Rack of Dunlop Tennis Rackets at Withers Sports

Dunlop Tennis Rackets

…Journey to Perfection

If you have slightly less (or greyer) hair than when you were in your prime, or you wear a slightly longer skirt than the ‘kids of today’ then maybe you remember the Dunlop Maxply fighting for world domination against Slazenger with the odd Wilson thrown into the competition for ‘number one’ racket brand.

Many of the biggest tennis rackets brands of today were not even thought of when Dunlop was riding the crest of the racket manufacturers wave. Well, with their recently released new CX series of rackets they have returned to the top table – with a very well controlled ‘bang’.

The CX series is designed and built using Srixon technology, engineered in Japan. Srixon have been massive in the golf world for many years and with the addition of their technology / knowhow to tennis rackets Dunlop has made major step forward.

The CX series of rackets goes from the CX400 at 285g to the CX200 Tour 16×19 at 310g and the range is aimed at players from ‘good club standard’ upwards.

The Dunlop Racket Technology

The racket is very control based and provides a solid feel with very little vibration running through to the players arm. It has a larger than average sweet spot from the use of the Power Grid String Technology, which creates a 30% larger sweet spot, evenly distributing power across the string bed. This allows you to access more power, better control and enhanced spin.

The Sonic Core made with Infinergy material in the top half of the head (2 and 10 o’clock positions), significantly improves the speed of the ball off the racket allowing for more aggressive shot making while reducing frame vibrations by up to 37%, giving a more comfortable hitting sensation. Infinergy foam developed by BASF, the world’s first E-TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) offers much greater rebound properties compared to the original Sonic Core material, resulting in faster ball speed off the racket. Pair these with the classic box frame, which will enable you to gain more power, more control and added comfort. This is made possible due to a thinner front edge, enabling more frame compression which enhances the sweet spot of the racket. This modern frame shape features sharper angles and cuts through the air to hit a faster, cleaner shot.

The CX range is ideal for a player who has the tendency to elbow pain because of the increased size of the sweet spot and reduced vibrations. It also suits the player (possibly juniors) stepping up to a heavier racket for the first time.

The CX Range

The rackets in the range include:

Dunlop CX 400 angledDunlop CX400
Weight: 285g
Headsize: 100 Sq. Inch
Balance: 330 mm
the largest headsize in the new range giving players a nice mixture of power and control.

Dunlop CX 200 LS angledDunlop CX200 LS
Weight: 290g
Headsize: 98 Sq. Inch
Balance: 325 mm
aimed at* the intermediate player

Dunlop CX 200 angledDunlop CX200
Weight: 305g
Headsize: 98 Sq. Inch
Balance: 320 mm
Ideal for the player seeking extra power with a hint of control the CX200 is versatile and refined.

Dunlop CX 200 tour 16x19 angledDunlop CX 200 Tour 16×19
Weight: 310g
Headsize: 95 Sq. Inch
Balance: 310 mm
Offering high levels of control the CX Tour is ideal for players who have long, developed strokes allowing them to get the most from the racket.

Customising / tweaking a tennis racket

2 Dunlop racketsNow, with every racket some players will find that they need their rackets tweaking slightly from time to time. That was the case for one of our customers, who recently purchased 2 x Dunlop CX200 Tour 16×19. They have always used a heavier frame than 310grams, but really liked the feel of the CX200 Tour, so we decided that we would tweak them slightly… As much as a racket states that it is a certain weight, there is usually a weight tolerance that the brand will give themselves in order to be happy with the racket. Between these 2 rackets, there was a difference of around 1.5grams, which is very good, however, we would eventually be adding around 20grams to each racket. When finished, both rackets were matched to a spec of 329g (unstrung), 30.1cm balance and a 279 (unstrung) swing weight. Both rackets were strung with Babolat Tonic x Luxilon Alu Power Rough @ 55lbs.

Aimed at* – whenever a racket manufacturer says that a particular racket is “aimed at” a particular style of play or player they are just trying to be helpful by targeting their new offering. The reality is that any racket can be used effectively by any player depending on personal preference and while we might expect that any given racket might best suit one person it isn’t always that simple!