I love this video and you sharing what racquets you played with. Yes it does bring back memory lane. Me over 50 years of tennis: Unknown off brand woodie likely bought from Gemco, Sears Roebuck Steel (similar to T2000) w/o the patent wire string suspension, Wilson Stan Smith Autograph, Rawlings Tie-Breaker (J.Newcombe), Yamaha YFG-50 (H. Pfister, alumni San Jose State), Wilson Extra 110, Prince Pro 110, Prince Precision Graphite 110, Slazenger Panther Pro Ceramic (J.Connors) made in West Germany, Donnay Pro One OS (A.Agassi) made in Belgiam, Wilson Hammer 5.2 Mid, Yonex RDX 500 (L. Hewitt). Today, I still currently use the Slazenger Panther Pro Ceramic for play and coaching...
I started with a Head Professional (aluminum) back in the 80's. Used the Wilson Pro Staff for most of my teens. Using Volkl Organix V1 pro to this day.
My first was a wooden black Slazenger, a green and blue Donnay, Yonex graphite, Wilson Pro Staff Midsize, Head Radical MP, Several Head Prestiges Flexpoint, IG, Touch until this day.
Brother, you must be kinda young, no woodies? Well, you were on the right path till you left Wilson for the Yammee... no Wilson 95 Pro Staff? That's where you went wrong, you missed a generational racquet there.. Me: Dunlap Maxply > Wilson Stan Smith > Ultra > Ultra 2 > 95 Pro Staff > Fed 90's > RF97... you should really try Kennex if you like heavy... keep the videos coming-- fun stuff... Suggest a video on stringing machines, my first was the standup Prince with the rails.
They are very stiff in terms of today's racquets, so a lot of us can't take the stress it puts on the arm. People that grew up using eastern forehands and classical grips don't benefit from the major feature of the frame which is extreme topspin. I prefer the feel of the pure strike.
@@RigMaster_ Buy one of the cheap drop-weight stringers (Klipstringer), and learn from some youtube videos... it's not that hard, just tedious at first.
this is all sooo satisfying to watch!! i´m a tennistrainer and my parents are also trainers. My dad and me share the same passion for raquets and strings like you. big fan, enjoying every video of you... real quality stuff and knowhow you share with us. greets from austria cincerly yours Victor Constantinescu
The best racquets for elbow health and longevity must weigh between 12 and 14 oz or 340 to 396 grams even or head light balance with a swingweight between 330 to 365.Pros play with these measurements for all their careers for and even post careers with some minor adjustments.Light racquets transfer to much vibration to your joints and heavy racquets absorb most of the vibration.
Racquet history is one of those things that, like pages in an old yearbook, let you remember details from life that you might otherwise never think to remember.
I also started young! I started in 2001? in primary school. My first racquet was a Fischer 25" and then I graduated to a Wilson nCode 26" Federer. When I was about 13-14 I got the ProStaff 95 Team (nCode, 290g) 18x20, played with it for a while, didn't really like it too much. Ended up switching to the ProStaff Tour 90 (nCode, 340g) for my high school tennis and university all up until 2018 where I switched to the ProStaff Tour 90 (K-Factor, Asian 320g edition) because it was much more forgiving and easy to swing. Right now I'm waiting for a sale on the Yonex Vcore Pro 97 HD. :) Along the way I picked up a few updates to the lines (K-95 Team, BLX Tour 90 340g). Photo of my current collection: media.discordapp.net/attachments/323814466502393857/715931151264645120/IMG_20200530_0014122.jpg?width=867&height=681 (K-Factor PS95 Team, BLX Tour 90, Asian K-Factor 90, nCode Tour 90, nCode junior racquet)
I had to have the Ultra 2 after seeing it in the hands of Hana Mandlikova. She made serve and volley with it look effortless. In truth it's a very difficult racket to wield. Probably explained why not many pros used it. Also had the Secret 04 which was used by Yannick Noah. Too stiff. I sold off the U2 and the Secret. Only kept the PS85. Still play with it.
My first was a TAD Davis! Came with a press so it would not warp! Balls were white, except mine were dirty and grey. Converse All Stars hi tops white! No bag! Filled up the tennis ball can with water! Those were the days!
Interesting how you went from pro sticks to tweeners and then back to pro sticks. Always interesting to see how a player's choice of racket evolves over time. Thanks for the interesting video. Enjoyed it.
AMAZING !!!!!!!!!! Almost Same RACKETS that i have Wilson Pro Staff China 85 Wilson Ultra 2 85 Wilson Jack Kramer Staff 85 ( More Flexible 20% Fiberglass NOT KEVLAR ) also like a 2x4 Weight 2 Yamaha Secret 04 1 Gosen Secret 04 Lite 4 Prince Graphite 107 2 Prince Graphite 90 1 HEAD TXP 3 Dunlop max 200g Sold the 300i long time ago 2 Prince Response 97 1 Wilson T2000 ( Jimmy Connors ) Picked it up Thrift Store for Nostalgia !!! sold the Puma Super sold the Yonex r27 - Too Stiff 1 Wilson Profile Silver midsize Sold the Kneissl AERO to Flexible - Like a Rubber Band !!! Weighed like a 4x4 Too Heavy
Dood, we might be related! Lol…. Where we’re you playing late 80’s early 90’s? Late 80’s, I was playing a lot at Orange Park on So SF. Early - mid 90’s, at CCSF & played on the team there in 94 and 96 seasons. For some reason, you look familiar and wouldn’t be surprised if our paths crossed. Here’s my racket history: So, a couple of months ago, I finally decided to move on from my Wilson 6.1/six-ones, a variation of which I’ve been playing with for the better part of the past 25 years. Back in the fall, I switched to a Head Graphene 360 MP which has the most power and largest head size (100 sq in) of any racket I’ve ever used before. I was happy and playing well. A little hard to control on backhand shots but it was working. However…. I am a Wilson loyalist and I’ve been wanting to try the Wilson Blade family of rackets. I picked up a pair of Blade 98L v6 in Dec. I think the Wilson Blades are my new sticks! 1987 Wilson Ceramic 1988 Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85 1989 Wilson Ultra FPK 95 1989 Dunlop Max 200G 1990-92 Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85 1992 Prince Graphite 90 1993 Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85 1994 Wilson Hammer 5.2 1995-97 Wilson Pro Staff Classic 6.1 1997-2005 Yonex Super RD Tour 95 2005-2016 Wilson Pro Staff Classic 6.1 2016-2020 Wilson [k]factor six-one 2020 Wilson Ultra Tour 18x20 2021 Wilson [k]factor six-one 2022 Head Graphene 360 Extreme MP 2023 Wilson Blade 98L 16x19
Now all of us are scrounging around in closets chasing memories of rackets from our past. I started in the late 70's with a Wilson Conqueror before the Jack Kramer Pro Staff. Followed the movement to graphite and tried the Wilson Sting, which I really didn't like before moving to the Wilson Kramer Staff Mid. Tried a friend's Dunlop Max 200G and fell in love. Eventually moved to the Prince Precision Response 660 then the Volkl DNX 8. Later I used the Dunlop Aerogel 500 Tour 4D and now the Babolat Pure Aero. Looking back, guess I'm not really into brand loyalty.
