TENNIS.com gear editor Bill Gray and his technical advisers will answer your equipment questions every Friday. Click here to send one of your own.
My husband and I wanted to introduce our 9-year-old twin boys to tennis, so we took them out to the high school courts with a couple of our old racquets. It was a disaster. They couldn’t hit the ball over the net, not even once, and after 10 minutes they were begging us to go home. We’re not looking to groom the next Roger Federers, but we’d like them to give tennis a chance and maybe get to enjoy it enough so eventually they’ll want to play family doubles with their dad and me. Are some balls better for kids than others and what kind of racquet should they start with?—Laurie
You used the wrong racquets, wrong balls, and even the wrong court, Laurie, but your timing couldn’t be better to get your twins into the game. Check out this promo for the recently approved 10 and Under Tennis.
During the U.S. Open last week, the USTA announced a sweeping rule change to downsize the equipment and courts for kids ages 10 and under. Beginning in 2012, all 10-and-under tournaments around the globe will be played with slower balls on smaller courts, and kids will be encouraged to use lighter and shorter racquets. The format was endorsed by the International Tennis Federation earlier in the summer and adopted by the USTA board during the Open. Patterned after the USTA’s three-year-old QuickStart program, it will become the new standard for kids’ tennis.
The idea behind 10 and Under Tennis is that the game is only fun when you can rally. That’s practically impossible for most kids on regular courts with regular equipment. It’s frustrating for a kid when he tries to cover a court the size of Montana, swing a racquet that takes both hands just to pick it up, and hit a ball that bounces higher than he is tall. We wouldn’t ask a kid to ride Lance Armstrong’s bike, so why ask him to play with Roger Federer’s equipment and on his court?
Other youth sports already have versions for kids, from Little League baseball to Pop Warner football to youth soccer. A Little League diamond is roughly two-thirds the size of the Major League version, and the bats kids swing are much lighter so they can get them around. Youth basketball is played on a smaller court with a rim that’s 2 feet shorter and a smaller ball that kids can handle, control and shoot. Youth soccer is played on a smaller field so the players touch the ball more often.
Millions of 10-and-under kids play those sports’ organized leagues, while currently only 10,971 play in the tennis equivalent, USTA-sanctioned tournaments, according to Kurt Kamperman, the USTA’s chief executive of community tennis. “A lot of communities have more kids playing soccer than we have in the entire country,” Kamperman says. “Kids struggle finding a passion for a sport designed for adults.”
Under the new rules, kids ages 5 to 8 will play on a 36-by-18-foot mini-court, about a third the size of a standard singles court, with a lower net and foam or low-compression felt balls. Nine- and 10-year-olds will play on a 61-by-21-foot court with a regulation-size net and slightly faster low-compression balls.
The USTA also has a specific guideline to measure kids for the proper racquet: The racquet should be no longer than the distance from their fingertips to the ground when they’re standing with their arms at their sides. Generally, recommended racquet lengths are from 19–23 inches for kids ages 5–8 and 23–25 inches for 9- and 10-year-olds. The adult standard length is 27 inches.
We recommend that you opt for the biggest head size you can get for your beginners. It will improve their chances of hitting the string bed from the get-go. Here are some models to consider, divided up by length:
• 19 inches: Dunlop Aerogel 300 Jr. 19 (87-sq.-in. head); Wilson Sponge Bob or Wilson Dora the Explorer (82 sq. in.)
• 23 inches: Head Agassi or Steffi 23 (105 sq. in.)
• 25 inches: Prince Airo Ace 25 (107 sq. in.); Babolat Nadal Junior 140 (105 sq. in.); Wilson Federer Collection 25 (105 sq. in.)
The obvious question is why has it taken tennis so long? Tennis is a sport that resists change. There have been only a handful of ITF-mandated equipment rule changes in the last 100 years. They came only when the ITF felt it was necessary to protect the game’s integrity, as when it abolished too-long racquets and spin-crazy spaghetti strings.
There has also been pushback on the 10-and-under rule by some top coaches, who complain it will force their protégés to dumb down their tennis. But Kamperman points out that this group, which he figures consists of less than 1 percent of kids, still has the option of playing up in the 12-and-unders on full courts with regular balls. And some 40 percent already do, he adds.
As the legitimate new standard, the rule will help recruit and keep more children in the game. So even if your kids never decide to play in a sanctioned tournament, at least they’ll be more successful on the doubles court with mom and dad.
TENNIS.com gear editor Bill Gray and his technical advisers will answer your equipment questions every Friday. Click here to send one of your own.
I am a recreational player with a solid all-around game, currently using a Yonex V-Con 17 Midplus strung at around 50 pounds. I love the control the racquet provides but feel it lacks power, which forces me to swing mighty hard in order to punish the ball. I’m thinking of trying Zheng Jie's racquet, the Yonex RDiS 300 Midplus. Does it offer more power compared to the V-Con?—Michel
We’re not sure the RDiS 300 is going to give you much of a power boost over the V-Con, Michel. It’s a flexible control-oriented stick, and it’s also almost an ounce heavier than the V-Con, which would probably slow down your swing to give you even less punch.
We suggest you hold out until the end of the month and playtest Yonex’s new Ezone racquet when it hits stores. Yonex gave us a preview of the new frame this week at the U.S. Open, and at first blush it’s an apparent return to the powerful Yonex widebodies of the Monica Seles era.
