Luca from

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[@RacketsRunnersVancouver]

Thanks for having me on! Had a great time chatting with you!

[@josaya247]

I think you're onto something, the Boom Pro V2 felt similar to the Percept 97. Differences are marginal at most.

[@Tennisnerd]

It was fun! Thanks for joining 🎾🤓

[@caseysmith544]

I fear a 2 hand overhead power shot near net on other side as an impossible to defend unless one could jump 20 feet or 609.5 cm in air as how ball is launched. Play may be so bad player who is going second in early on televised rounds might give up conceding before play starts becuse one player will dominate whole game to point you can only do a round like this if you get injured or real no faking using a cheap titanium looking like a real racquet of company painted and strung in proper strings to look like model of players racquet used as an "oops slammer racquet".

[@squidmaster23]

0:00 Vancouver Weather + Pickleball vs Tennis 4:40 Luca's Origin Story 11:29 Rackets for the One Handed Backhand 17:05 Djokovic's and Nadal's Rackets 21:30 HEAD Rackets (Especially the Gravity) 31:40 Babolat Rackets 34:10 Wilson Rackets 37:30 Companies "Updating" Racket Lines 43:12 Understanding "feel" in tennis rackets 53:19 Thoughts on the Wilson Shift 1:02:42 Strings 1:15:20 Shoes and Pickellball Paddles 1:23:50 Thoughts on KZbin Community

[@oakmountaingod]

You know that feeling when you see the title of a video and you know you'll love it? yeah... this is it

[@Sandro_Z68]

My 2 TOP reviewers on the same video 🤩

[@minwoopark3029]

for real, two nerds that we love😂

[@peterfigasinski]

Rackets & Runners is a great shop in Vancouver! Really great community involvement. Big fan of theirs!!!

[@tomathome77]

Such a great podcast

[@markhcire8476]

Absolutely agree with the other commenter that Racquets and Runners and Tennisnerd are the best racquet reviewers. I stumbled across Racquets and Runners recently and have been enjoying the content on that channel. Keep up the good work guys. 🎾

[@jeromecote245]

I love those cross-over episodes 😅. I respect and follow those two regularly. Very credible professional in what they do. Love the new logo and animation by the way Jonas. Thanks for this!

[@Tennisnerd]

Thanks!

[@spacemodulated]

Wtf is going on at 50:01?

[@TennCom]

Ugh I’ve had enough of this Luca fellow

[@Tennisnerd]

😂

[@lucaberg6106]

Same

[@jeromecote245]

😂

[@jameshaldeman9181]

I really really like the idea of releasing Djokovics mold and letting users customize. Honestly a win win situation. Nerds can customize to djokovic spec and have HIS STICK or adapt it to their own game. Doesnt have as much backlash as something like the rafa origin had.

[@georgipopov8973]

It could also come with instructions for lead tape placement with options like: 1. Full Djokovic "god spec" 2. Djokovic "demigod spec" (with a SW around 335-340) 3. Djokovic "mortal spec" something with the first option requiring a ton of lead and tha latter two - less and less. You can have the option of trying the Djok spec but also tuning it down when you eventually see that its a bit much.

[@MithTang]

Luca! dream collab!!!!!

[@Julian0K]

The closing thoughts about doing your jobs out of passion and love for the game are just so refreshing. Passion is the key to true success. Great podcast from you two as usual! Ps: White rackets >>>>> all

[@fretstain]

I assume the courts are still there, but in 2010 I used to play on the courts on Granville Island and playing right by the ocean like that was just magic

[@derekpappas1556]

White racquets have an air of purity and crispness that works with the control frame . The ATS tours are nice , but must be mixed with black and or other .The white iso from techbifibre is a white wash . All black unless full gloss is moody and draws energy in vs reflects it back out like white does for the eye . Other than white racquets there is beauty in the ultra pro and donnay pro one octacore because of the gloss refraction and silver . White is synonymous with tennis and has the function of repelling heat radiation unlike black and other dark color's . Black like white need definition accenting for the eye . Prince ripstick is a fun happy use , wild racket . If it were a black base then it would not send out the same message and yet darker colors and hues can be more elegent and get less dirty .

[@georgerezzor9556]

The problem with pickle ball is that they are converting every public tennis court so you can never find a court play. Once they take over there's no more line to get on the court because they never leave. And it's noisy as hell.