I dug out my Steffi Graf Pro Staff 7.5. It is 11+ oz and about 9pts HL. I put a hybrid string(15gForten/16g Ashaway) synthetic set in it and won 3 sets of doubles a couple days ago. It is the most flexible pro staff player's sticks I have used and It still plays well. I can't wait to try a co poly/poly string like lux VIBE, Genesis Trisonic, lux Element, Head Hawk Touch, Yonnex Poly Tour, Solinco hyper G or Head Sonic Pro Edge in the racquet for more fun top spin hits.
Started with a Dunlop Maxply junior and after a couple of adult versions got a Wilson T2000 which I used for many years. First graphite was a Wilson Sting 2 which I didn't like. Don't play these days although your videos are making me think about joining s club again. "Newest" racquet is a Head Radical Liquid metal, which I really liked although ideally it would have been even better a little heavier. Prefer something that is slightly head light though. Would have been interested in the stats for you wooden racquet. My wooden racquets used to be grip size 5, but used 4 for graphite.
Head Arthur Ashe Competition II. Pumped gas for $2.50 an hour when I was 15 and spent $50 US in Bellingham with Canadian cash and got a bit of change back from my Canadian 50. That raquet developed my game completely.
Same here. Older siblings had some racquets laying around circa 1980. I played with a baby blue and white chris evert for years. I think I put 2 and 2 together around 1984.
Almost an education watching your videos, got a v5 blade from clearance, wrong size, heat molded a sleeve, then moved on to a instinct, guess I’d be a happy weekend warrior for the rest of my life, but if I were to drop my snowboard pro dream, which 98 Yonex should I think about, sth comfortable maybe, the power of instinct is a bit hard to control, but I’m just 2 weeks in xD
I just use my first adult racquet still never restrung. Only older racquet is the youth sized one. Why do you need to upgrade your racquet as your skill progresses?
@@josephhenry1084 Also affects the grip size. Wrist articulation (vertical "whip") is hard to do with a full grip sized to fill up your hand. But it's so much more effortless to hold. My HS racquet was a 4 5/8... and my hand never got tired. Now I play with 4 3/8 and constantly squeeze and relax on impact... it's tires out the hand / wrist much faster. I think the fuller grip probably contributed to more elbow issues, but the trend to grip down might be an aggravating factor in shoulder injury... like I think I go up much faster for serve with an undersized grip vs. an oversized grip... don't know if that's possible, but with the full grip I feel like the racquet is going to fly out of my hand.
I had similar racquets as you back in the day. I miss the wide body era. Lol. Started with a Prince Jr Pro Prince Classic II Head Graphite Director Wilson Ultra FPK 95 Yamaha Secret 06 Head Genesis 600 Head Liquidmetal Radical OS Head Liquidmetal Instinct Head Graphene Instinct Head Graphene Prestige
That was a fun video. I did not start playing tennis until 1996. My first racket was a Prince Jr. I used that until the end of the middle school. Then I think it was a series of bad mistakes. Head I S12> Wilson Hammer 5 was during High School. I did not play college tennis, but played for fun. My first two rackets that I bought during college new was Wilson nTour 95 and 105. I really enjoyed those two. Wilson K Cobra Tour> Dunlop Biommetic 400> Head Graphene Touch Extreme. Now: Prince Graphite OS> Head Graphene Touch Prestige Tour. So, its kind of all over the board. I am really gelling with the POG and Prestige Tour. They are both fun. I accidentally ordered a Prestige Mid before the tour. That was really hard to play with, but felt really good. I did not hate the graphene touch because I really did not play with any of the "classic" Head frames. I really want to demo the Wilson Clash. It looks really awesome. I also demoed a Wilson Burn and liked that as well.
Hammer 6.2 Skunk, Original Head Radical MP, WIlson Prostaff 6.0 95, Wilson HyperStaff 5.0 extended, Pure Drive Roddick, Pro Staff 97, Pure Strike 16x19 3rd Gen
Prince Tour Diablo and Wilson 6.1 95 Classic are my favorite old school frames. I couldn't play well wth either these days. Current racquet is 18 x 20 Blade 98 v7 with a little bit of lead at 3 and 9. Like Buttah!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I did have a wooden racket from some store, then Yonex R1(aluminum) > Kneissl White Star Lendl Pro > Dunlop Max200G (3) > Donnay Superlight Pro 50 > Rossignol F200 (2) > Wilson Pro Staff 85 aq (4) > Wilson Pro Staff Classic (4). In the 80s, I always wanted the Ultra2 mid because I always saw the sponsored juniors at that time have them. The gold Wilson hammer mid would rip my arm off, but the silver Wilson hammers were less stiff. Enjoyed this video.
