Extended Length Tennis Rackets – What Are They & Who Uses Them?

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Over latest weeks I’ve been reviewing the brand new Wilson Blade v8 vary of rackets, which incorporates the Blade 104 v8.
The Blade 104 v8 is an outsized 104 sq. inch racquet, and it’s additionally prolonged in size in comparison with most tennis racquets in the marketplace. 
On this case, it’s 27.5 inches in size (69.85cm), whereas the usual size of a tennis racket is 27 inches (68.58cm).
This was the primary time I’ve used an extended racquet, however what’s the purpose for that additional half an inch? Does it assist your recreation or hinder it? Would I swap to it?
This submit will clarify every little thing it’s worthwhile to find out about prolonged size tennis racquets.

What’s an Prolonged Size Racket?

An prolonged tennis racquet is self-explanatory. It’s a tennis racquet that’s longer than the usual 27-inch racquet.
The additional size is added to the deal with, and so they usually are available at 27.25 inches, 27.5 inches, and 28 inches in measurement. 
The additional size is both a part of the manufacturing course of just like the Yonex EZONE 98+.
Or a typical 27-inch racquet is customised by a racquet technician by including size to the grip after which reinstalling the butt cap.
What are the Benefits of an Prolonged Racket?

An prolonged size racquet has a number of benefits. One of many greatest is that it provides you additional attain on the serve, the return of serve, overheads, on double-handed strokes and up on the web.
By making contact with the ball greater up on serve, you may obtain a better margin of error and produce extra ball velocity, which is why Michael Chang opted for a 28-inch body.
With the racquet being prolonged, the swing weight of the body will increase, which additionally provides you elevated energy potential.
Meaning you need to use a extra versatile body and achieve extra managed energy slightly than get hold of it through a better stiffness customary size racquet.
Different benefits embrace:

Extra stability in opposition to heavy topspin balls
A better swing weight with out a rise in static weight
A better recoil weight, so doubtlessly extra arm pleasant

What about Disadvantages?

With a listing of benefits so lengthy, why aren’t 28-inch racquets the usual measurement everybody makes use of?
Like every little thing in tennis, there’s a trade-off, and by extending the racquet, you sacrifice manoeuvrability. The racquet turns into more durable to swing and slower by way of the air.
Including 0.25 inches to a typical size body provides about ten swing weight factors to a racquet, though this could fluctuate.
For instance, a Babolat Pure Drive has a swing weight of 320 kg/m2, whereas the Babolat Pure Drive Plus, which is simply 1/2 an inch longer, has a swing weight of 324 kg/m2.
That is nonetheless fairly a giant distinction regardless that they’re equivalent racquets and have the identical static weight.
The opposite drawback is that getting used to an prolonged racquet, discovering the candy spot, getting your spacing between your physique and the ball, and many others., takes some adjustment. 
I discovered the Blade 104 v8 completely different to play with, particularly on the backhand, as I’m utilizing a one-hander, so it can take some recalibration to play nicely with.
That’s why I feel probably the most vital drawback for many gamers is that it takes fairly some time to get used to. Whereas some gamers may immediately click on, others won’t.
Who Ought to use an Prolonged Racket?

There is no such thing as a set components for who ought to use an prolonged racquet as we see gamers of all recreation kinds utilizing them, from the 5ft 7″ Schwartzman to the 6ft 3″ Gael Monfils.
As with most issues tennis racquets, it’s a matter of non-public desire. 
Normally, I feel long-bodied racquets are extra suited to skilled intermediate and superior gamers with absolutely developed strokes.
Prolonged racquets usually have a better swing weight, so that you want good (early) preparation and stable stroke mechanics to regulate for spacing and timing.
In case you are a participant who likes weight and infrequently provides result in a racquet, then a Blade 98 with 6 – 8 grams of lead at 12 o’clock will probably be simply as straightforward/tough to swing as an prolonged 27.5 inch Blade 98, so for you, that additional size may very well be a great factor.
Normally, I’d suggest demoing a racquet, however to become familiar with an prolonged body, you’ll want to make use of it for an prolonged interval.
Therefore, a long run demo or briefly adjusting a typical racquet which I clarify under, is one resolution.
What about new gamers? Ought to they begin with a 28-inch body? Perhaps, it relies on their pure talents and the way they intend to play. I’d suggest asking a coach after one or two classes, and they need to be capable of advise you on the best way ahead to get the perfect out of your recreation.
Can You Lengthen a Normal Size Racket?

