Dunlop CV series racquet review

Keenen Lambert | Towpath Tennis Contributor | Copley High School Varsity Tennis Player

Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 Tennis Racquet
What a great racquet for today's players! This racquet combines the need for speed, spin, and power that is sought after by many players today. It's a great racquet for those who like to move around the court and play both baseline and net rallies. It's solid enough to allow you to produce great amounts of power by swinging through the ball, while maintaining excellent accuracy. The Srixon Revo CV 3.0 weighs 10.6 oz, offering a great medium for those looking for a racquet on the heavier side that you can still swing through the ball with great speed. The touch at the net is not something this racquet is known for, but it makes fairly good placement at all areas of the court. Also, the Srixon Revo CV 3.0 does a great job of letting you attack the ball easily, while generating spin.
Summary: If your looking for an all around racquet that will allow you to accelerate the racquet through your shot with ease, then the Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 is for you. 

Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 5.0 Tennis Racquet
Baseline players will love this racquet! The Srixon Revo CV 5.0 combines two different areas not often found in one racquet. The 9.9 oz frame is definitely head heavy, allowing you not only to hit with precision and speed, but also with the 102 sq. inches head size it provides a larger target zone on your strings giving you a decent shot on any off-centered connection. It has a solid swing-through with ease while letting you generate the power. The placement and control are good on all areas of the court, but the lighter weight of the racquet will come into effect when at the net, as the Srixon Revo CV 5.0 will give way easier on a volley. Swinging for power on serves is very easy, and the 16x19 string pattern allows for effortless spin generation. This racquet is very user-friendly and allows an advancing player to add spin and pace to their strokes.
Summary: If you're a competitive player who wants to have a little more room for error with immense amounts of spin, easily generated power, and accuracy then the Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 5.0 is for you. 

Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F Tennis Racquet

Having trouble hitting the ball with power while on the run? The Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F allows you to hit the ball with spin and pace while still moving latterly on the court. Not as solid on the swing-through as other racquets, but it does allows you to swing faster. You'll expect quicker reactions on the return of serve as well as when rallying harder shots from the opponent. At 11.2 oz with a very headlight frame, the Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F is perfect for intermediate players. It has great touch and control at the net, and basic touch and control at the baseline. Because this feels like a lighter racquet when hitting lots of volleys from the net, the racquet will definitely give where your wrist will take some of the impact.
Summary: If you're looking for a racquet that helps you return serves with ease and produces great power and spin on the move, then the Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F is for you.

Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F LS Tennis Racquet
This racquet produces power! Just plain and simple, the Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F LS is for the rising player or intermediate player that wants to produce a ton of power when they can't produce it themselves. The 16x19 string pattern also creates easy production of spin. At 10.7 oz with the headlight frame, it is definitely the lightest of the 6 Dunlop racquet demos Towpath has to offer, but that light of a racquet might just give you the edge you need. Control is not bad, but the quickness that you get on the return of serve and on volleys is the signature feature of this racquet. Also, because of its light weight it will give at the net and allow you to swing through the ball faster. This quick action swinging will give a player quick action targeting to place the ball exactly where they want it on the court.
Summary: If you want a quicker reaction racquet with a lot of power then the Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F LS is for you. 

Dunlop Srixon Revo CX 4.0 Tennis Racquet
The Srixon Revo CX 4.0 is exact and predictable. It allows most players to generate power while having accuracy, spin, and placement. Fairly firm from the baseline, while also holding firm at the net against even the toughest volleys. This 10 oz racquet is right in the middle of the spectrum, which allows for great control and a 'middle of the road' approach to a tennis racquet with a little bit of everything: spin, control, accuracy, power, stiffness, touch and placement. I would love to hit with this racquet at the net all day long. Its great for those players who especially love the net, but is also impressive for full-court players with available quickness when hitting on the run, while also staying controlled. The thick frame allows for a more solid feel for all your shots, whether its a ground-stroke from the baseline, a slice from mid-court, or a volley at the net, this racquet won't let you down!
Summary: If you're looking for an all-court racquet with literally anything you can think of as a player with solid strokes and available power, spin and accuracy, and control and touch, then the Dunlop Srixon Revo CX 4.0 is for you.

Dunlop Srixon Revo CX 2.0 LS Tennis Racquet

Control is the name of the game when you refer to this racquet. At 10.2 oz, the Srixon Revo CX 2.0 LS generates power for the intermediate player with fantastic touch and control. With this amount of control, you will have an incredible tool for a confident game. The lighter weight gives you an easy way to generate racquet speed, and the 16x19 string pattern allows for easy production of spin. Net play is remarkably easy! The Srixon Revo CX 2.0 LS is very maneuverable so you can never get caught off guard. Also, for a light-weight racquet, it still has a thick frame that allows players to easily redirect the shots of your opponent, and allows for generation of decent pace and a confident serve. A great performance racquet with easy placement.
Summary: If you want incredible placement and control on all areas of the court then the Dunlop Srixon Revo CX 2.0 LS is for you. 

Tennis racquet balance explained-finally!

