Category Archives: Inspiration
Happy You Year!
Of course, we are all anxious for the new year to get here and erase 2020 from our memory!
We are designating 2021 as the You Year! So, Happy You Year!
For the last few years Racquet Quest, LLC has put more emphasis on “custom racquets” and 2021 will see this emphasis extended to “you racquets”!
What exactly does “you racquets” mean? It simply means that every racquet that leaves Racquet Quest, LLC is set up for your style of play and personal specifications. Yes, even if the racquet is Off-the-Shelf and not a full custom!
Many really good things are happening next year and we are glad you are going to be with us!
Consistency. What Does It Look Like?
Consistency!
Consistency is a component of almost every successful thing we do each day!
But, what does it look like? Well since this is a tennis centric post it will look like this:
What you are looking at is identical racquets, identical string, identical failure location!
If you find the very end of each string you will see how consistent this failure location is.
This string is a high elongation material so will notice that the ends of the broken strings are very far apart.
This is a good thing since it (elongation) contributes to comfort and power when hitting the ball.
This failure location indicates the player is striking the ball with consistency! That many explain the UTR of 13.3!
What else does this failure location show us?
- Most impacts are not in the center of the racquet.
- The string spacing in this area is a little more “open” which may “catch” the ball and contribute to rotation.
- There are more strings for the ball to “roll” over before leaving the racquet which may contribute to rotation.
Consistency is important in everything we do. Visualize it like the string bed of this racquet and try to hit the same spot each time you do something…anything!
See What We are Talking About?
If you have been listening to the Racquet Quest Podcast you know we have talked about what to NOT accept when you pick up your newly strung racquet.
We know it is hard to visualize sometimes so these pictures are posted to give you a visual aid! This is the very same string! One could conclude from these images that the person responsible for these knots has not had any training at all. It makes you wonder how good the rest of the string job is!
Bad Knot
In the interest of improving all stringing, please do not accept this kind of work.
The image below shows the “dreaded” crossover! This is not only a potential string damaging error it indicates a lack of skill, or understanding, of doing a good job!
Of course, mistakes do happen but it is the responsibility of the stringer, in this case, to correct the mistake before the client comes to collect their racquet!
Buy Direct?
As any business knows by now, there is a new way to do business regardless of what they are selling, and tennis racquets are no exception!
For several years players have been able to buy “special” racquets from some manufacturers. These racquets were typically unique graphics. The price of these racquets was, also, usually a bit more than “retail’ products.
Now, however, Wilson is making their “Pro” series racquets available through wilson.com, only. These racquets are what the cognoscenti refer to as “pro stock” racquets.
I think it is a good idea!
Why? Because so many players wanted “special” racquets and were paying exorbitant prices for racquets that may or may not be what they thought they were buying! We know because we see them!
Buying direct is one reason we have modified our model slightly by offering to a greater extent “custom” racquets. This way, you know what you are getting, exactly! I believe this will be the case with the Wilson Pro Series as well.
I believe it will not be far that more tennis racquet companies do the “direct” thing; however, “scale” is the issue and stringing and racquet setup. Some companies don’t have the resources for that, yet, so online sellers will still have some action, I think.
If you have a racquet technician you trust, purchase the racquet “direct” but have it set up locally. I think that is a winning combination!
Let us know what you think about buying directly from the racquet brand instead of online or locally.
Jack is Headed to France!
Many of our readers know Jack Anthrop, but I will tell you a little about him just in case you don’t.
Jack Anthrop
We started working for Jack about six (6) years ago, at which time he switched to Ashaway MonoGut ZX. Since that time, Jack has progressed at a stunning rate, now with a UTR of 13.26!
Jack is using the Head PT113B Speed custom racquet and now a new fiber made by Victrex, a UK company that specializes in PEEK materials for high-performance applications which is the Ashaway MonoGut ZX and ZX Pro material.
But, the big news is Jack is headed to Paris, the one in France, to play in the French Open Juniors! Jack and his partner, Max McKennon from California, are in the main draw doubles!
Jack has a great chance to be in the main draw singles as well.
Max McKennon
Congratulations to Jack and Max on this great accomplishment!
Racquet Quest, LLC