Enjoying the content of your show! Your insight is personable and relatable. Any prince racquets in the history? I used to play with an old Prince Tricomp then switched over to a Wilson Sting. I even played with a Donnay back in the 90’s. Keep up the great work!
Great video... My first racquet was Dunlop "Midsize+ Tactical Control"... Weight is 335 gr strung, balance is 31.5 cm strung, 16x19... But I can't find other information (head size, flex..etc...). Please, help😊...
I remember Chris Evert's signature wooden racquets 😆 I also started on a wooden racquet in the '70s with my Dad's Slazenger. I was just a kid, so I couldn't afford racquets that I liked like a Wilson Jack Kramer, Dunlop MaxPly, Kneissel White Star or Wilson T2000 (though I was able to get a Donnay Borg Pro). Yamaha made racquets?!? Let us know when Hyundai makes them, too lol Thanks for your show & tell! It's great to see racquet history 🙂
Man! You started out with a club. I tried to use those Ultra 2 mid but way too stiff. I went the complete opposite way and used Rossignol F200 carbon my whole time playing. Any rackets you recommend that would be similar to Rossignol F200. Im thinking about playing again.Lol. Thanks.
Wow.. nice time travel. I sure miss the Yamaha EOS and Secret04. I started with a simple Rossignol racket and moved to Donnay Pro One from 1990 to 2000. Didn't like the Head Radical. Yonex was my next racket and I have been on a Yonex ever since.. am still with Yonex to this day. Thanks for the Vlog on your racket history 👍
Wilson Burn Countervail 100 is my stick. I love the orange special edition. Strung with luxilon alu power 125 main and genesis multi cross at 48-50. I will string 45-47 next try.
I tried using heatshrink on my grip before when I was living in Japan. They didn't have any racquets in 4-1/2 size. I really noticed that it rounded out the edges of the grip, and I couldn't get used to it. After that, I made the change to leather grips on all my sticks. Huge personal preference, but seeing as you were using leather before, how does the feel change for you? Do you prefer it?
I wish I could.find my old racquets, used to play with Prince racquets looooong time ago.. why did you feel you had to add lead tape to throat of the Ultra 100s?
Jaca well I haven’t played with a Babolat for a long time, but I have a prince beast 100 that I bought over a year ago. It’s a powerful racket and I like it especially for serving. However, I prefer either the Yonex DR 100 or the latest Yonex 100 2020 version. Both play and feel similar to the Prince Beast 100. Tennis warehouse has reviews of the Beast 100 that I think is pretty accurate. Happy hitting.
I tried the Profile 2.7 95 and that was a ROCKET LAUNCHER! I could not keep the ball in the court and I wanted to blow people off the court with it. It was a good very Stiff Racket and the first WIDE Body. The whole series was a Hugh success for Wilson.
Started with Head Extreme, switched to a Babolat Aero Pro Drive GT(beautiful, I loved it). Than I switched to a Wilson Blade98 and than to a Pro Staff 97. Now I'm playing with a Head Speed MP 360.
Tennis players have always carried large bags with them. Today they carry two large bags. Very weird. Given the real masculine sports like baseball and football do not partake in bringing all their toys to the show. Why tennis ? I love tennis but let’s face it it’s a very strange game. I think it was turned into something it can never be by the large sports and marketing companies. Why are there 100’s of rackets and configurations? There is one football and one baseball and single material (wood) for a pro baseball bat and one basketball and one hockey puck and stick and basically one golf ball with exception with some differences internally. There are maybe 5 variations of golf clubs but generally all are very similar. Yes there is one basic tennis ball but 100’s of rackets. Something is wrong here.
I'm confused, golf is similar to tennis when it come to gears there are hundreds of not thousands of different drivers, iron, wedges and putters. Not to mention all the different type of shafts and just as customizable with lead tape. I think where sports really heavily on gears the more freedoms and options you can do. Think of sports like skiing and archery.
@@dimasprasetya1036 The golf club is deceiving, between the brand name and the fancy model, underneath the clubs vary very little, and I think golf has been a marketing victim as much as tennis was, golf also markets 14 clubs per player, where tennis is just one racket required to play, so with a bag of 14 clubs your bound to have variations just based purely on the math. The other major major difference is if you travel to 5 different golf courses, your going to play on 5 different course sizes, some par 5's will be 650 yards, some par 3's will be 275 yards, another par 3 may be 80 yards, so two different clubs may be necessary, although golf is infantile in the number of clubs they require as a real golfer can complete any course using 4 or 5 clubs, no more. Golf is also a victim of marketing and equipment companies pushing new products every year to reach revenue goes, the new clubs coming out every year are very much the same as the previous year, just a different name or color. The course sizes and the elements on a golf course (lakes, ponds, sand, high grass, trees) is completely different than tennis. The tennis court is 82 feet long, the length and the width has been the same for maybe 80-100 years. The court never changes in size, there are no elements to deal with. The tennis court is so small watching on tv the viewer is given a different impression of it's size, it looks larger on TV than it really is, the players are literally on top of one another, the distance from the baseline to the net is a scant 41 feet, you can cover a tennis court in 2 seconds, yet the racket companies have continued to push the materials to make the ball go faster and faster, but the court size never changes, as a result you have a game that lacks creativity and depth, the tennis from the late 70's and 80's was a real game, a tough game, it had shot making, strategy, serve and volley (s/v was mainly the real athletic part of the game), players would exchange 15-20-25 shots before the point was won, the serve was meant to start the rally, the players had just a few different rackets, mostly wood until the mid 80's. Today they stand on the baseline and never move, the serve is rocketed only because of the racket, 75% of the points are complete after 1 to 3 shots, the player is actually less athletic today as the materials allow for less than athletic player to enter the game, a petite female player (or a relatively unathletic male player) can serve at 100 mph+ today, where if you ask her to throw a baseball she could not throw it 15 mph, or throw a football, she could not throw a football 15 yards, yet due to the materials of the racket she can propel a serve 100 mph+, I suppose this is ok for the local clubs or amateur ranks as it invite more players to play the game, which is great, but the pro ranks should never have allowed the advanced materials/rackets to enter the game, never, it ruined traditional tennis. Pro baseball does not allow the insane materials used on the bats that are used in HS and College, the sports and equipment companies forced their way into the amateur ranks and now sell $500 bats, but the pros said no way, stay away as the ball's velocity will increase to a point where players and fans will die from the velocity, this will never happen in tennis as the two ounce rubber tennis ball will not harm anyone, haha, but pro tennis made a huge mistake and it can't turn back now. Real tennis is not played anymore anywhere, all due to the massive equipment gimmicks introduced. And no one should be carrying two large duffel bags onto a court, it looks so childish and feminine on men, just walk on the court with two rackets, a towel and a few bottles of electrolytes, tennis should allow a half-time for the players to change in a locker or attend to some need, exchange a racket, grab another shirt etc. but to bring their entire bedroom onto the court is very weird and kind of ridiculous. Football has a half time, basketball has rest periods, offense in baseball allows the players to recharge and change if they need to when in the doughnut, this occurs every inning. I am also not trying to compare the sports, as nothing can compare to baseball and football (I'm not referring to silly soccer). Tennis in my opinion is more of a gentlemen's game than some world class sport, but it has turned into one all due to the manipulations of the equipment and apparel companies. Pro tennis has to change, they need to turn back time, they won't but it isn't the great game it once was.
