What Tennis Racquet Novak Djokovic Uses — Check It Here

The 34-year-old Siberian tennis player has taken the world by storm. Winning 20 Grand Slams and upholding a whopping 87 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles. But, what’s the secret racquet Djokovic uses?

Novak Djokovic uses a pro stock racquet called the Head PT113B. founded on a Ti/radical Head racquet model, it came out in the early 2000s. Before, its release, Djokovic used to play with Wilsons Blade Pro.

Since Djokovic has been able to make it to the top so early on in his career, people tend to talk a lot about his racquet. 

This is a peculiar search I can’t deny, but with the history and complications Novak has had with his racquets, one can’t help but be curious. Starting his career in 2003, the player has undergone multiple gear adjustments to suit his liking. 

But don’t fret over all these complications… By the time you are done with this post, you’ll have successfully evaluated every aspect of the Siberian player’s racquet. 

Novak Djokovic’s Tennis Racquet – A Detailed Overview 

Currently, Djokovic uses the stock racquet; the Head PT113B. This racquet is the one that has won him his 20 Grand Slams. 

The 34-year-old Siberian tennis player has taken the world by storm. Winning 20 Grand Slams and upholding a whopping 87 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles. 

This racquet is painted to look like the Head Graphene 360 pro; another racquet he uses. Although this one hasn’t won him any grand slams, yet.

The Head PT113B isn’t actually for sale and is just eye candy.

For this reason, his racquet is made to look like the Head Graphene 360 Pro. Serves as an inferior alternative for the general public to use.

The Head PT113B

The Head PT113B is disguised as the Head Graphene 360 pro. It’s even painted to look exactly like it. 

Djokovic’s original racquet, however, comprises Babolat vs Natural Gut 17 string going vertical and ALU Power 16L going horizontal. Making the most durable racquet yet.

» You can also read my post: Best Tennis Strings For Spin – The No.1 Guide

Custom Features Of The PT113B

The table shows some custom features of the PT113B owned by Djokovic.

All these make his racquet unique from the rest. Djokovic also customizes his racquet with lead tape around the frame. This gives him a lighter swing weight and ups his throws. 

Why Has Djokovic Disguised His Racquet as Another Model?

Think of it this way, the tennis prodigy is loved and supported by millions, like every other talented sportsman. 

Now being supported with such fervor, people would want to own the same racquet as their tennis idol. The only complication is, that it isn’t up for sale.

Now I can go into the semantics of why it isn’t for sale later, but being such a popular player, people are bound to follow in his footsteps.

And when they find out their favorite player has a custom racquet? Well, they’ll be heartbroken. 

» I have also written this post, about: Best Tennis Ball Machines – (The Ultimate Guide)

Setting Up an Alternative to His Racquet

So by now, I’ve established that Djokovic has impersonated his racquet to look like the head Graphene 360. And by now it’s clear he did so to keep an option for his fans to consider. 

As any avid Djokovic fan, they would want to invest in a racquet similar to his. If they find out it doesn’t exist and hence can’t buy it, the company will lose sales. 

Because so many fans are unable to purchase the item, this can be detrimental for his sponsor heads. Which in simple words, IS BAD. 

So their solution? Paint it like a racquet that’s easily available all over. This way their sales won’t be lost and their fans will be happy. Whether this is ethical or not (you are actively deceiving your fans) is another debate, but I’ve to admit that is a smart move.

Tweaks Djokovic Made to His Racquet 

Even after getting a fully customized racquet, Djokovic still went on to make a few tweaks here and there to give him added comfort. 

Changing the Wilson Blade Pro

For as long as 2008, Djokovic was Wilson sponsored. So up until 2008, Djokovic used the Wilson racquets shaped to look like the head racquets. 

This racquet was also customized specifically for Djokovic. He had requested the specs to look like that from the head series.

Novak Djokovic’s old racquet model is now available in the form of the Wilson Blade Pro. 

