I’ve just published a vlog called “Are you switching to a new racquet?”. I talk about my racquet journey and give some tips to fellow players.
Switching to a new racquet can be a difficult process. You need to have patience, you need to do things in the right order, you need to stay committed and be focused through the inevitable highs and lows (honeymoon period and so on). I am helping players on a part of the way through my racquet consultation service, but even after narrowing the choice down, you need to commit, find the right setup for strings and customizations.
My hitting partner Mike is going through this journey right now as he is switching from his Volkl V-Engine Tour MP 10 to a Volkl Organix 10 MP 295g. He uses the same strings for both racquets (HEAD Velocity MLT) but he is not yet happy with the stability of the much lighter Organix. I will help him to customize the racquet and I will document the journey on my Patreon page.
I hope this vlog and some of my content on Tennisnerd can help you in your quest to find a racquet that is good for your game. Remember, the perfect racquet does not exist. We all need to compromise. No matter how hard I’m trying to switch to smaller racquet sizes again, I keep going back to the Babolat Soft Drive. Despite that, it feels a bit sluggish at times, especially on my one-handed backhand, it’s just “home” and that’s hard to look away from.
Are you switching to a new racquet? Video.
Below you can find my latest vlog on the topic. A follow-up to the vlog about the HEAD Pro Tour 2.0 that I did a while back. If you have any questions or comments, please put them below and I will deal with them in a future vlog. If you like my content, please subscribe and tell your friends. I appreciate every like/share/subscribe!
I look forward to seeing your progress with customising Mike’s racket. I do think there are a number of light versions of Pro/Tour sticks that are still designed for advanced players, as opposed to the light models for beginners. For example, the Pro-Staff 97L and the Dunlop CX200 LS. They have a balance slightly more towards the head and I think with just a little customisation can play stable and powerful. For example, I had a Six-One 95L which was 289g stock. I added just a 6g overgrip and 3g lead to the hoop, and it now plays quite like my Six-One 95S, which is 309g stock. Good luck!
Ps, you may want to try the new Prince CTS Synergy DB26 that tennis warehouse say is returning. That has a 22-26 increasing beam like your softdrive, as should have some fibreglass being a 90s frame.
Excellent video Jonas. What about the Prestige MP as a potential racquet of choice? You had glowing praise for it. Did you hit with TF40 extensively, you were a fan of it too?
I liked both the Prestige and the TF40, but I keep coming back to my Soft Drive for a bit more forgiveness, so I’m sticking with that one for now.
Makes sense. Keep up the excellent content.