Hmm…well…despite my midget size, my very first sport was tennis, and I had a relatively good regional to national level in the mid 80s…
Yesterday, for the first time in a looooong time, I did play…and it was a LOT of fun, although it was weird to run after things for once.
Anyway, tried a bunch of rackets and I can’t find anything I like…they all have freaking huge frames and ridiculous tensions. I used to play with a dunlop max 200G with 22kgs of tension, and all that seems to be available are big ass head rackets with tensions in the 30+…
Anyone would have recommendations? Obviously, it will be a while before playing with 22kgs…I seem to lack a bit of control when I play
Similar dealio here, sans the palmares. I did a couple of things; looked for the smallest currently available frames (maybe 98" or so), and I kept my eyes open for 200g's at the local used sports shops. I found I could hit with a Volkl C9 or C10, added some lead tape here and there to increase the feel. (the 200g was a 13.5oz frame, most today are 10ish!) Also found one 200g to go with the orig200g and 200g Pro left over from my olden days. This was a few years ago, and I've since quit again, so now when I go out to hit a few against the wall, I use my old 200gs because the flex and weight just feels right.
ps. Tennis is really a great sport, combining balance/skill with sprints to cover the court, endurance, and the frequent challenge of demonstrating complete control once you reach the ball at full run.
pps. If you’ve just got to have a 200g, I’ll contribute one just to help your return to tennis greatness.
I feel your pain. The oversized rocket launchers they sell as rackets today do not suit me. I went to a sporting goods pawn shop and found a bunch of older style rackets for cheap. I ended up buying three Wilson ProStaff’s so I wouldn’t have to look for a racket again if one broke.
i feel you. a few years i gave a good go at returning to tennis, as i wanted to play the local circuit. the rackets are like bomb launchers. i get the “need for power”, but damn it sure makes it hard to come back after some time off.
good luck, and post some pics of you in tennis shorts.
Everyone should start with a Jack Kramer to learn how to complete your stroke. I can’t believe they want $125 for this racket. It cost $25 when I was in high school.
I have a Head Arthur Ash Competetion left over from high school. The metal rackets were just coming out then. Wilson T2000 etc. Good times.
It depends on your control/power inclination. My guess would be your power is fine so you’re going to be more control inclined.
In that case, you typically want a mid-sized racket that is stiff, that is fairly heavy, strung up tight. In other words, something close to a pro level racket.
I re-took up the sport a few years ago. Since I lifted weights, I didn’t feel that power was the issue - more about control and biomechanics. I ended up with the Head Agassi Liquidmetal Radical Midplus - about 98 sq in. It’s a very forgiving racket, and since its a few years old now, it’s cheap. String it with multifilament at 58 and you’re good to go.
I also picked up a Yonex with an open string pattern which I thought would improve my spin generation. Very different racket, but good.
The pro-level rackets run consistently about $185, including Federer’s nCode and the extremely popular Babolat Aero racket. The funny thing is that the game improvement rackets (rackets for old people and children) are much more expensive because they try to come up with new ways to generate power. Kind of a waste in my opinion.
My brother still plays with a Wilson Pro Staff which they don’t even make anymore. It’s a bear in terms of weight, and it feels like a piece of wood, but it was Pete Sampras’ racket, so I guess how can you go wrong?
Spot on. Right now, no problem generating power, specially when my footwork comes back to half decent and I can actually transfer my weight forward rather than backwards trying to make up for silly mistakes…but
control is definitely an issue…there were a few times yesterday, where the sky over the court wasn’t safe for them birds!
I think the game is 80-90% footwork. When your feet are moving and you’re in the right position, teeing off on the ball is pretty natural. I think it clearly explains Federer’s dominance over the game - he’s incredible graceful on his feet.
I’ve only played a few times this season so I’m still out of shape, but it’s funny when I look at the racquet later and see how many off-center shots I hit.
It’s really stark if you go to a pro match - I sat in the second row courtside at the US Open a couple of years ago and watched - and this will be of interest to you - 5’5" Olivier Rochus beat 6’3" Carlos Moya in 5 sets, mostly based on his speed and footwork. Their feet are always moving and always well balanced. It’s funny - I then watched Justine Henin play and lose, but you could see that her body was pretty much all muscular legs.
I think if it’s mostly about footwork, then it mostly ends up being about conditioning. Tennis players are kinda weenies, but I do admire that they have to sprint back and forth in the hot sun for a couple of hours without collapsing. Not as easy as it looks.
