A couple more interesting facts: Pete’s racquet specs (wt/bal/swing weight) were exactly those of a Wilson Pro Staff Kramer WOOD racquet, and all 3 top ranked men (Courier, Edberg and Sampras) used this same racquet in early 1992 when Wilson closed the factory.
@@MuvoTX I started with a Kramer Autograph. Interestingly, I found that the sweet spot on the Pro Staff 85 was even smaller than my Kramer's. It was a great racket, but you had to hit it on a dime.
@@Tennisnerd yes it is. I started playing with it the summer of my junior year in high school. I loved it so much I spent my summer job money and bought 5 of them. It was a lot of money back then when minimum wage was only $3.35 an hour. I worked to buy racquets. I would of bought more, but I was also responsible to buy my own clothes, gas and auto insurance. It was the least I could do since my parents gave me a hand me down car.
@@HyperHorse I’m now 54 and 55 is just around the corner. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Equipment doesn’t make you a better player. Either you’re good or you’re not. Just because you got not sneaker doesn’t mean you can run fast. Yes life is short, that’s why I enlisted in the Navy at 18 yrs old, served 20 yrs and retired at age 38. I’ve been retired for all most 17 yrs and I’m enjoying my retirement life. I play tennis, golf, rock climbing, backpacking, mountaineering, snow skiing, and restoring my 1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Oh believe me, I’m having the time of my life.
Sampras is underrated and underappreciated. He made his playstyle look so easy and effortless, people don't understand what goes into it or how hard it really is to play like that (and with an 85 sq. inch racquet). Served consistently in the 120s (probably 130s using today's radars) and with MASSIVE top spin, too.
He's still my favorite player of all time... he was just a GOAT doin GOAT things.. I played competitive through highschool.. got offers to play college ball but they weren't good enough for my financial situation to make up the spare. so I definitely have an appreciation for what he went through to get to make things look so easy and effortless and will definitely say... I personally didn't have the mindset, will power to devote myself to it. but I still bring up his old matches on youtube and just remember how much I enjoyed seeing him play.. that serve was.... pure magic..... serves like that will knock the racket out of a person's hands if they don't have a good grip on it..
I still play with the Wilson Prostaff 85 and own about 14 racquets all the same racquets. I can tell you from experience that the St. Vincent's are a lot stiffer and heavier than the others. I prefer the Taiwan made ones as they are not as stiff but I do string them with Kevlar strings cause I snapped other strings too fast and I string them at 72 lbs and put string a lings on every other string and probably brings the tension to 75 lbs. The sound of the racquet is so loud that people at the park know when I am there cause they can hear the sound from the parking lot. I can also tell you if you hit the ball off the sweet spot you will definitely feel it in your arm and thus you concentrate more on hitting on the sweet spot. This racquet is definitely not for beginners and only advance players but only if you can handle the weight and vibrations from the racquet. But the power and feel for me is incomparable. Oh, The Chinese version is way too light and too flexible for me. My racquet after strings and racquet tape , string a lings weighs 13.9 ounces, it is a beast of a racquet for this era. If you do not know how to tell where you racquet was made: The St. Vincent's has red primer and on the butt there is a 3 character code if the code contains a "Q" then it is a St. Vincent's. The Taiwan made has a blue primer and has a little sticker on the butt the says " TAIWAN" There are also another difference in the the weight and recommended string tensions are also different.
@@pleaseenteraname1103 HAHA, My elbow started to hurt this year but it comes and go. I haven't been playing as much since I injured my knee at work and it is bone on bone but I still play just can't run too much......:(
Yes I was also lucky to see Pete play live at Queens and Wimbledon, plus in 2014 went to the exhibition match he played against Agassi at the defunkt Exhibition Centre in Earls Court. After the match I got an opportunity to mention to him that I had written an article on my blog which he was aware of, he said that was pretty cool, which was nice. Oh yes, also saw him play against McEnroe at the Masters at the Royal Albert Hall in 2008, he hit some great pasing shots that evening against Mac, i remember a forehand down the line which seemed to travel at 100 mph. That's another thing, with an easy swing the ball seemed to fly off his raquet, really interesting to watch live on different surfaces.
As a kid I was an Agassi fan but Pete in the late 90s was pretty much unbeatable. He was so consistent and his serve was such a weapon that nobody else could get near his level. Finding out he did it all with this setup just makes it all the more impressive. Makes me think that he may even be underrated these days.
Oh, yes!!! Thanks a lot for this one, TN! On your Agassi episode, I'd actually posted a suggestion for one on Sampras, and it's lovely to see that you probably had this planned anyway... It's fantastic to be able to revisit this era, which I have a deep connection with, through these videos. Thanks again, mate...
Edberg tried twice to move to different frames, firstly to an Adidas delta for about 5 minutes and then the Pro staff classic but always came back to this one.
Never tried the Wilson PS 85 but I used to serve n' volley. Nowadays only rush to the net from time to time or when an opportunity arises. I miss serve n' volley a lot!
I idolized Sampras game and tried to copy it. i started with the Wilson Ultra 1 (80 sq inch) and then went to Ultra 2 (85) and then on with the St.Vincent for a good while. my arm could not keep up with this swing weight and stringing it at 68 lbs didn't help. As a result i found the Head Prestige line more suitable to my not so young arm. It is head light. I still have all these rackets and many classic rackets from the 80's hanging in my office. great videos. keep it up.
In my opinion after winning the US Open 2002, Pete should have taken four months off, changed to a MUCH larger and softer racket and focused only on clay court tennis for the first five months of the 2003 season. He could have won the French with his superb talent and athleticism and if he didn't it wouldn't have mattered. But tbh it doesn't matter and he shouldn't have any regrets. For me he's still the best because he could beat anyone on any surface on his day regardless of whether they were on their day or not. I think we can say the same about Roger, Novak and Rafa. So they're all in a league of their own. People just forget or never watched him play. That happens to everyone eventually. But those who remember know.
Exar83, agree with you. Sampras was my favourite player, and still the GOAT imo. Agree with what you say abt Fr Open, but also think Sampras never 100% believed he could win there. Of course he could have, but he had to believe it himself, and I don't think he did.
I don't think he realistically had a chance to win RG in 2003. Besides his tiny racquet, his movement and fitness weren't what they used to be (the latter partly due to thalassemia, but still). Could you imagine him beating Coria, Costa, Ferrero en route to a maiden French Open title that year? Or even Roddick? lol
Agreed. 10 yrs from now, people will look back on the current Big Three/Luxalon Era--where 3 guys were able to win 20+ majors apiece, and realize that the homogenization of court surfaces (slower grass and hard-court; elimination of carpet; faster clay; slower balls), combined with the homogenization of playing style (poly strings keeping players on the baseline), produced a one-dimensional field of talent, wherein the best 2 or 3 players could monopolize all four majors well past their prime--and realize that Sampras' achievement, of not only total majors but dominating all his rivals in a talent stacked field of fast-court and slow-court 'specialists', was a feat beyond compare. He will once again be given the credit by many--if not most--as the greatest and most dominant talent the sport has ever seen.
There is no way he could have changed his game like that. Racquet technology and slower courts had changed the game too much. He got lucky that the style in the 1990s suited his game the best and that the competition was much worse than in the 1980s for example.
I play with this racquet from time to time just to warm up. It is a great weapon when you have time to set up a shot but as was said the small frame is unforgiving. When I played it for the first time I thought it might be difficult to serve with because I had a lot of trouble serving with the heavy and even smaller Ivan Lendl Adidas GTX but to my surprise it was very easy.
Tennisnerd, this is one of your best vids! I love your old school racket features. I have a tip to make them even better...show a bit more closeups and shots of the rackets themselves through the vid. Ty for sharing the research!
Oh no, a baseline topspinner with no heavy precise serve, no hard slices and no exact volleys - and no real varied net game. Please that is not a pretty sight for his greatness.
How interesting to hear him call his Pro Staff a stiff frame in the same sentence he was talking about borrowing one of Roddick's sticks. I'm guessing the racquet he says he picked up and put the poly string in wasn't the Pure Drive but it kind of sounds like it in this clip! (yes - the PS 6.0 was quite stiff for it's time but compared to modern sticks? Surprised he said that.)
