Djokovics equipment.

[GeoffWilliams]

Pht is a stiff string, esp. in a full job. Juniors who grow up with it love it. Roddick uses it in a hybrid cross with vs team gut. Tell him that Roddick uses this hybrid, for a reason. I'd try that, with gut in the mains first. I would not let the crosses go dead, but, lock down the frame before they break, and restring them. Vs team is about the only string you can do this with, due to its very good tens. maintenance. Then I'd try it the other way around (way more expensive, and the pht will go dead and trampoline way faster than the gut will. Can't restring the mains, only the crosses. So if you use the gut as cross, the tens. will go bad too fast vs the other way around! I'd string the gut at 60, with pht crosses at: first three down from top of hoop at: 55, next 14 down at:60, and last three at: 65lbs. This will give tens. main./power and also give him the feel he's used to, but with way more feel and serve power, and keep the sweet spot high in the bed. So, if he's hitting hard, I'd restring the crosses four times, cutting them out every other day or so. Or a little lower, depending on how fast he gets used to the higher trajectory angle of the ball off the bed. You have to warn him, that the angle will be higher than full pht, and to aim lower over the net than he's used to doing. His increased power will soon become addictive. With kids, it's better to teach them the big fh, run around bh, and make tactics simple, so they only have to do one thing.

Midplus Specs
Head Size:
98 sq. in. / 632 sq. cm.
Length: 27 inches / 68.6 cm
Strung Weight: 11oz / 312g
Balance: 1 pt Head Light
Swingweight: 327
Stiffness: 63
Beam Width: 21mm
Composition: Graphite Tungsten
Power Level: Low
Swing Speed: Fast
Grip Type: Skin Feel
String Pattern:
16 Mains / 20 Crosses
Mains skip: 8T,8H
One Piece
No Shared Holes

[sfrazeur]

Geoff,
I have a junior who plays with a Babolot Pure Storm racquet (he says it is the light version). He is stringing it with Pro Hurricane Tour at 56 mains/ 54 crosses. I expect he should be using some kind of a hybrid string job.

[. . .]

thanks,
don

What brings you to this conclusion?

-Shaun

[tennis_chiro]

Geoff: a stringing question for you

Geoff,
I have a junior who plays with a Babolot Pure Storm racquet (he says it is the light version). He is stringing it with Pro Hurricane Tour at 56 mains/ 54 crosses. I expect he should be using some kind of a hybrid string job.

This kid is playing 18's (he will be 17 in July) and has been working with me on and off for about 18 months. In the last few months his groundstrokes have gotten solid and I think he will start to break through pretty soon, but he is still learning to use his weapons and be a little steadier and find opportunities to flatten out.

He hits with quite a bit of spin on the forehand with a fairly strong semi-Western grip. Originally, he didn't get through the ball enough, but now I really like the way he is hitting it.

Two-handed backhand with a little topspin when he needs it.

He is probably close to 120 with his first serve, but he is only about 5' 8" and his 1st serve percentage is a little too low. He needs to hit a lot more spin on his first serve generally. He has a very good second serve that I'm guessing is in the high 80's and maybe even into the low 90's on occasion with a pretty good kick. (I've gotten pretty fed up with the readings on the retail radar devices. Way too inconsistent. These speeds are just me eyeballing.)

So he is hitting the ball well enough that the equipment and string choice have a significant impact on his play. What do you think he should be doing with his strings for that racket?

thanks,
don

[GeoffWilliams]

Mac used to use those I believe. I'm not sure about sq in. or specs.

This is the one he currently uses:

Head Size:98 sq. in. / 632 sq. cm.
Length: 27 inches / 69 cm
Construction:21 mm Straight Beam
Composition: Hot Melt Graphite
Strung Weight:11.3 ounces / 320 grams
Power Level: Low-Medium
Babolat Racquet Diagnostic Center (RDC) Data:
Stiffness: 68 (0-100)
Inertia: 327 (200-400)
Stroke Style: Full
Swing Speed: Moderate-Fast
Balance: 3pts Head Light
Racquet Color: N/A
Grip Type: Leather
String Tension:
55-65 pounds
String Pattern:
16 Mains / 19 Crosses
Mains skip: 8T,8H
One Piece
No shared holes

[don_budge]

Geoff...

What was the area of a standard sized wood frame...Dunlop Maxply for example? I am guessing 70 sq. in.

[GeoffWilliams]

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