Question of the Day: Time to Modernize?
TENNIS.com gear editor Justin diFeliciantonio and his technical advisers answer your equipment questions each day. Click here to send in a question of your own.
I currently play with the Head Ti.S6 racquet, post broken wrist, and I love it. Do you know if Head is still producing this racquet? Or are the new ones I’m finding remainders from its heyday? And as for the merits of the Ti.S6: Should I switch to a newer model? I’m currently playing with the racquet strung with Dunlop Silk, which my stringer informs me makes the racquet play more forgiving. I would appreciate your thoughts.—Peggy
To my knowledge, Peggy, Head is still manufacturing the Ti.S6; the racquet can still be bought new at a number of sporting goods stores and specialty pro shops around the country. (For a brief review of the Head Ti.S6, one of the best selling racquets of the late ‘90s, click here.)
That said, given your wrist condition, I’d recommend that you switch to another racquet. While the Ti.S6 is not necessarily a bad choice for the casual player, the racquet’s low weight, head-heavy balance, and shock-prone construction presents additional risk factors for those with a history of arm trauma—even if it’s strung with a multifilament like Dunlop Silk.
As for newer, more wrist-friendly sticks to try, consider the following three.
1) Völkl Organix V1 Oversize
2) Yonex EZone Xi 107
3) Dunlop Biomimetic 700
Like your Ti.S6, the above three sticks are constructed with oversized head sizes, which should give you plenty of lightweight power. But at the same time, they’re slightly heavier and more head light than your old Head; accordingly, they’ll take your wrist’s future health to heart. (The same three racquets were also recommended for players who’ve suffered from tennis elbow. To read the piece, click here.)
Finally, I’d recommend that, whichever racquet you end of playing with, you string with natural gut at low tensions (~50 to 55 lbs.). Dunlop Silk is certainly not an uncomfortable string. But for any player who’s had arm problems in the past, why not go to battle with the world’s softest, most elastic string?