I played with several of the 85 sq. in. Wilson frames. I moved from a wood Slazenger Challenge medium frame to the Wilson Sting then the Wilson Ceramic, which I liked a lot and played with for many years, but eventually I came across a deal on a pair of matched Pro Staff 85s and played with them and I was hooked. I always wanted them but affordability was the problem at the time. Starting with the wooden frame I always used 17 gauge VS gut strung around 65-70 lbs. By the time I was playing with the Pro Staffs I started to experiment with string much more. I ended up using and choosing what I use today, 16 gauge VS gut in the mains and 16 gauge alu rough crosses after countless string combinations and tension experiments. I almost switched to a thin gauge poly at a super low tension at one time but I just couldn't get as much feel. After hanging up my Pro Staff 85s I now use the RF97 autograph's with the same string setup at the recommended tension on the racket. I experimented with over a hundred frames and came close to switching on more than one occasion but I could never quite feel as comfortable. Probably mostly in my head and not taking enough time to make the transition stick. At one time I even played with a Wilson 110 prostaff I really loved but I could never quite get the forehand to feel right. I felt like my accuracy, consistency and just a weird vague feeling of not striking the ball as I wished I suffered on that side particularly although it REALLY helped my backhand side. I sort of feel like I have the best of both worlds with the RF97 for now but as I approached 60 I'm considering going with a bigger frame again. I understand getting comfortable with something and not wanting to change but I can also appreciate the benefits of being flexible and as your game and age change you have to be flexible as well. ☮️
Great video! I’ve been looking for such since Pete is my all time favourite a bit more than Roger. People and media rarely talk about this legend like they do about others which is really sad. I really wish Sampras just like he admitted could’ve tried using other rackets by Babolat or Head which are more arm friendly and responsive and may be he’d have made it at the Roland Garros. Still Wilson PS is a classic racquet. Thanks :)
I stumbled upon a St Vincent PS85 a couple years ago. I’d love to put it on a RDC and see the flex. It’s a scalpel but I have never hit more backhands into the bottom of the net than I did with this stick. Not exactly forgiving. Pretty sweet when you hit it cleanly though.
You want better feel regardless of the racquet you use , go with the leather base grip , then use your preferred over grip on top , wow !!!! When I was playing , I had my racquets done after awhile , this way , the feel is incredible. Played with a Yonex racquet from early 90s , I loved them so much I bought 5 of them . Haven’t hit a ball in 5 years , after playing 25 . Missed 😞
Samrpas wielded a 14 oz tiny faced sledgehammer strung it at 70 lbs with a huge size grip. The balance point was on the damper which is even not headlight at all. I think it was closer to a wooden racket than anything today. Have no idea how anyone could wield such an extreme setup like he did. Federer strung at 45 pounds till he switched to the RF97. Have to admire Fed for changing rackets twice in his career. It isn't possible to change muscle memory and mindset overnight. Nadal has played with the same Babolat Aero pro drive original all his career, just added some weight for more power over time. Djokovic switched to Head before his ascendancy and has only recently made his racket a wee bit longer and lighter to ease his swing. But Sampras weapon is just maverick.
He's hardly the only one who has waited too long to switch to a larger frame. Think about Ivan Lendl, who kept his 75 sq.in. frame until 1993, when he switched to a 90 sq.in., when virtually all the other top players has switched to frames at least 85 sq.in.since 1985. The other one being Connors.
Actually, he switched his mizuno/Adidas 75 sq in mould for bigger 90 sq in Mizuno type r already in 1990 when he wanted to win Wimbledon at any cost. He trained like mad. Unfortunately, his form came bit too early in Queens, where he destroyed first Mac in SF than Becker in finals. After he bitterly lost in Wimbledon SF vs Edberg he switched back to his usual Mizuno/Adidas 75 sq in mould. He was also experimenting with Bosworth customized racquets. If I recall correctly, they were 77sq in. Cheers
Connors changed to the Pro staff 85 which he helped to develop, I seem to remember him using it in a Davis cup final, but then he returned to his trampoline.
@@skylaxx If you want to be complete, he also played Wimbledon 85 with an Adidas GTX Mid-T, which was 85 sq.in. It was his first attempt at switching to a bigger head size to win Wimbledon. He ditched it after losing to Leconte in the quarters, and went back to the GTX Pro-T. I have always read that the specs were 75 sq.in., and in those days they were being advertised as a % of increase over a traditional frame. The Adidas GTX Pro (and later Pro-T), as well as the Kneissl White Star Pro they originated from, were advertised as +10%. Traditional wood frames were around 68 sq.in., hence 75 sq.in. for that gold.
I used to use feds 90s (K factor and Pro staff) never has a racquet come close to the feel of thpse sticks. Simply amazing! However if you having a bad day, ypu hav a really bad day with those racquets and frame everything! Not to mention the havoc and damage they have done to my elbow.like Pete i thought i wouldn't use another racquet, however currently looking at some of head Graphine pro and Prince phantom 97sticks asthey have great flex ratings and are very arm friendly.
Hey Tennisnerd. Thought you might like this. I recently found a Wilson ProStaff 90 nCode (the red and white one) but it's the 'Asian version' so it weighs 320g unstrung rather than 340g. I absolutely love this thing, serves great, no problem with mishits, requires good footwork and technique but I think that only makes me better at playing.
@@racketmeister3773 I know right? I only started playing tennis 12 months ago, and I normally use a 97 inch head. But I wanted to see what a 90 was like in comparison. This thing is great, I don't feel it holds me back at all.
Mine is 365g, strung, with turnagrip around a 4-1/2" leather grip. It's heavy, with a minimal sweet spot. With a proper backswing, It hits hard. It's more like a POW than a pop.😊
I don't feel he should have moved to a different frame because he played outstanding and although with a different frame he may have had even a better run he created a legend in himself and nothing should have changed.
Tim Girian I’m going on 65 and I play with either a Ezone DR 100 or the iteration right after that. I love them. They say the newest Ezone plays more like the DR.
"What racquet did Pete Sampras use? And should he have made the switch before he retired?" In 2002 Sampras said he intended to try a larger sized racquet in 2003, he said that a lot. Wilson brought out the Tour 90 in 2003 for Sampras to use. He never played, and Federer used it to win his first Wimbledon that year. The tour 90 was a little conservative as the specs were too similar to the Pro Staff 85. At the time, a Head mid size racquet like a Flexpoint Prestige might have been more beneficial. Mauresmo was a great volleyer, she used a 97 inch Dunlop then switched to Head towards the end of her career. In the mid 90s Pete played a lot of baseline oriented tennis against Courier, Chang, Agassi among others. By 2001 it was virtually atack, attack, attack.
Burns Tennis really only remember Chang, Agassi, may be Kuerten as his rivals. Jim Ciurier passed by me, I only read about him. Just saying, cause mentally I thought Jim was from a previous epoch.
@@dapdizzy That's interesting to hear. I can give you some background info. Courier was Sampras' biggest rival up to around 1994 then Agassi took over. They played some extremely famous matches. They played eight times in majors between 1991 and 1996 including 1993 Wimbledon final, 1994 Australian Open semifinal, 1992 and 1995 US Open semifinals. Plus, Sampras came from two sets down twice against Courier in the 1995 Australian Open quarterfinal and 1996 French Open quarterfinal. As The 1995 Australian Open is very famous for Sampras breaking down after hearing his coach was very ill, look it up on TH-cam. Courier beat Sampras in the 1991 US Open quarterfinal when Sampras was defending champion and 1994 French Open quarterfinal when Sampras was going for all four slams held at the same time having won the previous three in a row. So, as you can see, every match they played was vitally important. Sampras also beat Courier in four sets in the 1991 ATP World Tour final and 1994 Miami semifinal. All in all they played 20 times and Sampras won 16 of those encounters. Courier was considered to have the best forehand in the world in 1992 and 1993 taking over from Lendl. By 1994, Sampras took that from Courier as having the best forehand in the game. During this period, Sampras and Courier were fighting out for world number 1. Sampras took over from Courier in April 1993, before Wimbledon. What allowed Sampras to beat Courier more often than not? Sampras had better movement and better volleys. They had a lot of long baseline exchanges in their matches, Courier and Sampras played a lot before Sampras became an out and out serve volleyer on hardcourts around the year 2000. Sampras also claims he served a lot to Courier's forehand often because Courier had a very extreme grip on the forehand and took a long swing, so he could open up the court and expose Courier's movement. Courier claims he played a lot to Sampras' backhand because he could get to it. But quite frankly that's bravado talk by Courier because 16-4 against him would suggest he didn't very far with that tactic. Check some of their matches on youtube, lot of high quality tennis and great rallies. As an aside, as someone who watched Sampras from 1991 to 2002, I couldn't quite understand at the time why he abandoned his baseline game more or less by 2001 and declined badly as a result. As Tennis Nerd points out, perhaps if he changed his racquet and strings when he should have done around 1998 / 1999, that might have motivated him to play longer because in the early 1990s he consistently said he intended to play until he was 35. Meanwhile after Sampras beat Courier at the French Open in 1996 in what Courier would have considered his own patch having won twice and lost a final to Brugera there, Courier lost motivation and faded away. Again, I feel that the Pro Staff racquet Courier was using wasn’t helping. Those racquets were extremely heavy and seem to give those guys some physical problems with their arm, shoulder etc. It’s incredible to think Sampras played three US Open finals in a row in the early 2000s with a racquet that was first manufactured around 1984 and his sticks were purchased from the St Vincent factory in 1991.
