There has been speculation about Alexander “Sascha” Zverev using a new racket for quite a while, but lately it has been confirmed by himself on his podcast. There, speaking with his brother and mother, he confirms that he changed rackets during the Asian hardcourt swing. But what is the World No. 2 using now and how will this change his game?
The new racket – Gravity Tour
So, it has been talked about in several forums before and now is officially confirmed, Sascha Zverev is now using a different racket. Since the market entry of the Head Gravity, he had been using the Pro Stock version of the 2019 Gravity Pro, Head TGT 344.3. This is a great racket that offers a lot of control and touch but doesn’t give much for free with its 20mm thin beam and 18×20 pattern. It is, as Jonas previously said, Head’s modern interpretation of a player’s frame, with a unique head shape and bigger sweetsop’s promise. Zverev beefed up his racket to 343gr with 360 swing weight. That way, it gets even more plow-through, but surely will be hard to handle for most players.
Now, it seems that Zverev will be using the Gravity Tour 100 mold, a very similar racket but with a thicker 22mm beam. According to sources close to Head, his new pro stock mold is now TGT 341.2, with the new Auxetic layup. His specs reportedly remain unchanged, but the frame of course will be different due to its thicker beam and a tad stiffer layup. All this will result in a more powerful, modern but slightly less plush frame.
You can check out the HEAD Gravity Tour 100 at a nice discount from our friends at Tennis Warehouse Europe or Tennis Warehouse. (US, Canada)
Zverev’s new specs:
Specs
How this might help his game
As we all know, the balls on the pro tour have been heavily criticized and most players are looking for that bit of extra power to hit through the court. Even though Sascha Zverev usually has no problem hitting hard, he is no exception to this and was surely looking for a bit of extra help from his setup. He is known to be very meticulous about his specs, often stringing in decimals depending on the surface, temperature and altitude. That makes it a bit more surprising to see this move, but shows the importance of it at the same time.
In an interview with the German “Tennis Magazin” he stated that he changed the racket to find something extra in his quest for a first ever Grand Slam, even though he was happy with his previous frame. In the recent podcast, he goes even beyond that and explains that he can add more shape to the ball and gets a bit more help, being able to „do more with the ball in general“. He admits even that he could hit better flat strikes with his old Gravity Pro, but also admits he was lacking spin at times.
This could especially help in contests such as his previous losses against Taylor Fritz, where in more one dimensional hitting, he was outperformed by his opponent. Zverev has been criticized to be passive and defensive in deciding moments, but it seems that he is willing to address both this strategic thinking and the equipment helping him with this. A thicker beam on his frame might give him the possibility to further improve his spin and forehand, while keeping his serving strength and backhand. After all, it was only in his third tournament with the new frame in Paris, that he was able to win his first trophy. If he can get in a good pre-season, stay healthy, keep improving and grow one with the Gravity Tour, 2025 could be his Slam season.
What does this mean for Head?
One interesting coincidence with this change is Head‘s upcoming Gravity line release, where the Gravity Tour 100 will be replaced with a 98 version. Now, we all know that the average player does not care much about the tech behind the racket, as with Novak endorsing the Speed but it might be worthwhile to explore another Tour 100. With the biggest name of the Gravity line now openly speaking about his change to this frame, there surely will be some interest in this frame again. It remains to be seen whether this will be enough for Head to consider a new 100 version. It is not completely unrealistic, as we have previously also seen the 16×19 Prestige Pro or a new 18×20 Radical Tour.
In the meantime, you can check out our opinion on the upcoming Gravity line on our YouTube and the blog here – stay tuned for more in-depth playtests!
I have used the Gravity Tour since the original. I like it but it is cumbersome compared to other racquets.
With this racquet design, the thicker frame with a somewhat old-fashioned beam design is not the fastest through the air. At least compared to many other, more modern frames.
I’m sure Sascha has less trouble with this than I do.
Clearly Sasha upgraded his serve and forehand in the latter tournaments this year. Gravity tour 100 is such a nice racquet with plush feel and plow through, while sacrificing maneuverability at the net.
I was not surprised head’s move to a 16×19 98 Gravity Tour – It might have decent sale number – but surprised they discontinued Tour 1820. As a die-hard Head fan, i worry about market’s confusion and internal competition with other Head 1619 98 racquets, and giving up the niche market to TF40, Blade 98 and Whiteout.
Well, i just bough two gravity tour 100 in case it will never come back again.