gosh that very first racket at 374grams and 364 SW, just imagining myself playing with that racket gives me horrible visions of tennis elbow. how did the pros and great players of the past even hit single backhanders back in the day with such rackets? also, you mentioned that before graduating college, you were actually moving towards using more control-oriented rackets (for competitions i presume). But after graduation, since you started playing recreational tennis, the modified rackets you used are actually head heavier and that is very interesting to me. did your groundstrokes change fundamentally? Granted, we can't swing as hard and fast as we did when we were younger, but i'm thinking if i went from head light to balanced or head heavy that means i would be shortening my swings quite a bit.
It is actually easier to hit a one-handed backhand with a heavy racket. You need the weight to push the racket and ball through. It would be way harder with a light or head light racket as you cannot feel the racket head come through. The one missing racket in this bag was my college rackets which were the Yonex RD Tour 90s. I have always liked heavy rackets and you are right I went to head heavier rackets because it was easier for me to play with less effort. I have always had an extreme western grip so tennis took a lot out of me. You should never have to shorten your swing with the various head weighted rackets. Try your natural swing and control the ball with spin to keep the ball in the court. Make sure you have a loose grip and swing through the ball. Trust your shots. Give that a try. Thanks for watching!
This video inspired me to try to do this too, but I cannot find some of the model names online since I don't own most of them anymore. The one that you reminded me of that I would still use today, if I had it, was the Wilson Profile 3.6!
@@dickybirdcch- had a yamaha yfg 30 after my dunloo maxply fort, aluminium head master in the 70s. We didnt care or know much of racquet specs, we play the ones we have.
@@mylesgalos6465 it was heavy and hard to play with as a kid and the grip was huge. I spent the time trying to break it until I got the more modern wilson graphite wide body.
HEAVY RACKETS are the BEST !!!!
Tweener Rackets are the Sellers thats why Pros have Paint Job and Lead Tape
Show and tell is one of the best part of being a racquetaholic haha
I love this video and you sharing what racquets you played with. Yes it does bring back memory lane. Me over 50 years of tennis: Unknown off brand woodie likely bought from Gemco, Sears Roebuck Steel (similar to T2000) w/o the patent wire string suspension, Wilson Stan Smith Autograph, Rawlings Tie-Breaker (J.Newcombe), Yamaha YFG-50 (H. Pfister, alumni San Jose State), Wilson Extra 110, Prince Pro 110, Prince Precision Graphite 110, Slazenger Panther Pro Ceramic (J.Connors) made in West Germany, Donnay Pro One OS (A.Agassi) made in Belgiam, Wilson Hammer 5.2 Mid, Yonex RDX 500 (L. Hewitt). Today, I still currently use the Slazenger Panther Pro Ceramic for play and coaching...
interesting, thanks Harry
I started with a Head Professional (aluminum) back in the 80's. Used the Wilson Pro Staff for most of my teens. Using Volkl Organix V1 pro to this day.
My first was a wooden black Slazenger, a green and blue Donnay, Yonex graphite, Wilson Pro Staff Midsize, Head Radical MP, Several Head Prestiges Flexpoint, IG, Touch until this day.
I have my old prostaff with the same "Tennis Shack" sticker on it from them stringing it for me back in 1994.They were on sacramento street in SF.
Brother, you must be kinda young, no woodies? Well, you were on the right path till you left Wilson for the Yammee... no Wilson 95 Pro Staff? That's where you went wrong, you missed a generational racquet there.. Me: Dunlap Maxply > Wilson Stan Smith > Ultra > Ultra 2 > 95 Pro Staff > Fed 90's > RF97... you should really try Kennex if you like heavy... keep the videos coming-- fun stuff... Suggest a video on stringing machines, my first was the standup Prince with the rails.
Tim T I really don’t understand people that don’t use babolat aero pro racquets. They are the best overall for non professional players
They are very stiff in terms of today's racquets, so a lot of us can't take the stress it puts on the arm. People that grew up using eastern forehands and classical grips don't benefit from the major feature of the frame which is extreme topspin. I prefer the feel of the pure strike.
I dont personally know much about stringing but id love to get a stringing machine and do my own racquets. Its a shame theyre so expensive.
@@RigMaster_ Buy one of the cheap drop-weight stringers (Klipstringer), and learn from some youtube videos... it's not that hard, just tedious at first.
@@p4ulodi4s I think it depends on your style of play. Bablolat seems good for baseliners. but I play more of an all-court game, thus the RF97.
this is all sooo satisfying to watch!!
i´m a tennistrainer and my parents are also trainers.
