Seb Proisy discusses the Djokovic Head racquet – French Insider excerpt

Tennis technology expert Seb Proisy is back to talk with The French Insider host Jenny Drummond, this time going into detail about Novak Djokovic’s Head racquet.

Djokovic’s racket particulars

Djokovic, who finished runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the French Open on Sunday, has been a longtime user of Head. He likes a heavier racket in comparison to Nadal — 360 grams when strung. One particularity with the world No 1 is that he uses a hybrid string with gut in the main and polyester in the crosses. This is also what Roger Federer does, although most players use polyester in the main and gut in the crosses.

“Djokovic does the opposite,” Proisy explained. “Federer does, as well. It gives a different feel. It’s just a matter of preference, really. In terms of the spin potential, you’re supposed to have more spin by putting the poly in the mains.”

Another interesting aspect of the Serb’s racket is his grip.

“Djokovic uses a leather grip and he actually uses two overgrips over it,” Proisy noted. “That makes it a little bit softer than just using one.”

Different serve, different racket

A few years ago, Djokovic was struggling with elbow injuries and as a result decided to tweak his service motion. He went with a shorter motion, but there was also more going on behind the scenes. In order to decrease the pressure on his elbow, the 17-time Grand Slam champion not only changed the way he served but also changed his racket.

“He actually lowered the swing weight,” Proisy said. “Swing weight is the most important characteristic in terms of how the racket feels when you’re swinging it. He made that swing weight a little bit lower so it would be easier [on his serve].”