So he handed me his Babolat APD which he bought used, for a very good deal. However, the racket was so dirty.
Perhaps ingrained by my mentor many many years ago, I instinctively cleaned up the frame using an old toothbrush and rag.
Then I inspected the racket. And found two hairline cracks at the throat area, previously buried under all the dirt and grime. It doesn't show up well in the pics below, but yes, they are cracks.
Could this be why my mentor always insisted I clean rackets before working on them? I have no idea. Neither any way to check with him now.
After obtaining the green light to proceed from PK, I cut out the old strings, measured all the variables, then started work.
To me, it sure felt better working on a clean racket. The more important lesson though, is to always check used frames carefully before buying them. Clean them first if possible.
Fortunately, the cracks are very minor. It should remain playable for a good while more.
Playtest:
- After playing with it for 3 hours with his regular partners, PK was full of praise for proportional stringing.
- In his words, he wrote:
"Yo, here is my verdict. Spin, power, comfort and control were all superb..."
- And this was what he wrote about what his playing partners commented:
"They say the spin control really good" and "A lot of pace".
- Downside was he felt he needed to make some adjustments to his grip, swing and serve. But overall, he was very satisfied.
- I replied that I had expected the adjustments because the spin-to-power ratio of this setup was very different from his regular setup of full poly. If he felt no difference and needed no changes, then why should I spend SO MUCH more time stringing his racket proportionately?
- Somehow, I get the feeling that PK is going to be asking ONLY for proportional stringing from now on...
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