Wilon Pro Staff 110 (large head version)

One of my all time favourite sticks - the Chicago made Pro Staff.  This large headed version is great for me because it combines a large hitting area with superb plow through to put real weight on the ball.  It is one of the very few vintage racquets that can still hold its own against modern sticks.  However, it is heavy for serving and hard to create whip, so you need a strong wrist for this. But it is amazingly stable and great at the net for volleying.  All in all one of the best racquets ever made in my view. 

Snauwaert Ergonom

This stick has to be one of the most eccentric ever made.  The idea was to improve the hitting area for forehands and backhands by changing the angle of the head by 45 degrees or so.  However, when serving they feel very strange and the position of the head gets some getting used to.  Maybe this is why they are something of a 'one hit wonder' - most people try them out to satisfy their curiosity and then put them away again.  Not sure if they are easy to restring on modern machines either, so another reason not to risk using them too much.  Again, found this one in a charity shop and mighty surprised I was to see it too! 

Snauwaert Hi-Ten 30

The Snauwaert Hi-Ten 30 is one I picked up from a charity shop/thrift store for a few pounds, so imagine my surprise when I I found the same racket priced on eb** for quite a bit more.  Snauwaert's innovative reputation is demonstrated here by the extraordinary 12 x 13 stringing pattern.  The large space between strings means this racquet can generate considerable bite and put heavy spin on a ball.  The strings too are incredibly thick.  I have not used this one much - it is more of a talking point in my collection than a stick I use. Plus, I am not sure that if a string broke I could find replacement gut of the same gauge for it.  The Hi-Ten was one of a number in the Hi-Ten range that were notable for their spin potential.  Definitely the most collectable of the sticks in this collection.

The thick gauge of  string that features on the Snauwaert Hi-Ten 30 racket

Yonex RX-32

No cover for this one, unfortunately and due to the broken strings I have not yet had a change to try it.  But many Yonex fans cite this racquet as a real all-time classic and one of the finest that the Japanese company ever produced.  Round or oval headed, and not the famous isometric shape that Yonex is renowned for, this thin beam 16x20 strung stick is geared for control rather than power.  Similar in flex to the R-22 but a heftier hitter. Just wish I could have found that case...oh well.

Yonex Rexking 22

The R-22 made famous by Martina Navratilova

One of the most flexible Yonex racquets and the one that took Navratilova to the top of world tennis. She used it from 1984 to 1987.   With a 90 sq. inch head and a stiffness rating of 52 this graphite and fibre glass stick has a bit of a cult following.  More of a control than a power frame but with a large
sweetspot for its head size.  Looking forward to using this one over the summer.

80s advert for the Yonex R-22

  

Yones RDS 001 (90 sq. inch)

Lleyton Hewitt's frame of choice in the noughties

I first got into the Yonex RDS range after watching David Nalbandien play his graceful spin oriented game with one.  However, after buying this RDS001 I realized I had in fact bought the smaller head version used by Aussie Lleyton Hewitt.  As it turns out I ended up preferring this frame much more than the midsize head version of Nalbandien (more on this racket in a future post).  In fact both frames feel very different - almost as if they are completely unrelated.  This frame has a lovely flex to it and can offer awesome spin potential, especially if strung with spin friendly string.  The sweet spot is quite small, as you might expect of a smaller headed stick so I never used this racket as much as I would have liked to.  It suits a player with a large swing and, as with any players' stick, your technique is what generates the power rather than the frame itself.  I also love the paint job - this being the 2008 design.  Much more comfortable to use than the mid-version which is really surprising too.

p.s this racquet is really too 'young' to be on this vintage site, but I like it so much I decided to add it anyway.

Yonex RQ-380

The once loved racquet of Ms Monica Seles

As the caption notes, the Yonex RQ-380 was once used by Monica Seles.  I have used this one a few times and it is a powerful racquet - what some might refer to as a 'rocket launcher'.  I bought in on e*** so it was not a thrift store discover unfortunately - but it was fairly cheap.  It is a widebody
frame so the thickest part of the frame is across the 3 to 9 O'clock axis and the shoulders.  The thickness of the frame is probably why I don't use it as much as I might - I prefer thinner frames which you find with the old 80s graphites and the more modern players' sticks.  This is a players' stick of course and one I will be rediscovering this weekend to, hopefully, beef up my serve and forehand. But it is not a favourite of mine in terms of it weighting.  But for raw power, look no further!