Oversize Tennis Racquet: Interesting Facts
Andre Agassi loved to play with an oversize tennis racquet right the way throughout his career. It was the Prince Oversize racquet that started him off, and when he changed racquet sponsors they would emulate as best they could the original Prince OS.
This is sort of thing is nothing new and in fact is just history repeating itself.
Many years ago in the era of Rod Laver and Lou Hoad, all players grew up with either the Dunlop Maxply Fort or the Slazenger Challenge No.1. Rod Laver was one of the first to use his name to make a bit of money. He changed from using a Dunlop Maxply Fort to a Donnay racquet. Most people recognise Donnay as the racquet of Bjorn Borg, but don’t realise that Rod Laver also helped to make the Belgium company famous.
When Laver first made the switch, Donnay took the Maxply Fort and painted it white and put the Donnay branding in red lettering all over it. The funny thing was that he actually was using a Dunlop racquet!
In those days Donnay used to produce most of the world’s racquets under license – they were a huge company. However, once the big headed racquets started to become popular, the ski companies started take market share.
The first use of graphite was in the use of skis and so they applied their experience to get ahead of the competition.
These days, the Austrian company Head is recognised the world over as a big player in racquet manufacture but it’s origin is in skis. The Head logo is actually the end of a ski with a hole in the middle to let the build up of snow shoot through. Most people don’t realise that they have a picture of a ski painted on their racquet.
Is the Oversize Tennis Racquet a Cause of Tennis Elbow?
I am a big fan of the Oversize Tennis Racquet, so I was shocked when I recently found an article implying that they cause tennis elbow. It was listed under the heading, “Are Big Head Racquets Better?” on this site:-
http://www.racquetresearch.com/
To quote RacquetResearch.com
“The consensus among physical therapists seems to be that big heads are a risk factor for tennis elbow. The pros who make their living winning tournaments do not favor them. The conclusion must be that big head racquets are not better.”
My real world experience does not agree with this statement. Back in 1993 I had a bad tennis elbow from playing with a Wilson Hammer. I switched to a Prince Oversize and the problem went away.
I know that I am an isolated case and that is hardly scientific proof, but I think that it is still a bit of a sweeping statement to say that categorically big head racquets are not better.
Surely there are so many factors to consider, including player preference, stroke style and racquet head speed, and skill level. If oversize tennis racquets are no better, then how come so many players have one Grand Slams with one?
Oversize Tennis Racquet: What Kind of Player Should Play With One?
When you think of the pro players who use an oversize tennis racquet there are generally two things they have in common:-
1. They have two hands on the backhand
2. They are baseline players
Players such as Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Monica Selles, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and others all fit this mould.
However, there is another often overlooked type of player that the oversize tennis racquet is very well suited – the average club player.
If you lack the strength in your strokes, a powerful racquet can work wonders to help compensate. The larger hitting area of an oversize tennis racquet means that the sweet spot is bigger, thus transferring more power to the ball.
There is another important advantage of an increased sweet spot, which is forgiveness. If you are guilty of miss hitting the ball from time to time, switching to an oversize tennis racquet could improve your game no end.
There are many different types of oversize available, with different characteristics such as manoeuvrability. If you are a member of a tennis club you should try and have a hit with one to see what I am talking about.
I don’t know the age of an average tennis club member, but I would guess around 40-50. Many oversize tennis racquets were designed with this typical club player in mind.
Oversize Tennis Racquet: What Grip Size Do I Need?
(This article is not just applicable to an oversize tennis racquet, but to all types.)
The grip sizes on a racquet typically go from 1-5 with 1 being the smallest and 5 the largest. The grip size is a measure of the diameter of the grip. It is not measured at the very end of the grip, called the “but”, because this is larger in size.
You should be able to see the size of a racquet by turning the racquet on end and looking next to the logo on the but. On my Prince Oversize, it has a small “4” next to the Prince logo That means that the diameter is a size 4. Simple isn’t it?