@@BurnsTennis Great post.I saw a lot of those matches too.People who didn't see Sampras often dismiss him as some kind of servebot or serve and volley bore ( it's usually clueless "big three" fanboys who have never seen tennis before this era and have no knowledge of, or interest in, tennis history) but he could play superbly from the baseline when needed as the magnificent match against Becker in Hannover in the 1996 Masters final shows.
Burns Tennis wow, I’m amazed by your elaborate story about Sampras and Courier rivalry. That was every entertaining to read! The thing that I didn’t know much about Courier was probably due to that I got into tennis at around 96-97 and TV was a poor source of information back then. I couldn’t stop enjoying Sampras games, but the best matches I was able to see on TV were against Chang, Agassi. I seem to remember the time when Kuerten took Roland Garros (if I’m not mistaken) and was #1 ranked ATP player. Very nice to hear you are such a long lasting tennis fan, it was a very nice read. Thank you!
@@dapdizzy Thanks for the comment. I write a lot about the game as well so have been following for a long time. Just one more interesting thing, they played a lot together as teenagers and were close friends before they became professionals. Unfortunately fighting for the same thing (top dog) meant their friendship diminished but I am sure they have a lot of fun stories to share now post retirement.
I used the Wilson Prostaff 95s was my first racquet I used for many years. Great control Today I'm currently using the Prostaff 97L(2019) with hybrid set up babolat rpm blast on mains and Wilson sensation on crosses and the PS 97 ULS (2015) with Wilson revolve spin.
I have four ps85 and 1 ps88. They are still the best in terms of handling feel even compare with racquets in today's market. I currently use ps97a for it's more forgiving.
I tried the Pro Staff a few times because so many top pros had success with it but it was simply too stiff for me. It felt like I was hitting with a board. And I probably didn't have the timing to deal with it's small sweet spot. Wish Babolat had come out with the Pure Drive 15 years earlier before my body broke down. My first hit with it felt like heaven!
4:42 Really impressive QC according to Wilson seems to mean +/- 10 g and +/- 6 mm BP. 😏 Unless the mythical St Vincent factory actually kept it much closer than that? 🤔
Sampras' game was built around his serve. The small head size improved his serve because it was more maneuverable providing better racquet head speed and because the sweet spot was higher resulting in more power and the ability to hit a better flat serve. All the lead tape increased the size of the sweet spot and also increased stability and power. I also think the racquet and its customization enabled him to hit a really biting slice backhand that has never been seen since.
19 gm of lead in the head...1 inch per gm...so roughly 8 strips of 2 1/2 inches put where the pws is on the racquet. This reduces HL by 4 pts. Add 7 gm of lead to the absolute bottom of the handle to raise HL by 2 pts, and weight to 384 strung. This is before the tourna grip is put on. That was the setup. Monster stuff.
I don’t think the equipment really hurt him. He retired right as the Poly boom was happening (2002-2004), so he wasn’t at a string disadvantage, and he probably wouldn’t have had the same level of precision (which is what his game was all about) with a bigger frame. Now had he decided to keep on playing he definitely would have suffered, but he was done after 2002, he didn’t want it anymore, so it doesn’t really matter. I’m personally more of an Agassi guy but I have huge respect for Pete and his game, especially his incredibly ballsy second serves, and I think he’s the best fast court player ever (and underrated on slower courts). Nice video on a legend.
When I was a kid everybody wanted to play with that racquet. I only tried it when I was 13 or 12 and it was terrible, way to heavy and the sweetspot was no where to be found. The tourna overgrip were the bomb though. I was a Sampras fan but had to play with a head ti radical, it's probably the best racquet I ever had
I’ve read that Roger used the 95 square inch head ProStaff and not the 85, what was true? He also briefly had his racquets painted (i.e. HyperCarbon). During their 1 meeting on center court, they look similar but Roger’s looks larger.
Thank you Jonas....classic stick for sure! I actually never liked it....something about that box beam back then didn't appeal to me. For volleys and serves it was excellent. Maybe it was all in my head, cause Pete wasn't my favourite player of that era, far from it. He was (for me), rather boring to watch. In part I guess looking back as his serve/volley game was so good and the ralleys very short. I'd usually always want an underdog to beat Pete. Sorry Pete, totally respected your play, you weren't #1 by accident. We will never know if a real switch to a more modern frame would have assisted your game, mostly at the end of your career, but I'd assume so. Thank you. 🎾🎾🎾
Hi PS85 lovers, Is there a particular version of the SV model Pete really liked and used more than the others? I've seen boards state that it's the buttcap BSQ version with 50-60lbs recommended tension, I.e. late SV release. Please advise....
I started play at early 90's so basiclly watch all these players play when i was a teenage. Back that day the mass produced version not called a Pro Staff, but a 'Pro Staff 6.0'. Market version always comed witha Pro Staff 6.0 95 mid-plus. Although his racket printed ‘Pro Staff' but it's a 85 sq inch 6.0. Edberg later use 'Pro Staff 6.1', that's much more forgive racket. Back then most Wilson fans use 6.1 not 6.0. 6.0 is too much a precise racket and most club player cannot handle it.
Saying they used a racket model just means it was painted the same, about the same size and string pattern. All of them had/have custom built rackets. Aggasi's radical was 2 oz heavier than off-the-shelf. Years ago Borg's actual rackets were over 2-3 oz heavier and had 2-3 extra wood plys on the head for his 80 lb stringing.
Pour des gars avec un bras supersonique comme Pete c'était plus délicat de jouer un cadre plus dur avec un cordage moins tendu car la balle lui "échappait". Dommage en revanche pour la terre battue où effectivement il n'avait plus assez de marge d'erreur par rapport aux effets à contrer... Par contre quand il joue au golf il doit sûrement avoir besoin de manches acier très raides !
Love Pete so much. Such a cool guy and clearly the goat until all his records got smashed by the current crop of outliers, but even so, he was playing a different game back then
Hi , Thanks for the upload. How can we determine which PS 85 is made in St. Vincent and not from any other countries ? I knew China , Taiwan and Chicago also made them in the past as far as I know. Please advise , Thanks !
I think if Sampras would have switched to a Babolat with poly or hybrid in 1997-1998 he would have had similar or even better results. I don’t think he would have had worse results. Another point is he could have possibly played longer. He was only 31 or 32 when he retired. Imagine Pete playing against a young Rafa or Djokovic on the tour in 04-05. Or Sampras vs Federer Wimbledon final.
Babos have too thick a beam for properly knifing slices imo. Too many framers...But Pete famously called Luxilon ¨cheaterlon ¨ - simply wasn´t fair. Agassi also said similar. He used Kevlar...
I remember as a kid in the late 90’s Sampras also made the sport quite boring, which is a compliment to his ability it becameboring only because he seemed to be winning everything 😅 The fact he did that with such an unforgiving setup of an 85 and strung to 70lbs just makes his achievements more impressive
It's not the racket but the mind,the heart,the passion the love of a kid,then a man for the game.Not one got close to him.Pete was divine either loosing or winning.The guts now are just robots,like the brasiliens in football before and the psycho totalitarians germans now.
