Did you read that right? Build your own ideal racket? That’s right! With Dunlop I-Dapt, which stands for Individual, Adaptable Performance, you can put together your own ideal racket. Sound too good to be true? You be the judge…
The guys at Dunlop have already shown how innovative they are with their Natural Tennis concept, which puts racket tuning at the center. With I-Dapt, Dunlop takes it a step further: the focus here is not on tuning, but on putting together your ideal racket. The Force racket line (power and fast swings) is used for the I-Dapt series. How does it work?
- Choose your head size: 98, 100, 100S (with a more open string pattern) or 105
- Choose your color (each head size has 3 color options)
- Choose your ‘feel’: select one of 3 shock sleeves that sit between the grip (at the top, where the grip ends) and the throat of the racket. Choose from soft, medium or firm
- Choose your racket length: the standard 27 inches or the extended 27.5-inch length
- Choose your grip size
And what about weight, string pattern and balance, you might ask? Each head size has its own weight, string pattern and balance, at least. Here are the specifications below, based on the standard 27-inch racket length:
- 98: 300 grams, 32.0 balance and 16/19 string pattern
- 100: 300 grams, 32.0 balance and 16/19 string pattern
- 100S: 300 grams, 32.0 balance and 14/18 SPIN string pattern
- 105: 290 grams, 33.0 balance and 16/19 string pattern
What stands out is that there isn’t all that much choice in terms of weight, balance and string pattern. Advanced players often customize the first two in particular (weight and balance) using lead or tungsten strips to give the racket the feel that suits them best. The Dunlop I-Adapt concept is therefore aimed more at recreational and club players, and a little less at the big hitters among us. Nevertheless, it’s a really fun, practical and well-thought-out concept that can serve the vast majority of tennis players very well. There is, however, one rather big ‘but’: Dunlop I-Dapt is only available in the United States and, for now, isn’t coming to Europe….. We think that’s a shame! Here’s a fun video about Dunlop I-Dapt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLd22MJnIcA
