Le 30 septembre dernier, Babolat lancait la Shadow, sa première chaussure de Badminton, réalisée en partenariat avec Michelin. A cette occasion, Ketchum a organisé une après midi entre les journalistes et les n°1 français de Badminton, Hongyan Pi et Brice Leverdez, au Lagardère Paris Racing, situé dans le 7ème arrondissement de Paris.

Les journalistes ont, en nombre, répondu présents à l’invitation : raquette en main et shadow aux pieds, chacun a pu se mesurer aux champions de la discipline !

Wilson Racquets Over Rated?

The choice of a racket is a personal thing yet many consumers buy rackets because of the brand name. It’s hard to say why Wilson racquets have gained such a large market share but it is likely due to fashion. Tim Henman and Roger Federer suggest Djokovic’s switch away from Wilson rackets to Head Youtek Racquets is a risky move however it takes time to adjust to a new racket. Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal, and Dinara Safina do not use Wilson rackets and have played very well. Safina has managed to rise above the Williams sisters in WTA rankings. Kim Clijsters seems to be happy with her Babolat racket.

Could it be that many players are lured to the Wilson brand and see their play suffer? Having played with Wilson racquets and played terribly with them, I can see how a player’s game could suffer by trying to adapt to their racquets. Wilson appears to cater to highly competitive level tennis players and these rackets do not deliver the type of power and sweet spot size that club level players need. New racket technology by Head (Head Microgel)in particular is providing the same level of control that any Wilson K6 provides yet adds some power. For many club players, pin point control isn’t an issue. Many of these players, particularly older and female players lack sufficient power and pop in their strokes. The power in these rackets makes them more effective in club doubles play. The Wilson branding juggernaut may be causing the Wilson preference but it may not be good for the game. Players should use the racket that is appropriate for their style of play. Just check out Do IT Tennis’ RacketPro racket selection tool and you’ll see how many factors there are to consider.

Racket Selection Tool

My bag check is very simple…no flashy stuff here. I carry a six racket red Babolat Team Line bag and I always have 3 cans of new Penn tennis balls, two towels; one for me, and the other for my grip. Also I carry two of my tennis rackets, Babolat Aero Storm Tour with Babolat Revenge string at 58lbs. I carry extra grips with me, and use Wilson Pro Overgrip (white), along with at least 3 wristbands, because I sweat a lot. I bring two extra shirts, because a quick shirt change gets that heavy sweaty shirt off you, and lets you feel fresh and ready to pound the ball. My shoes never touch the outside of the tennis court, and they are Babolat All-Court III with mesh inserts for good air flow.

Conversation following Fb status “Buying Head Crossbow 6s to replace IS6s. I’ll still have the volleying manoeuvrability but plan to up the string tension for more control”:

JL: Don’t up the tension, split your strings and put a good quality multi filament Gamma/Babolat string in crosses and Luxilion Alu Power in as mains.  Should do the job.  Modern rackets work best with modern strings.

I have a synthetic strings phobia – can’t bring myself to use anything but natural gut.

JL: Not even Federer uses that any more I don’t think.  Federer uses some awesome multi filament string and Big Banger Alu Rough.  Or natural gut and Big Banger Alu Rough. Depends on what weather/ priorities are. Try mixing gut with Alu Rough 17guage. If you up the tension you have to up your umpfh when perhaps you can have the best of both worlds.

Ok, I’ll bear it in mind.  I’m doing my own stringing on a drop-weight machine – no fixed clamps, starter clamps pressing on the frame – quite risky for the frame during stringing.  But I still feel phobic about using synthetic – all my joints ache from using synthetic, but not a single twinge with natural gut … also, I feel whatever my max mph, spin and touch is more of a strength for me, especially in ladies doubles.

RE: For the record Federer strings the k factor tour with wilson natural gut in the mains at 55lbs and luxilon big banger alu power rough as crosses at 50.5lbs. Supect alu power a bit of a waste in the S6 and would feel it in the arm. Try wilson sensation as a synthetic. Ill be suprised if you notice any difference between it and natural.

Thanks for the record-straightening info re Federer .. me, I’m listening to my body … as I am phobic about synthetic string, my perception would be suspect if I tried a synthetic, so any trial would be invalid … so I’m going to keep it simple: one Bow Brand Championship Gauge 9.5 string per racket ..

JL: I know that he has (it) the opposite way round. But changes tensions quite alot. (There are) lots of good strings:]

It’s no use to me knowing what string/ tension combo other players use – no matter where they are in the world ranking list. I can only apply another player’s stringing preferences to my own situation if I know the physics, psychology, biomechanics and ecomomic rationale behind their choice.

Thanks to:

James Lloyd (JL) and Richard Enderby (RE) for their input about Federer and hybrid stringing on Facebook.

Graeme Livingstone for letting me have the Head Crossbow 6 at a good discount.

