Paint jobs, prototypes and pro-stock frames dressed as retail models. Three champions whose rackets weren’t quite what the logo said.
A racket in a champion’s hand carries a name on the throat. That name is not always the whole truth. Professionals often play frames made specially for them, painted to look like the model sold in the shops, so the racket in the picture and the racket in the box are not always the same object. That is part of why collectors care so much about authenticity.
1. Nadal: a Pure Aero on the outside
Rafael Nadal played a Babolat Aero frame for most of his career. According to Tennis Nerd, when it carried the paint job of a newer Pure Aero, the frame underneath was still an AeroPro Drive: a new paint job on an older mould. His rivalries are covered in Federer and Nadal and Nadal and Djokovic.
2. Djokovic: a pro-stock Head in costume
Novak Djokovic has played Head since 2009. The racket he plays is a pro-stock frame, painted to look like the model he endorses, such as the Head Graphene Speed Pro. Several sources say the real frame is based on Head’s older Radical MP mould, which makes it a pro-stock frame rather than the retail racket.
3. Federer: the prototype before the production frame
In 2014, Roger Federer made the biggest equipment change of his career, moving from a 90 square inch head to 97. For the first half of that year he was testing a Wilson prototype. The production frame, the Pro Staff RF97 Autograph, arrived later, and Wilson lists it for 2014 to 2022. His great rivalries are in Federer and Djokovic.
And one more detail: the logo painted on the strings
The International Tennis Hall of Fame describes two rackets in its collection with the same detail: clear gut strings painted with a logo. One is the Wilson Hammer Tour Justine Henin used to win the 2003 US Open, with a red Wilson logo on the strings. The other is the Slazenger Silhouette 95 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario used to win the 1990 Virginia Slims of Newport, with a black Slazenger logo. See Serena Williams and Henin and Graf and Sánchez Vicario.
Why it matters for collectors
A name on a frame tells you what the maker wanted you to see. It does not always tell you what the player used. Before you pay for a “player’s racket”, read our guide on player association, and what to check in authenticity and condition.
Want to start your own collection? Get the free collector’s guide. And if you want to try the game as it looked before the paint jobs, join the waiting list for The White Ball.
— The Editor, Court Privée
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