The Jack Kramer Autograph: A Tale of Hope

[tennis_chiro]

There were also a lot of tennis ball manufacturers. All the balls were white.

That's some collection, Geoff. Just think of all the times we cut ourselves opening the damn cans!

don

[GeoffWilliams]

There were also a lot of tennis ball manufacturers. All the balls were white.

[GeoffWilliams]

You set the rules: wooden frames, now you're changing the rules. Truth is, even with just the max ply, Joker would kill him.

Stringing instructions.

[stotty]

The horse steroids ok with you on Mac? He can't hit a serve over 108mph. Graf had a faster serve. Joker would kill him. He'd just use that over size head woodie frame with graphite/gut alu.
18 x 20

No oversized rackets allowed, sorry. Just a Maxply.

[GeoffWilliams]

The horse steroids ok with you on Mac? He can't hit a serve over 108mph. Graf had a faster serve. Joker would kill him. He'd just use that over size head woodie frame with graphite/gut alu.
18 x 20

[stotty]

Mac versus Djokovic...both using wood

I would like to make McEnroe 22 again. I'd stick him in a Wimbledon final against Djokovic today on a 1970s grass court. Both players to use wooden rackets. Now that would be interesting...

[GeoffWilliams]

My original first racquet, the FRS also a wood/fiberglass/steel cabled reinforced frame. You can see the small steel cables in the upper throat. Strung with gut.

[GeoffWilliams]

The head vector/graphite, when they began to combine materials with wood.

[GeoffWilliams]

Geoff,
Thanks for sharing. Nice article. A great racquet for a great era. Something magical about the power of a nice racquet in your hand. Gives you the confidence to take on Goliath and beat him.
They don't make them like that anymore. Literally and figuratively.

We have a wooden racquet tourney/mixer each year at my club. A few Jack Kramer's appear. Always love to give them a swing. Great feel. Once in a while I play against some of the better male members. They use their frames, I use a wooden racquet. I manage to make magic happen. Undeafeated, so far...

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Always great to hear Kyle stories. Maybe you can get K to meet up and hit with you. He's the tournament director there in the dutch tournament. That would be a way of contacting him for sure. I was hitting at the berkeley rose garden against a young guy with a woodie, and Wayne Ferreira walked by and said, "Playing with a woodie, eh?", when he lived there on Santa Barbara he'd take his son William down to hit the wall there/. HIts with the cal berkeley guys and is listed as a volunteer coach, I guess for liability reasons. Makes them look like beginners!

The fact that a wolrld class guy noticed the woodie and volunteered a comment says something, as those guys are normally trying pretty hard not to be noticed and ganged up on in public!

[GeoffWilliams]

Geoff, thanks brother for a wonderful contribution. King Solomon also preferred cedar and cypress. And the king of Tyre was happy to oblige. The temple was destroyed but we still have hope. I take out my Dunlop McEnroe Maxply once a year, and I give it a whirl on the grass, against my buddy who also has a Maxply. This is what tennis was meant to be. But it's all good.

Too bad we can't get Mac and borg to play with their woodies again in Wimbledon!

[privas]

Nice article

Geoff, thanks brother for a wonderful contribution. King Solomon also preferred cedar and cypress. And the king of Tyre was happy to oblige. The temple was destroyed but we still have hope. I take out my Dunlop McEnroe Maxply once a year, and I give it a whirl on the grass, against my buddy who also has a Maxply. This is what tennis was meant to be. But it's all good.

[GeoffWilliams]

Laver made a court out of back yard red dirt hard scrabble, and used to string his frames with his brother in world record time by hand. Here is one of his frames strung with victor imperial blue streak gut. This frame strung with this string was amazingly powerful and accurate. When Philippoussis was asked to hit a serve with a woodie he hit 124mph. He then hit 127 with his mfil-200 dunlop. Blake still uses that frame and I have one as well. Mine is siliconed and leaded up to 375g. Do you think these guys coming up have ever even seen Laver play a match? Or Sampras for that matter? Or build their own court, string their own frames, customize their own silicone? Not many.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Philippoussis

[gzhpcu]

Had to keep it in a press too....

[gzhpcu]

I had an older model.... this one...

[GeoffWilliams]

No matter what the era, if you are equipped to hit you have the best chance to improve and win against those who are not.