The Monte Carlo Masters is in full swing and we have some interesting ATP Gear News. If you want to contribute, please reach out on @tennisnerdinsta on Instagram.
As always, we made a video covering this news, which you can watch below. If you like this content, we appreciate every positive comment, like, and subscribe. Remember that you can find great discouns on tennis gear on our deals page.
Dimitrov back to his Pro Staff
Grigor Dimitrov has been flirting with the hyped-up new spin racquet from Wilson called the Python or P98 (the name will be different at the launch in July). But for his first round match against Tomas Etcheverry, he was back to some form of Pro Staff. The racquet he used was blacked out and did not have the cosmetics of the new Pro Staff Classic. He played a decent match, but still lost in three sets to Etcheverry. This means Dimitrov is dropping out of the top 100 for the first time since 2013. Ever since he had that brutal injury while being up two sets to Jannik Sinner in Wimbledon, he has struggled to find his form. Can he regain it? At age 34, time is ticking.
Tsitsipas back to his Blade 98
Stefanos Tsitsipas is another one-handed backhand player who has struggled to find his form. He is now just outside the top 60 after a loss to Francisco Cerundolo in a topsy-turvy match where neither player seemed to be in form. Tsitsipas was back to his Blade 98 for this match, but despite being up 5-3 in the first set, he could not quite find his confidence and lost 7 games in a row from there before he fought back.
Tsitsipas has shown moments of great tennis at the United Cup, where he beat Fritz in straight sets and also in Miami, where he beat De Minaur in two. Will he go back to his blacked-out racquet or persist with the Blade? Time will tell.
Humbert also back to Blade 98
Another player who is back to the Blade 98 after a stint with the HEAD Speed MP, is Ugo Humbert. He won his first match against up-and-coming Moise Kouame, but was demolished against Sinner 6-3 6-0. Humbert’s right leg was heavily strapped, so it is easy to assume that his movement was somewhat compromised in this match, still, being competitive against Sinner is a tall order for anyone.
The Blade 98 (or Blade Pro/H22 )and 4G combo is still popular on tour, despite many players looking for more power in racquets like the P98 or Aero 98.
Terence Atmane with a new prototype racquet
Frenchman Terence Atmane played a great match and beat Ethan Quinn with a blacked-out racquet. When people see a blacked-out racquet these days, their thoughts immediately seem to go to the Wilson Python, but in this case, I have heard from reliable sources that it is a prototype racquet from Tecnifibre. It seems like all brands need a controlled-spin racquet like the Aero 98 these days, as players on the ATP tour seem to crave it.
Interestingly, Atmane was using a gold-ish string like 4G, instead of his usual black Tecnifibre poly. What is it?
Sebastian Baez and Joao Fonseca to Polytour Force
Two players who have switched to Yonex’s new string Polytour Force are Sebastian Baez and Joao Fonseca. It’s an interesting new string from Yonex, which seems to be enjoyed by the pros. Baez won his first match against Wawrinka with his 28-inch VCORE, but then got only four games against Alcaraz. Fonseca is still in the Monte Carlo draw.
Alexander Bublik signs with Diadem
In the biggest news in the racquet industry for a while, Alexander Bublik, who beat Gael Monfils in his first match, has signed with American company Diadem. He has announced that they will be working on new frames together. As you might know, Bublik bought some Aero 98 racquets at the Phoenix Challenger last year and went on to have the best season of his life. We will see what this partnership means for his racquet setup and for his future results.
We will keep following the story as it develops. You can check out Diadem products here, and you get 15% off using the code TENNISNERD15.