My dad and me share the same passion for raquets and strings like you.
big fan, enjoying every video of you...
real quality stuff and knowhow you share with us.
greets from austria
cincerly yours Victor Constantinescu
The best racquets for elbow health and longevity must weigh between 12 and 14 oz or 340 to 396 grams even or head light balance with a swingweight between 330 to 365.Pros play with these measurements for all their careers for and even post careers with some minor adjustments.Light racquets transfer to much vibration to your joints and heavy racquets absorb most of the vibration.
Racquet history is one of those things that, like pages in an old yearbook, let you remember details from life that you might otherwise never think to remember.
I also started young! I started in 2001? in primary school. My first racquet was a Fischer 25" and then I graduated to a Wilson nCode 26" Federer. When I was about 13-14 I got the ProStaff 95 Team (nCode, 290g) 18x20, played with it for a while, didn't really like it too much. Ended up switching to the ProStaff Tour 90 (nCode, 340g) for my high school tennis and university all up until 2018 where I switched to the ProStaff Tour 90 (K-Factor, Asian 320g edition) because it was much more forgiving and easy to swing. Right now I'm waiting for a sale on the Yonex Vcore Pro 97 HD. :)
Along the way I picked up a few updates to the lines (K-95 Team, BLX Tour 90 340g).
Photo of my current collection: media.discordapp.net/attachments/323814466502393857/715931151264645120/IMG_20200530_0014122.jpg?width=867&height=681
(K-Factor PS95 Team, BLX Tour 90, Asian K-Factor 90, nCode Tour 90, nCode junior racquet)
Cool set of racquets!
good control racket👌
I had to have the Ultra 2 after seeing it in the hands of Hana Mandlikova. She made serve and volley with it look effortless. In truth it's a very difficult racket to wield. Probably explained why not many pros used it. Also had the Secret 04 which was used by Yannick Noah. Too stiff. I sold off the U2 and the Secret. Only kept the PS85. Still play with it.
bravo - I play with my PS 6.0 also + Prince POG 90
My first full size racquet was the yonex super rd90. Damn that racquet felt real good.
My first was a TAD Davis! Came with a press so it would not warp! Balls were white, except mine were dirty and grey. Converse All Stars hi tops white! No bag! Filled up the tennis ball can with water! Those were the days!
I remember having a Bancroft wood racket. Mid 1970s.
I still have 2 Secret-04 rackets, still play with them sometimes.
Great choice of subject!
Interesting how you went from pro sticks to tweeners and then back to pro sticks. Always interesting to see how a player's choice of racket evolves over time. Thanks for the interesting video. Enjoyed it.
AMAZING !!!!!!!!!!
Almost Same RACKETS that i have
Wilson Pro Staff China 85
Wilson Ultra 2 85
Wilson Jack Kramer Staff 85 ( More Flexible 20% Fiberglass NOT KEVLAR ) also like a 2x4 Weight
2 Yamaha Secret 04
1 Gosen Secret 04 Lite
4 Prince Graphite 107
2 Prince Graphite 90
1 HEAD TXP
3 Dunlop max 200g
Sold the 300i long time ago
2 Prince Response 97
1 Wilson T2000 ( Jimmy Connors ) Picked it up Thrift Store for Nostalgia !!!
sold the Puma Super
sold the Yonex r27 - Too Stiff
1 Wilson Profile Silver midsize
Sold the Kneissl AERO to Flexible - Like a Rubber Band !!! Weighed like a 4x4 Too Heavy
That Wilson Ultra 2 was the stiffest racquet on the market at that time. Awesome frame, used by Hana Mandlikova
Keep 'em videos coming! I really enjoy this walk down memory lane, esp with the Wilson Ultra 2, the original Pro Staff and the Yamaha Secret 04!
Dood, we might be related! Lol…. Where we’re you playing late 80’s early 90’s? Late 80’s, I was playing a lot at Orange Park on So SF. Early - mid 90’s, at CCSF & played on the team there in 94 and 96 seasons. For some reason, you look familiar and wouldn’t be surprised if our paths crossed.
Here’s my racket history:
So, a couple of months ago, I finally decided to move on from my Wilson 6.1/six-ones, a variation of which I’ve been playing with for the better part of the past 25 years. Back in the fall, I switched to a Head Graphene 360 MP which has the most power and largest head size (100 sq in) of any racket I’ve ever used before. I was happy and playing well. A little hard to control on backhand shots but it was working. However…. I am a Wilson loyalist and I’ve been wanting to try the Wilson Blade family of rackets. I picked up a pair of Blade 98L v6 in Dec. I think the Wilson Blades are my new sticks!
1987 Wilson Ceramic
1988 Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85
1989 Wilson Ultra FPK 95
1989 Dunlop Max 200G
1990-92 Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85
1992 Prince Graphite 90
1993 Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85
1994 Wilson Hammer 5.2
1995-97 Wilson Pro Staff Classic 6.1
1997-2005 Yonex Super RD Tour 95
2005-2016 Wilson Pro Staff Classic 6.1
2016-2020 Wilson [k]factor six-one
2020 Wilson Ultra Tour 18x20
2021 Wilson [k]factor six-one
2022 Head Graphene 360 Extreme MP
2023 Wilson Blade 98L 16x19
Ultra II - Hana mandlikova! That was top of the line.
I think it was made of Boron.
Now all of us are scrounging around in closets chasing memories of rackets from our past. I started in the late 70's with a Wilson Conqueror before the Jack Kramer Pro Staff. Followed the movement to graphite and tried the Wilson Sting, which I really didn't like before moving to the Wilson Kramer Staff Mid. Tried a friend's Dunlop Max 200G and fell in love. Eventually moved to the Prince Precision Response 660 then the Volkl DNX 8. Later I used the Dunlop Aerogel 500 Tour 4D and now the Babolat Pure Aero. Looking back, guess I'm not really into brand loyalty.
