Archive for the 'Tennis Equipment' Category

If you’ve been thinking about a new racquet for the new year, maybe you’d like to consider the choices made by the top ranked players in the world. Below we offer a list of the racquets preferred by the world’s top ten men and women as well as his or her choice of string in many cases.

Men’s Top Ten

1 Roger Federer: Wilson K Factor KSix-One Tour 90
The KSix-One Tour 90 is the most forgiving Tour 90 yet. Subtle updates to the frame design make this one a must hit for 5.0+ level players. Standard length. Strung weight: 12.5 ounces. Swingweight: 336 (RDC). Balance: 9pts head light. Federer uses Wilson Natural Gut 16 String.

2 Rafael Nadal: Babolat AeroPro Drive
Plenty of pop, spin, and accuracy from a crisp response. 100 sq. inch headsize, 11.3 ounces. Nadal’s string of choice is Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour 16 String.

3 Nikolay Davydenko: Prince O3 Tour
Good access to spin on groundstrokes and serves. Very mobile from all areas of the court and perfect for aggressive players.

4 James Blake: Dunlop M-Fil 200
M-Fil (Multi Filament) is a technology that incorporates a unique patented 3D braiding process. Carbon, S-fiber and Magnesium are combined into the hitting zone at the racquet head to enhance the touch and feel of the racquet where and when you need it most — at the moment of ball contact.

5 Ivan Ljubicic: Babolat Pure Drive Team Plus
A popular pro tour choice. Many shared attributes with the Pure Drive Team Standard but with more heft, reach, and power. 100 sq. inch head. 27.5″ frame length. Ljubicic uses Babolat VS Natural ThermoGut 16 Touch String.

6 Andy Roddick: Babolat Pure Drive Roddick Plus
Andy’s signature racquet. Slightly heavier than the Pure Drive Plus, this one packs plenty of pop and a solid, spin-friendly response. New Cortex dampening technology makes for a comfortable hit. Roddick prefers Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour 16 String.

7 Tommy Robredo: Dunlop M-Fil 300
A versatile player’s racquet that blends power and control with a solid response. 98 sq. inch headsize, standard length, 16/19 string pattern. Robredo plays with Luxilon Big Banger Original 16 String.

8 David Nalbandian: Yonex RDS 001
Lots of control and great access to spin. Impressive combination of stability and maneuverability thanks to the headlight balance. Nalbandian’s choice is Luxilon Big Banger Original 16 String.

9 Mario Ancic: Yonex Ultimum RD Ti-80
A flexible, control oriented racquet with a strong pro player following. Standard length. 98 head size.

10 Fernando Gonzalez: Babolat Pure Storm Team
A lightweight control racquet that provides a solid feel at impact and is suited to a variety of playing styles. 11 ounces, 98 square inch headsize and 16/20 string pattern. Gonzalez likes Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power Rough 16L String.

Women’s Top Ten

1 Justine Henin-Hardenne: Wilson nCode nTour Two
Updated with increased comfort and a more solid feel, the nTour Two Midplus racquet offers the same pleasing response of power, maneuverability, and control as previous versions. H-H’s preference is Wilson Natural Gut 16 String.

2 Maria Sharapova: Prince O3 White
Power, control, comfort, and maneuverability. Well suited to an all court game. Features a 27″ frame length, 100sq. in. headsize and a 16/19 string pattern.

3 Amelie Mauresmo: Dunlop M-Fil 300
A versatile player’s racquet that blends power control with a solid response. 98 sq. inch headsize, standard length, 16/19 string pattern. Amelie uses Babolat VS Natural Team Gut 17 (1.25) String.

4 Svetlana Kuznetsova: Head Flexpoint Instinct
A solid choice for the aggressive all court 4.0+ player. Offers some nice pop, plenty of control and a maneuverable feel. 100 square inches, 11.2 ounces, 27″ length. Kuznetsova prefers Luxilon Big Banger ALU Touch Hybrd 16L String.

