re: The Unofficial 2017 Wimbledon Thread

Actually you might be surprised to find out that there are a good many of top ATP plyers and WTA players that play with Nat Gut mains and poly crosses including three of the big four (Rafa uses full bed RPM Blast) and Serena among others on both tours. But, not as common amongst the younger tour players and really big hitters. I can also tell you that among elite level juniors (at least the boys) hybrid jobs are much less common (whether with natural gut or a synthetic), and Solinco is at least as popular as Luxilon. I will also tell you that the trend is toward lower tension as well - both with touring pros and juniors. Recently strung for three of the top 10 boys 16's in Mid-Atlantic section and all were full bed poly and all 48-52 lbs.

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Natural Gut in a full bed setup is something every serious player should have the pleasure to play with at some point in time. It's as arm friendly as it gets and no slouch on spin, and power to burn. Really requires TLC (especially in the South), but plays perfectly right up untli it breaks.

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Why have I never done that? Is the synthetic gut that much cheaper? I honestly do't recall ever giving serious consideration to buying natural gut.

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Recently strung for three of the top 10 boys 16's in Mid-Atlantic section and all were full bed poly and all 48-52 lbs

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It wasn't Spencer was it?*


*my buddy's kid is turning out to be very legit at tennis. Free ride to IMG. #1 nationally in 14s; #2 in MATA in 16s, and just lost in the finals of an 18s draw to Stefan Kozlov's little brother. It appears the goal at this point is to become a pro tennis player.

lets get this thread back to talking about wimbledon...

predictions for women semi
konta > venus 2-1
mugs > rybarikova 2-0

mens semi
federer > berdych 3-0
cilic > querry 3-1

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mens semi
federer > berdych 3-0
cilic > querry 3-

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I think Berdy has virtually no chance at beating Fed. I would take Fed at a much much higher price than the market value.

I think that Querrey has some chance of beating Cilic, but a small one that converts to much longer odds than he is currently getting.

So chalk times two.

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konta > venus 2-1
mugs > rybarikova 2-0

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However, I must humbly dissent on your filly valuation.

The MV crystal ball* showeth Muga, flanked by a lady of African descent -- and with the backdrop of a scoreboard lit up with a 7 over a 5, which is next to a 4 that's under a 6 -- holding top dollar china

*rated at less than 100% reliability

Prime Berd could blow anyone off the court at times. And he did beat Roger there in 2010. But, probably not happening this year. That said, when I see top 10 guys getting +750-ish, I tend to sprinkle on the dog. Plus, this is 35 year old Fed we are talking about. Usually, what you lose with age is not peak powers, but consistency.

Mug and Venus are two ladies I can root for. I know nothing about Ryba. Anyone but Kunta.

Muguruza is on fire. Just taking it to Rybarikova every point.

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Before Before Poly, did pros play with natural gut? Do they break quickly or go to shite quickly? How tight were they stringing them?
, did pros play with natural gut? Do they break quickly or go to shite quickly? How tight were they stringing them?

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Yes, Sampras played his whole career with full bed natural gut even after Luxilon (he called it "cheatalon") came out with the first commercially viable polyester monofilament string. He used thinner gauges and generally strung in 70+ lbs range.

Natural gut is more durable that people realize, especially if you take care of it. It also performs better than anything else at higher tensions, and plays just as well the day you put it in until the day it breaks. That being said, it does require care if you want it to last. The stringer's cost is $45-$50 a set for the good stuff (Babolat VS, Wilson or Luxilon - yes Luxilon makes natural gut now) so it is gonna cost you to play with it. If you are a regular customer, your stringer probably won't mark up the price of natural gut string, especially if you know them well.

Also, the stringer definitely matters when it comes to a natural gut job. I believe it should be strung two-piece instead of one, and should be pre-stretched, and one has to be very careful not to kink it at all. I will also say it's a waste in a very stiff, sterile frame like say a Babolat Pure Drive or Pure Aero, Wilson Ultra, Head Instinct, etc. Feels really nice in a more flexible thin beam players frame. Not to mention the fact that in those racquets that have very open string patterns it will also diminish the time it will last.