| Archive for Percy896's Tennis Forum This is a new tennis forum to discuss professional tennis, vote and create polls, and ask advice about equipment, fitness, or anything regarding tennis! Now with a new Fantasy Tennis League! |
| J-man |
blake signs with princeso i've heard that blake has signed with prince any thoughts??? what racket do you think he will use???[/list] |
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| J-man |
December 15, 2005
Tennis' Newest Prince: James Blake Blake Signs as Newest Member of Team Prince and Inks Long-Term Endorsement Deal to Develop and Launch New Racquet "Relationships are important to me and this one just feels right. " Prince Tennis announced today that James Blake, whose personal and professional comeback in 2005 gripped the tennis world, has joined Prince�s Touring Professional Team with a global, multi-faceted seven-year deal. The partnership involves Blake�s collaboration with Prince�s research and development experts to develop a racquet featuring O Technology that Blake will use on tour. This new racquet will launch in 2006 as part of Prince's best selling line of O3 Racquets. When asked about Blake, Prince Sports' CEO, George Napier, said, "We are privileged and proud that James chose Prince to be his brand of equipment. He embodies the values our Team believes in and lives every day � integrity, respect, persistence, passion, and fearlessness. These characteristics were evident as his hero�s journey unfolded over the past year or so." Blake was characteristically articulate when asked why he chose Prince from the many endorsement opportunities offered to him. "Everyone I met at Prince made me feel welcome. Relationships are important to me and this one just feels right. Also, the deal we developed is more than just a racquet endorsement. Prince is tapping my knowledge to help with product design, as well as some cool marketing initiatives focused on junior development. They are also enthusiastically supporting various charitable organizations that are important to me. And the equipment, O Technology is special and something I believe can help raise my game. The newest O3 we're going to launch later this year will be really sweet." Napier continued, "I've been fortunate to get to know many professional athletes over the past 25 years in the sporting goods business, and this guy is, without a doubt, a remarkable person, in addition to his �way past ordinary� athletic talents. James is going to be a huge part of our family and brand." About James Blake This past U.S. Open marked Blake�s fifth tournament appearance. In a series of memorable matches, he defied the critics and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Open. His progress was even more amazing when you consider that just over a year ago, Blake wasn�t sure he�d ever play tennis again. On May 6th of 2004, Blake broke his neck while practicing at a tournament in Rome. In May, he developed shingles, and in July lost his father to cancer. He came to the US Open ranked No. 49 and staged a remarkable comeback, defeating 2nd seed Rafael Nadal to achieve his best Grand Slam effort and reach the quarterfinals. He was later defeated in the quarterfinals by Andre Agassi in a fifth-set tiebreak. Blake�s signature stroke is his down-the-line winners from nearly impossible positions achieved by his �monster forehand.� He is also known for his extreme agility and masterful ability to cover the court. About Prince Sports Prince Sports, Inc., based in New Jersey, is a recognized leader in game-improvement technologies and engineering-based high-performance sports equipment. Since 1970, Prince and Ektelon have revolutionized tennis, squash and racquetball with innovations including �Oversize,� �Longbody� and �Extender� racquet technologies, Natural Foot Shape footwear technology, Synthetic Gut String and Electronic Ball Machines. In 2005, Prince introduced O3, another breakthrough that features an expanded sweet spot (up to 54 percent) and increased racquet speed, a combination only possible with O3 Technology. Prince Sports has operations on three continents and distribution in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.princetennis.com. |
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| leftys_rock |
well i dont noe....probably an O3...... | ||
| J-man |
maybe. ithink that's what eveyone else is saying | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah cuz all the prince players are switching to 03 like sharapova.... | ||
| J-man |
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| leftys_rock |
yeah i noe...cuz like all the other dunlop people have nice racquets like mauresmo.....for wilson, theres not really a thing about revolutionized racquets cuz nCode is really nice and up to date material.... | ||
| J-man |
i bet soon they will change berdych's racket | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah cuz in the dunlop commercial in Tennis mag, the show lots of players with the dunlop but not berdych... | ||
| J-man |
i saw a picture of tim henman's racket. it's different. but he still has the slazenger sign on the strings | ||
| leftys_rock |
oh really?? lots of pros have been switching their racquets recently...well probably cuz its a new season.... | ||
| J-man |
yeah i think so. check the atp site and you'll see it | ||
| leftys_rock |
did a lot of players change racquets at the beginning of 05?? cuz i forgot.... | ||
| J-man |
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| leftys_rock |
did sharapova have a different racquet in 04?? cuz it didnt look like the shark when i saw pictures from 04... | ||
| J-man |
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| leftys_rock |
so then she switched to the shark and now shes switching to the 03 white...well now all those sharapova wannabes are gonna have to switch their racquets... | ||
| x.doublea |
