tennis nerd Jonas Eriksson

Jonas, let's talk about the racquets of the pros. We have to differ between two things: the racket itself - and the tuning. The racquets that are commercially available are rarely the ones that pros actually play, most often they play an older model. Are the new ones worse?

Tennis players are creatures of habit, they are used to their material. Of course the pros try new stuff in the off-season, but then the tournaments start, they might lose an early match or two and go back to the old frame. So it's not that older racquets to be better, it's just that players just got used to them. It's like muscle memory. When you step onto the court, you want to feel the ball like you used to. /

Rafael Nadal promotes a beautiful racquet painted in his favorite colors, the colors of Mallorca. But it's actually the Babolat AeroPro Drive Original from 2005. How is that different from the current one?

There's a big difference in feeling. There used to be less damping material, so it has a very raw feel. That's what the pros want anyway. The Babolat AeroPro Drive also has a narrower stringbed, giving Nadal more control. However, the current model is better suited for recreational players, with a more open string bed for a bit more spin. The frame is a bit softer, it's better for the arm of the players who don't hit the ball as well as Rafa. So it makes perfect sense that there are other racquets for recreational players. But it depends on what you're used to. A friend of mine has played both racquets, the AeroPro Drive and the current Pure Aero. He didn't think the difference was that big. I do, but I also test every day.

Why didn't Babolat just release an "Autograph" version: a racquet exactly after Nadal's setup, like Wilson did with Roger Federer's Wilson Pro Staff 97RF Autograph?

That's a good question! Maybe the mold isn't available all the time or they think the frame is too hard for your arm. But I think it would make sense for most companies to have a "signature" model in their range. And then a lighter version, like with Federer's Wilson racket. On the other hand, I doubt that Babolat would sell as many racquets with Rafa's setup as Wilson did with Federer.

How come?

His racquet is so tough to handle. It is also significantly heavier than the commercially available Pure Aero Rafa. And even if you can handle it, the racquet with Rafa's exact specs has a lot of power. You would almost have to play his extreme spin over and over again to keep the ball in. I would almost say that the "RF97" is a little easier to play. It's similar with Novak Djokovic's racket: I also have one of his and it's also incredibly difficult. You wouldn't want to sell that to club players.

Where do you actually get the "original" racquets of the stars?

They are sometimes offered on various forums. So you discover them every now and then, but they cost a lot. Unless you're lucky enough to get a racket from a pro after a match, that also happens.

Coming back to Federer's racquet: He actually plays the racquet that is commercially available, doesn't he?

That's the one! However, if you go to a store and buy four Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autographs, they all differ slightly in weight and balance. There is always a small difference. Federer would play the heavier version here and let the others adapt to it. His string combo, the Wilson Champion's Choice Duo, is also available in stores, so you could actually hit the court with the Federer setup. But that doesn't mean that you will play like Federer (laughs) .

One racquet you're seeing a lot on tour these days is the Wilson Blade, with the "chameleon" look. Interestingly, the men actually play it, albeit partly an old version. For women, however, it is a completely different model.

Yes, many women are more likely to play the Wilson Steam, and that's a world of difference! The Steam is a power racket comparable to the Babolat Pure Drive. Because women usually want a little more power. The Blade, on the other hand, is more about control. The Wilson Steam 100 BLX is very popular with women, Emma Raducanu uses it for example . Simona Halep and Elina Svitolina also don't play with the Blade, but with the Wilson Steam 99, which David Ferrer used to play.

If this racket is so good and so popular, why is it no longer on the market?

I do not understand that, either. You could put it out as a kind of "Wilson Blade Power". Maybe that will happen sometime.

How do you know which racket it's actually when it's painted in the latest colors?

There different signs for it. You can often tell by the shape or the number of strings that players do not have the racket they are advertising in their hands. For example, the Wilson Steam has a thicker frame and white grommets on the bottom. If you look closely, you can see that.

Let's talk about another popular vintage model, but on the men's tour: The "Head Pro Tour 630", known as the "PT57A" in Head company parlance. Thomas Muster and Gustavo Kuerten popularized the racket in the 1990s, and Andy Murray still plays it.

Andy Murray tried a new racquet earlier this season. Although, it was basically the old one, only with a slightly larger head. But then he switched back to the old one. Tennis Warehouse released the Head Pro Tour 630 a few years ago in a slightly modified form as Head Pro Tour 2.0. Sometimes it's the case that a dealer gets a lot of inquiries and the racket doesn't come out as an official Head release, but through a dealer. Some fans bought it, even if it wasn't quite the same racket. You got a little more power.

Why doesn't Head put the racquet out again himself?

I'm afraid they wouldn't sell too much of the classics. Most players want power. And racquets that are easier to play.

When we talk about racquet tuning, it usually means lead on the frame or silicone on the grip. Perhaps you can explain which voting has which purpose.

You have to think of the racquet head like a clock. If you want to get more power out of the racquet, you need to add weight at the top, at 12 o'clock. But very important: not too much! Some people hit it hard right away, but a low weight in the range of 2 grams makes a huge difference. You should tread carefully. You can also put weight in the 3 and 9 o'clock area, i.e. on the sides, which makes the racquet more stable. The racquet spins less out of your hand.

When you put weight on your head, you have to balance that in your grip, right?

Exactly, that's what almost all professionals do. Otherwise the racquet will be too top-heavy. Pete Sampras, for example, had attached several layers of lead tape at 3 and 9 o'clock, so there was probably weight to balance. But there are exceptions. Carlos Moya had around 20 grams in the head area without compensating for that. The racquet was insanely head heavy. But like I said, that's rare. Usually silicone is injected into the grip or lead is attached under the grip tape. A leather grip also makes the grip heavier. The weight in the grip area is therefore not visible. Also not always in the head area, that is often under the grommet tape. You can usually only see the lead strips in the area between 3 and 9 o'clock.

Rafael Nadal recently explained that he had tuned his racquets differently in Paris for the French Open than for the Australian Open. That is rare.

Yes, Rafa took some weight off for the French Open. In Melbourne he had raised it and used thinner strings, which gave him more power. At the French Open he wanted more control so he reduced the weight. This is an approach that I can certainly imagine for the pros in the future: that players have two or three different rackets, with different setups, depending on the surface or opponent. Nowadays, when they feel that you don't have enough control or power, they just even it out it with the strings, with more or less tension. That could change.

In the course of your work, you notice how many fans are interested in the votes of the pros, even though most of them don't benefit. Crazy really, isn't it?

Yes - the pro racquets are tuned for professionals, players who constantly hit the sweet spot. We hobby players don't do that, we need help. Men's racquets are often heavier, but not so much on the women's tour. Although there are some among the pros who play a racquet that comes close to those in the trade.

Jonas, how did you actually become the Tennisnerd?

I started testing racquets early on, I was really interested in it. It was almost an addiction, not that bad of course. It's fun, many of my readers feel the same way. But it's bad for your own tennis. In general, I recommend people not to test so much once they have found the right racquet. They should then rather work on their tennis.

The interview was conducted by Florian Goosmann at the ATP tournament in Stuttgart.

by Florian Goosmann

Friday
Jun 24, 2022, 08:05 am
last edit: Jun 24, 2022, 09:17 am