[@flodar1548]

I agree with you about Head, the line up of racket up and the way they market it is not really compressible.

[@LarzB]

I totally agree on the white rackets that they look ugly. Technifibre tf40 (18x20) is one of the best playing and feeling racket. Foam filled. But i just cannot handle the white Changing colors every few months would be horrible with finding the right new grommet sets for them

[@caseysmith544]

Yeah, I am same way, not liking a white racquet but I do like some white on my racquet like in words or a logo and white/clear is a first choice for strings unless going one color and not black as I think of cheap thin garbage strings or cheap thick poly like on Head's highest end metal titanium alloy or aluminum with carbon fiber over $50--$60 racquets you can find in places like Walmart/Target in USA on shelves. Only in wood could I use a white and is becuse of brands like Wilson or Bancroft using white/mostly white but due to Spalding and Prince I could use mostly black in wood just as well.

[@bigdaddy812]

Guys - you MUST do an in-depth review on 2023 Gravity MP XL. It just might be a game changer for me who loves the Gravity Pro. I have demo for 5 more days and will soon decide but would love your thoughts.

[@agradina]

Nice

[@TheBronzika]

Actually, I have one RF97A from Federer's batch and two RF97A "off the shelf" and all three have SW 336. So, I would say two things... the first thing is the "off the shelf" RF97A racket IS what RF is using (deliberately using present tense 😁) and the second thing is that quality control is brilliant (kudos to Wilson). Also, I do not agree that one-handed backhand is a weakness. Even the high ball is not a problem actually as it is easier to hit slice, if really needed, with OHB.

[@bigdaddy812]

Good tennis insights guys. I follow both of you. Need advise. Is. 10 g difference in swing weight significant? My main girl is 23 gr pro and I can handle her. Love the feel, etc. But a close second is the 21 Boom pro and the blade v8. As my swing gets faster I can dictate points more it seems like. I tend to believe that low 320s SW is where I should be. I’m debating adding a 23 gravity tour, blade v9 or even a speed pro given how I’ve been playing lately w lighter sticks. Wondering if I’m making too much of a 10 g SW difference and smaller head size. I don’t want to cheat on my gravity pro but I’m so tempted. Any thoughts?

[@grantboucher3230]

Like white racquets, never had any issues. Maybe having a coach using Kneissl as a kid got used to them.

[@caseysmith544]

I am picky in color but that is becuse of Red & Blue in Jr Ace Pro Power Contour aluminum frame, the Red & Blue was always 4 & 1/4 inch grip size and Yellow & Black was 4 inch grip as well in matte non shiny colors when production moved from Twain to mainland China in final runs of the 25 inch frame model Jr Ace Power Contour. I only got 2 racquets in Yellow & black 4 inch grip becuse they were both supposed to be unused, but in one of 2 racquet string broke so I am sending crappy string Yellow & Black out for restringing from Tennis-Point using cheap 16 gauge nylon which is free when paying or a restring so I can have very similar string in racquet and went 55 pounds for stringing as I am guessing on what my cheap racquet use or a string tension and if not is very tight for an aluminum frame I like as the plastic bridge on head part of frame is helping vibration dampening to point do no need a vibration dampener so I like a higher string tension as how model comes. I have 4 racquets in Red & Blue and one working Yellow & Black 4 inch grip so far and am sending a 6th racquet Yellow and Black 4 inch grip out for a restring. I do fix grip by using black cloth hockey tape and on bottom end use Loctite Ultra Gel Control so grip does not unravel. on all racquets. On Red & Blue I am using black rubber spray paint on very top of head as glossy paint is not as durable as matte primer on Yellow & Black models.

[@hybrid11theory75]

Head really have to re-think the Radicals. New constant beam design Tour Version with a 16x20 or 18x19 and the Pro with a 18x20 and reducing the stiffness, at least for Tour and Pro... this would be the resurrection of the radical line!! The racquet right now feels like it wants to be everything, but fails to be anything....

[@keymonkey7352]

Jonas ( and Lucas ) are You guys playing with the previous iteration of the Boom Pro ? Is that so different from the 2024 version ? Thanks ! Big fan of both channels 💯

[@TheJstaples]

Yeah lets here more about the Boom Pro, i tried to switch to it but the super high launch angle and occasional erratic response was too much for me . I think its one of the most significantly different racquets launched in years. I could see it being a game changer like the Babolat was in the late 90's if they made some tweaks to make it bit more conventional / playable.