I dug out my Steffi Graf Pro Staff 7.5. It is 11+ oz and about 9pts HL. I put a hybrid string(15gForten/16g Ashaway) synthetic set in it and won 3 sets of doubles a couple days ago. It is the most flexible pro staff player's sticks I have used and It still plays well. I can't wait to try a co poly/poly string like lux VIBE, Genesis Trisonic, lux Element, Head Hawk Touch, Yonnex Poly Tour, Solinco hyper G or Head Sonic Pro Edge in the racquet for more fun top spin hits.
Started with a Dunlop Maxply junior and after a couple of adult versions got a Wilson T2000 which I used for many years. First graphite was a Wilson Sting 2 which I didn't like. Don't play these days although your videos are making me think about joining s club again. "Newest" racquet is a Head Radical Liquid metal, which I really liked although ideally it would have been even better a little heavier. Prefer something that is slightly head light though. Would have been interested in the stats for you wooden racquet. My wooden racquets used to be grip size 5, but used 4 for graphite.
Head Arthur Ashe Competition II. Pumped gas for $2.50 an hour when I was 15 and spent $50 US in Bellingham with Canadian cash and got a bit of change back from my Canadian 50. That raquet developed my game completely.
Same here. Older siblings had some racquets laying around circa 1980. I played with a baby blue and white chris evert for years. I think I put 2 and 2 together around 1984.
Almost an education watching your videos, got a v5 blade from clearance, wrong size, heat molded a sleeve, then moved on to a instinct, guess I’d be a happy weekend warrior for the rest of my life, but if I were to drop my snowboard pro dream, which 98 Yonex should I think about, sth comfortable maybe, the power of instinct is a bit hard to control, but I’m just 2 weeks in xD
Glad you were able to keep most of your racquets. I guess your a wilson guy. Forgot the wilson profile? Thanks
My first racquet in the mid - 70's was a wood Slazenger. It was dark blue and had a knight's helmet/head on it in the throat.
I just use my first adult racquet still never restrung. Only older racquet is the youth sized one. Why do you need to upgrade your racquet as your skill progresses?
I appreciate analytical tennis fanatics.
I still have my 2 old Wilson Hammer racquets. Should I re-string it or buy a new racquet?
Loved it! Isn't it funny how we were all so much stronger and could swings logs for hours on end as kids?
Difference between swinging heavy sticks on flat strokes,compared to windsheild wiper top spin drives today?
Long, linear stroke and a firm wrist with a Dunlop Maxply 40. Just no way to windshield wiper that one! How things have changed!
@@josephhenry1084 Also affects the grip size. Wrist articulation (vertical "whip") is hard to do with a full grip sized to fill up your hand. But it's so much more effortless to hold. My HS racquet was a 4 5/8... and my hand never got tired. Now I play with 4 3/8 and constantly squeeze and relax on impact... it's tires out the hand / wrist much faster. I think the fuller grip probably contributed to more elbow issues, but the trend to grip down might be an aggravating factor in shoulder injury... like I think I go up much faster for serve with an undersized grip vs. an oversized grip... don't know if that's possible, but with the full grip I feel like the racquet is going to fly out of my hand.
I love orange and black too. I had the Andre Aggassi head racket and bag for years. It was an copy of pro staff painted orang and black
hi, can you make a comparison between an old wooden racket versus latest racket nowadays. w, sw and length.
I started playing tennis in the late 1970's. The Wilson Ultra brings back some memories. I recall wanting that racquet, but it was so expensive!
it was Very Expensive Top of the Line
I got one for Christmas when I was 14. The deal with my mom was that it would be my only present that year. I think it cost $200 in 1984!
Where can i find those nike bags, what are they calleddddddd
To describe the Yamaha you should have gone with glass cannon.
Wonderful! This is how people can learn about tennis racquets, love this video!!!
The Hammer frame profile was like the older Wilson Profile.
Would love to see some of your game if you’ve recorded it before?
They’re all very stiff and head heavy rackets.
Graphite : ua-cam.com/video/HH9XOWeZZ2I/v-deo.html
I had similar racquets as you back in the day. I miss the wide body era. Lol.
Started with a Prince Jr Pro
Prince Classic II
Head Graphite Director
Wilson Ultra FPK 95
Yamaha Secret 06
Head Genesis 600
Head Liquidmetal Radical OS
Head Liquidmetal Instinct
Head Graphene Instinct
Head Graphene Prestige
That was a fun video. I did not start playing tennis until 1996. My first racket was a Prince Jr. I used that until the end of the middle school. Then I think it was a series of bad mistakes. Head I S12> Wilson Hammer 5 was during High School. I did not play college tennis, but played for fun. My first two rackets that I bought during college new was Wilson nTour 95 and 105. I really enjoyed those two. Wilson K Cobra Tour> Dunlop Biommetic 400> Head Graphene Touch Extreme. Now: Prince Graphite OS> Head Graphene Touch Prestige Tour. So, its kind of all over the board. I am really gelling with the POG and Prestige Tour. They are both fun. I accidentally ordered a Prestige Mid before the tour. That was really hard to play with, but felt really good. I did not hate the graphene touch because I really did not play with any of the "classic" Head frames. I really want to demo the Wilson Clash. It looks really awesome. I also demoed a Wilson Burn and liked that as well.
Hammer 6.2 Skunk, Original Head Radical MP, WIlson Prostaff 6.0 95, Wilson HyperStaff 5.0 extended, Pure Drive Roddick, Pro Staff 97, Pure Strike 16x19 3rd Gen
Prince Tour Diablo and Wilson 6.1 95 Classic are my favorite old school frames. I couldn't play well wth either these days. Current racquet is 18 x 20 Blade 98 v7 with a little bit of lead at 3 and 9. Like Buttah!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I did have a wooden racket from some store, then Yonex R1(aluminum) > Kneissl White Star Lendl Pro > Dunlop Max200G (3) > Donnay Superlight Pro 50 > Rossignol F200 (2) > Wilson Pro Staff 85 aq (4) > Wilson Pro Staff Classic (4). In the 80s, I always wanted the Ultra2 mid because I always saw the sponsored juniors at that time have them. The gold Wilson hammer mid would rip my arm off, but the silver Wilson hammers were less stiff. Enjoyed this video.
