From the “will they never learn” file comes Novak Djokovic, who is switching to Head from the Wilson Pro-Staff. These changes are always motivated by money, which is fine and dandy. The problems start when the athlete actually has to play with his new sponsor’s equipment.
We’ve seen this repeatedly in tennis and I hear the same thing happens in golf. (Tiger’s Nike golf clubs, for example) Said player turns up with new equipment and struggles. He denies that the new equipment is giving him trouble. He then re-appears sometime later using mysterious racquets with no identifying labels on them. That’s when the gossip begins. “What defending Australian Open champion is playing with his old Wilson racquet with the labels scratched off because he hates the Head racquets he is paid millions to endorse?”
Answer, Joker. Well, not yet anyway. But when I read his comment about switching to Head racquets just two weeks before boarding a flight to Australia for his Aussie Open title defense, I had to shake my head. It may sound simple (and lucrative) to just change to whatever the sponsor says is “comparable,” but in practice this stuff is always difficult. Months of practice are usually recommended, not weeks. This is because your racquet is an extension of your arm. Most players get downright crazy when it comes to their racquets. When Adidas stopped making frames, Ivan Lendl could’ve commanded big bucks endorse a new one. Instead he just bought a warehouse full of existing frames so he’d have enough to finish his career.
The worst case scenario isn’t just bad play, it’s career-threatening injury. In 1996 Martina Hingis became #1 and accepted Sergio Tacchini’s offer to wear its clothes and shoes. After Hingis sustained a serious foot injury at the US Open, a physician told her the injury was caused by Tachini’s allegedly defective tennis shoes. Her career was cut short the first time because of foot and ankle problems, spawning a giant lawsuit.
The best case scenario is that Joker doesn’t miss a beat. I wouldn’t bet on it though. Nor would I have advised him to make the switch now, when he’s embarking on what is usually the roughest time for a young champion: the year after he or she wins their first grand slam title. Joker’s already shown a few signs of trouble transitioning from hunter to hunted.
When my old and much loved Wilson Pro Staff was stolen seven years ago, I play-tested several frames. I could never play with a Head or Kennex or Prince, it felt wrong. Then I found Babolat, which felt even better than Wilson. You’d have to pry that racquet from my cold, dead hands. (I’m sure Charlton Heston would’ve loved that racquet as much as his Glock)
That said, we invite Head to send us some racquets. I promise to write about them in a positive manner every single day.
Passing Shots 
Posted on January 18, 2009
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