Kristianne Bontempo | Towpath Tennis Contributor

Serving as Northeast Ohio's largest tennis pro shop, we certainly see our share of players coming in looking for a new tennis racquet. The idea of purchasing a racquet (especially if you plan on investing in something of value) can sometimes be a daunting process when figuring out what works best for your game. There's a few things to consider when looking for a racquet: weight, balance, feel and overall comfort. For some players, just demoing a bunch of racquets will narrow down what you like, but how would you like to eliminate some of the field work by narrowing down what you want to try before you step foot on court?

Many a time we have players that don't realize how detrimental it is to have the correct racquet weight distribution, so check out below what racquet balance entails and then you'll be one step closer to choosing "the one."

This Wilson Triad XP3 is 3 points head heavy, providing 

players with a whole ton of power.

Head Heavy: POWER. What makes a racquet head heavy? Rest the throat of the racquet on your finger to see where your racquet swings. If your racquet tips more toward the head then its considered head heavy. The primary feature of a head heavy racquet is it provides more power. Here's how: Place a ball in a tube sock (or towel) and swing it at your side. The weight at the end of that sock should feel like its guiding your arm back and forth and will gain momentum as you continue on. Now if you spun that sock in a loop by your side and let go, your sock and ball would go flying. As you make contact with the ball with a head heavy racquet, the extra weight will create greater force at impact as well as keep the head stable from twisting, providing more stability (so less rimmers). Head heavy racquets are popular for beginning players as well as senior players needing some more oomph in their shot.

This Wilson Pro Staff is a Roger Federer favorite. His
signature racquet sits 12 points head light giving him 
optimum control over his shots.

Head Light: CONTROL. Head Light racquets, or what I like to refer to as handle heavy, are incredibly popular among players because they provide more control and accuracy, and are essentially easier on the arm due to reduced vibration and shock as you hit. Recreating our little experiment when demonstrating the head heavy racquet, this time reverse your tennis ball sock puppet and hold the ball in your hand and let the sock dangle. This will emulate the feel of a head light racquet. Notice you have greater swing speed and control in your motion. That reversal of weight distribution in your hand allows you to generate your own power and precision when striking the ball, thus having more overall control. Head Light racquets are popular among Intermediate to Advanced players as well as the pros on tour. It has also proven to be a savior for players with tennis elbow or other arm related issues.

This Babolat Pure Drive Lite sits -4 points head light
from equal balance providing ample control with an 
edge in power. 

Even Balanced: Power AND Control. You can have the best of both worlds! When your racquet sits perfectly(ish) level on your finger, you will find a happy medium between the power and stability of a head heavy racquet, while maintaining control and reducing the vibration and shock you'd find in a head light racquet. Even balanced racquets are popular for their versatility--almost anyone can play with them. The only drawback is it could play a tad 'tame' for someone looking to add more to their game. This is a great racquet choice for players still fine-tuning their strokes from the Beginner to Advanced level. It also serves as an excellent option for juniors.

Having this simple knowledge of tennis racquet balance can make all the difference when choosing your next weapon of choice. If you need additional help, ask a teaching pro or one of our front desk staff to find the best racquet for you.

What is so different about the new Babolat 2018 Pure Drive?

New 2018 models have

arrived!

Kristianne Bontempo | Towpath Tennis Contributor

The newly updated Babolat 2018 Pure Drive has officially made its arrival and trust me, it's worth the wait! While many are probably wondering if they slapped on a new paint job and called it 'new', there was a little more involved than just giving it a face lift. For the past 20 years, Babolat has been known as THE racquet for players who want more power and are continually looking at innovative ways to further improve on this racquet. So for the 2018 Pure Drive, what's so different about it?

To give you a little refresher, when the 2015 Babolat Pure Drive was introduced it's main feature was more power and finesse with a newly designed string pattern/sweet spot. The feedback was generally positive as it was an easy racquet to use with plenty of control, though some people didn't feel it was as flexible as the older models (flexible as in the feel of getting used to ground-strokes, serves & volleys all in the same manner). So what did Babolat do? They went back to the 'Babolab' and created a new model that provides a better feel, and if you can believe it, even more power with a new concept: Cortex Pure Feel.

Babolat has partnered with SMAC, a company that specializes in high tech custom parts for harsh environments (harsh as in the ocean and space), to create Cortex Pure Feel. That's right, a company that works with technology for space, planes and the military is designing for racquets! Together, they integrated SMACWRAP technology (a thin rubber they use in the aerospace industry) into the 2018 Babolat Pure Drive to optimize vibration absorption. The feel and comfort are unrivaled with other racquets.

On top of better vibration dampening, there is a new string pattern and new diamond grommets with updated FSI technology that provide an improved sweet spot. So even if you are close to rimming it, you should be able to maximize power on every shot. No more accidental winners!

Players endorsing the 2018 Babolat Pure Drive are David Ferrer, Karolina Pliskova, Garbine Muguruza, and Fabio Fognini, to name a few.

Overall, the 2018 Babolat Pure Drive is a powerfully smart update to the Pure Drive series, featuring a more comfortable and controllable feel. You can demo them here at Towpath Tennis Center in the Tour/+/Team/Lite/100/107. Just make sure when you're on court to subtly brag to your opponents that your racquet features technology used in space...just saying.