Back in the day pro players had very good serves and thats why serve and volley was so popular.Today not so much.All expect a baseline play.Only Federer still has that very dominant serve technique.Thats why they call it pistol Pete.Federer adapted well andvis doing great in the modern game with a 97inch head.
Wilson tried to make him move to a bigger racquet. They gave him the prostaff 6.0 95sq in. he used during the usopen lost with it and was not comfortable playing with it so he switched back
Oh, that's a juicy tidbit! Thanks for sharing... Would you know which year this was? Or, even better, think you can point me to where you read/saw this?
there's a lot of "good racquets" out there. just all depends on what the player feels good with. that said, it amazes me how people get stubborn and play with racquets that hurt their results. there's some older men at the club i play at who insist on using Wilson lower powered frames and they lose every time they play. their strokes look good but they have nothing on their ball and get pushed around the court. when i tell them to try something a little newer, bigger sweetspot, more pop, they get weird about it and fight it. finally got one older guy to try the Pure Aero VS (lower powered frame than the regular Nadal Pure Aero). Right away his game picked up and he saw the results. Didn't have to be that racquet, it could be a higher powered Wilson, Head or Yonex as well. My point is this - why do people continue to use something that's hurting their results? That can't feel good losing every time, especially if your mechanics are good and it's the racquet (or string) that's holding you back. On a different note, i picked up one of Pete's racquets back in the mid 90's when he was practicing at Indian Wells (old location at the Hyatt Grand Champions). That racquet was heavy as f*ck! Had to be over 14 or 15 oz. No wonder his right arm looked like Popeye. And the string he used was a specially made thing gauge (very thin) Babolat VS Natural Gut. I confirmed this by the guy who was supplying him with it his entire career. I think he said it was between 18 & 19 gauge. It was never on the market to sell. Just made for The Pistol.
I used early china from 1993 till 2010. Somewhere around 1997-8, in my club, I see a guy swinging my racquet, but he was not even a begginer. So I approach and ask would he sell his racquet, just for fun...they were kinda rare here. Son, he said, you can't afford it, and presents the racquet to me. With a sarcastic, condolescent grin, I take the stick (i can't afford it???), and I see that its sooo head heavy. Led was not 3/9 it was throughout the top part of the hoop. I look at the handle and I see a black marker signature....Pete.......Oh, f****...my grin drops and I look at the guy with a question? Guy was an IT exec, I dont remember the company, and during 1994-5 their main company was a sponsor to Pete. European country managers were invited to Pete's training session and Pete signed off a couple of his racquets after the training or they were presigned, can't quite remember, so, this guy got one. So...on that day, some of his friends and him decided to try some tennis, he remembered he had a racquet, so naturally.... I was....well...in awe....I forgot to check butcap code, but I did notice red primer under some scratches.... I go to my bag, take out a tournagrip (of course) and give it to the guy....please...put this on....never saw this guy again in my life. So....the racquet did not have led strips on PWS (3/9), led was starting from the top of the PWS and going all the way to the other PWS. Maybe it was a training setup or maybe Pete was testing something....
I don't know if you can criticise Pete for not changing when Federer did rather well playing a similar game with a nearly identical racquet long after Pete retired. I think switching to a poly hybrid and stringing lower like Fed did would have made more difference. Even so, Pete was S&V. The biggest change he would have had to make was to accept that S&V was on the way out, and play a more all court game.
Federer benefitted from a switch as he hits more topspin and mishit his backhand a lot. No benefit for Sampras. Switched to babolat after retiring because they paid him to and winning no longer matters.
Tennisnerd can you help me with recoil weight and twist weight. So i would like to customize a racket with 360 swingweight, recoil weight 188/190, twistweight 17 to 20, should i just copy Nole racket specs? Which racket should i use for the customization? And which strings and tension? Also do yoi know the specs of Nalbandian racket?
Those specs can be achieved with any racquet, but without knowing the starting specs there is no way to tell you what to do, however, are you sure you can handle such a beast?
Trivia. Wilson designed this for Connors as a replacement for T2000. He even made an ad for it. th-cam.com/video/tNFVnNUy4Fo/w-d-xo.html Connors did not like it and stayed with the T2000 as long as he could. I played the Pro Staff as did everyone I knew, it was just soo cool! But almost all gave up as it was basically a tuning fork with a dime sized sweetspot. Only racket that ever gave me a hot elbow. The one dude that did use it had the biggest kick I have ever seen. He dug divots in the grass court we used on Maui. This was in 84.
Hard to imagine changing your racket when you are winning so many grandslams. Pete's agressive style of serve and volley just didn't work on the clay and it would have made very little difference with a bigger racket.
I disagree with only one thing you stated. This era of tennis is only historic because we have slowed down grass courts with a higher bounce. Uniformity of indoor, outdoor hard courts and clay courts are in some ways dumbing down the game. Rafa Nadal crying and complaining about not playing on that he would not return to events if they continued Har Tru and not regular clay. I remember when Toni Nadal, Uncle Toni stated that, "Our goals are to always improve in one area of Rafa tennis a year." Learning to adapt to the environment has to be apart of that.
A couple more interesting facts: Pete’s racquet specs (wt/bal/swing weight) were exactly those of a Wilson Pro Staff Kramer WOOD racquet, and all 3 top ranked men (Courier, Edberg and Sampras) used this same racquet in early 1992 when Wilson closed the factory.
That is very interesting! Thanks for commenting, Nate!
Is that you Nate, the Nate Ferguson who strung Pete's rackets? Wow!
Whoa!!! Is this THE Nate Ferguson???
And, how fascinating!
every kid learned on a jack kramer woodie of some kind. I learned on a Stan Smith autograph, then I got a Head Vilas... fond memories
@@MuvoTX I started with a Kramer Autograph. Interestingly, I found that the sweet spot on the Pro Staff 85 was even smaller than my Kramer's. It was a great racket, but you had to hit it on a dime.
At 52 years old, I’m still playing with my Pro Staff 85. I love this racquets. I will not change, if it works use it.
It’s a legend for a reason - enjoy!
@@Tennisnerd yes it is. I started playing with it the summer of my junior year in high school. I loved it so much I spent my summer job money and bought 5 of them. It was a lot of money back then when minimum wage was only $3.35 an hour. I worked to buy racquets. I would of bought more, but I was also responsible to buy my own clothes, gas and auto insurance. It was the least I could do since my parents gave me a hand me down car.
@@Tennisnerd oh Chris Evert used the Pro Staff 85 too.
Come on... Life is short, try something new!!!!
@@HyperHorse I’m now 54 and 55 is just around the corner. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Equipment doesn’t make you a better player. Either you’re good or you’re not. Just because you got not sneaker doesn’t mean you can run fast.
Yes life is short, that’s why I enlisted in the Navy at 18 yrs old, served 20 yrs and retired at age 38. I’ve been retired for all most 17 yrs and I’m enjoying my retirement life. I play tennis, golf, rock climbing, backpacking, mountaineering, snow skiing, and restoring my 1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Oh believe me, I’m having the time of my life.
Played with a Wilson, married a Wilson and still is my favourite player/racquet combo. Go Pistol PS85!!!
Glad you found my photos of Pete's racquet to use in your video!
You have some great content on your site. Well done!
Sampras is underrated and underappreciated. He made his playstyle look so easy and effortless, people don't understand what goes into it or how hard it really is to play like that (and with an 85 sq. inch racquet). Served consistently in the 120s (probably 130s using today's radars) and with MASSIVE top spin, too.
He's still my favorite player of all time... he was just a GOAT doin GOAT things.. I played competitive through highschool.. got offers to play college ball but they weren't good enough for my financial situation to make up the spare. so I definitely have an appreciation for what he went through to get to make things look so easy and effortless and will definitely say... I personally didn't have the mindset, will power to devote myself to it. but I still bring up his old matches on youtube and just remember how much I enjoyed seeing him play.. that serve was.... pure magic..... serves like that will knock the racket out of a person's hands if they don't have a good grip on it..
