BY GARY MACHHOLZ
How do you, as a tennis player, define “PLAYER’S RACQUETS?” In an old school sense a player’s frame meant GOOD player’s racquet. It was a thin beam racquet, mostly 17-19mm beam, very flexible racquet, with a smaller head topping out at 98 square inches tipping the scales at 330g (11.6oz) or more unstrung. Then, something happened in the game which would change that definition.
In today’s tennis world the MODERN player’s frame is generally considered to be very stiff with a beam width in the 23-26mm range and a 100 head size weighing 275-315g (9.7-11.1oz) unstrung. Rather than being a GOOD player’s racquet, the tennis community has informally dubbed that as the EVERY player’s racquet.
Fast-forward to July 15, 2022 and there are two new entries into the modern EVERY player’s frame, one which has simply been overlooked since its introduction in 1994 and the other a new version of a classic. V1 Classic, to be exact, and its younger sibling, the newly released V1 EVO.
Nearly every tennis player has seen the V1 Classic in one of its numerous cosmetics, revered as one of the all-time great racquets for arm protection. What has been overlooked is how well it fits today’s EVERY player’s racquet category. V1 Classic uses the original Vario Beam Technology, wider at the tip, but thinner through the throat and thicker in the shaft. Its head size is 102 and it weighs in at 285g (10.0oz) with a moderately stiff flex which feels extremely comfortable due to the Dual Dampening Grip
system.
For players looking to find a racquet which can perform straight off the shelf, V1 Classic is there. Its swing weight gives a nice feel driving through the ball along with great control on volleys and slice groundstrokes. Players wanting a solid base for customizing to their spec will appreciate the 285g weight and 33cm / 0.5” head light balance. Throw in Volkl patented Big Grommet System for enhanced spin and it is truly a racquet engineered for today’s game even if it was introduced over 25 years ago.
It seems many players today are searching for a racquet with a softer flex which still fits the modern EVERY player genre and the V1 EVO may just define this classification. Still using the Vario Beam Tech, thicker at the tip, thinner through the throat, thicker at the shaft design, still 102 head size, but with a softer flex and 305g (10.8 oz) V1 EVO is ready to deliver for players with a bigger swing.
V1 EVO is based on the V1 Classic and has the Dual Dampening Grip for an incredibly soft feel with great feedback. The extra weight and softer flex make it drive through the ball effortlessly with spin and feel enhanced by the Volkl patented Big Grommet System.
All of those attributes make it a great control racquet, too. Try both V1 EVO and V1Classic at your Authorized Volkl Tennis retailer today!