However, a lot of racquet stores list grip sizes as 1/8, 1/4 3/8, 1/2, & 5/8. This can be a bit confusing at first, but fear not – it’s not that hard to understand. All grip sizes are between 4 and 5 inches, in 1/8 inch intervals. So the 1-5 scale is just indicating how many 1/8s above 4 inches. It’s easier to understand if I make a list:-
• Size 1 (called “1/8”) = 4 1/8 inches in diameter
• Size 2 (called “1/4”) = 4 2/8 inches in diameter
• Size 3 (called “3/8”) = 4 3/8 inches in diameter
• Size 4 (called “1/2”) = 4 4/8 inches in diameter
• Size 5 (called “5/8”) = 4 5/8 inches in diameter
To figure out which size you need, you need to measure your hand as shown in this article:- http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Features/Gripsize/Gripsize.html
When I first started playing tennis, I didn’t pay much attention to the grip size. As a result I got used to a grip that was too small for my hand and the proper size took a bit of getting used to. It is important to get the grip size right, because otherwise it can cause tennis elbow.
If your grip is too small for your hand you can build it up by putting overgrips or replacement grips on top. Generally the thinner “overgrip” will increase the grip size by 1/8 inch, whereas the thicker “replacement grip” will increase it by ¼ inch.
Oversize Tennis Racquet: A Guide To Choosing Stringing
When buying an oversize tennis racquet many stores ask you specify which string you want and the tension.
The trouble is that a lot of club players rarely break strings and so don’t know much about the various types and what they have to offer. If that weren’t complicated enough, there’s also the question of which tension to have the racquet strung at.
You should be aware that the string tension should be matched to the head size. For example, lets say a player has a midplus strung at 62 lbs. If they were to switch to an oversize, then the tension would need to be a little higher than 62 to make up for the increase in hitting area.
If you have had a racquet strung for you in the past, you should look to see if your string has left a sticker on the racquet with string type and tension. Failing that you could try ringing your stringer to see if they have a record of your previous restrings.
Failing that, I use a rule of thumb that suits most people. Every racquet has a recommended range of tensions, for example 62± 5 lbs or 55 lbs – 65 lbs. If opt for the middle of the range, the chances are you will be happy with the results.
As for strings, I would strongly recommend “Prince Synthetic Gut Original 16L” for an oversize tennis racquet. It is the nicest feeling string I have played with. The only reason I don’t use it is because I break a lot of strings and need something more durable, however this won’t apply to the average player.
If you break a lot of strings and want your strings to last longer, I would use “Prince Tournament Nylon” which is a good string with good durability.
Which Make of Oversize Tennis Racquet Is Best?
Before now people have asked which brand of oversize tennis racquet they should buy. It is not as straight forward as just picking a make – every company makes good and bad racquets.
If I had to answer the question I would say that Prince oversize are usually a good buy. But that is a very abbreviated answer because there are many ifs and buts that I would like to add.
Just buying a racquet because it is a “good make”, because it was half price, or your favourite player uses it are not good reasons. It’s better to try and match the racquet to suit your playing style.
Some racquets produce great groundstrokes, others are nice to volley with…. It all depends how your strokes are. Ideally you should read reviews of specific models and find out it was designed to match your game.
If you are looking for a budget racquet then again Prince OS are a good choice, because they don’t skimp on strings. Quality strings are just as important as the frame. Prince’s factory string is often “Synthetic Gut Original” – which is one of my favourite strings.
The Three Types of Oversize Tennis Racquet
Many players have used an oversize tennis racquet for years or even decades, without ever knowing that the word oversize isn’t a specific size. “Oversize” or “OS” is the name given to head sizes of 106 sq. inches and above.
Oversize tennis racquets can be as big as 137 sq. inches as seen in the Gamma IPEX 2.0.
I like to split up the oversize range into my own categories:-
“Standard OS” 106-111 sq. in. . For competitive players who can generate a lot of power but prefer the forgiveness and/or feel of a larger hitting area. Agassi and Juan Carlos Ferrero both use a 107.
“Big OS” 112-120 sq. in. Ideal for club players with low swing speed, as they will benefit from the greater power on offer. This is typically the largest racquet most people will to need. A little accuracy is sacrificed.
“Whopper OS” 121-140 sq. in. For senior players with very low swing speed, these colossal racquets can help to make a reasonable shot from a weak swing. The enormity of these racquets make them look a bit ridiculous, but if you get the chance to have a hit with one they are good fun if nothing else.
You won’t find these terms used in a sports store, but are useful when trying to choose an oversize tennis racquet for a specific player.