In the May issue of TENNIS, the magazine reviews nine new models in its 2009 Shoe Guide. Not included in those pages are these three web exclusives. If you're looking for a new pair of shoes, you're bound to find one from the dozen evaluated that suits your game. Either way, let us know what you think about this season's crop of kicks.

(TM: TENNIS Rating; WR: Weartester Rating)

Adidas CC Feather IV RG 
 
MEN (women’s model not available for testing)
Price: $100
Weight: 12.5 oz.
Sizes: 6-14

Ideal foot types: Neutral, pronated, and supinated
Best surface: All

Final Analysis: The strength of the CC Feather IV is that for a lightweight shoe it does an impressive job of providing a high level of stability and support. It’s also extremely breathable making it a nice choice for those who compete in warmer climates. The “RG” in the name stands for Roland Garros, which would indicate clay is the preferred surface for the shoes. But the little cups cut into the outsole are perfectly acceptable to use on all surfaces. The reason you might hesitate to use the Feather on a hard court is the cushioning in forefoot is a little thin. That’s great for low-to-ground responsiveness, but it’s not ideal for absorbing shock. The only other knock some of our weartesters had was that, unlike previous Feathers, this model felt a little stiff (particularly around the forefoot) and took some wear before it started feeling good on their feet.

Test Scores

Stability
TM: 9; WT: 7.2
Cushioning
TM: 8; WT: 6.2
Arch Support
TM: 9; WT: 7.5
Weight
TM: 9; WT: 8.6
Ventilation
TM: 8; WT: 7.9
Break-in time
TM: 7; WT: 7
Overall Satisfaction
TM: 8.3; WT: 7.4
Combined Score
7.9

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Babolat Propulse 2 
 
MEN (women’s model not available for testing)

Price: $109
Weight: 14.8 oz.
Sizes: 6-13, 14

Ideal foot types: Neutral
Best surface: Hard

Final Analysis: The Propulse 2 is intended for serious audiences. It’s built low to the ground for effective changes of direction and has top-notch stability and ventilation. There’s a Velcro strap over the midfoot and another around the heel (new to the update) which helps lock your foot in place for added security. The straps add some weight, but the heavy amount of mesh keeps the shoe from feeling cumbersome, and it’s actually lighter than the original. The upper is also roomier, with softer materials than on its predecessor giving it a more relaxed feel. Still, it’s a snug fit and not the type of shoe you’re going to wear for long off the court. The tiny grooves on the outsole seem better suited for a hard court, but would work on clay as well.

Test Scores

Stability
TM: 8; WT: 8
Cushioning
TM: 7; WT: 7.7
Arch Support
TM: 7.5; WT: 7.4
Weight
TM: 7.5; WT: 8
Ventilation
TM: 9.5; WT: 8
Break-in time
TM: 7; WT: 8.1
Overall Satisfaction
TM: 7.8; WT: 7.9
Combined Score
7.8

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Nike Air Max Mirabella 
 
WOMEN
Price: $82
Weight: 12.1 oz.
Sizes: 5-11, 12

Ideal foot types: Neutral
Best surface: Hard

Final Analysis: While we didn’t love this women’s shoe from Nike, we definitely had a higher opinion of it than our weartesters. From a performance standpoint, highly competitive players will appreciate the stability and support of the Mirabella. The Air Max in the heel does a nice job of absorbing shock when your foot hits the court. It also elevates the back of your foot which, when combined with the low ride in the forefoot, can feel a bit awkward. The shoe has adequate ventilation and is light enough that it won’t weigh you down. The biggest problem is it takes a while before the shoe starts to feel comfortable. The upper is fairly stiff and there’s not a huge amount of cushioning, so it’s not the softest of experiences. The Mirabella is definitely for players who like their shoes to feel tough and sturdy.

Test Scores

Stability
TM: 7.5; WT: 6.4
Cushioning
TM: 7.5; WT: 5.2
Arch Support
TM: 7; WT: 5.9
Weight
TM: 7.5; WT: 6.5
Ventilation
TM: 7; WT: 6.3
Break-in time
TM: 6.5; WT: 5.3
Overall Satisfaction
TM: 7.2; WT: 5.9
Combined Score
6.5

From time to time at The Pro Shop we’ve had guest bloggers stop by to offer their assessments of some of the newest gear on the market. Ed McGrogan is no stranger to frequent visitors of this website, but this is his first time contributing to this space. Welcome, Ed. Besides being well-versed in the pro game, Ed is an avid recreational player. Recently, he took the Lacoste Repel shoes out for a test run and came back with the following review:

For nearly a century now, French clothing company Lacoste has been closely linked to tennis. The company’s founder, Rene Lacoste, won 10 major singles titles, and was part of the “Four Musketeers,” a French foursome that dominated the sport during the 1920s. Lacoste-branded shirts, identifiable by their green crocodile logo, have been worn by some of the world’s most famous tennis players, including Guy Forget, Henri Leconte, and Andy Roddick. And the company has created two of the most unique tennis racquets of their time: In 1963, Lacoste designed the first steel racquet (which was distributed in the U.S. by Wilson); 25 years later, Lacoste patented the “Equijet” racquet, whose head resembles the look of a guitar.

