NEW RACQUET TECHNOLOGIES, THE LATEST AND THE GREATEST {2003}

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

I thought you might like to learn about the latest cutting edge improvements from some of the top racquet companies. The order in which I present these is not necessarily representative of the company's status with respect to market share.

WILSON's latest introduction is the use of the ISOGRID system in their recently released "H" Series racquets. According to Roger Guerrero of Wilson, ISOGRID is a skeleton-like structure, inside the graphite, that acts much like our own skeletons. Made of a combination of aramid and graphite, this crisscross grid-work adds more power by making the racquet stiffer for the same weight. ISOGRID is used in carbon fiber bicycle frames and golf shafts as well.

Wilson continues with the TRIAD series, combining comfort with power, and their PROSTAFF racquets, a staple of the company for many years, which are more suitable for advanced players and pros. Unlike some past technologies, the current Wilson line of racquets has merit from a technological aspect. Time will tell whether or not the public warms up to these latest offerings. They would definitely be worth playtesting.

V ö lkl (pronounced vohlcul) continues to introduce more frames in their Catapult Series. Having taken over six of the top ten spots in their sales, their unique technology seems to be catching on. The frame is fitted with carbon fiber pieces at the three and nine o'clock positions. These are made in such a way as to act like springs, compressing upon ball impact and creating more "pop" to the ball. These frames also sport Völkl's Big Grommets, a technology introduced in their V1 racquet that continues to sell well after more than eight years on the market. The Sensor Handle on the current models is an upgrade of the V1 system. Both reduce shock and vibration significantly.

The Völkl Tour Series remains in the line. These frames are geared toward the advanced player.

Völkl's sales and popularity have moved ahead of many of the more widely known brands without a huge advertising outlay. This says much for their frequently imitated design technology and quality.

Prince , the company that started the ball rolling when it comes to tennis advancements, with the original oversize racquet, has a few "More" tricks up their sleeve. Prince has added the "Direct Contact Suspension System" (basically a reintroduction of their Sweetspot Suspension System) to some of the latest MORE PERFORMANCE racquets. Grommet-less, sandwich construction allows these frames to be built without the necessity of drilling holes. This equates to more rigidity and thus more power as well as a crisper feel for those who don't like the softness of many current frames. It also eliminates the problem of broken grommets, since there aren't any. Continuing with the air handle system for shock and vibration damping, Prince seems to be a low key player in the current barrage of technological glitz.

Head is introducing a new line of racquets using LIQUIDMETAL. Developed at California Tech, and produced by a Tampa based company, this material acts unlike any other metal currently in existence. According to the company's website (www.liquidmetal.com) metals as a rule have a crystalline structure; that is, they have a strict pattern to the atoms. LiquidMetal's structure is amorphous, or without any pattern, more like a liquid giving it some very remarkable properties. It's lighter than other metals, stronger and actually dampens vibration instead of creating it! It gives the material a higher weight-to-power ratio than other metals. All this having been said, don't be misled.

The technology is sound, but the use of it in tennis is still in question. In the first place, Head is using it more as additional weight at the ten, two, five and seven o'clock positions. The frames overall are NOT made of LIQUIDMETAL. They are constructed of graphite. Additionally, like other metals, including Titanium, it is questionable that its weight-to-strength ratio will be nearly as good as graphite (carbon fiber).

This material will no doubt be a great advance in metals technology, but only time will tell if it will have any real benefit for racquets. Help or hype; I have my doubts.

Head has added dampening foam to the handle system of the LiquidMetal 8 and LiquidMetal 4 models to make them more comfortable.

Babolat , a relatively recent player in the racquet market (although the number one manufacturer of natural gut string in the world, and the choice of pros like Andy Roddick) has introduced three new frames for this season. The AEROTOUR series boasts a completely new profile shape. Called "Aerobeam technology" the frames are designed to allow quicker movement through the air, especially for players with semi-western and western grips. This, the manufacturer claims, produces fifteen percent more racquet-head speed and fifteen percent more spin. Sound too good to be true? Give it a try.

The design is certainly radically different. My concern is that traditionally, the consumer has shied away from gross differences in racquet shapes. Time will tell if this shape is too different. As a footnote, these frames are designed primarily for the advanced player.

Dunlop continues their "G" Series racquets with their exclusive "Hotmelt Technology". The process dips the graphite into a thermoplastic resin that is heated to 250 degrees. The hot dip creates a more uniform coating making it stronger, more durable and more responsive than traditional processes using cold resin bonding, according to Kai Nitsche, Dunlop's Tennis Product Manager.

The newest thing with Dunlop is actually one of the oldest. The company has reintroduced their ISIS handle system in eight of their racquets for this season. A popular technology, Dunlop dropped it for several years. I guess that decision comes under the heading, " Stuff happens". ISIS stands for Integrated Shock Isolation System, and eliminates some of the shock and vibration by actually separating the top and bottom of the handle and isolating the halves with different materials. One other model, the Abzorber, has a thermoplastic polymer bridge to isolate vibration.

I wish I had the space to cover other, lesser known manufacturers like Fischer and PowerAngle who also have interesting technologies and deserve to be play tested.

The bottom line is that technology can only go so far. All manufacturers make excellent frames. Each company tries to preserve a feel that is unique to them. Something else to think about is the stringing. The same racquet can play like a dream or a club depending on how it's strung, so take that into consideration. If it were possible to play blindfolded, I would suggest you do that when trying new racquets; that way the bias toward or against a particular brand would be eliminated. Determine what category your playing style is and try frames of different manufacturers to find the one that best suits you, without prejudice. In the end, you are the one who will play with the racquet. Make sure you make the right selection by trying as many as possible.

Previously published in FLORIDA TENNIS - Oct, 2003