5 Kim Clijsters: Babolat Pure Drive Team Standard
Babolat’s best selling racquet offers a high level of stability and comfort. Racquet choice of many touring pros. Clijsters string of choice is Babolat VS Natural ThermoGut 16 Touch String.

6 Nadia Petrova: Babolat Pure Storm Team MP
Light and with a little more pop than most control-oriented racquets. Well-suited to players with fast swings seeking a little larger sweetspot. 10.7 ounces, 103 square inch headsize.

7 Martina Hingis: Yonex RQS 11
A pleasing blend of power, control, and maneuverability. A perfect choice for the 4.0+ shot maker who likes to mix pace, spin and placement. Headsize: 100 square inches. Length: 27.5 inches. Strung Weight: 10.4 ounces.

8 Elena Dementieva: Yonex RDS 001
Clean and crisp response, lots of control and great access to spin. Impressive combination of stability and maneuverability thanks to the headlight balance. Dementieva chooses Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power 16L String.

9 Patty Schnyder: Head Liquidmetal Prestige
The Prestige line gets updated with Liquidmetal and Twin Tube technology. Mid (93 sq. inch) and Midplus (98 sq. inch) headsizes available. Standard 27 inch length frames. Schnyder plays using Kirschbaum Super Smash Spiky 17L String 1.20.

10 Nicole Vaidisova: Yonex RDS 003
This control-oriented ‘tweener offers a large and forgiving sweetspot. Strong on comfort and very spin friendly, this one is well suited to all court players who like to take an aggressive cut at the ball. Midplus 100sq. in headsize and longer 27.25″ length.

Okay, so we have the racquet and the balls all wrapped up, let’s take it to the next level. What’s your favorite player to do when there’s no one around to hit? Grab the ball machine and get down to the courts! Precise and consistent, the Tennis Tutor won’t want to stop until you do. Features 150 ball capacity and weighs just over 40 pounds. This is one gift that will continue to give for years to come.

If this is a bit heavy for your taste, try the Lobster Ball Bucket Machine instead. At only 28 pounds, it is one of the lightest options around for ball machines. If you are a more manual person, then a Gamma Ball Hopper may be more your style. The important thing is to get out there and hit it!

Now that we’ve picked out the perfect racquet (see Grand Slam Gift 01), allow me to suggest the perfect ball. Not only does the Tretorn Micro X Tennis Ball Bucket look completely cool, you and your loved ones will love hitting these balls. Because of the ball’s long life span, it’s also a perfect candidate for ball machine owners. Ahem, we’ll be getting to that.

The Prince O3 White racquet is the gift that I gave myself this year and what an improvement in my game! If someone you love loves to play tennis, this gift could cause shrieking to ensue. Maybe not exactly Sharapova-style sounds, but shrieks nonetheless (yes, this is the same racquet that Maria Sharapova used to win the 2006 US Open!). Try it, you’ll like it.

Although this appears to be a “made for ads” site, meaning it’s just put up to make money, they do have many interesting Tennis Tips and a lot of great pictures. The site is called TennisTips.net.

As always the USTA is there helping you out as well. There have not been many updates as of late but there are some tried and true tennis lessons in the mix there. The lessons site is here, but you can also check out their online lessons that may help some of you get over those little bumps in the road keeping you from cleaning house in the next club tournament.

Another great resource for tennis players is the Tennis Server’s Tennis Equipment Tips. There are a ton of great tips to help you learn about the equipment you are using.

technorati tags:Tennis, Tips, Swing, Equipement, Rackets, USTA

Are you thinking you need a bigger grip but don’t want to layer multiple grips on top of each other because they’ll just come out too big?

Sounds like you need an overgrip. Made of a thinner material without all the backing of a regular grip. The overgrip is able to move the grip size of your tennis racket up a quarter or half size, or down a racket size, depending on how you look at it. Using an Overgrip can be a great way to give your racket that feel and touch you’ve been missing in your game.

Overgrips are usually available everywhere grips are sold and come in a variety of colors and textures as well as different sizes (thicknesses) to help you make the right grip size for your racket.