Lacoste’s history of tennis shoes isn’t quite as memorable. Footwear is scarcely mentioned in the company’s exhaustive timeline, and many of today’s prominent Lacoste’s athletes – Roddick, Richard Gasquet, Alize Cornet, to name a few – wear other brands of shoes. That may be why I was struck when I saw Michael Llodra, a fine serve-and-volleyer consistently ranked in the ATP’s Top 40, wearing a pair of Lacoste Repels at a French Davis Cup tie last year.

Visually, I liked what I saw. The Repel has honeycomb-shaped sidewalls on its upper, similar to the Nike Air Max Breathe Cage II, and an oversized croc stamped on the lower part of the shoe. No doubt, it is an attractive piece of footwear. But from a practical point of view, I had some questions. Foremost was the shoe’s support. The Repel appeared very low to the ground without much cushioning, and looked more like a casual, walking shoe. Was it truly fit for tennis?

I’d needed a new pair of tennis shoes for some time, so I decided to give the Repel a try, especially when I saw their newest color schemes for 2009. (Call me crazy, but I really liked how the green and black pair looked.) They looked even sharper in person.

Before I took the shoes for a ride on my local clay court, Jon Levey, TENNIS Senior Editor and shoe savant, got his hands on them. He immediately raised an eyebrow when checking their flex point. The Repel folds right in half, confirming my earlier suspicions about their arch support.

While arch support is not ideal, there is ample support throughout the rest of the Repel. The midfoot is adequately cushioned (note the French “Absorption de Shock” on the heel), and the forefoot benefits from even weight distribution. This made for a shoe that felt both secure on the court and light on my feet.

The Repel is also a very breathable shoe, with vents near the toe and aerated sides (which are supported by the honeycomb-shaped cage). It’s also very true to its size – after playing just one match, the shoes were completely broken-in. These features made for a very comfortable shoe that I’ve enjoyed playing with.

Of great importance to tennis shoes is their stability on the court. In my case, I tested the Repels on an indoor clay court, which can bog down some shoes. But the Repel did a nice job on quick turns and slides – I never felt like I lost control with them at any point. If I could only say the same about my racquet.

So is the Repel truly fit for tennis? I’m still holding out on a long-term answer, because of the Repel’s minimal arch support. Time will tell. But in the short term, I’ve been pleased with Lacoste’s newest offering. The Repel is one of the more comfortable shoes I’ve played in, and performance hasn’t been sacrificed for appearance, despite its stylish look. And I’m not just saying that: On my second go-around with the Repel, my league opponent stopped to ask me where he could get a pair of his own.

It’s that time of year again. For those of us in the colder climes there’s a gradual thawing in the air bringing the promise of warmer temperatures. The clocks get pushed forward, a crippling evening for those short on sleep, but the extra sunlight is a welcome result. Yes, we’re creeping ever closer to Spring. Soon we’ll be able to take our games out from under the harsh, flickering fluorescent bulbs of indoor venues and relocate them to the more pleasant confines of natural light. Perhaps the move is purely symbolic, but for many it’s the start of a new tennis season.

This is also the occasion when we make our tennis resolutions. We’ll cut down on unforced errors, attack net more, incorporate a slice backhand, or finally master that kick serve. Those looking for an entirely fresh start may even decide now is the time to get a new racquet. If you need help deciding, in the April issue of TENNIS we reviewed 15 of the latest models in our Spring Racquet Guide, which you can also find here. Below are evaluations of three racquets you’ll only see on this website.

I’m curious, are many of you in the market for a new racquet? If yes, let me know which of this season’s sticks are you’re excited to read about it and potentially take for a test drive.