I have 2 yamaha secret with the same color strings..I didn't think anyone would still have it
would you play with the secret today?
Enjoying the content of your show! Your insight is personable and relatable. Any prince racquets in the history? I used to play with an old Prince Tricomp then switched over to a Wilson Sting. I even played with a Donnay back in the 90’s. Keep up the great work!
Great video... My first racquet was Dunlop "Midsize+ Tactical Control"... Weight is 335 gr strung, balance is 31.5 cm strung, 16x19... But I can't find other information (head size, flex..etc...). Please, help😊...
I remember Chris Evert's signature wooden racquets 😆 I also started on a wooden racquet in the '70s with my Dad's Slazenger. I was just a kid, so I couldn't afford racquets that I liked like a Wilson Jack Kramer, Dunlop MaxPly, Kneissel White Star or Wilson T2000 (though I was able to get a Donnay Borg Pro). Yamaha made racquets?!? Let us know when Hyundai makes them, too lol Thanks for your show & tell! It's great to see racquet history 🙂
Man! You started out with a club. I tried to use those Ultra 2 mid but way too stiff. I went the complete opposite way and used Rossignol F200 carbon my whole time playing.
Any rackets you recommend that would be similar to Rossignol F200. Im thinking about playing again.Lol. Thanks.
Wow.. nice time travel. I sure miss the Yamaha EOS and Secret04. I started with a simple Rossignol racket and moved to Donnay Pro One from 1990 to 2000. Didn't like the Head Radical. Yonex was my next racket and I have been on a Yonex ever since.. am still with Yonex to this day. Thanks for the Vlog on your racket history 👍
Wilson Burn Countervail 100 is my stick. I love the orange special edition. Strung with luxilon alu power 125 main and genesis multi cross at 48-50. I will string 45-47 next try.
Fun video seeing your previous sticks. 👍 You weren’t kidding when you said you like weight! But, but, but... I thought... you like Head??
I tried using heatshrink on my grip before when I was living in Japan. They didn't have any racquets in 4-1/2 size. I really noticed that it rounded out the edges of the grip, and I couldn't get used to it. After that, I made the change to leather grips on all my sticks. Huge personal preference, but seeing as you were using leather before, how does the feel change for you? Do you prefer it?
I had the Wilson Hammer 95! That was a bad ass racket. Wish I still had it for the memories. You were a cool tennis kid if you swung a hammer.
hey tennis spin
BURN FAMILY
I would like to buy the Wilson Burn reverse off you? how much let me know
thanks
You were lucky to have such a great rackets from the start. Nice video yet again.Thank's!
yamaha with motor inside
CAN YOU MAKE A VIDEO TALKING ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BLADE 98 16x19 AND PRO STAFF 97 STANDARD!
Excellent videos and honest opinions. Let's hope you get RA machine, then we would have a new dimension to your analyses.
I'd like to give that ultra 2 and that Wilson 85 a try for some good hitting.
I wish I could.find my old racquets, used to play with Prince racquets looooong time ago.. why did you feel you had to add lead tape to throat of the Ultra 100s?
Good topic! Racquet histories are often fascinating, as is Harry’s.
Love all the changes that we can see with the newer and older racquets. Lovely set of racquets that you have
Excellent video, with a lot of interesting insights into your racquet history
I started with a Yamaha EOS and 25 years later, after many racquets, I'm playing with it again.
Love your videos. Very informative and I wish your store was closer to me
Woww good history nice Can you make a review on the Head Graphene 360 Instinct Lite thanks
Pro Staff 6.0 - one of the best ever. Courier, Edberg also played this racket - that is over 20 GS's.
Kevlar fibers.
I have a Wilson rally aluminium from 1985.
Wallgreens in SF? Where do you have the shop?
Dude what age and what year were you swinging these?
yeah that 374 grams racket is ridiculous!
@@nijiak THORS HAMMER
HOW MUCH FOR THE REVERSE BURN 100 ? I GOT YOU
What think of the Prince Beast 100? I understand that it's like a Pure Drive..
Jaca well I haven’t played with a Babolat for a long time, but I have a prince beast 100 that I bought over a year ago. It’s a powerful racket and I like it especially for serving. However, I prefer either the Yonex DR 100 or the latest Yonex 100 2020 version. Both play and feel similar to the Prince Beast 100. Tennis warehouse has reviews of the Beast 100 that I think is pretty accurate. Happy hitting.
Try the sw104 if you like heavy
Please give some technical comments on Wilson profile series, your regards , thanks
I tried the Profile 2.7 95 and that was a ROCKET LAUNCHER! I could not keep the ball in the court and I wanted to blow people off the court with it. It was a good very Stiff Racket and the first WIDE Body. The whole series was a Hugh success for Wilson.
My first racket was a Jaguar racket. 😬
you have good taste in raquets
The best vid so far!!!!!!!
Started with Head Extreme, switched to a Babolat Aero Pro Drive GT(beautiful, I loved it). Than I switched to a Wilson Blade98 and than to a Pro Staff 97.
Now I'm playing with a Head Speed MP 360.
Tennis players have always carried large bags with them. Today they carry two large bags. Very weird. Given the real masculine sports like baseball and football do not partake in bringing all their toys to the show. Why tennis ? I love tennis but let’s face it it’s a very strange game. I think it was turned into something it can never be by the large sports and marketing companies. Why are there 100’s of rackets and configurations? There is one football and one baseball and single material (wood) for a pro baseball bat and one basketball and one hockey puck and stick and basically one golf ball with exception with some differences internally. There are maybe 5 variations of golf clubs but generally all are very similar. Yes there is one basic tennis ball but 100’s of rackets. Something is wrong here.
