After dispatching world number two and reigning champion, Roger Federer, in straight sets to send himself into his fourth career grand slam final, and second in Australia, Novak Djokovic is definitely doing his part to impress Head and fans alike with his play. With Head's newest technology being unveiled just before the start of the tournament, Djokovic had officially switched to his new look racquet at the beginning of the year when he played the Hopman Cup. After taking a look at his racquet, it's easy to see how well this control oriented frame fits his fast, precision style.
While the specs remain identical to the previous model, his new YouTek IG Speed MP 18x20 features more than just a new paintjob. While Djokovic slides around the court like he's constantly on clay, his racquet features technology that was originally designed for surfboards. Created by Innegrity LLC, the low density, high modulus Innegra fiber is integrated along with the d3O and graphite matrix. Similar to how the basalt fibers work for Wilson, the Innegra fiber serves to dampen vibration, making this a much more comfortable racquet than the previous YouTek Speed line. For long term application, the fibers were originally developed to strengthen materials without making them significantly heavier. Head claims that the addition of the Innegra fiber will increase the longevity of their frames, making them playable for a longer period of time.
At 11.1oz unstrung, this racquet falls in between the hugely popular Radical and Prestige lines in terms of weight and power. At a slightly larger 100sq. in. headsize, the Speed will offer a bit more forgiveness and spin potential making it perfectly suited to strong baseline players. The Innegra version of the Speed MP is available in 3 variations, the 18x20 endorsed by Djokovic, a similarly weighted but slightly longer 16x19, and the newest addition, the MP 300, which comes in at standard length and only 10.6oz unstrung. With a very headlight balance, the Speed personifies its name by remaining quick and agile around the court.
While the original YouTek Speed line received decent following, some felt that the somewhat lackluster white with black paintjob was lacking something to really make it stand out. That has been changed with the Innegra models by inverting the white and black, changing to new metallic copper colored accents, and showing graphite matrix detailing all along the frame. Overall, the racquets have a much more interesting appearance to go along with the improved performance. With the Speed MP, Head provides a solid weighted frame to go along with a forgiving headsize that provides both great stability for baseliners and quick maneuverability for all courters.
Novak appears to be well synced with his new racquet, saying, “Speed is part of my character and part of my tennis style on the court. The HEAD speed racquet is serving me really well in the last years. I like moving very fast on the court, being aggressive – and the speed racquet helps me with that a lot.”
There is some speculation, of course, that Djokovic is not actually using the exact model he is endorsing, and based on the evidence, I cannot completely disagree. The fact of the matter is that Novak’s frame uses a different mold and has different string spacing. His racquet appears to closely resemble the familiar Radical/Prestige/Pro Tour PT57 mold, which would make sense as he was a former Radical user before signing with Wilson. Measurements taken in 2009 showed Djokovic using a racquet around 12.6oz and much more flexible than the retail model. As to the exact graphite layup of his racquet, that is much more difficult for anyone to find out. More importantly, the retail YouTek IG Speed MP is designed to fit a wide range of players seeking control with some surprising pop. So far in 2011, whatever Djokovic is doing is working.
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