Dunlop 4D 5Hundred

Price: $179
Head Size: 100 sq. in.
Length: 27 in.
Weight: 10.3 oz. (standard); 11.1 oz. (Tour)
Flexibility: Stiff (standard); Very stiff (Tour)
Balance: 1/10 in. head heavy (standard); 2/5 in. head light (Tour)
Swingweight: 285 (standard); 315 (Tour)
Ideal swing: Medium to long (standard); Long (Tour)
NTRP: 3.0-4.5 (standard); 4.0-7.0
Compare to: Dunlop Aerogel 5Hundred

How It Tested: There’s nothing overly subtle about the 4D 5Hundred. If you really like to crack your serves and go after your ground strokes, it has a lot to offer. The low swingweight on the standard model makes it easy to generate a lot of racquet head speed, and when combined with the open string pattern (16-by-18) it’s very inviting for putting spin on the ball. The racquet has a touch more weight in the head than it’s predecessor giving it a bit more juice, while still maintaining a reasonable level of control. The balance also helps with stability as does the 4D Braiding, strong aluminum pieces placed at four strategic spots on the face to prevent twisting. With almost an ounce more in weight, the Tour version provides more stability and absorbs more shock than the standard, something that appealed to the more advanced playtesters. Some felt, though, that the stiffness and power of the frame took away from their ability to hit touch shots.

Playtester Comments: “Could hit deep without a ton of effort”; “Able to get more pop off my serve”; “Struggled to control angled shots.”

Bottom Line: If your style is to stand at the baseline and let it rip, you’ll want to take this racquet for a spin.

Prince EXO3 Rebel Team

Price: $180
Head Size: 95 sq. in.
Length: 27 in.
Weight: 10.6 oz
Flexibility: Flexible
Balance: 1/10 in. head light
Swingweight: 315
Ideal swing: Medium to long
NTRP: 3.5-5.0
Compare to: N/A

How it tested: The Rebel Team is a much lighter, more user-friendly version of the new standard Rebel. In fact many of our playtesters, even highly skilled ones, found it to be more to their liking than its heavier namesake. It has the same midsize head and dense (18-by-20) string pattern for a nice measure of control, but the more manageable weight allowed for greater swing speed, giving it a good deal of pop on ground strokes and serves. With the tight pattern, though, it can be a little challenging to put spin on the ball, so players won’t get much help in that department. The nearly even balance gives the frame more substance at contact than you would expect from a relatively lightweight racquet with a smallish head size. That comes in handy at net where playtesters found a solid response, making the Rebel Team an all-court performer.

Playtester comments: “When needed, you can really generate an awesome amount of power”; “Minimal loss of stability on off-center shots”; “Good base for customizing”; “Difficult to generate spin on serves.”

Bottom line: Has everything for the talented junior who’s not quite ready for the demands of a heavy player’s frame.

Yonex RQiS 1 Tour XL 100

Price: $230
Head Size: 100 sq. in.
Length: 27 in.
Weight: 10 oz.
Flexibility: Firm
Balance: 3/10 in. head heavy
Swingweight: 295
Ideal swing: Medium to long
NTRP: 3.0-4.0
Compare to: RQiS 2 Tour

How it tested: The Aero Shape technology in the RQiS 1 Tour XL 100 gives the frame a thicker profile in the head and a thinner, more flexible shaft to promote better power without sacrificing any spin or control. Playtesters certainly found a high level of power with this racquet, and a comfortable response on shots hit in the sweet spot. Serving was particularly noteworthy as many testers felt they could crack huge bombs with this stick. Putting a decent amount of spin on your shots was also not a problem, but control from the baseline wasn’t quite as reliable. Volleys, on the other hand, were much more dependable and drew the highest praise. At exactly 10 ounces it’s lightweight and easy to handle, yet the head heavy balance gives the racquet plenty of backbone. If you make contact off-center there can be a bit of twisting, but otherwise it’s not a problem.

Playtester comments: “Easy to play with”; “Large sweet spot with a comfy feel”; “More stability at net than the baseline”; “Couldn’t anticipate what my shots were going to do at the baseline.”

Bottom line: Control could be better, but intermediate doubles players will really like serving and volleying with this frame.

I’m a weight snob. I like my racquets chubby. Unless it’s around the 12-ounce mark I won’t play with it. I prefer the stability and control I get from a heavier frame, and, for the moment, I don’t have any problems handling the extra mass. (Five years from now it could be a different story.) A racquet’s weight is a huge consideration when buying a frame. And how the weight is distributed throughout the frame has a significant impact on its playability. Heavier racquets tend to be head-light so they have adequate maneuverability, while lighter frames usually have more weight in the head to maintain stability on off-center hits.

What’s the best weight and balance for a racquet? How heavy is too heavy?

Readers send me these types of questions quite frequently. I find them difficult to answer because a racquet is a pretty personal thing. What feels solid and comfortable to one player can feel exactly opposite to another. In the March issue of TENNIS I wrote a piece that started out with the goal of explaining the differences in balance points and how that can impact a player’s perception of a racquet. But during my research it became apparent that players may be better off paying more attention to a racquet’s swingweight.