I'm confused, golf is similar to tennis when it come to gears there are hundreds of not thousands of different drivers, iron, wedges and putters. Not to mention all the different type of shafts and just as customizable with lead tape. I think where sports really heavily on gears the more freedoms and options you can do. Think of sports like skiing and archery.
@@dimasprasetya1036 The golf club is deceiving, between the brand name and the fancy model, underneath the clubs vary very little, and I think golf has been a marketing victim as much as tennis was, golf also markets 14 clubs per player, where tennis is just one racket required to play, so with a bag of 14 clubs your bound to have variations just based purely on the math. The other major major difference is if you travel to 5 different golf courses, your going to play on 5 different course sizes, some par 5's will be 650 yards, some par 3's will be 275 yards, another par 3 may be 80 yards, so two different clubs may be necessary, although golf is infantile in the number of clubs they require as a real golfer can complete any course using 4 or 5 clubs, no more. Golf is also a victim of marketing and equipment companies pushing new products every year to reach revenue goes, the new clubs coming out every year are very much the same as the previous year, just a different name or color. The course sizes and the elements on a golf course (lakes, ponds, sand, high grass, trees) is completely different than tennis. The tennis court is 82 feet long, the length and the width has been the same for maybe 80-100 years. The court never changes in size, there are no elements to deal with. The tennis court is so small watching on tv the viewer is given a different impression of it's size, it looks larger on TV than it really is, the players are literally on top of one another, the distance from the baseline to the net is a scant 41 feet, you can cover a tennis court in 2 seconds, yet the racket companies have continued to push the materials to make the ball go faster and faster, but the court size never changes, as a result you have a game that lacks creativity and depth, the tennis from the late 70's and 80's was a real game, a tough game, it had shot making, strategy, serve and volley (s/v was mainly the real athletic part of the game), players would exchange 15-20-25 shots before the point was won, the serve was meant to start the rally, the players had just a few different rackets, mostly wood until the mid 80's. Today they stand on the baseline and never move, the serve is rocketed only because of the racket, 75% of the points are complete after 1 to 3 shots, the player is actually less athletic today as the materials allow for less than athletic player to enter the game, a petite female player (or a relatively unathletic male player) can serve at 100 mph+ today, where if you ask her to throw a baseball she could not throw it 15 mph, or throw a football, she could not throw a football 15 yards, yet due to the materials of the racket she can propel a serve 100 mph+, I suppose this is ok for the local clubs or amateur ranks as it invite more players to play the game, which is great, but the pro ranks should never have allowed the advanced materials/rackets to enter the game, never, it ruined traditional tennis. Pro baseball does not allow the insane materials used on the bats that are used in HS and College, the sports and equipment companies forced their way into the amateur ranks and now sell $500 bats, but the pros said no way, stay away as the ball's velocity will increase to a point where players and fans will die from the velocity, this will never happen in tennis as the two ounce rubber tennis ball will not harm anyone, haha, but pro tennis made a huge mistake and it can't turn back now. Real tennis is not played anymore anywhere, all due to the massive equipment gimmicks introduced. And no one should be carrying two large duffel bags onto a court, it looks so childish and feminine on men, just walk on the court with two rackets, a towel and a few bottles of electrolytes, tennis should allow a half-time for the players to change in a locker or attend to some need, exchange a racket, grab another shirt etc. but to bring their entire bedroom onto the court is very weird and kind of ridiculous. Football has a half time, basketball has rest periods, offense in baseball allows the players to recharge and change if they need to when in the doughnut, this occurs every inning. I am also not trying to compare the sports, as nothing can compare to baseball and football (I'm not referring to silly soccer). Tennis in my opinion is more of a gentlemen's game than some world class sport, but it has turned into one all due to the manipulations of the equipment and apparel companies. Pro tennis has to change, they need to turn back time, they won't but it isn't the great game it once was.
gosh that very first racket at 374grams and 364 SW, just imagining myself playing with that racket gives me horrible visions of tennis elbow. how did the pros and great players of the past even hit single backhanders back in the day with such rackets?
also, you mentioned that before graduating college, you were actually moving towards using more control-oriented rackets (for competitions i presume). But after graduation, since you started playing recreational tennis, the modified rackets you used are actually head heavier and that is very interesting to me. did your groundstrokes change fundamentally? Granted, we can't swing as hard and fast as we did when we were younger, but i'm thinking if i went from head light to balanced or head heavy that means i would be shortening my swings quite a bit.
a Woman Played with that Racket
Hana Manikova
She was Very Good
It is actually easier to hit a one-handed backhand with a heavy racket. You need the weight to push the racket and ball through. It would be way harder with a light or head light racket as you cannot feel the racket head come through.
The one missing racket in this bag was my college rackets which were the Yonex RD Tour 90s. I have always liked heavy rackets and you are right I went to head heavier rackets because it was easier for me to play with less effort. I have always had an extreme western grip so tennis took a lot out of me.
You should never have to shorten your swing with the various head weighted rackets. Try your natural swing and control the ball with spin to keep the ball in the court. Make sure you have a loose grip and swing through the ball. Trust your shots. Give that a try.
Thanks for watching!
@@TennisSpin ahh, It makes much more sense to me now. Thank you!!
how can you be so slow talker!!!
He speaks slow but you speak incorrectly.
I've never played with anything containing Countervail. Was it really as "bad" as everyone said it was?
I thought all Wilson Leather grips were Fairways?
This video inspired me to try to do this too, but I cannot find some of the model names online since I don't own most of them anymore. The one that you reminded me of that I would still use today, if I had it, was the Wilson Profile 3.6!
Yamahas were sweet, light and powerful.
My Dad had 1 of those 2x4 Yamaha fibreglass sticks. I had to swing that until he finally bought me a Wilson Staff Select.
@@dickybirdcch- had a yamaha yfg 30 after my dunloo maxply fort, aluminium head master in the 70s. We didnt care or know much of racquet specs, we play the ones we have.
@@mylesgalos6465 it was heavy and hard to play with as a kid and the grip was huge. I spent the time trying to break it until I got the more modern wilson graphite wide body.