All the players using Liquid Metal Prestiges (or paint jobs of the racquet) are switching to either the Flexpoint Prestige or a paint job of the Flexpoint. |
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| leftys_rock |
wow....so is that all the players that use head?? or other players too?? | ||
| x.doublea |
Well, I'm sure some players will switch to other racquets; but it is a fact that HEAD wants all players using the Liquid Metal Prestige to either start using the Flexpoint or get a company to do a paint job of it. | ||
| leftys_rock |
i dont know that much about head racquets....how are they?? | ||
| x.doublea |
Well, I enjoy them. HEAD racquets (particularly the Prestige line) give a lot of feel, or as I call it, buttery feel. It's as if your racquet holds on the ball and brushes it for a split second before you hit. The Flexpoint series maximizes this effect, hence creating more feel. | ||
| leftys_rock |
oh...maybe ill try one of them....ive never used a head racquet.... | ||
| x.doublea |
It will be interesting to see how you like HEAD racquets. I know Wilson players that have tried to swith to HEAD racquets; they either loved it or hated it. | ||
| leftys_rock |
do you know which head racquets are like certain wilson racquets?? | ||
| x.doublea |
Current Players Models Similarities Weight wise
HEAD-Wilson Flexpoint Prestige MID- nCode Six-One Tour Flexpoint Prestige MP- nCode Six-One 95 18 x 20 Flexpoint Radical Tour- nCode Six-One 95 (Somewhat) Flexpoint Radical- nPro Flexpoint FXP Radical Team- nTour |
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| J-man |
i play with the head liquidmetal radical midplus. i like it, but need to get my string change | ||
| leftys_rock |
i would probably try playing with Flexpoint FXP Radical Team or Flexpoint Radical...cuz i tried the npro and i liked it but i got the nProSurge cuz i liked the feel of it better....and i like the ntour so i would probably try the one similar to that..... | ||
| Intelligence |
do any of u guys know what that racket is that blake is using? | ||
| x.doublea |
No one knows what it is called (except Prince and Blake), but a close up picture shows that it is not an O3 racquet. | ||
| dav6789 |
Are they trying to keep it secret or something. Maybe Blake is experementing it for Prince. | ||
| Babzzzzz |
He signed with Prince not only to get sponsored by them but also to help them developing rackets. |
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| dav6789 |
Thats unusual for a player who is at the peak of their career. He should settle down with 1 racket to get more used to it. | ||
| leftys_rock |
true......but some players have changed racquets a lot......and theyre still ok.... | ||
| dav6789 |
Yeah, most players on the tour have changed rackets at some point in their career. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah, cuz of revolutionary new technology....like what nCode uses....and that is why all the Wilson players went to nCode.... | ||
| dav6789 |
Babolat rackets have increased aswell , and Prince. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah....babolat has become very popular.... | ||
| dav6789 |
Alot of players use them on the tour. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah....did andy roddick spur the popularity?? | ||
| J-man |
yeah i would think so. espically in america | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah, like five of my friends use the racquet that roddick has... | ||
| dav6789 |
Alot of South Americans use that racket aswell. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah...whats another really popular racquet?? | ||
| dav6789 |
Prince is growing with the O tour, and Wilson is popular as ever. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah the nCode is very popular....and a lot of pros use the O line so it will probably rise in popularity... | ||
| dav6789 |
Davydenko and Coria use the O rackets, Davydenko seems to be hitting the ball much cleaner | ||
| leftys_rock |
is everybody in prince moving to the O racquets?? | ||
| dav6789 |
I dont think Sharapova is | ||
| leftys_rock |
shes using the O3 white right?? | ||
| dav6789 |
I didnt notice her change rackets | ||
| leftys_rock |
oh she changed racquets...if u look closely, there arent any blue streaks on her racquet anymore....its an O3 white....not the shark.. | ||
| x.doublea |
James Blake isn't. |
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| leftys_rock |
what racquet is he using?? | ||
| x.doublea |
If I'm correct, the racquet is basically all black. Prince calls it Experimental. Oh, Sharapova definitely uses the O3 White; you can clearly see the O Ports. |
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| leftys_rock |
yeah.....shes doing pretty good with it....her grounders are really powerful... | ||
| x.doublea |
Yes.... we all just wish that she had more variety to go along with that power. |
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| leftys_rock |
yeah....if she had more variety, she would be more dominating in tennis.... | ||
| x.doublea |
She should work more on short angles; that way, she could open the court up and she could hit winners with her flat strokes instead of trying to hit through the opponent. |
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| leftys_rock |
yeah....and she needs more variety in her serve....and she really needs to incorperate net game.....and i havent seen one drop shot from her in this whole tourney.... | ||
| x.doublea |
If she developed her net game, she could close out points at the end and shorten the matches she plays. |
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| leftys_rock |
yeah she frequently botches points at net....shes a lot more comfortable at the baseline....but she is always good at that putaway.....it is sometimes a mishit though... | ||
| dav6789 |