I love the Head Product Adviser: click here

Continuing from part 1, I hit with Revenge as a fullbed for a little over eight hours under a variety of conditions.  Tension loss was less than a pound.  The string grew on me, but I was still anxious to test it in a hybrid.  Fortunately, the gut on my regular hybrid became mushy and it was time to restring.  So, I had both racquets restrung with VS Team 17 on the crosses.  One was strung with Revenge 17 on the mains at 51 lb and the other with the usual Pro Hurricane Tour 17 at 53.  My racquet is a Prince Speedport Black.

I was pleased with the control provided by Revenge as a fullbed at lower tension, so I wanted to experiment at the low end of my normal range.  If I strung a hybrid with say xCel Power on the mains at 51, I would be guranteed to spray balls into the fence from the first shot   The hybrid Revenge configuration performed pretty much  the same as the fullbed.  Solid control even at lower tension and this from a so-called ‘power’ string.

There was increased feel from groundstrokes by crossing with the gut, which helped alleviate my concerns from the first part of the review.  Next, I wanted to see how the configuration volleyed.  At 51lb, I expected a slight mushy feel from volleys.  The opposite was true.  Response was crisp from the very first volley.   With the VS Team/Pro Hurricane Tour hybrid, I get a serious feel of the ball being pocketed and ‘launched’ from stringbed.  This affects volleying to some extent based on the pace of the ball coming towards  you.  With VS Team/Revenge, response is consistent whether it is a light touch volley or responding to a very hard passing shot.

You will pick up a bit more feel and spin from the hybrid configuration on serve, but overall response is quite muted compared to Pro Hurricane Tour on the mains. Again, the expectation for Revenge is to provide  reasonable power while maintaining control.  With a power configuration, it’s up to you to provide the control.

My first conclusion is that Revenge is better suited for a hybrid configuration if you already play a hybrid (especially a gut/poly hybrid).   Control is quite good even at lower tension.  Given the combination of control and response on volleys, I’m probably going to keep the VS Team/Revenge hybrid as a doubles racquet.  It is not as powerful or responsive as the VS Team/Pro Hurricane Tour combination, leading me to believe that Babolat should be advertising this as more of a control string as opposed to a power string.

You can get plenty of power from Revenge by stringing at lower tension and just hitting out on the ball.   The response is adequate and the control ensures that if you miss, it’s all on you.   Spin is average; about what I would expect from any 17 -gauge hybrid configuration.  As might be expected, it is noticeably less than I achieve with the VS Team/Pro Hurricane Tour configuration.  However, given Revenge’s reputation for tension maintenance, you can hold that power/control level for longer periods of time than other configurations.  I expect more frequent restringing with VS Team/Pro Hurricane Tour.

Given the pace I experience from 4.5/5.0 players, my general conclusion is to stick with the VS Team/Pro Hurricane Tour hybrid for singles play.  I’m viewing VS Team/Revenge as more of a specialty configuration, for use in windy conditions when control is at a premium or doubles play.

This is the first in a two-part review of the new Revenge string from Babolat.  I currently play a VS Team 16/Pro Hurricane Tour 17 hybrid, so I’m reviewing Revenge both fullbed and in a hybrid.  I normally string in the 50-53 range, so I first tried Revenge 17  in a fullbed @ 54lb.

I had previously tested Pro Hurricane Tour and xCel Power as a fullbed in the same racquet, both at an average tension of 53.  The xCel Power felt great but had a tendency to spray balls.  It was better crossed with xCel Premium.  The Pro Hurricane tour was so responsive in my head-light racquet that it had some low-frequency vibration that was very noticeable on touch shots and light volleys.  Crossed with the VS Team gut, however, performance is terrific in a hybrid.

My first impression of Revenge was that it was a cool-looking (red) string with a unique popping sound at impact.  At lower tension, the string provided expected power on groundstrokes but with unexpected control.  This is one string you can take a hard swing at the ball and if you miss, it’s all on you.  While not advertised as a comfort string, I did not notice any arm soreness after hammering on the string with 4.0/4.5 players for about an hour.

Volleys were very crisp and it almost seemed like the string performed better at the net than on the baseline.  If you have a relatively flat first serve, you will probably upgrade your first serve with Revenge.  Spin was definitely weaker than Pro Hurricane Tour (as would be expected) and from what I remember hitting with xCel Power.  You might lose a bit on a sliced second or heavy topspin first serves.

Coming from a gut player, my next observation is almost predictable.  Revenge does not have the feel I like on touch shots.  If these are an important part of your game, then you will not like this string in a fullbed.

After about 3 1/2 hours of hitting under various circumstances (including in the middle of the day in Texas heat), there was very little string movement.  The person who strung my racquet indicated no issues in the stringing and little coil memory.  DIY’ers will probably find it an easy job to string.

Overall, this string impresses me as good choice for 3.0/3.5 players looking for a power string without sacrificing control.  Revenge is advertised as a highly durable string with minimal tension loss.  That means you can afford to string at lower tensions without fear of the string becoming mushy after just a couple weeks of hard play (which happened to me with xCel Power).  I will continue to hit with the string and once I get to about ten hours, I’ll measure the tension and report back.