[@tangumus2198]

EZONE 98 or BOOM PRO ?

[@Tennisnerd]

Tough! Either or lol

[@tangumus2198]

@@Tennisnerd whıch one has bıgger sweat spot and more suıtable to ohbh ? Thanks a lot :)

[@TheJstaples]

​@@tangumus2198Boom Pro is not great for one handed topspin in my ezperience.

[@CH-yp5by]

Nice podcast the delay was somewhat annoying and funny. I'm waiting on Yonex to bring out a new Ezone and Vcore with servo filter not shitty VDM, I have to use gut on the mains to get as much feel as possible without a dampener, the cheapo rubber band does just fine.

[@CH-yp5by]

Techni Fibre in stealth matte black with the red, white and blue little details in some places would look mean and sexy !

[@PrecisionPointTennis]

🎾🏆

[@TheJstaples]

If you've ever had an elbow problem you will totally appreciate racquets with dampening tech. I'll take a healthy arm over feel any day

[@Tennisnerd]

This I agree with. Arm health is super important

[@0xkijasek]

Time to grill and ask some tough questions to Dennis Fabia on next podcast. Lets check his diplomatic skills on speed legend 😅

[@djenkins30]

Agree with Luca on white rackets..hate them.

[@SaqibSheikh]

Courts getting too expensive nowadays I find. A huge barrier to people playing

[@waikschoner4885]

I love white rackets

[@LuisLunaTarazon]

Head missed the mark badly on the Speed Legend Pro, in my opinion. In my case, I just wanted the mold as a sort of platform racket. Having customized the Liquidmetal Radical MP to his exact specs (27.1 inches, 360 Swingweight, 324 mm balance, 350 grams), it was very fun to hit with a control-oriented sledgehammer. But I understand why something like that won't sell. I don't think we need his exact spec, but it would be very nice to have that Radical Base with an 18x19 string pattern. I don't even want a 1:1 recreation his exact racket; quality control is going to be a problem with a 360 swingweight, and I swapped out the pallets on my own racket for a TK82 (but I'm sure the TK82S would sell even better). It's really crazy that the GOATest of all GOATs is the only one without his signature racquet. They could have called his mold the "Speed Tour", or something. 305 grams sits right between the Speed MP and the Speed Pro. The "Tour" name on current HEAD lines seems to indicate a smaller head size, and/or a lower-powered option. I feel like HEAD had a perfect opportunity to sell what is at least his mold. Tennis nerds like Jonas and Luca here could have figured out the rest if they really wanted to, or make the racket their own, which we all probably should be doing...

[@TheJstaples]

Totally agree its odd that they don't have something similar to the actual racquet like they did with Fed and now Rafa. Question for you, why would quality control be worse on a heavier racquet? A difference in weight has a relatively smaller effect on a % basis if a racquet is heavy vs very light i would guess? E.g adding 1g to a 300g racquet vs a 360g racquet

[@LuisLunaTarazon]

@@TheJstaples I wouldn't say that quality control would be worse on a heavier racquet when compared to a lighter one on a surface level. The problems arise when you are trying to replicate the specs of someone else, especially if their frame is already so heavy to begin with. If the racquet you buy is over spec in one aspect - say the balance is a slightly more head-light or head-heavy than what Novak uses - you might need need to add weight somewhere, potentially making it even heavier than what he would play with. You might also get a frame with a swingweight higher than 360, and there's really nothing one can do about lowering that (nothing I would recommend, at least). That's why I would rather have a mold like this be sold to the public as a platform racquet. Even pro players have to build up to a spec they like, rather than having it baked into the frame. That's why we see lead tape at 3 and 9 o'clock on Novak's racquets, and who knows how much more under the bumper. From what I understand, most manufacturers work on a seven-gram tolerance, meaning two different frames of the same model can have a static weight up to 14 grams apart from one another (I've never seen differences that extreme, personally). I'm sure pros are afforded special privileges with tighter tolerances than the average consumer, but they still need to do some fine-tuning after that. Like Luca was starting to talk about here, Wilson - but maybe Yonex, too - appears to be the only manufacturer making a bigger commitment to quality control. But even still, the consumer might still be left to take care of reaching the advertised specs on their end with some customization, and that's not guaranteed.

