Federer confirms switch to 98 inch racquet

Roger Federer has confirmed his switch to a bigger racquet. The Swiss maestro has been testing a bigger racquet in Hamburg, although no questions addressed his equipment in his press conference on Monday. For years, fans and critics alike have suggested the Swiss switch to a bigger head-size racquet. On record, Federer has always been open to it, and has even tested different Wilson frames.

Also see: Roger Federer’s New 2014 Wilson Pro Staff 90

“I’ve tried bigger,” Federer said. “The problem is we don’t have enough time to do racket testing, you know? I’m always talking to Wilson about: ‘What else do you have? What else can we test?’ And who knows? Maybe down the road, I’ll change again.” About a decade ago, he made a racquet change as well, switching from the Pro Staff 85 to a 90 square inch racquet, which he would use to win 17 grand slams.

See photos and video of Roger Federer testing blacked out Wilson racquet.

Federer confirms switch to 98 inch racquet, seen here. What do you think? Comment below.

Via Sport.ch (Google translation):

… the rumors of a new club: Federer: “Yes, I have a new racquet. It features a larger clubhead. So far I’ve played with a 90, now I get to a 98th order. I think 90% of the players on the ATP Tour have club head sizes between 95 and 100 Wimbledon since we have now tested this, and so far it’s going great. I can easily develop with the new racquet power. The racquet change is in my opinion one of the largest for a tennis player.”

The move to a bigger racquet was first confirmed by sportswriter Simon Graf.

Federer confirms: He'll play with a 98 inch racquet head. An increase of 8 square inches!

— Simon Graf (@SimonGraf1) July 16, 2013

Read the editorial, Roger Federer: Astonishing Legacy.

Federer’s blacked out racquet shows no markings, no paint job except the Wilson stencil. It is confirmed to be a 16 x 19 string pattern, with no resemblance to Wilson Pro Staff model characteristics. Head-size is 98 square inches, an increase of 8 square inches from his previous Wilson Pro Staff BLX 90. Wilson currently offers a Blade racquet with these specifications, but under a blacked out paint-job, it is unconfirmed if Federer is using this model, or an entirely new model (weight, balance, swing weight).

The Swiss took part in an interview with Ivan Ljubicic, revealing that he has always considered changing his racquet, and even admitted to testing out different strings during his South American exhibition tour in 2012.