BWEH-ing his way into the top ten (again), Rublev is one of the most consistent players in the world. Does he ever lose to players ranked lower than him?
He has trained his powerful baseline game since he was a little boy, and tennis runs in his family: his mother was a coach at the prestigious Spartak Club in Moscow and worked with Anna Kournikova, his older half-sister played professionally, and his grandfather coached Mikhail Youzhny. There’s something to really like about Rublev’s game.
He isn’t super flashy, but he comes to the court knowing what he does well – ripping the cover off the ball – and goes straight to work. Win or lose he’s going to give it his all out there, and he’s been rewarded with wins over some of the game’s best, including Roger Federer and Daniil Medvedev.
Now it’s time to take a look at his equipment.
Here’s Andrey Rublev’s current racquet setup:
- Endorsed Racquet: Head Graphene 360+ Gravity Pro
- Actual Racquet: Pro Stock Head Gravity Pro (TGT 344.4)
- Strings: Head Lynx Tour at 25-26 kg (55-57 lbs)
Is Rublev Still Playing With The Gravity Pro?
The short answer is “YES!” Andrey is using the Head Graphene 360+ Gravity Pro, albeit in pro stock form (TGT 344.4) and customized to his specifications.
It’s not a different racquet or old mold disguised as something new and currently on the market, he’s actually using basically what we can buy in a store.
For the longest time, though, Andrey was using a blacked out paintjob of his current Gravity.
Embed from Getty Images- Rublev with a blacked out Gravity. He used these logo-less frames for more than a year while his Wilson contract ran out
- Rublev with a Wilson Six.One 95 during the 2017 US Open
Andrey was spotted testing the H22 and H19 pro stocks from Wilson alongside his Six.One 95, even switching between them during matches. His results during this time were not exactly stellar, and he might have lost some confidence in his equipment.
During the US summer hard court swing in 2019, Andrey was seen practicing with multiple frames from Head and even using them in matches; however, he stuck to his trusty Wilson Six.One 95 for a good portion of these tournaments.
He even bested Roger Federer in Cincinatti with it. Sometime before the US Open, he committed to the Gravity and played with it under a blacked out paintjob until March of the 2021 season when his Wilson sponsorship terminated.
The Gravity pro is a great racquet for a powerful baseliner like Rublev. There’s ample control from the 18×20 string pattern, thin beam, and flexible response while the 100 square inch head size gives him a wide spin window and some extra forgiveness compared to his old Six.One 95.
The feel from the Gravity Pro layup is sublime and gives competent users the perfect level of plushness and feedback to do whatever they want to the ball.
Specs
Andrey uses a headlight, whippy racquet by professional player standards. This allows him to get through the ball quickly and provide most of the power himself while having a maneuverable feel when scrambling for wide balls. His specs are as follows:
- Strung mass: 357g – 340g unstrung according to him in a Reddit Ask Me Anything feature
- Strung balance: 32 cm
- Strung swingweight: 335 (approximate)
The swingweight is on the lower end of the professional spectrum and combined with a high amount of mass in the handle leads to a whippy, fast-feeling racquet.
For somebody like Andrey who muscles through every shot, this is perfect as it allows him to do most of the work and still keep the ball controlled through the court.
It’s a great setup for somebody attacking the ball at every attempt and on trend for that play style.
Strings
Andrey was a longtime user of Luxilon Adrenaline but has since switched to Head Lynx Tour. Both strings are similar in that they play stiff and controlled.
The stiffness allows great access to spin given sufficient swing speed which Rublev has in spades, and the response is very crisp and controlled.
Response tends to be more of a personal preference, though. Rublev has stated that he strings between 25 and 26 kg depending on the day and tournament conditions.
This is a very controlled setup, as expected for such an aggressive hitter of the tennis ball.
Conclusion
Andrey Rublev’s racquet might not be some special pro-exclusive mold and layup of a discontinued frame from twenty years ago, but it’s set up perfectly for his preferences and his game style.
Now that he’s settled on the Gravity Pro and has finished his year at the World Tour Finals for three years running, I don’t see him changing any time soon!
If you’re interested in other ATP players’ racquets, I listed all the top 100 players’ racquets in this post.