[Sp!ffy]

Her mom and boyfriend was there? That really sucks.

[da2nd_14]

Maria's new racquet?


Prince Delivers a Match Point With The EX03 100
Posted by Heather Millward Jul 22, 04:59 PM to gear : -
Now we don’t claim to be Andre Agassi or one of the Williams sisters, but we do enjoy an occasional game of tennis. And even though we don’t have the expertise those players bring to the court, we feel we have a semi-decent grip on the game, enough to enjoy some pretty great racquets in the recent past.

Prince introduces the EX03 Black 100 tennis racquet which is replacing the Speedport Black. This version is offers their patented Energy Channel technology to carry you through and deliver (hopefully) your “A” game. The Energy Channel technology is comprised of a sculpted groove in the frame that lends your shots lots of power with minimal effort- in theory. It is also supposed to increase your spin by up to 25%. Big claims, perhaps, but we were fairly satisfied with performance. We must say, we could definitely tell a difference as far as the acceleration goes and the ball boost was a definite plus. Spin, though, wasn’t affected quite so much.

With the patented Tuning System a player can adjust the feel of the racquet with a choice between either the hole or port inserts. If you desire a more comfortable feel, a larger sweet spot, and more string dampening, use the port insert. If you prefer a more crisp response with added string feedback and the usual sweet spot, use the hole version instead. If you are wondering what the difference is, the string ports are open and string holes are more like traditional grommets, as there is a small hole that the string is threaded through. They don’t fill the ports in completely, though, so the increase in aerodynamics will still be there supposedly. The EX03 comes with port inserts.

The EX03 has a 100 square inch head size and a strung weight of 11.4 ounces which correlates to large amounts of spin and power from the baseline without losing control. This is perfect for players 3.5+ but advanced players (like Maria Sharapova, who uses this model) aren’t necessarily cut of the equation; they’re likely to appreciate the balance. We take an approach to tennis that goes pretty much like this: step up and hit the ball on the rise, and pound it back deep and hard. The EXO3 100 was rock solid, and we were able to stand substantially closer to the baseline and take half- or three-quarter swings at deep balls and pound them back with complete confidence in a baseline rally.

For a smaller and lighter version, we would recommend checking out the Prince EX03 Black Team 100 with is similar but with less weight (280g instead of 305g). You can purchase Prince gear at Amazon for around $185-$195 depending on the grip size. It’s a reasonable price for an extremely competitive racquet.
http://www.trulyobscure.com/article/...h-the-ex03-100

[xan]

I think this would be the racquet she stopped using.

And Maria's mum attended a match! That never happens.

[shega]

Originally Posted by Sp!ffy

Her mom and boyfriend was there? That really sucks.

sucks cuz she lost while they were there or sucks that...they were there... ?

[Mr.Sharapova]

When is the draw coming out!!???
I hope Maria has a descent one!

[shega]

me thinks any draw would be a decent one in freaking Stanford.

[schorsch]

Yanina Wickmayer: Looks like doubles with Maria won’t happen. The WC was for top 10 (not top 20 as they do in singles). A stupid rule. We are both with the same agency IMG so we will try to play somewhere else at some point.

Seems like IMG messed up and the other WCs had already been given out...

[oneandonly]

The draw ceremony starts in about 50 minutes.

[Sp!ffy]

Originally Posted by shega

sucks cuz she lost while they were there or sucks that...they were there... ?

That sucks that she lost 0-5 to Groth while her mom and boyfriend were there...and they are practically never at her matches.

That's what they get for going to WTT and not a real match.

[Jovana.]

I have nothing particular to add to the thread, I'm just subscribing uhm...Go Masha!

[shaktincredible]

Originally Posted by Jovana.

I have nothing particular to add to the thread, I'm just subscribing uhm...Go Masha!

me too.

[~MashyOwnThemAll]

from FB:

We had a nice short flight into Stanford yesterday afternoon and practised in the evening. This is a great little tournament so if you live in the area you should check it out.

[cyannnnn]

Originally Posted by phreaker

from FB:We had a nice short flight into Stanford yesterday afternoon and practised in the evening. This is a great little tournament so if you live in the area you should check it out.

wow she need flight to go to stanford
isn't she in california these days

[Break My Rapture]

From Stanford's FB:

Breaking News: Maria Sharapova will hold an autograph signing on Monday, July 26 at 2:30 at the Bank of the West tent.

That's in like half an hour.

[Jacey]

http://www.onthebaselinetennisnews.com/

Published by Chris Oddo on Jul 26, 2010 | Print |

What’s it like to watch a Sharapova practice session up close and personal? Find out Chris Oddo’s take on the former world number one’s game in his latest article, live from Stanford’s Bank of the West Classic!


Before I get to into the details of the WTA’s All Access media hour (which featured the top four seeds in the draw), I’ll take a moment to share some of the brilliance I saw again today out on the practice courts.

- Maria Sharapova hitting backhand after crosscourt backhand, each one whizzing about 3 inches above the net. Awestruck is the word that comes to mind, and each time she made contact the pop of the racquet made the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Note to self: Never ever convince yourself into thinking you could last on the court with a professional tennis player, not even for one single rally.