Novak Djokovic has managed to stay on the top of the ranking in the world for quite some time, and there’s no end to fans obsessing over his playstyle, life, training methods, and gears.
Although Novak Djokovic doesn’t offer a beautiful and elegant playstyle like Nadal or Federer, he does manage to get the job done. This is only because his playstyle is effective and smart. Plus, he is considered one of the strongest athletes on the tennis circuit. With his amazing playstyle, this player managed to win 18 grand slam titles.
All that being said, there’s no doubt that Djokovic is definitely one of the players. But does that mean that they also use one of the best racquets out there? Today, we’re going to provide answers to all sorts of questions that fans have about the Novak Djokovic racquet.
In this article, we’ll talk about his racquet, how the racquet plays, what sort of strings he uses, and whether you can buy the Novak Djokovic racquet for yourself or not. So, let’s get started!
What Racquet Does Novak Djokovic Use?
Someone who’s new to this might mistake the Novak Djokovic racquet as the Head Graphene 360 Speed Pro, but that’s not what he’s actually using. In fact, Novak Djokovic is actually using the Head PT113B, which is an older model compared to the Graphene 360.
While it’s an older model, the features offered by the Head PT113B are quite suited for players who share the same playstyle as Novak. A lot of people might ask why the Novak Djokovic racquet is painted like some other model.
The easy answer to this query is marketing. It’s evident that the manufacturer Head doesn’t want to promote an older model, but it’s also unlikely that Novak would want to part with the racquet that he’s used to.
This is why the simplest way of keeping both parties happy is simply by repainting the racquet. Hopefully, that answers your question.
There are major differences between the Head Graphene Speed 360 Pro and the Head PT113B. The main difference between the two is that the Head PT113B isn’t a racquet in the first place.
It’s actually the mold of the head, and the PT113B is just an in-house SKU that’s used for identification.
Specs of Novak Djokovic Racquet
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Just like most other professional tennis players, Novak Djokovic uses customized racquets. As we’ve said before, the Head PT113B is more like a mold, so it’s more like a blank canvas. While Djokovic was seen changing the overall customization of the racquet more than once, we’ll try to let you in on the most recent format that he’s using.
Let’s start with the head size, as it’s one of the factors that he’s been keeping constant. The head of the PT113B offers a hitting space of 95 square inches. This is one of the smallest sizes that you can find out there, and beginners will have a hard time using this racquet.
However, if you’re an advanced tennis player, then you won’t face any problem using this racquet to its fullest potential. The smaller size helps the racquet keep the strings much tighter, thus providing better ball control over speed. If you’re a defensive player who prioritizes control over speed, then this racquet will certainly benefit you.
As for the length, the racquet measures 27 inches, which is considered to be standard. Due to the standard size, the racquet can be used by anyone effortlessly. The grip size is 4 3/8, which makes it suitable for those with bigger palms.
The grip is quite nice, and it comes with 2 overgrips overhead Calfskin. However, Djokovic is known to customize the grip often. He often wraps the entire frame of the racquet with lead tape, and sometimes this goes up to a considerable point of the grip.
For providing superior ball control, the racquet comes with a string pattern of 18*19. This pattern keeps the gap between the strings to the bare minimum, allowing better control over the ball.
While Djokovic uses lead tape heavily, it’s not mandatory to do so. Wrapping the racquet’s frame with lead tape makes it much heavier, and this affects the swing weight by making it heavier. Doing so will certainly make swinging the racquet tougher, but it will offer a powerful punch with every stroke.
The swing of the racquet of Novak Djokovic used to weigh around 370 pounds, which is a bit odd as defensive racquets weigh a bit lower than that. This indicates that Novak likes to play defensively, but he doesn’t want to rule out the scope of playing with aggression if the situation demands it.
Later down in his career, Novak has reduced the swing weight to 340 pounds.
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How Does Novak Djokovic’s Racquet Play?
Unlike most professional racquets, the Novak Djokovic racquet doesn’t feel that comfortable. Whereas modern racquets come with foam grips that allow the players to use them for hours without any stress, the Novak Djokovic racquet feels very firm.
The player likes to string the racquet firmly, and he uses polyester strings for doing so. This makes the hitting surface feel board-like. The tightly strung racquet doesn’t make the ball fly that far, but it does allow superb ball control. If you like to spin the ball, you’ll definitely love this racquet.
One thing that you can’t help but praise is the maneuverability of this racquet. If you’re playing quick strokes, you won’t feel stressed even after landing tons of counterblows. The racquet really shines in this sector.
Even if the racquet is usually tightly strung, you’ll be able to feel the ball sinking into the strings. If you like the feeling of hitting the sweet spot, then you’ll love playing with this racquet.
What Strings Does Novak Djokovic’s Racquet Use?
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Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic use the same strings, and they don’t use the same strings for main and cross strings.
In fact, they use the Babolat Natural Gut for the main strings, and for the cross strings, they use Luxilon Alu Power. The Babolat Natural Gut is a natural gut string and comes with a new protective coating that makes them last longer.
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The Luxilon Alu Power is a more modern set of strings, and these work best with low tension. The combination of these two strings works really well and allows the players to play all sorts of styles. As for the tension, Novak likes the main strings at 59lbs and the cross strings at 56lbs.
Can You Buy Novak Djokovic’s Racquet?
As we’ve told you before, there’s no specific model Novak Djokovic uses, so the answer to this question varies greatly. If you want a racquet that looks like that of Novak Djokovic’s one, then you should get the Head Graphene Speed Pro 360, as his racquet was repainted after this one.
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If you’re new to tennis playing, then getting the Graphene Speed Pro 360 will serve you better. This is a lightweight racquet that can be maneuvered by every type of player, and it’s great for advanced players as well.
The racquet offers all sorts of new features made with modern technology, thus allowing the players a more comfortable experience.
However, if you want a racquet that mirrors the specifications of the racquet used by Novak Djokovic, then there’s no way to pick the racquet up directly from a store. There are a few ways through which you can get these.
First of all, you can try buying a used tennis racquet from Novak Djokovic himself. However, getting one of these will cost a lot, as these are often sold at auctions.
If you’re unwilling to spend a lot of cash, but want one of these, then the cheapest workaround is getting a racquet that comes with a frame made of the PT113B mold. There are a few models that come with this type of frame, one of the best among them is the Head Ti.S6.
If you get one of these racquets, you’ll be able to customize that to get a spec similar to the Novak Djokovic racquet. You’ll need to install butt cap extensions, wrap the entire frame in lead tape, and add some more customizations.
However, no matter what you do, it’ll be impossible for you to get the 18*19 pattern, as you can get that only from the racquet Novak uses.
Final Words:
As you can see, Novak Djokovic uses a very special racquet that’s made to match his playstyle, and it’s very hard to get your hands on one of these. Unless you have a lot of cash to spare, you won’t be able to get your hands on the racquet he’s using.
However, if you don’t require the 18*19 string pattern, then it’s easy to get hold of similar specs as his racquet. Even a customized racquet made to feel like the Novak Djokovic racquet plays amazing!
Read More: Dominic Theim Racquet Specifications: What Racquet Does He Use?
My name is Reagen and I started AllTennisGear (earlier AllTennisShoes) as a way to share my humble experience and help new Tennis players. Thank you for spending a few minutes of your day here and know that your feedback is always welcome.