La Manga Club Tennis Centre is simply one of the World's finest outdoor tennis facilities! Whether you just play tennis for fun or are a top professional, this is definitely the Spanish holiday for you. La Manga Club Tennis Centre is simply one of the World's finest outdoor tennis facilities!
Maria Sharapova has revealed her newest on-court weapon. Now officially painted, Sharapova premiered the new HEAD YouTek IG INSTINCT tennis racquet first round at the Mutua Madrid Open and came up with a win. The racquet has been a work in progress since early 2011.
“The game became a lot more powerful, a lot more physical,” Sharapova said. “I was really looking for a powerful racquet, and am thankful that HEAD provided me with exactly that.”
The new stick is said to provide “Effortless Power” actually. The YouTek Instinct IG series will be available in August in two versions, the MP and the S model. Both will allow players to create power in their strokes much more easily, due to better maneuverability of the racquet during the swinging motion and less energy loss at ball impact; built in Innegra™ technology reduces vibration on ball impact and allows for more control.
More specs are forthcoming.
HEAD CEO Johan Eliasch noted, “Maria gave a lot of input to help develop this new series of racquets. We are proud that she joined our team and trusts our products.” Proud? Yes of course but much more likely… very, very thrilled ;)
Maria’s apparel here? All Nike Maria Sharapova Group. The Statement Tank in lemon frost/lightbulb $60 and Skort, in gridiron $60. Very pretty two piece set.
Dunlop tennis has signed Tim Smycek, a hot-on-court Milwaukee native, to a racquet deal. His win last week against Donald Young in the 2011 USTA French Open Wild Card Playoffs earned him the coveted ticket to Roland Garros.
“Tim is a great signing for Dunlop,” said Kai Nitche, Vice President and General Manager of Dunlop Racket Sports. “He possesses the key characteristics we look for in our Tour Team members; he works extremely hard both on and off-court, he’s dedicated, and he pulls through in clutch situations. It’s been a pleasure to work with him thus far, and we wish him well as he continues his climb up the ATP World Tour rankings.”
The 23 year old trains at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa and now makes his second appearance in a Grand Slam main draw; he won the USTA playoff last August to get into the US Open. This year he’s continued his upward momentum by reaching the quarters in San Jose in February and the second round in Indian Wells after qualifying for the main draw.
Smycek currently wears adidas apparel and footwear. Yeah, you’re right, he’s hot off court too
Babolat has announced the launch of a new collaboration between Babolat and Roland Garros beginning this year and running through 2015. Babolat will supply the official tournament ball at the French Open and will provide stringing services for all tournament players.
So what does it mean to us?
Sure we’ll see the ads but the alliance is being billed as the Ultimate Tennis Experience and true to Babolat’s mission to reach “all tennis aficionados” – see the artwork above — we tennis mortals will have access to a brand new line of Babolat-Roland Garros products, both adult and junior racquets, balls, racquet bags, strings, grips and dampeners. A little love from France for our game too.
I’m looking forward to checking it out. The new gear will be available in May 2011. Roland Garros begins May 17.
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic go HEAD to HEAD Sunday night in the men’s singles finals of the Australian Open. This is their first time meeting in a Grand Slam final.
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic go HEAD to HEAD Sunday night in the men’s singles finals of the Australian Open. This is their first time meeting in a Grand Slam final.
In celebration of the last days of the 2011 Australian Open, Wilson tennis has offered up this Wilson Blade Lite BLX tennis racquet to one lucky winner.
Visit TennisIdentity’s Facebook page to enter. Who do you think will win the AO? Many of us thought we knew but Hello? Surprises every day.
Leave your winning choices, man and woman in a comment. Those with the correct answers will be pooled for a random draw.
Deadline to enter is Friday 1/28 at 3:30 am EST (7:30 PM in Australia). Good luck!
Last week Yonex announced that Caroline Wozniacki, the world’s number one ranked female tennis player, had switched to a Yonex racquet. It’s hard to imagine turning in your racquet at the very top of your game. Remember Novak Djokovic’s bumpy brand switch a couple of years back? Money can be compelling however as we all know.
The switch was officially announced at the start of the Australian Open although Wozniacki has been playing with the new stick since January 1. No problems whatsoever. The new racquet in hand is the new for 2011 Yonex VCORE 100S.
“After Doha, which was my last tournament of last year, I had trained back at the practice court and the whole Yonex team was there. I thought that everything about the racquet was perfect at the end, and I thought that it was great for me. Yonex really helped me to find solutions to improve my game and also spin with the ball.”
We all know about player racquet customization but the VCore 100S has a 100 sq. in. head size 16×19 string pattern and is designed for players who really like to spin the ball. The #D vector shaft is said to aid frame stability.
Novak Djokovic hits Australia with a new HEAD racquet in hand, the YouTek IG Speed MP 18/20, one of six in the new HEAD Speed IG series.This second generation YouTek blends the best of the d3o technology introduced in ’09 with HEAD’s newest Innegra fiber technology.
Tough and light, Innegra (also used in F1 cars) is said to improve stability and shock absorption and provide consistent performance over the entire life of the frame.
