More spin, Rafael Nadal? Really?

Believe it.

Playing with a new version of his trusted Babolat this week in Monte-Carlo, Rafael Nadal—the player who hits the most lethal, kicking topspin drives that the game has ever seen—says that he was looking for more spin. Talk about the rich getting richer.

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“Honestly, we were thinking about [changing the racquet] before the season started,” Nadal told reporters in Monte-Carlo. “But was not enough time to prepare the racquet for before the season start. So now the racquets are ready. I practiced with them in Mallorca since I came back from Miami. [It] is a change to try to have little bit more spin. The holes between the strings are a little bit bigger than the other racquet. We decided to change the racquet to try to increase little bit the spin again."

Nadal says that he may have to sacrifice some control, but to the casual observer it’s difficult to tell if there is any significant effect.

“Is true that with this new racquet, probably I have less control,” he said, after his second-round victory over Lucas Pouille, adding: “Not today. In theory I have less control. In theory I have more power and more spin.”

When asked by a reporter if it felt like the racquet change could help him turn around his season, Nadal summed it up eloquently. “The turnaround of my season, there is no racquet, there is no strings, there is nothing outside of me. There is myself always when I am winning, it’s myself when I am losing. No excuses for racquets, string, shoes, for nothing.”

Nadal does seem committed to sticking with the new racquet, which has the same 16 x 19 string pattern, just a little more space between the strings to generate more spin, power and—we’ve been told—a slightly higher sweet spot.

“Always risks when you change things,” he said. “But I like the racquet. I will continue playing with that racquet.”