By Robert Martin

(October 31, 2011) After being forced to retire with an injury at the US Open, it was surprising to see Janko Tipsarevic arrive the next week to play in the Davis Cup semifinal tie against Argentina with a different racquet. Despite losing his first singles match, the switch seems to be working as the Serb has now won his first two career titles and made it to another final.

Knowing that Tipsarevic has been a loyal Tecnifibre player since the start of 2005, making the switch from Head and that obviously did not change. Classically being associated with the heaviest frame of the line, Tipsarevic was an exception for much of 2011, using the colors of the TFight 305 VO2 Max frame.

That temporary change has been corrected with Tecnifibre opting to go back to the heaviest model, the TFight 325 VO2 Max as the choice for Tipsarevic. Throughout this, he has kept the same string, Tecnifibre Black Code 1.24mm.

So what makes this racquet unique? In essence, it is a cosmetic update from the previous model, which featured a bit more creative paint scheme that was either well liked, or vehemently berated. Toning down the design on the paint luckily did not change the performance.

Tecnifibre states that the TFight line is designed with the baseline player who generally plays medium to longer rallies in mind. In order to provide for that type of player, the VO2 Max technology is integrated at the lower shoulders areas of the frame.

VO2 Max is a construction method, that incorporates three directional graphite sheet lay up in order to increases stiffness and strength of the frame. The result is a decrease in torsional movement for greater control and stability.

Disclaimer: My current racquet set up is a set of modified Yonex RDiS200 HG, strung at 28/26kg with a hybrid of Yonex Tour Super 850 and Yonex Poly Tour Pro 1.25.

Important Specs
Head Size: 95 square inches
Length: 27 inches
Weight: 11.5 ounces unstrung
String Pattern: 18 x 19

Initial Thoughts: While many will disagree, I actually prefer the old paint style. Not necessarily because of the color scheme as red is by far not my favorite color, but the Kabuki style face graphic was interesting and gave the otherwise fairly non-descript Tecnifibre a touch of personality.

Tecnifibre makes a number of great products through their racquet and string lines, but the new homogenization with regards to the aesthetics of the frame leave me a bit disappointed. Another thing I notice with Tecnifibre racquets is that the head size tends to seem larger than listed, and even the 18x19 string pattern looked to be fairly open.

Ground strokes: It was tough to make any arguments against Tecnifibre’s claim regarding what the TFight 325 was design to be. A little lighter than my normal racquet, it still had plenty of stability and control was a premium. The slightly thicker beam took a bit to get used to, but did result in some additional power.

Another factor for the higher power is the stiffness of the frame which normally I would feel in my sometimes tender elbow, but the Tour Prepared process did a good job of mitigating the harsh feedback. This process essentially integrates silicone that is injected into the handle, dramatically reducing vibration levels and increasing comfort.

It sounds like a simple process, but most importantly it is quite effective. While I don’t care for denser string patterns, this frame truly played like an open pattern, providing a good amount of spin and control.

Net: Coming in around 12.4 ounces strung with an overgrip, this is not a light racquet, but easily manageable with its typical swing weight. The weight distribution felt to be largely consistent throughout the frame, which resulted in a combination of good maneuverability and stability, while not excelling at either.

Serve: This was the one area where I actually noticed the denser pattern. As much as I tried, the kick serve with this racquet just did not have the same jump to it that I am able to get with my Yonex.

What the racquet lacked in spin on the second serve, it made up for with pace on the first, providing a bit of a power boost without sacrificing control.

Overall Thoughts: This is a racquet for the advanced player, providing an all-around base for the player to work with. It is not designed to radically change a player’s game or style, but it does everything well enough to augment the strengths and improve the weaknesses.

Marketed as a frame for the baseliner, they could have provided a frame with additional power and spin by moving to a more polarized weight distribution, but Tecnifibre likely chose not to because it would mean taking away from the solid net performance.