Pacific must have broken one of Fischer’s molds, which the brand acquired earlier this year, with the Nexus. This super flyweight game-improvement frame—probably the lightest out there—is a 180-degree departure from Fischer’s tradition of heavy player frames with narrow beams, head-light balances, and small heads.

Racquet-makers have attempted to break the sub 9-ounce weight barrier before, but have usually ended up with frames that could barely withstand the impact of a two-ounce tennis ball, and were rough on the arm to boot. Pacific has averted those negatives by fortifying the Nexus with a host of technologies to counteract its flimsy weight: stiff basalt fibers mixed with graphite in the frame to dampen the feel, stability enhancers at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions of the jumbo face to forgive off-center hits, and a cushy dampening system in the shaft to tame vibrations.

This is not to say that the Nexus will hold up when it’s on the receiving end of a blistering ground stroke in an open tournament, but it’s certainly capable of fending off the soft bullets and moonballs from the short-swinging competition in the super senior doubles bracket.

The Nexus is a good playtest choice for 70-something players at all levels or even younger players who don’t get around like they used to. Its widebody frame and head-heavy balance combine to provide substantial power, and its extra reach helps shrink the court a little. Most of all, it’s an amazingly maneuverable. Most racquets with these dimensions have swingweights that are 10–15 percent higher than the Nexus. The only drawback is its high price.