The Speed series racquet group includes a 300 gram MP version of Djokovic’s for easier playability (for those not at the higher echelons of the game).
Below are more details on the different versions of the series. All have just about the same cosmetic:
- YouTek IG Speed Pro: This racquet offers a heavier frame with a very thin beam, providing great touch and feel. It comes with a synthetic leather grip and cap.
- YouTek IG Speed MP 16/19: Offers a combination of power and feel in a slightly longer version to accommodate a wide range of players.100 sq. in. head.
- YouTek IG Speed MP 18/20: Djokovic’s racquet. This stick will appeal to a wide range of players with its combination of power and feel. 100 sq. in. head.
- YouTek IG Speed 300: A more powerful MP version which makes shots faster with less effort. This racquet offers good power and control. 100 sq in. head, 16/19.
– YouTek™ IG Speed Elite: A Tour Light version providing tour performance with greater maneuverability. The slightly wider beam gives it even more power. 100 sq. in. head.
- YouTek™ IG Speed Lite: This is the lightest racquet in the Speed series. A great tweener providing a combination of power, maneuverability, control and feel. It’s a good choice for players with a moderate swing style. 102 sq in head, 16/19.
The YouTek IG Speed MP 16/19, YouTek IG Speed MP 18/20 and YouTek IG Speed Lite will all hit retail 1/17. The YouTek IG Speed 300 and YouTek IG Speed Elite will not be available until March.
The tennis bag that goes with this line includes the Djokovic backpack (holds 1 racquet), combi (holds 3-5) or monster combi (holds up to 10 but that would be tight).
Prince tennis has announced its new performance racquets for 2011. The updated racquet line includes: Three EXO3 Tour models (EXO3 Tour 100 (16×18 string pattern), EXO3 Tour 100 (18×20 string pattern) and EXO3 Tour Lite 100) designed for more advanced players with faster swing speeds; and newly upgraded versions of the EXO3 Silver 115, EXO3 Blue 110, and EXO3 Red 105 models for beginner to intermediate players.
All six new EXO3 racquets will feature the distinct ThermoCarbon String Suspension Inserts (the larger holes) and will join the popular EXO3 Black, EXO3 White and EXO3 Rebel to complete the full 2011 performance racquet collection.
According to Prince, EXO3 is a patented racquet design utilizing large holes and string suspension inserts that absorb vibration and deliver a larger hitting area compared with other frames of the same head size on the market. Strings are liberated from traditional, smaller grommets, allowing the strings to respond more freely, even at the outer edges of the string plane for balls hit off-center.
“High-speed video shows that beginner and intermediate players are not the only ones who hit balls off center,” said tennis guru Nick Bollettieri. Pro athletes today compete at such an incredibly high pace,along the tightest of margins with very little reaction time – so nearly every ball they strike makes contact outside of the direct center string bed. …[E]liminating grommets that limit string response…even out to the edge of the frame on balls players hit at full stretch or have less time to react to…allows players, at every level, to hit better shots, more consistently.”
So who who’s playing with what now at Prince?
EXO3 Tour: David Ferrer, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Sam Querrey, Albert Montanes, and Viktor Troicki.
EXO3 Black: Vera Zvonareva, John Isner, Shahar Peer and Marion Bartoli.
EXO3 Rebel: Gael Monfils, Mike and Bob Bryan.
Learn more at Prince or test drive or buy at Tennis-Warehouse or tennis retailers worldwide. Available January 17, 2011.
Tennis racquet vibration dampeners are designed to reduce the shock you feel when hitting a ball. Some people use them, some don’t. If you do, express yourself baby.
Unlike the movie Office Space, less is more when it comes to flair. Suit your mood or interests, or have one custom made for your team. Find them at String-a-ma-jig. $4 each for ready-mades.
Tennis-Warehouse has all the brand name logo’d ones: Babolat, Prince, Gamma, Wilson and more…
String-a-mag-jig has the “smiley” Novak Djokovic used to use. I miss it. He’s got a HEAD one in at the moment. That’s the contract talking.
Origine is a new-to-market Canadian brand. Their first tennis product is a racquet that combines performance and comfort in a stick that utilizes flax fiber in its structure. The company plans to roll out additional models in late 2011.
The Origine racquet has a long reach (27.25 in.) for higher power. Flax fibers are blended with carbon fibers for enhanced frame flexibility and vibration absorption. Unstrung the racquet weighs 10.2 oz. Head size is 100.
Although flax represents only 15% of the frame fibers, use of the renewable material represents a positive step in a “green” direction. The company points out that a fully flax composed frame would be far too brittle for play. The current ratio insures performance and comfort.
The Origine is currently being used by a number of pros around the US. Bill Patton, USPTA/PTR Tennis Pro with Chabot Swim and Tennis Club in Castro Valley California is one convert. “[It's an] arm friendly flexible racket, ” said Patton. It offers some ‘pop’ on the ball, with a nice even balance… It is also great to know that an effort is being made to reduce the carbon footprint of making tennis rackets.”
Designed with the intermediate to advanced player’s needs in mind, this is not a racquet for beginners.
The Origine retails for $134.99 USD plus tax. Buy at Origine.