In scientific terms, swingweight is a measurement of how heavy a racquet feels when its rotated around an axis that is four inches from the butt cap (basically where you hold the racquet). In simpler terms, it’s how difficult a racquet is to swing. It takes an expensive piece of equipment to measure, which many pro shops possess, or, the more industrious types can do it themselves (see here). It’s measured in kilogram centimeter squared, but it’s more commonly referred to as swingweight units. The higher the number, the more challenging the racquet is to swing.

According to the United States Racquet Stringers Association most frames fall between 310 to 315 on the swingweight scale. The new Big Bubba, which is 29 inches long, and has a 137 square-inch head (both as big as you can legally get) is a robust 377. On the opposite end, the Head CrossBow 4 is a very maneuverable 299. And just because a racquet weighs more than another, doesn’t mean it will have the higher swingweight. The new Yonex RQiS 1 Tour XL 95 comes in two versions: G and HG. The HG is almost an ounce heavier, yet actually has a lower swingweight (306 vs. 316).

What makes swingweight such a valuable measurement is you don’t need to know any of the other specs of the racquet to get an impression of how the frame will handle. Plus, it’s incredibly precise. Two racquets with identical weight and balance points can actually have differing swingweights due to slight variances in the positioning of the weight throughout the frame.

Obviously swingweight won’t tell how a racquet feels at contact or whether it has a big enough sweet spot. But once you become familiar with the swingweight you prefer, it can certainly give you a indication of whether a frame is right for you. Perhaps more so than knowing the weight or balance. If you’re not already using the number as a barometer for trying out racquets, give it a shot. It may change the way you look at frames.

A few posts back I referenced an article which appeared in the Jan/Feb issue of TENNIS called, “The 10 Greatest Racquets Of All Time.” Many readers left impassioned comments on what should, and should not, have appeared on the list. Some even took the magazine and myself to task for our final conclusions. While several frames were mentioned, the racquet that drew the loudest complaints for its omission was the Prince Graphite. It’s a valid argument. I’ve always been somewhat of a devotee of the black-and-green pioneer having played with almost every incarnation of it, including the NXG, which not everybody loved (a tennis buddy called it the “Heineken” racquet because of the cosmetics). I’m not currently playing with a Graphite, but I’ve got a Classic Midsize in my closet and take it for a spin when I’m feeling ambitious.

So, like many fans of the racquet, I was excited to welcome the first Graphite in five years – the EXO3. It hit stores a few weeks ago, but we’ve had it in the office for several months. There are two models: a 93 square-inch midsize, and 100 square-inch midplus. They’ve been give the O Port treatment for enhanced swing speed and a more forgiving sweet spot. Still, if you’re not a big fan of the deadened O3 feel, string hole inserts are available for more traditional feedback at contact. Besides that, it has the new Energy Channel which is a sculpted groove within the hoop that helps redistributes the weight more towards the edges of the frame for enhanced stability and ball control.

(The other new component of EXO3 technology is the Energy Bridge – multiple carbon fiber strands around the racquet face to create an almost suspended string bed. You get less feedback from the frame and more from the strings, plus a bigger sweet spot. The Graphite doesn’t have it, but you find it on the EXO3 Red and Silver frames.)

All these updates sound good, but what you really want to know is how the racquet performs. We’ll have a full review of it in the April issue of TENNIS, which will also appear on this website, but the short answer is the new Graphite is worthy of its name. In fact, there seems to be a real effort to duplicate the classic feel of the original, right down to the coloring and calfskin grip. The mid is about a half-ounce heavier than the midplus (12 to 11.6), which gives it the edge in stability. With the bigger face, the midplus has the bigger sweet spot making it more forgiving if you don’t connect dead center. Unlike the Original, which had an outrageously open 14-by-18 string pattern, the EXO3 Graphite has a more modest 16-by-18 pattern. You can still produce plenty of spin, but you won’t leave as many busted strings in your wake.

Along with the Graphite, Prince is also putting out a new Rebel. It’s the yellow-and-black stick Gael Monfils has been wielding since the beginning of the year. At 12.3 ounces, with a 95-square-inch head and a 18-by-20 string pattern, it’s something we haven’t seen from Prince in a while. You may remember the black-and-blue Triple Threat Rebel, which had the same head size and string pattern as the EXO3 version, but possessed a thinner beam and much lighter weight. Throw in the new Energy Channel and the focus of this update is on stability and precision. It’s a challenging frame meant for talented, high-level players who are spending plenty of time working on their games. Casual, recreational players may find it too demanding. Unlike the Graphite, the Rebel comes standard with the string hole inserts, so you’ll have to remove them if you prefer a more deadened feel. We’ll have a full review of it in the April issue as well.

If anybody has already tried out one of these frames I’d be curious to read your reaction.

Do we have another all-time great on our hands?