Sometimes she looks so out of place at the net. If she developed her net game, it would definetely help her game. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah, and because she is so tall, she should botch less overheads....and her serve should be more of a weapon.... | ||
| x.doublea |
It's already strong now...she just has to learn how to throw in different serves at her opponent in order to keep them unbalanced and help her open the court up. |
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| leftys_rock |
yeah...but her first serve percentage has been kind of low recently...but because her second serve is pretty hard to get, she has only been broken once.....she has a nice motion in her serve....its just that she doesnt get many aces and cheap points off of serve... | ||
| dav6789 |
Sometimes Sharapova's second serves are really weak. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah, but for some reason, her opponents cant really get to them....her serve usually doesnt get broken too often.... | ||
| x.doublea |
Perhaps she puts more kick on it than we think. | ||
| leftys_rock |
that could be true....cuz the second serve isnt that fast, theres just some kick on it to make it hard to return.... | ||
| J-man |
yeah and kick on this surface at AO will help her. but i keep stressing that sharapova should play more doubles | ||
| leftys_rock |
she used to....but then she stopped after she really became a factor in singles.....her doubles partner used to be kirilenko.... | ||
| dav6789 |
She's good friends with her. I think she should play doubles more often, it would improve her net game. She won Birmingham before with Kirilenko. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah kirilenko is sharapovas best friend on tour....but after sharapova became big on the singles tour, she just stopped playing doubles.... | ||
| J-man |
they both should get back together. serena and venus should also play doubles | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah....when singles players start getting to the top, they dont play doubles anymore....sure it makes u more tired, but its good practice.... | ||
| dav6789 |
It's quite sad that the Williams sisters dont play doubles. They were always a top team. They should play that to get some confidence for the singles court. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah.....were they ever ranked #1 in the doubles rankings?? | ||
| dav6789 |
Yeah i think they were. They have won grand slams together, and in mixed doubles. | ||
| J-man |
danelia huntchova is a great doubles player. she has a few good wins in doubles | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah hantuchova has won the Grand Slam in mixed doubles....not in one year though..... | ||
| x.doublea |
Yes, the career Grand Slam in mixed doubles. She joins a very prolific group that have career mixed doubles Grand Slams:
Frank Sedgman (1949-51) Billie Jean King (1967-6 
Martina Navratilova (1974-85-2003) Todd Woodbridge (1990-92-93-94) Serena and Venus Williams (1998) |
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| x.doublea |
Martina Navratilova also has a career boxed set: winning the singles, same-sex doubles, and mixed doubles titles at all the Grand Slams. Doris Hart and Margaret Smith Court have also acomplished this. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah....martina's motor just never stops running....she is so remarkable.....shes like outlived everybody in tennis... | ||
| x.doublea |
She's not in the AO this year. She might finally stop this year, which will be sad. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah...it would have been so amazing if she kept playing at 50....cuz fifty just sounds bigger than 49.... | ||
| x.doublea |
It would probably be a record; despite having so many records, I think that her longevity defines her career. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah....she will be in the history books for remaining on tour for such a long time.....we will all be sad to see the day she leaves the game.... | ||
| x.doublea |
You never know, she might even come back for a third act! | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah....like when shes 60, she comes back to play doubles or something  ......that would be quite a thought.....
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| x.doublea |
She would probably still be able to beat rising stars.
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| leftys_rock |
yeah....that would be QUITE a feat....i would love to see that happen....she would always be remembered that way.... | ||
| x.doublea |
Last year at Wimbledon, she nearly double bagled someone in the first round: she won 60 61. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah...martina still has the spark from her younger days...she should do an energizer battery commercial... 
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| x.doublea |
Yes....It would show her inserting some some batteries into her body and then show her beating up a 24 year old.
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| leftys_rock |
yeah...or like showing her playing for 24 hours every day from when she entered the tour in the 1970s......energizer should really take that into consideration...i bet they could sell a lot more batteries
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| x.doublea |
It would be better than the one where the headphones run away from the man. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah...they really should think about using martina in those commercials....she is a perfect example of somebody's battery that keeps on running.... | ||
| x.doublea |
Or including someone like Agassi and Connors (and even Roosewall) in the background. Unfortunately, the common person probably doesn't even know who Navratilova is. | ||
| leftys_rock |
yeah, so they should use agassi cuz everybody knows who he is.... | ||