Andrey Rublev has been consistently getting better over the last couple of years, but his biggest breakthrough came in 2020, when he switched to a blacked out racket. The people who have been following him closely, will know he was always meticulous about rackets and constantly switching when he was with Wilson. Until he switched to a blacked out frame still under Wilson, he didn’t make much progress. The racket under the black paint was the Head Gravity Pro, after he reportedly tested a lot of rackets from different Head lines.
The contract with Wilson was still in effect until March 2021, so he was stuck with the black-out racket for over a year. Now in April 2021, at the Monte Carlo masters, he is finally endorsed by Head and is using the Gravity Paint job.
The estimated specs are based on his reported unstrung weight, the Gravity Pro specs and what he previously used – Wilson Six One 95 with strung weight of 355-360 g, strung with Luxilon Adrenaline 1.30. He is supposedly using the Head Lynx Tour string now.
Let’s take a look at his racket evolution and estimated specs:
The estimated specs come from his reported 340 g unstrung weight and relatively low swingweight. His stroke mechanics also suggest specs in this ballpark. I recreated and played extensively with these specs (even using the Wilson butt cap) and I can say that the game flavour I can get from the racket is similar to how Rublev plays.
But why do I think he uses Wilson butt cap? Well, he grew up on Wilson handles and it is generally the case with pro players, especially meticulous ones like Rublev, that they want to keep the feel of the handle the same. But let’s take a closer look at his butt cap:
There are edges visible on the butt cap, that is only present on the Wilson Pro Staff style butt cap. Here is a comparison of the Head Gravity and PS butt cap:
In conclusion, the racket he uses is heavy and has relatively low swingweight and balance, which is similar to what Federer uses. They also both use a more open grip style on the forehand. Rublev’s power on the forehand comes from the mass and a 100 sq inch head size and his consistency from a softer layup, higher MGR/I and also the high mass.
He is not just using the Wilson butt cap. They take a mold of his favorite racket grip. Even with the mold many players will make changes to customize the racket grip to their hands.
Yes, you are probably correct.