On fast surfaces he was often overhitting, because even with dead racket the string tension was too low. Whole body involved in every shot (90% shots with jumping, if not just after chasing the ball and hitting on the run). Long backswing and full follow-through at every shot. Because he was a fragile boy at 12, when started to be coached by Bresnik, Bresnik developed custom technique, just for him. Thiem’s racket is dead because it’s meant to be. This set-up is more comfort-orientated as Hawk in the cross is not a stiff poly, so it should be friendlier to his arm and wrist if that’s something he’s worried about, given his injury. He strings it at 55 lbs/ 25kg.Īfter an extended period on the sidelines in 2021 due to a wrist injury, Thiem made a comeback in mid-2022 that didn’t breed instant success.Ĭonsequently, he switched string setup again to a new hybrid setup of Head Lynx Tour (champagne) 1.25mm strung at 25.5kg (56 lbs) in the mains and Head Hawk (white) 1.25 at 24.5kg (54 lbs) in the crosses. Given that setup brought impressive results, including beating Federer to win the Indian Wells title, you would have thought it’d stick around.īut Thiem again soon changed to a full bed of Babolat RPM Power 1.25mm (17), which helped land him his maiden Grand Slam at the US Open in 2020. However, it wasn’t long before he cut those strings out and started experimenting with Head Hawk and Head Experimental Tour. In several interviews, he revealed being a big fan of the setup. Then, he switched to a hybrid with Babolat VS Natural Gut in the mains and RPM Blast Rough in the crosses for a brief period. Why Does Thiem Use The Babolat Pure Strike? When the third generation racket was launched in 2019, Thiem switched to the updated model. Like Nadal’s Aero Pure Drive Original, this racket was practically designed for Thiem, and he has used that racket ever since.īabolat updated the frame in 2017, but Thiem stuck with the older design despite the new cosmetic for branding purposes. Then in 2014, Babolat launched the Pure Strike racket. Interestingly he used the lighter model, which I assume is because he was never the most muscular guy out there and has been somewhat of a late developer physically.Īfter leaving the Wilson behind, Thiem moved over to his home country’s racket manufacturer, Head, using the control-orientated Head Prestige MP for several years in an 18 x 20 string pattern. Thiem has been quite the tinkerer regarding rackets, and he’s played with three different brands since he was a junior.Īs a junior, he used the Wilson Six One 95 Team, a lighter version of the Six One 95 that several players in Thiem’s age range use even today. Olivier Carlier, Babolat Global Marketing Manager What Specification is Thiem’s Racket? The larger and more open the string pattern is the bigger the trampoline effect, so, providing more power. An 18×20 string pattern will reduce the string bed flexibility and therefore provide more control. The string pattern has an impact on the control level. This improved manoeuvrability allows the racket to generate more spin and confidence on impact with the ball. As a result, the racket has greater manoeuvrability while maintaining the control-power ratio. The evolution of the racket’s frame has allowed us to change the customization, lowering the weight added. We discuss the situation together and notably the evolution to be made on the racket according to the orientation of the style of play or certain technical adjustments.ĭepending on the answers, we provide solutions, without forgetting, of course, the impact of the stringing (50% of the racket’s performance comes from the frame and 50% from the string).” In Dominic’s case, we brought more stability at impact to allow him to play the ball earlier after the rebound. With a player like Dominic, we start with an exchange with his coach and our performance teams in the lab on the characteristics of the current racket. While many pro players, for example, Djokovic and Murray, tend to use pro stock frames with unique drill patterns, with Babolat, you often see their sponsored players using retail frames that they customise to spec.Įven Nadal uses a lightly customised retail frame, all be it one from the early 2000s and Thiem is the same. Thiem is Babolat’s face of the Pure Strike line of rackets, and he’s currently a customised version of the 3rd Generation Pure Strike 18 x 20.
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