Monday, December 22, 2008
Rumors, Rumors, Rumors...
You gotta love the off-season, as short as it is! I thought that I would write a quick message today talking about some of the "hot" rumors floating around cyberspace regarding racquets.
Djokovic to Head...
This one came up last year around this time as well. Rumor has it that Nole will be returning to his roots, by switching back to Head racquets. This season he used the Wilson [K] Blade Tour, but many skeptics will tell you that his frame is just painted to look like it. They will tell you that his Wilson racquet is based on an older Head frame he used a few years back, the Liquidmetal Radical MP. This year's version of the rumor has Djokovic switching to the Microgel Prestige Pro. The specs of the new frame make sense, but not the stringing pattern. The Prestige Pro is a 16x19, Novak has been using an 18x20. This leads some to think that there will be a new Head frame on the market soon. This makes the most sense to me. IF Djokovic is making a move to Head you can bet that he got a signature frame deal, maybe not right away, but it will be coming soon. We'll just have to wait a couple of weeks to find out.
A new Pure Drive for Andy?
Pictures (see below) have shown up online of Andy with a new updated Pure Drive. The new racquet has a lighter blue paintjob, and some new accents at the yoke of the frame. Is this the new Roddick Pure Drive? Will it have the hotly debated Cortex technology, or something new? This rumor seems logical to me. Up to this point Babolat has not introduced any new frames for 2009, and they have not had anything new since summer. They did just introduce the Cortex Pure Drive two years ago, that would be a quick technology turnaround, especially for Babolat who didn't change the original Pure Drive for six years! What I think i more likely is that they have updated the cosmetics on the Roddick signature Pure Drive to make it stand out more from the standard Pure Drive. I might be wrong, but it seems that if they were going to make a change to their flagship frame in 2009, we would have heard about it by now.
Pete's new stick
One thing that we do know for sure is that Wilson is introducing a new Pete Sampras signature frame in January. This rumor started heating up back in the spring when Pete was sporting a blacked out frame in his Madison Square Garden exhibition with Roger Federer. Word had it that Wilson had made a new prototype frame to bring back the classic feel of the old Pro Staff 6.0. Enter the [k] Pro Staff... This bad boy is 88 square inches, and almost 13 ounces of classic goodness. Wilson dropped a lot of coin to resign Sampras so they could cash in on what they think will be the year Fed passes Pete on the all time grand slam list. Look for a lot of commercial media if Roger wins the Aussie and ties the record. In the meantime, demo this racquet. If you have the game...
Djokovic to Head...
This one came up last year around this time as well. Rumor has it that Nole will be returning to his roots, by switching back to Head racquets. This season he used the Wilson [K] Blade Tour, but many skeptics will tell you that his frame is just painted to look like it. They will tell you that his Wilson racquet is based on an older Head frame he used a few years back, the Liquidmetal Radical MP. This year's version of the rumor has Djokovic switching to the Microgel Prestige Pro. The specs of the new frame make sense, but not the stringing pattern. The Prestige Pro is a 16x19, Novak has been using an 18x20. This leads some to think that there will be a new Head frame on the market soon. This makes the most sense to me. IF Djokovic is making a move to Head you can bet that he got a signature frame deal, maybe not right away, but it will be coming soon. We'll just have to wait a couple of weeks to find out.
A new Pure Drive for Andy?
Pictures (see below) have shown up online of Andy with a new updated Pure Drive. The new racquet has a lighter blue paintjob, and some new accents at the yoke of the frame. Is this the new Roddick Pure Drive? Will it have the hotly debated Cortex technology, or something new? This rumor seems logical to me. Up to this point Babolat has not introduced any new frames for 2009, and they have not had anything new since summer. They did just introduce the Cortex Pure Drive two years ago, that would be a quick technology turnaround, especially for Babolat who didn't change the original Pure Drive for six years! What I think i more likely is that they have updated the cosmetics on the Roddick signature Pure Drive to make it stand out more from the standard Pure Drive. I might be wrong, but it seems that if they were going to make a change to their flagship frame in 2009, we would have heard about it by now.
Pete's new stick
One thing that we do know for sure is that Wilson is introducing a new Pete Sampras signature frame in January. This rumor started heating up back in the spring when Pete was sporting a blacked out frame in his Madison Square Garden exhibition with Roger Federer. Word had it that Wilson had made a new prototype frame to bring back the classic feel of the old Pro Staff 6.0. Enter the [k] Pro Staff... This bad boy is 88 square inches, and almost 13 ounces of classic goodness. Wilson dropped a lot of coin to resign Sampras so they could cash in on what they think will be the year Fed passes Pete on the all time grand slam list. Look for a lot of commercial media if Roger wins the Aussie and ties the record. In the meantime, demo this racquet. If you have the game...
Thursday, December 18, 2008
New Strings By Prince!