Back then he had no sponsorship from the Head series. Yet he remained loyal, incorporating some of the head’s features in his racquets.

The Major Shift in His Gear 

Like every professional tennis player, Novak also made a lot of changes in his gear. Finally, he found the one that expressed him the most. 

I’ve mentioned the minor changes he made throughout his career. Perhaps the biggest upgrade he made in his gear would be in 2018 when he underwent elbow and shoulder injuries. 

Overcoming His Injuries 

To overcome these difficulties, he tweaked the racquet to give it more power. These changes include 

All these changes were what bought Djokovic back in the lead as the number one player. He then went on to dominate the world tour. 

Novak is still in the prime ages of his career and won’t be making any drastic changes to the overall frame of his racquet.

» Read my blog post: Best Hard Court Tennis Shoes

How Does Djokovic’s Racquet Help Him Play?

It’s tennis lore that if you ever want to see how a player plays, then look at his racquet’s specs. This holds true for Djokovic. 

He won multiple other competitions and even joined two other comrades informing the “Big Three” of tennis. Now behind all this success is one lone tennis racquet. This has certainly ensured a query on Djokovic’s racquet.

If you inspect how Djokovic plays during his matches, you would understand what I’m talking about.

Taking Early Balls And Effective Serves

The first thing I noticed about Djokovic was how he greets the ball with his racquet. 

Instead of waiting, Djokovic takes the ball early ( when it’s yet to gain its full momentum). He takes a flat hit and redirects it using his sheer power. And when the match goes into full swing, he uses his flexibility and agile skills to defend himself. 

Djokovic finally puts the cherry on top by putting up a very fast and effective first serve. 

Stability For Flexible Throws

So what do all these techniques require? Well, if you’re going to pull such stunts you’d need solidity in your racquet and at 353g, Djokovic successfully has just that. 

You also need a denser string bed and high string weight to redirect the ball in a flatter flight. This is also possible by having the 18×19 string pattern and 360g string weight. 

The Old 18×20 String Bed 

Funnily enough, Djokovic’s old racquet has a denser string bed and weight. Unfortunately, he had to change it later on due to his elbow issues.

The new string bed has larger spacings between strings, allowing him to have more topspin. Much like every other famous player, Djokovic also wanted to taste the feeling of giving his opponents a hard time. 

Furthermore, this reduction in the string weight has also given him more speed in his serve. This has become the main reason why his serves have been super-efficient in the past few years and given less burden to his elbow.

He’s been titled the number one best tennis player by the ATP 7 consecutive times. Aside from this, he won his first Grand Slam early on in his career in 2008.

How Long Djokovic Has Used His Racquets?

When Djokovic started in 2003, he fashioned a Head Liquidmetal Radical. This sadly didn’t last long as Djokovic changed it again to a Wilson in 2005. This was what won him his very first Grand Slam during the Australian Open in 2008.  

Still searching for the perfect customized racquet, Djokovic then sported the Head YouTek Speed pro in 2011. Spending two years with this racquet and its advanced strings upped his tennis game. 

After winning a series of Grand Slams from 2011 to 2018, he finally shook hands with the paint job PT113B, which he’s still using now. Alas, Djokovic’s racquet journey ended (for now) as he found his perfect fit. 

Novak Djokovic’s Affiliation With the Head Racquet Series

Throughout his career, Djokovic has used multiple renditions of the Head racquet. Over time he’s formed a sort of link with the Head series. 

It’s known that Djokovic has sported the Head racquet in his junior years. He officially owned a Head racquet in 2009. While many companies offered him a deal with their brand, Djokovic declined. Eventually, he shook hands with Head. 

With a racquet with which he could conquer the world, he went on to win all 19 majors between 2011-21. All this was done with different versions of the Head racquets. He made his deal with the Head Speed racquet the biggest tennis success of all. 

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How Well Does Djokovic’s Racquet Perform?