I still play with the Wilson Prostaff 85 and own about 14 racquets all the same racquets. I can tell you from experience that the St. Vincent's are a lot stiffer and heavier than the others. I prefer the Taiwan made ones as they are not as stiff but I do string them with Kevlar strings cause I snapped other strings too fast and I string them at 72 lbs and put string a lings on every other string and probably brings the tension to 75 lbs. The sound of the racquet is so loud that people at the park know when I am there cause they can hear the sound from the parking lot. I can also tell you if you hit the ball off the sweet spot you will definitely feel it in your arm and thus you concentrate more on hitting on the sweet spot. This racquet is definitely not for beginners and only advance players but only if you can handle the weight and vibrations from the racquet. But the power and feel for me is incomparable. Oh, The Chinese version is way too light and too flexible for me. My racquet after strings and racquet tape , string a lings weighs 13.9 ounces, it is a beast of a racquet for this era.
If you do not know how to tell where you racquet was made: The St. Vincent's has red primer and on the butt there is a 3 character code if the code contains a "Q" then it is a St. Vincent's. The Taiwan made has a blue primer and has a little sticker on the butt the says " TAIWAN" There are also another difference in the the weight and recommended string tensions are also different.
There’s no way I could play with a racket that’s 13.9 ounces, I think I love my arm too much.
@@pleaseenteraname1103 HAHA, My elbow started to hurt this year but it comes and go. I haven't been playing as much since I injured my knee at work and it is bone on bone but I still play just can't run too much......:(
I have seen almost all players since Pete and Agassi in the early 90's to today play live. Pete was by far the player who most impressed me.
Wow, that is nice! You are a lucky guy 🤓
Carlos, I agree. Not as lucky as you, to see them live, but have followed tennis avidly since the 70s, and Pete remains the best I've seen.
Yes I was also lucky to see Pete play live at Queens and Wimbledon, plus in 2014 went to the exhibition match he played against Agassi at the defunkt Exhibition Centre in Earls Court. After the match I got an opportunity to mention to him that I had written an article on my blog which he was aware of, he said that was pretty cool, which was nice. Oh yes, also saw him play against McEnroe at the Masters at the Royal Albert Hall in 2008, he hit some great pasing shots that evening against Mac, i remember a forehand down the line which seemed to travel at 100 mph. That's another thing, with an easy swing the ball seemed to fly off his raquet, really interesting to watch live on different surfaces.
As a kid I was an Agassi fan but Pete in the late 90s was pretty much unbeatable. He was so consistent and his serve was such a weapon that nobody else could get near his level.
Finding out he did it all with this setup just makes it all the more impressive. Makes me think that he may even be underrated these days.
Pete is the greatest athlete amongst all tennis players
Never served better than when I used this frame. But it gave me wrist pain. Perfect for serve and volley. Used it the summer of 1999.
Oh, yes!!!
Thanks a lot for this one, TN!
On your Agassi episode, I'd actually posted a suggestion for one on Sampras, and it's lovely to see that you probably had this planned anyway...
It's fantastic to be able to revisit this era, which I have a deep connection with, through these videos.
Thanks again, mate...
Edberg tried twice to move to different frames, firstly to an Adidas delta for about 5 minutes and then the Pro staff classic but always came back to this one.
I used this racquet back in the early 90"s for a short time. Nice feel and control but very small sweet spot.
I wish post this pandemic we all could move into 80s,90s world where these kind of magical frames are back in demand. Dream racquet.
Don't worry we'll have an 80s style depression so that's something
@@KillerDiaguR it's coming. Folks at the top restructuring for Globalism.
Never tried the Wilson PS 85 but I used to serve n' volley. Nowadays only rush to the net from time to time or when an opportunity arises. I miss serve n' volley a lot!
I idolized Sampras game and tried to copy it. i started with the Wilson Ultra 1 (80 sq inch) and then went to Ultra 2 (85) and then on with the St.Vincent for a good while. my arm could not keep up with this swing weight and stringing it at 68 lbs didn't help. As a result i found the Head Prestige line more suitable to my not so young arm. It is head light. I still have all these rackets and many classic rackets from the 80's hanging in my office. great videos. keep it up.
In my opinion after winning the US Open 2002, Pete should have taken four months off, changed to a MUCH larger and softer racket and focused only on clay court tennis for the first five months of the 2003 season. He could have won the French with his superb talent and athleticism and if he didn't it wouldn't have mattered. But tbh it doesn't matter and he shouldn't have any regrets. For me he's still the best because he could beat anyone on any surface on his day regardless of whether they were on their day or not. I think we can say the same about Roger, Novak and Rafa. So they're all in a league of their own. People just forget or never watched him play. That happens to everyone eventually. But those who remember know.
Exar83, agree with you. Sampras was my favourite player, and still the GOAT imo. Agree with what you say abt Fr Open, but also think Sampras never 100% believed he could win there. Of course he could have, but he had to believe it himself, and I don't think he did.
I don't think he realistically had a chance to win RG in 2003. Besides his tiny racquet, his movement and fitness weren't what they used to be (the latter partly due to thalassemia, but still). Could you imagine him beating Coria, Costa, Ferrero en route to a maiden French Open title that year? Or even Roddick? lol
It really mattered! If you have French Open added to the other 3 grand slams in your belt. It would make you more satisfying!
Agreed. 10 yrs from now, people will look back on the current Big Three/Luxalon Era--where 3 guys were able to win 20+ majors apiece, and realize that the homogenization of court surfaces (slower grass and hard-court; elimination of carpet; faster clay; slower balls), combined with the homogenization of playing style (poly strings keeping players on the baseline), produced a one-dimensional field of talent, wherein the best 2 or 3 players could monopolize all four majors well past their prime--and realize that Sampras' achievement, of not only total majors but dominating all his rivals in a talent stacked field of fast-court and slow-court 'specialists', was a feat beyond compare. He will once again be given the credit by many--if not most--as the greatest and most dominant talent the sport has ever seen.
There is no way he could have changed his game like that. Racquet technology and slower courts had changed the game too much. He got lucky that the style in the 1990s suited his game the best and that the competition was much worse than in the 1980s for example.
I play with this racquet from time to time just to warm up. It is a great weapon when you have time to set up a shot but as was said the small frame is unforgiving. When I played it for the first time I thought it might be difficult to serve with because I had a lot of trouble serving with the heavy and even smaller Ivan Lendl Adidas GTX but to my surprise it was very easy.
Great warm-up tool!
Tennisnerd, this is one of your best vids! I love your old school racket features. I have a tip to make them even better...show a bit more closeups and shots of the rackets themselves through the vid. Ty for sharing the research!
Noted 👍🏻
Thanks for featuring my favorite player and stick!👍
I am going to keep requesting until it happens, Dolgopolov please! Thanks for all the great uploads I look forward to watching your videos every week.
Yes, Dolgo is still there :) Thanks
Where has he disappeared by the way. Has he retired?
@@balaji21121109 As far as I know he has retired.
@@tendergoaltender Oh when was that. He is still relatively young.
Not just one strip of lead on each side but there’s layers!!!!! At 3&9 o’clock crazy. Lendl used a small and heavy racket too
Can you imagine Pete with modern racquets. That Kevlar Wilson was heavy as hell. Pete is the goat
Frank McLain what racquet can you recommend for me?
Oh no, a baseline topspinner with no heavy precise serve, no hard slices and no exact volleys - and no real varied net game. Please that is not a pretty sight for his greatness.
Great détailed information ; thanks
Thanks!
How interesting to hear him call his Pro Staff a stiff frame in the same sentence he was talking about borrowing one of Roddick's sticks. I'm guessing the racquet he says he picked up and put the poly string in wasn't the Pure Drive but it kind of sounds like it in this clip! (yes - the PS 6.0 was quite stiff for it's time but compared to modern sticks? Surprised he said that.)
