I’m Dumping the Extreme Tour
As many of you know, I’ve been a long time user of the original Extreme Tour. I fell in love with the racquet when I first hit the prototype in the Summer of 2019. Few racquets offer the same blend of speed and punch that a customized Extreme Tour can offer. My passion for the racquet also led to some of my most successful videos on both the Courtside Sports and TennCom YouTube channels. Sadly, my love affair with the stick is coming to an end. I’m a different player now. I play less than I used to. I’m less competitive. I’m physically weaker. I simply cannot keep up with my own racquet any more.
My Racquet History
Its not just my weaknesses on court that have inspired me to switch. I’ve changed for the better too. I can hitter harder with more confidence. I trust my strokes to control the ball. I can attack without doubt, regardless of my racquet’s power level. To understand what racquet I should buy next, I think its important to look backward.
My first competitive racquet was the 2010 Babolat AeroPro Drive GT. I used this for years until one of them cracked and I bought the 2013 AeroPro Drive. I made the full switch to the 2013 because it felt faster through the air. At the time I had no idea it was because the swingweight was 10 point lower. I just went with my body told me felt best.
From 2010 to 2018, I played mostly with these two generations of Aero, though I did have a brief stint with the gold Wilson BLX Blade 98. By the Summer of 2018, my last two 2013 AeroPro Drives were at the end of their life. When a friend offered me a good price for the pair, I knew I had to let them go. With the money from my old racquets, my broke-student ass could finally afford a few new sticks. Thankfully I also worked at Courtside Sports so I could also use my employee discount.
I tried nearly every demo in the store and settled on the Yonex SV VCore 95. The Shapo racquet.
My primary objective with this stick was to find something that offered the right combination of spin and control. My problems at this time were centered around confidence. I didn’t have the confidence to hold the baseline against big hitters. When I had the advantage in the point, I didn’t have the confidence to really press. I was so scared of overhitting that I often fluffed the ball 10 feet long, or worse, to the very bottom of the next.
Sadly I had a small warranty issue with these frames and Yonex replaced them with the all new 2018 VCORE 95. Even more control, a little less power and heaps better feel. This was the peak of my racquet nerdism, so of course I spent many hours dialing in the specs of the new frames. My primary objective was to boost up the swingweight so I could keep up with the ex-D1 and former elite juniors players that make up Canada’s college tennis scene. I was in my early 20’s so my physicality wasn’t much of an issue. I’ve also always been a very natural defender who could rely on instinct and court speed to compensate for the unforgiving 95.
Ultimately, I learned what I needed to from these frames. I became a lot more comfortable holding the baseline against hard hitters. I felt confident putting away short balls and just crushing my forehand in general. So when I graduated university, I stopped playing as much competitive tennis and I needed something more forgiving. Here is the story of why I ultimately switched to the Head Extreme Tour.
Long story short, I needed more forgiveness, but wanted something with good directional control so I could keep the attacking confidence that I had just gained from my VCORE 95’s.
What I Love About My Extreme Tours
While its time for me to move on from these frames, there are things I simply cannot give up.
The maneuverability. My whippy forehand requires speed. Big twistweights and slow mgr/i’s won’t cut it for me. While my forehand can certainly be a weakness, I know that it helps me win more points than it loses. I need me forehand to be operating on all cylinders if I want to win matches.
The connected feel. Given my racquet history (APD’s mostly), I have a slight preference for stiffer, crisper racquets. Of course I love the feel of plush classics like Prestiges and my 2018 VC95, I just feel more connected to stiffer, more response frames. I need something that tells me how bad I am when I miss and rewards me when I’m on fire.
The predictable stringbed. A tight 16x19 at the minimum. I need a lower launch angle to feel in control. I don’t care if its mental or technical. I need it.
What I Don’t Get In My Extreme Tours
Now that my game as changed, I have different needs that my Extreme Tour simply cannot satisfy.
Power off centre.
This is the one and only thing that my Extreme Tour cannot deliver. When I’m pushed wide and on the stretch, I no longer have the strength to pull the ball back into the court with power and spin. I really think I need to move to a thicker beam to get this kind of forgiveness while at the end of my hitting range.
The VCORE 95 and the Extreme Tour helped me learn how to hit the ball while in a neutral rally. They helped me find the confidence to attack rally balls and find an advantage in the rally. With all the playtests I’ve been doing for more powerful frames, I still feel like I’m able to find that attacking confidence. I no longer need to rely on my racquet to control the ball because of the trust I have in my technique. I now have every reason to switch to something more powerful to help give me that extra percentage of control, power and spin while on the stretch.
Potential Candidates
At this time, there are two primary candidates currently available.
2023 Babolat Pure Aero
Head Auxetic Extreme MP
I haven’t quite decided between the two yet. So far, I prefer the contact feel of the Extreme MP. Its more raw and connect. But there is an X-factor with the Aero. Its better of centre and there’s something about it that makes me want to keep playing tennis. Perhaps its nostalgia.
That said, there are a few racquets on the horizon that I’m really looking forward to.
2023 Babolat Pure Aero 98. The update to the Pure Aero VS. Rune and Alcaraz do so much damage with these frames and I really wish I spend more time with the Pure Aero VS before giving up on it. I’m looking forward to see what Babolat will do for this generation.
Head Auxetic Radical MP. Another 98 that I wrote off too quickly because I felt like I didn’t need the power at the time. I did feel that the 360+ was a bit hollow, so hopefully the Auxetic gives it a more solid feel. One down side is that they’ve gone back to the Spiderman paintjob. Bright red hoop and dark blue throat. Ugly.
Head Auxetic Gravity MP. I almost switched to the Gravity MP when it came out. I didn’t because I was a student at the time and couldn’t afford it. The racquet proceeded to drop off my radar after I feel in love with the Extreme Tour.
Wilson Shifts. Not much is known about these. Looking like there will be two models. A 98 with an 18x20 and 315g and a 99 with a 16x20 and 300g. Both may get a 23mm flat beam. Source: https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/18x20-wilson-shift-prototype.739199/
Final Thoughts
While I’m not quite ready to make the switch yet, I should know more once we complete the Pure Aero vs Extreme MP review.
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