The Ezone also has a new Quad Power System located on the four corners of the frame to expand the sweetspot, according to the company. It will come in a 10.3-ounce version, the same weight as your V-Con, and an 11.1-ounce model. The heavier version seems to be working for Ana Ivanovic, who switched to the Ezone just before the Open. She reached the fourth round. “It really helped my game a lot,” she said, “especially in the end range [getting the ball deeper into the court].”
I’m an all-court player who hits mostly flat and one-handed off both wings, and I’m looking for the right strings. I play USTA boys’ 14s tournaments every once in a while. My serve has been clocked at more than 100 m.p.h. I use a Dunlop 4D 200 Tour. For my strings, durability isn’t an issue, and I’m looking for something under $13. Thanks a lot.—Sam
Polyester usually isn’t for flat hitters like you since its biggest benefit is producing spin. You probably want to try a good multifilament synthetic, such as Head’s FXP Power in a 17-gauge (which we just happened to see yesterday on sale yesterday at Midwestsports.com for $10, plus shipping). The combination of the synthetic and thin gauge should help improve your touch at net and increase your control a little. FXP Power also has a special coating that protects it from fraying prematurely, a common flaw in multifilament strings.
I am a 4.0–4.5 player and I use a Babolat Pure Drive GT Plus. I took off a few years, but I’m back to the point where I'm serving quite well, but my shoulder gets sore when I crank it up. I use Babolat Pro Hurricane polyester in the mains and Alpha gut on the crosses, but it doesn’t help much. Should I change to a more flexible frame?—Simha
Before you abandon the Pure Drive GT Plus, first try reversing the string configuration and put the more forgiving gut in the mains and the harsh poly in the crosses, or go to all gut. If that doesn’t work, playtest the lighter version of the Pure Drive, the Lite GT. It’s lighter weight combined with its 1/2-inch shorter length could reduce the stress on your serving shoulder.
TENNIS.com gear editor Bill Gray and his technical advisers will answer your equipment questions every Friday. Click here to send one of your own.
I just saw some clips of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi at an exhibition and it appears Pete has switched to a Babolat racquet that looks like a version of the Pure Storm. I remember hearing that he enjoyed Roddick's Babolat but didn't know he made a permanent switch. Can you confirm and how does it compare to his Wilson Pro Staff?—Eshan
Sure enough, Eshan, Pistol Pete is packing the Pure Storm Tour these days, according to his personal racquet customizer and stringer, Nate Ferguson. “It’s almost his old weight and balance of a decade ago, with stationary weight of about 390 grams [13.8 ounces],” Ferguson reports. He’s also now using the hot Babolat RPM Blast polyester string that Rafael Nadal introduced at the Australian Open this year. Looks like Sampras has joined the Babolat and poly bandwagon. He used just one racquet type, the Wilson Pro Staff, and played with gut during his career.
I have been trying for several years to playtest a new racquet, but it is impossible to find a demo with anything bigger than a 4 3/8 grip, which is child-size as far as I’m concerned. I play with a 4 5/8, and could make do with a 4 1/2. Can you help me find a place where I can demo racquets with adult-size grips?—J. Chapman
It’s true that demo sizes these days are almost always 4 3/8, a reflection of how grips have shrunk since the advent of the wristy, open-stance style (Rafael Nadal, for instance, plays with a 4 1/4 twig). Skinny grips help players come over the ball, enabling them to hit with lots of topspin. But we checked with the big online retailers and found that Tennis Warehouse still carries 4 1/2 demos. We suggest you try one of those and wrap it with an overgrip to get closer to your preferred 4 5/8 without masking the touch and feel you’ll want for the playtest. A spokesman for Tennis Warehouse said to just make sure you unwrap it before you send it back. And, of course, they do have racquets for sale with 4 5/8 grips.
I am 39 years old, and play at a very high 4.0. I went to sectionals in both the men's and in 8.0 mixed, and my partner and I are the state's top-ranked 4.0 team. I play with a Yonex RQIS 2 Tour strung with 18-gauge Topspin Cyberblue in the mains and 18 gauge Hex Poly in the crosses. I hit a big first serve and a severe American twist second serve and hit with topspin on my forehand and backhand (and can slice it too). My shots are deep and hard, and I put pressure on opponents to keep up. But I want to improve the stability on my volleys, get a little touch on my shots, and see fewer of my big shots to sail off the court, while maintaining spin and velocity.—Bric
That’s quite a repertoire, Bric. But actually, if I were on the state’s top-ranked 4.0 doubles team, I wouldn’t make any major changes to my racquet and strings. But here’s a tweak you might try: Add two or three grams of lead tape to the sides at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions on the frame and see if that helps stabilize your net game and slow down your swing a little to keep your power shots in the court. Let us know how you make out.
I was playing with my 14-year-old the other day and it started to rain and my strings, Luxilon Big Banger, got a little wet. Will this affect their longevity? I am 5.0–5.5 player who breaks strings every four or five matches.—Bobby
A little rain isn’t going to hurt your strings says string adviser Bob Patterson. Not even gut is as affected by moisture as it was in the old days. Most modern gut strings have a protective outer coating.