I played with several of the 85 sq. in. Wilson frames. I moved from a wood Slazenger Challenge medium frame to the Wilson Sting then the Wilson Ceramic, which I liked a lot and played with for many years, but eventually I came across a deal on a pair of matched Pro Staff 85s and played with them and I was hooked. I always wanted them but affordability was the problem at the time. Starting with the wooden frame I always used 17 gauge VS gut strung around 65-70 lbs. By the time I was playing with the Pro Staffs I started to experiment with string much more. I ended up using and choosing what I use today, 16 gauge VS gut in the mains and 16 gauge alu rough crosses after countless string combinations and tension experiments. I almost switched to a thin gauge poly at a super low tension at one time but I just couldn't get as much feel. After hanging up my Pro Staff 85s I now use the RF97 autograph's with the same string setup at the recommended tension on the racket. I experimented with over a hundred frames and came close to switching on more than one occasion but I could never quite feel as comfortable. Probably mostly in my head and not taking enough time to make the transition stick. At one time I even played with a Wilson 110 prostaff I really loved but I could never quite get the forehand to feel right. I felt like my accuracy, consistency and just a weird vague feeling of not striking the ball as I wished I suffered on that side particularly although it REALLY helped my backhand side. I sort of feel like I have the best of both worlds with the RF97 for now but as I approached 60 I'm considering going with a bigger frame again. I understand getting comfortable with something and not wanting to change but I can also appreciate the benefits of being flexible and as your game and age change you have to be flexible as well. ☮️
Great video! I’ve been looking for such since Pete is my all time favourite a bit more than Roger. People and media rarely talk about this legend like they do about others which is really sad. I really wish Sampras just like he admitted could’ve tried using other rackets by Babolat or Head which are more arm friendly and responsive and may be he’d have made it at the Roland Garros. Still Wilson PS is a classic racquet. Thanks :)
I stumbled upon a St Vincent PS85 a couple years ago. I’d love to put it on a RDC and see the flex. It’s a scalpel but I have never hit more backhands into the bottom of the net than I did with this stick. Not exactly forgiving. Pretty sweet when you hit it cleanly though.
You want better feel regardless of the racquet you use , go with the leather base grip , then use your preferred over grip on top , wow !!!! When I was playing , I had my racquets done after awhile , this way , the feel is incredible. Played with a Yonex racquet from early 90s , I loved them so much I bought 5 of them . Haven’t hit a ball in 5 years , after playing 25 . Missed 😞
Samrpas wielded a 14 oz tiny faced sledgehammer strung it at 70 lbs with a huge size grip. The balance point was on the damper which is even not headlight at all. I think it was closer to a wooden racket than anything today. Have no idea how anyone could wield such an extreme setup like he did. Federer strung at 45 pounds till he switched to the RF97. Have to admire Fed for changing rackets twice in his career. It isn't possible to change muscle memory and mindset overnight. Nadal has played with the same Babolat Aero pro drive original all his career, just added some weight for more power over time. Djokovic switched to Head before his ascendancy and has only recently made his racket a wee bit longer and lighter to ease his swing. But Sampras weapon is just maverick.
Can you do Jim Courier’s racket specifications?
He's hardly the only one who has waited too long to switch to a larger frame. Think about Ivan Lendl, who kept his 75 sq.in. frame until 1993, when he switched to a 90 sq.in., when virtually all the other top players has switched to frames at least 85 sq.in.since 1985. The other one being Connors.
Actually, he switched his mizuno/Adidas 75 sq in mould for bigger 90 sq in Mizuno type r already in 1990 when he wanted to win Wimbledon at any cost. He trained like mad. Unfortunately, his form came bit too early in Queens, where he destroyed first Mac in SF than Becker in finals. After he bitterly lost in Wimbledon SF vs Edberg he switched back to his usual Mizuno/Adidas 75 sq in mould. He was also experimenting with Bosworth customized racquets. If I recall correctly, they were 77sq in. Cheers
Connors changed to the Pro staff 85 which he helped to develop, I seem to remember him using it in a Davis cup final, but then he returned to his trampoline.
@@skylaxx If you want to be complete, he also played Wimbledon 85 with an Adidas GTX Mid-T, which was 85 sq.in. It was his first attempt at switching to a bigger head size to win Wimbledon. He ditched it after losing to Leconte in the quarters, and went back to the GTX Pro-T. I have always read that the specs were 75 sq.in., and in those days they were being advertised as a % of increase over a traditional frame. The Adidas GTX Pro (and later Pro-T), as well as the Kneissl White Star Pro they originated from, were advertised as +10%. Traditional wood frames were around 68 sq.in., hence 75 sq.in. for that gold.
I used to use feds 90s (K factor and Pro staff) never has a racquet come close to the feel of thpse sticks. Simply amazing! However if you having a bad day, ypu hav a really bad day with those racquets and frame everything!
Not to mention the havoc and damage they have done to my elbow.like Pete i thought i wouldn't use another racquet, however currently looking at some of head Graphine pro and Prince phantom 97sticks asthey have great flex ratings and are very arm friendly.
Hey Tennisnerd. Thought you might like this. I recently found a Wilson ProStaff 90 nCode (the red and white one) but it's the 'Asian version' so it weighs 320g unstrung rather than 340g. I absolutely love this thing, serves great, no problem with mishits, requires good footwork and technique but I think that only makes me better at playing.
transamination I have Asian K Factor version and it’s very good.
@@racketmeister3773 I know right? I only started playing tennis 12 months ago, and I normally use a 97 inch head. But I wanted to see what a 90 was like in comparison. This thing is great, I don't feel it holds me back at all.
Yes, nice frame! More room for customization 👍🏻
@@Tennisnerd Strung, with the Wilson leather grip it came with and a Head overgrip it weighs 345grams. No lead added, just perfect.
Mine is 365g, strung, with turnagrip around a 4-1/2" leather grip.
It's heavy, with a minimal sweet spot.
With a proper backswing, It hits hard.
It's more like a POW than a pop.😊
Great Video thumbnail on this Sampras vid, looks like a Wheaties Box!
I don't feel he should have moved to a different frame because he played outstanding and although with a different frame he may have had even a better run he created a legend in himself and nothing should have changed.
Great racket. When younger my racket of choice. Now a 98 Yonex EZone. Nice video mate.
Thanks!
Tim Girian I’m going on 65 and I play with either a Ezone DR 100 or the iteration right after that. I love them. They say the newest Ezone plays more like the DR.
"What racquet did Pete Sampras use? And should he have made the switch before he retired?" In 2002 Sampras said he intended to try a larger sized racquet in 2003, he said that a lot. Wilson brought out the Tour 90 in 2003 for Sampras to use. He never played, and Federer used it to win his first Wimbledon that year. The tour 90 was a little conservative as the specs were too similar to the Pro Staff 85. At the time, a Head mid size racquet like a Flexpoint Prestige might have been more beneficial. Mauresmo was a great volleyer, she used a 97 inch Dunlop then switched to Head towards the end of her career. In the mid 90s Pete played a lot of baseline oriented tennis against Courier, Chang, Agassi among others. By 2001 it was virtually atack, attack, attack.
Burns Tennis really only remember Chang, Agassi, may be Kuerten as his rivals. Jim Ciurier passed by me, I only read about him. Just saying, cause mentally I thought Jim was from a previous epoch.
@@dapdizzy That's interesting to hear. I can give you some background info. Courier was Sampras' biggest rival up to around 1994 then Agassi took over. They played some extremely famous matches. They played eight times in majors between 1991 and 1996 including 1993 Wimbledon final, 1994 Australian Open semifinal, 1992 and 1995 US Open semifinals. Plus, Sampras came from two sets down twice against Courier in the 1995 Australian Open quarterfinal and 1996 French Open quarterfinal. As The 1995 Australian Open is very famous for Sampras breaking down after hearing his coach was very ill, look it up on TH-cam.
Courier beat Sampras in the 1991 US Open quarterfinal when Sampras was defending champion and 1994 French Open quarterfinal when Sampras was going for all four slams held at the same time having won the previous three in a row. So, as you can see, every match they played was vitally important.
Sampras also beat Courier in four sets in the 1991 ATP World Tour final and 1994 Miami semifinal. All in all they played 20 times and Sampras won 16 of those encounters.
Courier was considered to have the best forehand in the world in 1992 and 1993 taking over from Lendl. By 1994, Sampras took that from Courier as having the best forehand in the game. During this period, Sampras and Courier were fighting out for world number 1. Sampras took over from Courier in April 1993, before Wimbledon.
What allowed Sampras to beat Courier more often than not? Sampras had better movement and better volleys. They had a lot of long baseline exchanges in their matches, Courier and Sampras played a lot before Sampras became an out and out serve volleyer on hardcourts around the year 2000. Sampras also claims he served a lot to Courier's forehand often because Courier had a very extreme grip on the forehand and took a long swing, so he could open up the court and expose Courier's movement. Courier claims he played a lot to Sampras' backhand because he could get to it. But quite frankly that's bravado talk by Courier because 16-4 against him would suggest he didn't very far with that tactic.