[@TheJstaples]

@@LuisLunaTarazon i see, great explanation, you should have your own racquet channel, maybe you do? One other thing i leanred lately that really surprised me, the guage of string you use can significantly add weight to your racquet e.g. 16 guage vs thinner 18 guage. So even if you matched the racquet itself, if you used a different string/guage you may still be quite a bit off weight wise. Never thought about this!

[@LuisLunaTarazon]

@@TheJstaples Thanks. If I were a better player, I'd consider making content of my own. It's hard to have credibility in this space, otherwise. One other thing to consider about strings is how different types of strings weigh, even when comparing just between co-polys. Some of the hexagonal offerings tend to be a little chunkier, for some reason. 16-gauge Solinco Revolution raised my racquet of choice 40 swingweight points, while other 16-gauge co-polys hover at around 36 points for me.

[@BorisBecker1872]

I don’t get @RacketsRunnersVancouver hatred for white rackets. For one thing, white is the most traditional color in tennis. For another, if you use white because it’s neutral it will match any string color you put on the bed. It will match your apparel as well.

[@curttheboywonder]

Interesting discussion regarding the Novak racquet and the Rafa racquet. One point I think yall overlooked in regards to the poor sales performance of the Rafa was that paint job. While it’s pretty and even kind of cool I’m not sure I want to play that every day as my main. Call me shallow or whatever you want, but aside from the color scheme I also don’t want to scream that I’m playing the Rafa racquet to everyone at the court. With the Fed or what a Novak racquet would look like, it’s fairly incognito. Playing with the very identifiable Rafa is sort of like playing in a White polo shirt at the public courts. Who the hell do you think you are? And also if Babolat sold less it was also at $329 in us for a while. That’s pure margin. I doubt cost was really any higher. $60 pure profit on top.

[@TheJstaples]

Yeah lets face it, pink is pink haha. They could probably have charged $400 for it if it was truly his spec.

[@damon123jones]

the canadian/american 😁

[@emmanuelg678]

The comment on not being able to watch Dominic Thiem because of the white racquet is so ridiculous. I couldn't even finish the podcast after that.

[@JD-767]

Head don’t make good 98 inch frames? Extreme Tour, Prestige Pro, Radical Pro, Boom Pro????? If he cannot find a good stick amongst these then honestly he should play Pickleball instead. Also, said Gasquet’s forehand is bad 😂😂😂 How many years in top 20 and how many titles has Gasquet won? Jonas, you are too nice, but this guys needs to be called out when he spins absolute bs.

[@bodzislawfakjutu]

First!

[@DeltoidBeast]

You should correct yourself, Luca. Djokovic is the most relevant player in major tournaments. By far the most relevant!

[@lucaberg6106]

23:00

[@bengray5013]

Dopevic is a cheat

[@caseysmith544]

Glossy was going away in 2000's slowly and slowly to now even cheap aluminum and slightly higher price titanium alloy in all better cheap actual brand models since 2017 besides some really cheap crappy Chinese no brand aluminum are mat when in 2000's and even 2010's only cheap models looking like matte racquets in good carbon-fiber models were done like this. Now even higher end Chinese models are Matte like a Mbifish a Chinese carbon-fiber with a thin graphite infused aluminum in very center core, are matte as are similar racquets from China.

[@TheTennisDaddy]

My first white racquet was the Youtek Speed MP around 2009 and I absolutely loved the look but it took me a while to get use to the brightness in my peripherals mainly on my forehand, never thought it’d be a thing until I started using it, no problem since though. 2021 Speed Pro 360+ looks amazing predominantly white to. On the flip side, my favourite looking racquet is probably the ProStaff 97 Noir, completely black.

[@caseysmith544]

I liked look of all old ProKennex Ace Pro fiberglass and graphite models black where lines on models denoted model.

[@davelee6002]

Isn't the Radical Head's Blade? Sure it's not constant beam, but the change in width is so slight, and both blade and radical have morph beams in terms of shape of the cross section.

[@soljaime]

When you guys comment on Nike GP Challenge shoes, are you referring to the Challenge 1 or Challenge Pro?