Sure, you may. A number of DIY strategies can be found on youtube displaying how this may be performed utilizing balsa wooden and epoxy glue.
There’s additionally a devoted product referred to as the XTP Prolonged Size Butt Cap, a bit of plastic that slips over the top of your racquet and replaces the present butt cap.
I haven’t tried this product, however it appears to be like like the best and most cost-effective means.
Simply bear in mind that it’ll add just a little thickness to the underside of your grip.
You would file a few of your grip away to get a extra flush match, though I’d suggest testing it first with no everlasting sort set up. That means, you may swap again if you don’t prefer it.
You may see an instance of the XTP warmth match course of under:

What’s the Finest Prolonged Racket?

BABOLAT PURE DRIVE PLUS 2021
When you’ve learn my different posts right here, you’ll know that there’s no such factor as the perfect tennis racquet. 
That’s no completely different for prolonged racquets, and the perfect racquet is the one which fits your recreation.
Is it the Pure Drive Plus on account of its playability? Or is it the EZONE 98+ because of its plough by way of?
The one means you’ll know that’s by discovering a racquet that has specs that match your preferences, capacity and enjoying type. 
The most effective racquet for you is at all times the heaviest racquet you may swing equally quick on all planes of contact for the length you propose to play for.
The excellent news is that, in contrast to the racquet market as a complete, prolonged frames are extra of a distinct segment product, and producers usually solely have one or two of their vary, which makes selecting barely simpler.
A few of the hottest prolonged frames in the marketplace proper now embrace:

Which Skilled Gamers Use Prolonged Rackets?