Check some of their matches on youtube, lot of high quality tennis and great rallies.
As an aside, as someone who watched Sampras from 1991 to 2002, I couldn't quite understand at the time why he abandoned his baseline game more or less by 2001 and declined badly as a result. As Tennis Nerd points out, perhaps if he changed his racquet and strings when he should have done around 1998 / 1999, that might have motivated him to play longer because in the early 1990s he consistently said he intended to play until he was 35.
Meanwhile after Sampras beat Courier at the French Open in 1996 in what Courier would have considered his own patch having won twice and lost a final to Brugera there, Courier lost motivation and faded away. Again, I feel that the Pro Staff racquet Courier was using wasn’t helping. Those racquets were extremely heavy and seem to give those guys some physical problems with their arm, shoulder etc.
It’s incredible to think Sampras played three US Open finals in a row in the early 2000s with a racquet that was first manufactured around 1984 and his sticks were purchased from the St Vincent factory in 1991.
@@BurnsTennis Great post.I saw a lot of those matches too.People who didn't see Sampras often dismiss him as some kind of servebot or serve and volley bore ( it's usually clueless "big three" fanboys who have never seen tennis before this era and have no knowledge of, or interest in, tennis history) but he could play superbly from the baseline when needed as the magnificent match against Becker in Hannover in the 1996 Masters final shows.
Burns Tennis wow, I’m amazed by your elaborate story about Sampras and Courier rivalry. That was every entertaining to read! The thing that I didn’t know much about Courier was probably due to that I got into tennis at around 96-97 and TV was a poor source of information back then. I couldn’t stop enjoying Sampras games, but the best matches I was able to see on TV were against Chang, Agassi. I seem to remember the time when Kuerten took Roland Garros (if I’m not mistaken) and was #1 ranked ATP player. Very nice to hear you are such a long lasting tennis fan, it was a very nice read. Thank you!
@@dapdizzy Thanks for the comment. I write a lot about the game as well so have been following for a long time. Just one more interesting thing, they played a lot together as teenagers and were close friends before they became professionals. Unfortunately fighting for the same thing (top dog) meant their friendship diminished but I am sure they have a lot of fun stories to share now post retirement.
Great job! Great channel!
Thanks a lot!
I also saw a PS85 with a N code 90 paint job which is quite cool!
I used the Wilson Prostaff 95s was my first racquet I used for many years. Great control
Today I'm currently using the Prostaff 97L(2019) with hybrid set up babolat rpm blast on mains and Wilson sensation on crosses and the PS 97 ULS (2015) with Wilson revolve spin.
I actually got my hands on one! Buying for my PS collection))
Prostaff=Classic
Pete=GOAT
How about Goran?
Coming! 👍🏻
I still use it now
I have four ps85 and 1 ps88. They are still the best in terms of handling feel even compare with racquets in today's market. I currently use ps97a for it's more forgiving.
Great video. I still play with this one. and when you hit the sweet spot is pure satisfaction. not an easy raquet as we all know.
Lleyton Hewitt next? 🙂
I think Pete moved to a base synthetic grip from leather later in his career, for comfort, remember reading it somewhere. Nice vid.
You must try the wilson hammer 8.2, 28 inch length, stretch.
i played with it in college... great feel but not forgiving..
I tried the Pro Staff a few times because so many top pros had success with it but it was simply too stiff for me. It felt like I was hitting with a board. And I probably didn't have the timing to deal with it's small sweet spot. Wish Babolat had come out with the Pure Drive 15 years earlier before my body broke down. My first hit with it felt like heaven!
It's a little bit sad hearing Sampras talk about his regrets. I think he could have adapted well if he gave himself the chance.
This racquet is one of the best ever along with the Head Prestige Pro/classic, Ivanisovic used it. These are the blades in Tennis
4:42 Really impressive QC according to Wilson seems to mean +/- 10 g and +/- 6 mm BP. 😏
Unless the mythical St Vincent factory actually kept it much closer than that? 🤔
Grymt intressant video ! Var precis vad jag letade efter.
Evert and Connors used the Prostaff as well and had a hand in creating it.
I had no idea. Thanks.
Great video
Sampras' game was built around his serve. The small head size improved his serve because it was more maneuverable providing better racquet head speed and because the sweet spot was higher resulting in more power and the ability to hit a better flat serve. All the lead tape increased the size of the sweet spot and also increased stability and power. I also think the racquet and its customization enabled him to hit a really biting slice backhand that has never been seen since.
19 gm of lead in the head...1 inch per gm...so roughly 8 strips of 2 1/2 inches put where the pws is on the racquet. This reduces HL by 4 pts. Add 7 gm of lead to the absolute bottom of the handle to raise HL by 2 pts, and weight to 384 strung. This is before the tourna grip is put on. That was the setup. Monster stuff.
I don’t think the equipment really hurt him. He retired right as the Poly boom was happening (2002-2004), so he wasn’t at a string disadvantage, and he probably wouldn’t have had the same level of precision (which is what his game was all about) with a bigger frame. Now had he decided to keep on playing he definitely would have suffered, but he was done after 2002, he didn’t want it anymore, so it doesn’t really matter. I’m personally more of an Agassi guy but I have huge respect for Pete and his game, especially his incredibly ballsy second serves, and I think he’s the best fast court player ever (and underrated on slower courts). Nice video on a legend.
When I was a kid everybody wanted to play with that racquet. I only tried it when I was 13 or 12 and it was terrible, way to heavy and the sweetspot was no where to be found. The tourna overgrip were the bomb though. I was a Sampras fan but had to play with a head ti radical, it's probably the best racquet I ever had
If you haven't already done Roddick's sticks, take a cue from Sampras. Would love an analysis with weight and set up.
I’ve read that Roger used the 95 square inch head ProStaff and not the 85, what was true? He also briefly had his racquets painted (i.e. HyperCarbon). During their 1 meeting on center court, they look similar but Roger’s looks larger.
Thank you Jonas....classic stick for sure!
I actually never liked it....something about that box beam back then didn't appeal to me. For volleys and serves it was excellent.
Maybe it was all in my head, cause Pete wasn't my favourite player of that era, far from it. He was (for me), rather boring to watch. In part I guess looking back as his serve/volley game was so good and the ralleys very short. I'd usually always want an underdog to beat Pete.
Sorry Pete, totally respected your play, you weren't #1 by accident.
We will never know if a real switch to a more modern frame would have assisted your game, mostly at the end of your career, but I'd assume so.
Thank you. 🎾🎾🎾
i have the 85 Kramer Staff
same Mould as the 85 Pro staff
but FLEXIER with Fiberglass instead of Kevlar
Stll very Heavy Racket
Hi PS85 lovers, Is there a particular version of the SV model Pete really liked and used more than the others? I've seen boards state that it's the buttcap BSQ version with 50-60lbs recommended tension, I.e. late SV release. Please advise....
ANTÓNIO answered my question...BSQ it is :-)
Interesting hes comments on playing clay and how hed use a Babbolat now
I started play at early 90's so basiclly watch all these players play when i was a teenage. Back that day the mass produced version not called a Pro Staff, but a 'Pro Staff 6.0'. Market version always comed witha Pro Staff 6.0 95 mid-plus. Although his racket printed ‘Pro Staff' but it's a 85 sq inch 6.0. Edberg later use 'Pro Staff 6.1', that's much more forgive racket. Back then most Wilson fans use 6.1 not 6.0. 6.0 is too much a precise racket and most club player cannot handle it.
Saying they used a racket model just means it was painted the same, about the same size and string pattern. All of them had/have custom built rackets. Aggasi's radical was 2 oz heavier than off-the-shelf. Years ago Borg's actual rackets were over 2-3 oz heavier and had 2-3 extra wood plys on the head for his 80 lb stringing.
Pour des gars avec un bras supersonique comme Pete c'était plus délicat de jouer un cadre plus dur avec un cordage moins tendu car la balle lui "échappait". Dommage en revanche pour la terre battue où effectivement il n'avait plus assez de marge d'erreur par rapport aux effets à contrer... Par contre quand il joue au golf il doit sûrement avoir besoin de manches acier très raides !
