Seeing Yellow

I had a little extra money in the bank for once. I had told myself I wanted to buy a new racquet (yet another one). I've bought perhaps 10 racquets in my life. Let me think. My dad bought the first three racquets I used. He bought an old wooden racquet. Then, I got a T-2000. Jimmy Connors used to use it. It was 35-40 dollars back when a hundred dollars seemed like a lot for a racquet. Then, I got the F-250. I still own that racquet. It was a more up-to-date model of the racquet Mats Wilander used. Still tiny by today's standards. I still have an overwrap on a racquet I haven't used for nearly twenty years.

I then bought a Donnay Agassi racquet, a racquet Agassi only briefly used, although he did win Wimbledon with that racquet. Agassi played with a Prince for many years, then Donnay briefly, then Head for the rest of his career. Unlike Sampras or Becker, Agassi was flexible enough to use other racquets. I really didn't like that racquet at all. I think I may have let someone borrow it, and it never got back to me. That's fine.

I tried testing out some racquets, renting some, seeing what I liked, and eventually settled on a Dunlop racquet. I bought two of them that were on some sale, probably Father's Day, at a local Sports Authority. They were seventy dollars each. I still have both racquets (I think--at least one).

After that, I didn't get a new racquet for quite a while. Once I started having some time, I bought three racquets in somewhat rapid succession. I bought a Babolat, which Roddick used to use. I forget the reason I didn't care for that racquet, but I didn't. So I decided to get a Yonex RDS 003. It's a red squarish racquet. I liked the way it felt on groundstrokes. It volleyed pretty well too. I had been using that for a while.

However, I want to moved to a somewhat heavier racquet. I had played with some Wilsons and Princes and still have never been so happy with that racquet.

So I went ahead, on March 4, to get the RDS 001. This is a bright yellow racquet that was used by Lleyton Hewitt, and David Nalbandian still uses it.

I had expected the racquet to feel a lot like the racquet I was using. After all, it's another RDS racquet. It's in the same line.

But it doesn't feel the same. It feels...thinner. That's the best I can describe it. A little less power, but it spins a bit better on serves than my current racquet. I almost like the fact it has a little less power because I feel I can swing at it a little harder.

I remember reading a review on the Wilson K-Blade, which I believe Djokovic used. This guy had used the RDS-001, and claimed this new racquet was somehow a revelation, even though he couldn't say how. I feel something like this about this new racquet, though I'm sure it's just the newness of the racquet. Maybe it's the slightly matte finish as opposed to the shinier, glossier finish of my older racquet.

And the older racquet? I'm planning to sell it. I forget that the main problem with selling a racquet is that people can be sensitive to the grip size. This guy prefers a bigger grip than the one my racquet has. I used to get 4 5/8 inch racquets, especially when I first started. Then, I went down to 4 1/2, and have been there pretty much ever since. 4 3/8 feels way too small.

Is this the answer? Maybe not. But it feels good so far.

And that's a good start.