Hello to everyone! After a long absence I am back and ready to share some new stuff with you. Over the last several weeks I have been meeting with all of the manufacturer's reps and seeing all of the new products for 2009. In the next several weeks I'll be going through aof them and what they will be offering, but today I'm going to stick with Prince, and their new string offering for 2009.
Premier LT
Poly EXP
Twisted
Hybrid Spin EXP
On a personal note, a friend of mine, who was a former rep of mine is now in charge of designing the new strings for Prince, and these are his first offerings to the public! I was very excited to see what new things his expertise would bring to Prince, and how he would improve their strings. I have not had a chance to hit with any of these yet, so this will be a strictly informational post, but rest assured that I will let you know what I think once I get them in my sticks and have a hit!
Premier LT16/17:
This string falls into the playability series. The new concept for this string is "linear technology." What that means is that the multifilaments are aligned in a parallel pattern, as opposed to other multifilaments that are twisted together. This allows for maximum dwell time, increasing comfort power and playability. It is available in both 16 and 17 gauge. I would guess that this string plays similar to Wilson NXT, and it should do well both as a full string job or as a hybrid. which we will get to later on.
This string falls into the playability series. The new concept for this string is "linear technology." What that means is that the multifilaments are aligned in a parallel pattern, as opposed to other multifilaments that are twisted together. This allows for maximum dwell time, increasing comfort power and playability. It is available in both 16 and 17 gauge. I would guess that this string plays similar to Wilson NXT, and it should do well both as a full string job or as a hybrid. which we will get to later on.
Poly EXP 16/17/18:
This strings falls into the endurance string category. Looking to gain a share of the "softer poly" market they have introduced Poly EXP. prince says that this string is "a crisp feeling polyester with plenty of power and durability." They have added 8 strands of softer poly to the core of this string to give it a softer feel (50% softer), for players who find traditional polys too harsh. This will compete with Luxilon ALU Power, Gamma Zo Tour, and will come in a bright Optic Yellow color (think tennis balls). It should also do well in a stand along set-up, or as a hybrid. This string is available in individual sets(16g, 17g, 18g) or 660' reels (16g and 17g).
This strings falls into the endurance string category. Looking to gain a share of the "softer poly" market they have introduced Poly EXP. prince says that this string is "a crisp feeling polyester with plenty of power and durability." They have added 8 strands of softer poly to the core of this string to give it a softer feel (50% softer), for players who find traditional polys too harsh. This will compete with Luxilon ALU Power, Gamma Zo Tour, and will come in a bright Optic Yellow color (think tennis balls). It should also do well in a stand along set-up, or as a hybrid. This string is available in individual sets(16g, 17g, 18g) or 660' reels (16g and 17g).
Twisted 16L
This string is also in the endurance series. I see this string as a purely cosmetic choice for poly users. What Prince has done is combine two different colors of poly (black/yellow, black/white, or blue/white) into one continuous string. I would imagine that this will play like a traditional poly, without many bells and whistles. Prince claims it will offer a softer feel and a cool look. I did see it strung in one of the new Prince demos, and it has a crazy look to it!
This string is also in the endurance series. I see this string as a purely cosmetic choice for poly users. What Prince has done is combine two different colors of poly (black/yellow, black/white, or blue/white) into one continuous string. I would imagine that this will play like a traditional poly, without many bells and whistles. Prince claims it will offer a softer feel and a cool look. I did see it strung in one of the new Prince demos, and it has a crazy look to it!
Hybrid Spin EXPHybrid Power EXP
To take the trouble out of picking strings to hybrid together Prince has prepackaged two specialized hybrids to suit your needs. The first is Hybrid Spin EXP, which is a half set of Poly EXP (18g) and a half set of Premier LT (17g). The thinner poly strings that are meant for the mains will give you more bite on the ball, and since it is poly, you should have some decent durability. Hybrid Power EXP is the same two strings with 17g poly EXP and 16g Premier LT. The thicker strings will give you more durability, but not a noticeable jump in power.
To take the trouble out of picking strings to hybrid together Prince has prepackaged two specialized hybrids to suit your needs. The first is Hybrid Spin EXP, which is a half set of Poly EXP (18g) and a half set of Premier LT (17g). The thinner poly strings that are meant for the mains will give you more bite on the ball, and since it is poly, you should have some decent durability. Hybrid Power EXP is the same two strings with 17g poly EXP and 16g Premier LT. The thicker strings will give you more durability, but not a noticeable jump in power.
In the next couple of weeks I will post a full review on these new strings from Prince, but I thought that I would wet your appetite by showing you what was coming down the pike.
My plan is to make about two posts a week over the next couple of weeks to cover all of the new stuff that will be coming in the new year, so check back often, and don't forget to come by the Essential Tennis Forums to discuss all of it!