Although you wouldn’t be able to play with his original gear, there’s sovereignty between tennis players to not disclose their actual equipment, you can have the opportunity to play with the paint job.

For now, I haven’t had the opportunity to play with both the paint job racquet and the original one. 

But those who have had this pleasure of taking a go at the racquet have complimented the string work and its overall play form a lot. 

Firm And Tightly Strung

Right off the bat, Djokovic’s Racquet is said to be quite heavy (or maybe we’re all just very weak) and is said to have a firm grip.

Its strength is a given seeing as the handle is made out of lightweight Graphite that incorporates other elements such as Titanium and fiberglass. So it’s dense and not something a common person can easily hold. 

The firmly strung polyester of the racquet makes it seem as stiff as wood, which may be of his preference but is generally hard to get used to. The next thing that captures the eye is the racquet’s remarkable string work. 

» Read my blog post: Best Tennis Racquet Brands

Solid Agility 

The Babolat vs Natural Gut 17 string and ALU Power 16L make the racquet more agile and solid at the same time. This works great during quick exchanges. 

Another feature lucky opportunists observed was how the ball sunk into the strings once it collided with the racquet. This creates the momentum of an increased elastic reflex; increasing the velocity of the throw. 

This way even if your opponent’s serve isn’t that strong, the throw you’d make with Djokovic’s racquet would amplify the serve.

Spins And Throws With Djokovic’s Racquet

The next thing that was taken into account was how serves and throws felt with his racquet. The average spins did leave a lot of people dumbfounded. This was due to the 18×19 string pattern which is not normally known to cause good spins. 

The racquet as I mentioned is stable and firm, this allows for comfort in holding it and gives better control. With the string setup, however, setting up an initial power isn’t as easy as it seems. 

At least for beginners, most professional players would have the technique to handle such advanced racquets.

Final Opinion

After a deep evaluation of how well the racquet plays, certainly, this isn’t a toy for some common man. It is indeed very well-grounded and provides control most players would appreciate.

Although it feels like you’re sacrificing comfort in return for power, most players’ techniques cover up for this shortcoming. 

It is all personal preference on whether or not I find it worth the hype. Nonetheless, I can reach a consensus agreeing that this racquet is perfect for players like Djokovic, himself. 

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Is Djokovic’s Racquet Up For Sale?

If you’re willing to purchase a customized Head PT113B, then I’m sorry to break it to you but you can’t purchase it. Of course, you can purchase his paint job racquet, the Head Graphene 360 Pro. 

For all the valid reasons I covered above, you would be better off with his endorsed racquet rather than the real thing. It is too heavy and dense to even hold properly; thinking about playing with it is a far-fetched fantasy. 

Regardless, if you still wish to buy his original racquet you wouldn’t be able to do so. It’s not as easy as going to your local sun, sand, and sports. 

Getting It At A Sports Auction

This racquet is off the shelves and if you want to get your hands on the bad boy you’ll have to take drastic measures. 

If you’re eager you could scavenge for sports equipment auctions. There you could test your luck in finding used racquets. 

These are the ones Djokovic has played with and discarded. You could try to get your hands on one of them. But I have warned you it’ll be immensely hard and not at all cheap (I’m talking about thousands of dollars). 

Customize Your Own

The second viable option is to get a PT113B customized. You could do this by buying an older version of the PT113B frame and customizing the mold to match that of Djokovic. 

Even after all this effort, you still won’t be able to get your hands on the real thing. But, you could enjoy some similarities. 

Synopsis

Well, that’s pretty much all I could tell you about the infamous racquet. Like I said, tennis players like to keep their gear information pretty hush.

It is a surprise this much information is even available. Usually, they’d only reveal short imagery of what the real thing is. 

Novak Djokovic’s tennis racquet has caused quite an uproar. And now, after looking deep into it I get the hype myself. Being such an exceptional player it’s no wonder starstruck fans want to know every detail behind his success; including his racquet.