Prolonged size racquets first gained reputation when Michael Chang began utilizing the 28-inch Precision Graphite Michael Chang within the early Nineteen Nineties.
It provides me higher trajectory on my serve, including 5 to seven miles per hour. It provides me extra of a margin of error on my serve and a greater proportion on my first serves. I’ve had extra aces than ever earlier than Michael Chang on his Prince Longbody Racket
On the time, that induced Prince, Dunlop, Wilson, Weed and Spalding to hurry into the prolonged racquet market, launching 28-inch, 28 1/4-inch, 28 1/2-inch and 29-inch lengthy our bodies as they noticed it as a technique to increase gross sales in a market that was flatlining.
Nonetheless, the fanfare round long-bodied racquets was comparatively short-lived. As of 2021, the overwhelming majority of the racquets produced are the usual 27-inch racquets, with solely a handful of prolonged racquets obtainable.
So does that imply not many ATP or WTA gamers use them? It’s the other, as they’ve decreased in retail sale numbers, on the skilled degree there’s a big variety of professionals utilizing them.
On the time of writing, someplace between 10-20% of execs use prolonged racquets.
Take a look at the record under that comprises each energetic and retired gamers, all of whom have used an prolonged racquet of their careers.
Most of them have used an prolonged racquet all through their careers. Whereas some switched, Hewitt used a Prince lengthy physique however later modified to a typical 27″ Yonex racquet.
Participant
Racket Size
Albert Costa
28 inches
Albert Ramos
27.5 inches
Andy Roddick
27.5 inches
Benoit Paire
27.5 inches
Bernard Tomic
27.5 inches
Bob Bryan
27.5 inches
Caroline Wozniacki
27.5 inches
Daniel Hantuchova
27.5 inches
David Ferrer
27.5 inches
David Nalbandian
27.5 inches
Diego Schwartzman
28 inches
Edouard Roger Vasselin
27.5 inches
Elina Svitolina
27.5 inches
Eugenie Bouchard
27.5 inches
Evgeny Donskoy
27.5 inches
Fabrice Santoro
28 inches
Fernando González
27.5 inches
Gaël Monfils
27.5 inches
Goran Ivanisevic
27.5 inches
Guillermo Coria
28 inches
Hsieh Su-wei 
29 inches
Igor Andreev
27.5 inches
Jamie Murray
27.5 inches
Jarkko Nieminen
27.8 inches
Jelena Ostapenko
27.5 inches
John Isner
27.4 inches
Jonah Bjorkman
27.5 inches
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
27.5 inches
Juan C. Ferrero
28 inches
Juan Martín Del Potro
27.25 inches
Julien Benneteau
27.5 inches
Jurgen Melzer
27.7 inches
Justine Henin
27.5 inches
Kei Nishikori
27.25 inches
Leighton Hewitt
28 inches
Li Na
27.5 inches
Marcelo Rios
28 inches
Marcin Matkowski
27.5 inches
Mardy Fish
27.5 inches
Maria Kirilenko
27.5 inches
Marion Bartoli
29 inches
Michael Chang
28 inches
Mike Bryan
27.5 inches
Nicolas Kiefer
28 inches
Nicolas Massu
27.5 inches
Nikolaj Davydenko
28 inches
Novak Djokovic
27.1 inches
Olivier Rochus
27.5 inches
Pablo Andujar
27.5 inches
Pablo Cuevas
27.5 inches
Paradorn Srichaphan
27.5 inches
Philipp Kohlschreiber
27.5 inches
Qiang Wang
27.5 inches
Raemon Sluiter
27.5 inches
Richard Gasquet
27.5 inches
Richard Krajicek
27.5 inches
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo
27.5 inches
Sam Querrey
27.5 inches
Sebastien Grosjean
27.75 inches
Serena Williams
28 inches
Thanasi Kokkinakis
27.5 inches
Tommy Robredo
27.5 inches
Venus Williams
27.5 inches
Xavier Malisse
28 inches
For additions to this record and any corrections, please go away a remark under.
Different Frequent Questions

Are prolonged racquets primarily for brief folks?
One false impression I’ve seen, primarily as a result of Diego Schwartzman makes use of a protracted physique racquet, is that they’re designed primarily for shorter stature gamers.
Whereas it’s true that a number of shorter gamers have used them, they work equally nicely for taller gamers. As I discussed, each Roddick and Ivanisevic used prolonged frames.
The tallest participant I do know of who makes use of them is Nikola Aracic, who runs the Intuitive Tennis Channel. He’s 195cm and makes use of an prolonged Babolat Pure Drive which he’s mentioned his causes for utilizing in a number of movies.
Does he want additional attain? Under no circumstances, however that’s the body he makes use of, and it helps him produce an ATP high quality serve.
Is there a restrict on how lengthy a tennis racquet might be?
Sure, the utmost authorized size of a tennis racquet is 29 inches.
That is from the ITF rulebook, which states: “any racket that exceeds 29 inches (73.66 cm) in total size, together with the deal with, is non-conforming.”
The rule to restrict racket size grew to become an official Rule of Tennis on 1 January 2000.
Why are racquets 27 inches as customary?
There doesn’t appear to be any actual rhyme or purpose why 27 inches is the accepted customary size for a racquet. 
It’s doubtless by way of trial and error that this size body grew to become the optimum for many gamers.
One clarification that has some logic is that the primary racquets made had been 27 inches in size and 9 inches in width, equal to the web’s peak, which is 3 toes (or 36 inches). When a participant stood one racquet on finish and the opposite on its aspect, you can confirm the web’s peak.
Have you ever used an prolonged size tennis racquet? Obtained some opinions you’d prefer to share on utilizing them? Or have questions on long-bodied frames? Let me know within the feedback.

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