I believe 4.0+ players might consider Revenge as an alternative to say Big Banger, but only from the standpoint of adding control or getting a more arm-friendly string.  If you currently play a hybrid (especially a gut/poly hybrid), you would only want to consider Revenge as a substitute for your mains.  When my current hybrid is ready for restringing, I’ll see how Revenge compares as a main string to the Pro Hurricane Tour and then post part 2 of this review.

I am a new homeowner and as of mid-July I will be among those who call Leslieville ‘home’. The house closed quite quickly and I’ve spent the majority of time inbetween posts handling all of the details. It used to be a cottage in the early 1900s; it has been described as a little house with charm – and I would agree! I’ll post photos once the move is complete. Michael and I are very excited about this chapter in both of our lives. We have discussed the nitty-gritty details (that’s all I’ll say on the matter). Regardless, I am excited about this new adventure and how this experience will impact my life and those around me.

I’m close to playing my best tennis. Switched racquets from Wilson to Babolat – a big switch, but one that I think will enable me to be more consistent and get more pop on my groundstrokes. Even though I am hitting the ball with great power and control, the shots are falling too short, making me susceptible to an attack from my opponent. I’m also moving at a snail’s pace, which means I’m going to have to start jogging again to help increase my speed. No more french fries.

This has been a terrfic year for me and my family. My sister has persevered and graduated from law school. I may very well have met the love of my life. While my mother and I have had differences, we are still quite close. Professionally, I am also continuing to show consistency in my performance and I’m anticipating continued success this year.

It’s very odd that I picked Father’s Day to compose myself for the post. I have said barely a paragraph to my father in 6 years. When asked about it, my answer is the same – there’s no malice, I wish him well, but I do not wish to reestablish contact with him. It’s not something I talk about often, because of my friendship circle and loved ones – many have lost their father’s at a young age and would wish to trade places with me in a heartbeat. I wish all of the proud dad’s out there a Happy Father’s Day. I also hope to be among that group who celebrates the day with his own children one day soon.

En iyi tenis oyuncularının hangi raketi kullandığını merak ediyorsanız, burası tam yeri!

Rafael Nadal’ın raketi : Babolat AeroPro Drive Cortex

Roger Federer’in raketi : Wilson K Six-One Tour

Andy Murray’in raketi : Head MicroGel Radical Mid Plus

Novak Djokovic’in raketi:Head YOUTEK Speed Pro Racquet

Fernando Verdasco’nun raketi: Tecnifibre TFight 320 VO2 Max

Having won the last 4 French Open titles, Rafael Nadal is the red-hot favourite to make it five in a row this year, with no-one seemingly having the slightest chance of keeping up with the world No1… READ: http://www.tennis-open.net/news.php?nid=2263

Tennis Open just upload new pages on tennis-open.net … TENNIS BLOG is free and available for you.  Some of the biggest names from ATP and WTA World Tour join BLOG as VIP writers include Marat Safin, Justine Henin, Dinara Safina, Boris Becker…) http://blog.tennis-open.net/ Hope so you will join us… REGISTRATION LINK: http://blog.tennis-open.net/wp-login.php?action=register

The Babolat AeroPro Drive tennis racket is strictly for professionals only. At least, for advanced players. Editors at Tennis Magazine commented that it is “jarring if you miss the sweet spot”. But as mentioned earlier, this isn’t a racket designed for players who would miss the sweet spot. This well-crafted frame is weighed 11.3-ounce, with head size of 100 square inches and 27 inches in length.

Babolat Aeropro Drive Tennis Racket Review

Positive points:

The Babolat AeroPro Drive is made using 3 very helpful technologies:

• Woofer technology
• Cortex technology
• AeroModular technology.

The Woofer technology uses the string bed as pistons, which absorbs most of the shocks. At the same time, the Cortex technology also functions to filter out vibrations – it enhances the feel by canceling the highest vibrations to create better comfort. It also helps to lessen the harshness if you miss the sweet spot. Meanwhile the AeroModular technology forms the frame for specific profiling at certain points just create greater power. The frame also sports a flat, aerodynamic look to aid in speed generation.

Together, the Babolat AeroPro Drive simply packs a mean punch. On top of that, this is also the same racket used and endorsed by Spain’s ATP Tour player, Rafael Nadal.

Negative Points:

There isn’t much, but some commented that the racket is “not particularly great” for serves. The Babolat AeroPro Drive might also turn out to be “too much of a spin” for some people.

Again, this is designed for advanced players who would prefer the additional power and control along with the comfort in their play.

Further Information:

• Click Here For More Babolat Aeropro Drive Tennis Racket Review

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• Tennis Racket Reviews – Best Tennis Racket – Main
• Best Tennis Racket For Beginner
• Best Tennis Racket For Intermediate
• Best Tennis Racket For Professional
• Best Tennis Racket For Game Improvement

Tennis Clube São Caetano do Sul

A Recomendação de hoje é o esporte dos deuses, Tênis, já joguei vários esportes, mas sinceramente, nenhum deles ganhou de tênis pqp.
Se você puder jogar, não perca a oportunidade e jogue

Rafa Nadal has played down his chances of completing a Grand Slam of major titles this year despite the Spanish world number one’s utter domination of the men’s game over the last 12 months…etc. full article available on www.tennis-open.net