Alright, so today I’m gonna chat about my deep dive into trying to figure out what racquet Andrey Rublev actually uses. It’s been a bit of a rabbit hole, but I think I’ve pieced together a pretty good idea, and I wanted to share what I found.
First off, let’s get this straight: Rublev is known for being super secretive about his equipment. He often paints his racquets to look like something else, which makes it a real pain for us gear nerds trying to figure things out. So, I started by just watching a ton of his matches. I was really looking at the frame shape, the head size, and just the overall feel of the racquet in his hand.
I spent hours watching matches, pausing at different points, zooming in when I could. It was painful, to be honest. Early on, a lot of people thought he was using a Head Graphene 360+ Speed Pro, but that didn’t quite sit right with me. Something about the beam width just looked a little off. The head shape wasn’t quite a perfect match either.
Then, I stumbled upon a few forum discussions where people were talking about the possibility of it being a pro stock frame, possibly based on an older Head model. This got me thinking. Pro stock racquets are basically custom-made frames that pros use, and they often have the cosmetics of a retail racquet painted on them. This is where things got interesting. I started digging through old Head racquet specs, comparing beam shapes, head sizes, and overall weight.
Here’s what I did:
- Gathered info: Scoured forums, articles, and gear review sites for any hints or rumors.
- Watched matches: Paused, zoomed, and analyzed Rublev’s racquet in action.
- Compared specs: Looked at the specs of various Head racquets, both current and older models.
- Cross-referenced: Compared the visual cues from the matches with the specs I gathered.
After what felt like an eternity, I landed on a likely candidate: an older Head pro stock frame. The specific mold is tough to nail down completely, but the general consensus seems to be that it’s a modified version of something similar to the Head PT57A or a similar pro stock variant. These frames are known for their denser string pattern (18×20) and a more solid, controlled feel, which would definitely suit Rublev’s aggressive baseline game.
I even tried to replicate the setup myself! I got my hands on a racquet that was similar in weight and balance, and I strung it with a similar string setup to what Rublev is rumored to use (Luxilon Alu Power Rough). It wasn’t exactly the same, of course, but it gave me a much better understanding of how the racquet might play.
The takeaway?
It’s never a 100% certainty without Rublev himself confirming it, but the evidence strongly suggests he’s using a pro stock Head frame, disguised as a retail model. It’s a testament to how much pros customize their equipment to fit their game. So, if you’re chasing that Rublev-like power, you might need to look beyond what you see on the surface!
This was a fun (and slightly obsessive) project, and I learned a ton about racquet customization in the process. Hopefully, this sheds some light on the mystery of Rublev’s racquet!
