From Australia to New York and the virtual transom in between, there’s this not-so-secretive sentiment on who the next first-time Grand Slam winner might be.
They call him Kei Nishikori, who, as it so happens, just won the Memphis Open for the third straight time this past weekend. By fighting his way out of three straight one-set deficits, the Japanese star also showed he might have a future career in escapology.
After the match, Nishikori told ESPN.com he digs playing indoor tennis; it allows him to hit unfettered groundstrokes without ambient obstacles interfering with his game and that the surface also leverages his agility and quickness.
Nishikori glides through the court as if he’s on a pair of ice skates and rips tennis balls from both wings as well as anyone today.
Needless to say, while it’s an Everest-esque reach for any of us to find the same level of success as Nishikori, it certainly doesn’t preclude us from trying. And perhaps the best place to start is by using the same hardware as he does.
In the same interview, Nishikori also told us that he attributes a lot of his recent success to his new Wilson Burn racket.
“I changed my racket at the end of last year,” he said. “It has more speed than my older ones. Especially on my service motion, there is more speed and I feel like I can control my shots better. It’s been a very important change for me.”
That said, I recently got my hands on a couple of the new Burn rackets -- the Burn 100 16x19 and 100s. Both frames weighed in at 11.3 ounces (plus an overgrip) with a flex rating north of 70 (meaning it’s very firm). The difference between these two rackets was the string pattern. The 16x19 speaks for itself, obviously, while the 100s was built to leverage spin (ergo, the “s” in the name of the racket) with an 18x16 setup.
It was an interesting juxtaposition. At first, I didn’t find a discernible difference in the rackets. But the more I hit, I realized that I was able to clear the 100s over the net a little higher and it would still land inside my opponent’s baseline. The caveat: I had to make a concerted effort to hit with more height, which isn’t the worse thing. The 16x19 version had a little more raw power, and offensively I was able to drill groundstrokes with more confidence inside the baseline. But these were fairly subtle differences between the two frames.
Overall, the Burn family falls into the vein of modern-day frames. In an effort to streamline its myriad rackets, Wilson recently compartmentalized its brand with what the company calls its “PlayerID system” in which “players and their coaches can easily identify the appropriate Wilson racket model for their game based on their individual style of play.”
Essentially, Wilson split its latest rackets into three categories, the baseliner, the attacker and the all-courter. The Burn series fell into the baseliner, which is exactly right. Both the 16x19 and 100s were eminently easily to wield on both the forehand and backhand. Both are firm beams, which made for heavy hitting, yet consistent feedback.
It should be noted that while many stiff rackets leave a harsh response, the Burn was very comfortable, in large part a result of Wilson’s Parallel Drilling technology, which, according to the company, “dramatically increases the sweet spot, while, providing a forgiving feel.” In the course of my 90-minute hitting session, I found there to be few fly-aways. I was able to hit hard while maintaining excellent control.
The Burn, especially the 100s, was an easy frame to transition from topspin to slice as well. As for the 16x19, I felt confident stepping into the ball and going for the low-percentage shot. But I was equally happy staying behind the baseline and engaging in long rallies without feeling I was being pushed around.
If I had to choose, the 100s was the slightly better serving stick, but I admit I am a player who is still happy playing with an 18-main string setup. It, of course, allows for more control. But what’s unique to this racket is that with only 16 crosses, the space in between the strings is greater, allowing for more spin. In terms of kick serves, I didn’t see much of a difference between the two Burns, but I can unequivocally say they both swing fast and heavy. If you’re looking for a frame that will jack up your ace count, both of these new Wilson frames are surefire winners.
The Burn series is going to catch on quickly, given today’s game is very much about not just blasting from the baseline -- but blasting from the baseline consistently. Look no further than Nishikori as a prime example.