Love Pete so much. Such a cool guy and clearly the goat until all his records got smashed by the current crop of outliers, but even so, he was playing a different game back then
Fernando Gonzalez racquet if you can please
Hi , Thanks for the upload. How can we determine which PS 85 is made in St. Vincent and not from any other countries ? I knew China , Taiwan and Chicago also made them in the past as far as I know. Please advise , Thanks !
I think if Sampras would have switched to a Babolat with poly or hybrid in 1997-1998 he would have had similar or even better results. I don’t think he would have had worse results.
Another point is he could have possibly played longer. He was only 31 or 32 when he retired. Imagine Pete playing against a young Rafa or Djokovic on the tour in 04-05. Or Sampras vs Federer Wimbledon final.
Babos have too thick a beam for properly knifing slices imo. Too many framers...But Pete famously called Luxilon ¨cheaterlon ¨ - simply wasn´t fair. Agassi also said similar. He used Kevlar...
also have a T2000 all Steel - Jimmy Connors
I remember as a kid in the late 90’s Sampras also made the sport quite boring, which is a compliment to his ability it becameboring only because he seemed to be winning everything 😅
The fact he did that with such an unforgiving setup of an 85 and strung to 70lbs just makes his achievements more impressive
Can you do a video on Rios'? Great channel!
Thanks! Yes, Rios coming soon 💪🏻
@@Tennisnerd 🤔
It's not the racket but the mind,the heart,the passion the love of a kid,then a man for the game.Not one got close to him.Pete was divine either loosing or winning.The guts now are just robots,like the brasiliens in football before and the psycho totalitarians germans now.
Dimitris Orestis Brazilians play beautiful football, what robots referring to?
@@innosanto to the germans.No offence to Brazilian football.
Back in the day pro players had very good serves and thats why serve and volley was so popular.Today not so much.All expect a baseline play.Only Federer still has that very dominant serve technique.Thats why they call it pistol Pete.Federer adapted well andvis doing great in the modern game with a 97inch head.
Legendary, P.S is still the best of best till now.
Does anyone know how many grams in total were added on the lead strips at 9 & 3 on his head ?
Wilson tried to make him move to a bigger racquet. They gave him the prostaff 6.0 95sq in. he used during the usopen lost with it and was not comfortable playing with it so he switched back
Oh, that's a juicy tidbit! Thanks for sharing...
Would you know which year this was? Or, even better, think you can point me to where you read/saw this?
there's a lot of "good racquets" out there. just all depends on what the player feels good with. that said, it amazes me how people get stubborn and play with racquets that hurt their results. there's some older men at the club i play at who insist on using Wilson lower powered frames and they lose every time they play. their strokes look good but they have nothing on their ball and get pushed around the court. when i tell them to try something a little newer, bigger sweetspot, more pop, they get weird about it and fight it. finally got one older guy to try the Pure Aero VS (lower powered frame than the regular Nadal Pure Aero). Right away his game picked up and he saw the results. Didn't have to be that racquet, it could be a higher powered Wilson, Head or Yonex as well. My point is this - why do people continue to use something that's hurting their results? That can't feel good losing every time, especially if your mechanics are good and it's the racquet (or string) that's holding you back.
On a different note, i picked up one of Pete's racquets back in the mid 90's when he was practicing at Indian Wells (old location at the Hyatt Grand Champions). That racquet was heavy as f*ck! Had to be over 14 or 15 oz. No wonder his right arm looked like Popeye. And the string he used was a specially made thing gauge (very thin) Babolat VS Natural Gut. I confirmed this by the guy who was supplying him with it his entire career. I think he said it was between 18 & 19 gauge. It was never on the market to sell. Just made for The Pistol.
I used early china from 1993 till 2010. Somewhere around 1997-8, in my club, I see a guy swinging my racquet, but he was not even a begginer. So I approach and ask would he sell his racquet, just for fun...they were kinda rare here. Son, he said, you can't afford it, and presents the racquet to me. With a sarcastic, condolescent grin, I take the stick (i can't afford it???), and I see that its sooo head heavy. Led was not 3/9 it was throughout the top part of the hoop. I look at the handle and I see a black marker signature....Pete.......Oh, f****...my grin drops and I look at the guy with a question? Guy was an IT exec, I dont remember the company, and during 1994-5 their main company was a sponsor to Pete. European country managers were invited to Pete's training session and Pete signed off a couple of his racquets after the training or they were presigned, can't quite remember, so, this guy got one. So...on that day, some of his friends and him decided to try some tennis, he remembered he had a racquet, so naturally....
I was....well...in awe....I forgot to check butcap code, but I did notice red primer under some scratches....
I go to my bag, take out a tournagrip (of course) and give it to the guy....please...put this on....never saw this guy again in my life.
So....the racquet did not have led strips on PWS (3/9), led was starting from the top of the PWS and going all the way to the other PWS. Maybe it was a training setup or maybe Pete was testing something....
Maybe the guy put it on himself?
Fascinating story!
But, seriously, this guy actually brought out a signed Sampras racquet for a hit at the club?!
I don't know if you can criticise Pete for not changing when Federer did rather well playing a similar game with a nearly identical racquet long after Pete retired. I think switching to a poly hybrid and stringing lower like Fed did would have made more difference. Even so, Pete was S&V. The biggest change he would have had to make was to accept that S&V was on the way out, and play a more all court game.
So pity Pete haven't changed it😢😮imagine what he could do with other racket and strings 😢😮 the best style of all time
Can you do Tommy Paul racket please
At some point, sure 👍🏻
It such a shame he didn't addapted to newer technology like for example Federer in 2014. He could have won a couple more grand slams.
Totally agree.
Federer benefitted from a switch as he hits more topspin and mishit his backhand a lot. No benefit for Sampras. Switched to babolat after retiring because they paid him to and winning no longer matters.
What about K Pro Staff 88 which was supposed to be used by Pete Sampras?
I mention it at the end
Ok, I did not finish till the end 🤭. Nice racket the K Pro Staff 88 but very heavy 💪
Tennisnerd can you help me with recoil weight and twist weight. So i would like to customize a racket with 360 swingweight, recoil weight 188/190, twistweight 17 to 20, should i just copy Nole racket specs? Which racket should i use for the customization? And which strings and tension? Also do yoi know the specs of Nalbandian racket?
Those specs can be achieved with any racquet, but without knowing the starting specs there is no way to tell you what to do, however, are you sure you can handle such a beast?
Pete and Roger...GOATS💪💪💪💪
Novak and Rafa
Imagine if sampras changed to the Babolat pure drive or Pure stike and stayed with it.
In my opinion its still the best racquet
I think now the racket of Grigor Dimitrov the Wilson PS 97S would be a good joice to his.game
got one in great cond being sold on offer up like great cond st vincent
Trivia. Wilson designed this for Connors as a replacement for T2000. He even made an ad for it. th-cam.com/video/tNFVnNUy4Fo/w-d-xo.html Connors did not like it and stayed with the T2000 as long as he could. I played the Pro Staff as did everyone I knew, it was just soo cool! But almost all gave up as it was basically a tuning fork with a dime sized sweetspot. Only racket that ever gave me a hot elbow. The one dude that did use it had the biggest kick I have ever seen. He dug divots in the grass court we used on Maui. This was in 84.
I remember chris everett and i think Aaron Krikstein used one too.
Hard to imagine changing your racket when you are winning so many grandslams. Pete's agressive style of serve and volley just didn't work on the clay and it would have made very little difference with a bigger racket.
I disagree with only one thing you stated. This era of tennis is only historic because we have slowed down grass courts with a higher bounce. Uniformity of indoor, outdoor hard courts and clay courts are in some ways dumbing down the game. Rafa Nadal crying and complaining about not playing on that he would not return to events if they continued Har Tru and not regular clay. I remember when Toni Nadal, Uncle Toni stated that, "Our goals are to always improve in one area of Rafa tennis a year." Learning to adapt to the environment has to be apart of that.
Legend
He was recorded using a babolat pure strike GT.
I love tennis but....... there was only one "Pistol Pete" and he played basketball.
☝🏽🎅🏽