Novak Djokovic’s Tennis Racquet

The Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has for quite some time now been the No.1 player in the world and I wouldn’t be surprised if he surpasses Federer in the all-time Grand Slam title race in a few years’ time.

Djokovic may not have the beautiful technique as players like Federer and Nadal, but he is one of the most effective, smart, and psychically strong athletes in the world, and with 20 Grand Slams to his name, he is one the greatest of all time.

With all the success on the court, many ask, what racquet Djokovic uses to compete at the very highest level. That’s what I will go through in this post.

What racquet does Novak Djokovic use? Novak Djokovic currently plays with a pro stock racquet called Head PT113B that is painted to look like the Head Graphene 360 Speed Pro. Djokovic strings his racquet with Babolat vs Natural Gut 17 in the mains and ALU Power 16L in the crosses.

Novak DjokovicGear
Tennis RacquetHead PT113B
Tennis StringsBabolat vs Natural Gut 17 / Alu Power 16L
Tennis ShoesAsics Court FF Novak

Why Is Djokovic Racquet Painted Like Something Else?

Novak Djokovic’s actual racquet is called Head PT113B, but it’s painted like the newest version of the Head Graphene 360 Speed Pro. Weird isn’t it? Sure, but there are some very logical reasons behind it.

The main reason why his racquet is painted like something else is for marketing. Thousands of Djokovic fans that watch him play want to have the same racquet as their idol, but since Djokovic’s actual racquet isn’t for sale, they won’t. Which makes his sponsor Head, lose a lot of potential sales.

Therefore, instead of losing all the potential money from the endorsement deal, they paint his racquet to look like a racquet that is available to buy pretty much everywhere. A lot of brands are doing this and it’s obviously very smart, but if it’s right or not is up to debate. Since they are in-directly marketing a racquet that isn’t what it looks like.

Specs of Novak Djokovic Racquet

Think about how many people watch Novak Djokovic play and after that want to buy the same racquet as him. They get the racquet that looks exactly like Djokovic’s racquet, but in reality, the racquet is totally different, except for the painting.

Here is the specs of Novak Djokovic racquet, Head PT113B1

  • Head Size: 95 sq in
  • Length: 27 in
  • Strung Weight: 12,7 oz
  • Strung Balance: 32,8 cm
  • Stiffness: 60 RA
  • Grip Size: 4 3/8
  • Grip Type: 2 overgrips over Head Calfskin
  • String Pattern: 18 x 19

It’s important to note that Djokovic also heavily customizes his own racquet with the use of lead tape around most of the frame. This changes the balance of the racquet completely and affects the swing weight.

Djokovic racquet is originally very heavy at around 370 swing weight, but with all the elbow issues that Djokovic has occurred over his career, he reduced the swing weight of the Head PT113B1 racquet to around 340.

How Does The Racquet Play?

The other day I got the opportunity to test-play with Novak Djokovic racquet and I have to say that it felt very special to play with his actual racquet. However, this is what I think about the racket after playing a few hours with it.

Initially, Djokovic’s racquet felt a little bit too firm for my liking. The tightly strung stiff poly made his racquet feel board-like, which is up to personal preferences if you like it or not, but I personally don’t like that. After a while, I was able to dial in the string setup and the response was much better. The maneuverability was super solid and it worked great during quick exchanges.

Another thing that I noticed was the feeling of the ball sinking into the string bed when hitting with the racket. The racquet does have a very solid frame that suits advanced players perfectly but can bring issues to more beginner players.

Spin, Control and Power

I was able to get some good spins on my shots, but I have to say that I was a little bit surprised that the string pattern was 18×19, since those normally don’t allow for a lot of spin.

The racquet is heavy and stable and offers great control and comfort. However, with Djokovic’s string setup it was not easy to generate power, you would need to have something close to his technique, but I can see how more advanced players would really like this setup.

Overall: Djokovic racquet is a very solid option for more advanced tennis players that prefer control over power, while still not sacrificing the spin potential. The racquet is a little bit more muted than other similar models, but that is really going to be up to personal preference, but otherwise, it’s a good option for the right kind of player.

You can read our full racquet review in this post.

Novak Djokovic’s Racquet History

In some capacity, Novak Djokovic has been using a Head racquet for most of his career. He did sign with Wilson from 2005 to 2008, but he famously asked Wilson to make a racquet specifically for him that matched the specs from Head.

Even though he does not have a lifetime deal with Head at the time, it is pretty clear that he is very loyal to the brand. It would not be surprising at all to see him use the company for the rest of his playing career.

If he does switch racquet for more money, he would probably do the same thing as before and have them make something very specific to what Head puts out.

Head will continue to use him as their main player to market whatever racquet they currently have that most resemble his setup. Even though Djokovic is not as popular of a player across the board as some other Grand Slam champions in the past, there are still people who will gravitate to the brand over other options.

Djokovic’s Racquet Adjustments Over The Years

Djokovic is like a lot of top tennis players in that he has not gone through a ton of changes throughout his career. A simple look at his current setup would make people believe that he is not getting the most out of brand new technology.

He has made some slight upgrades throughout the years, but nothing too drastic compared to what he first used when playing professionally.

Maybe the biggest change came in 2018 when Djokovic was battling back from several injuries that bothered his level of play. Most notably, he was having a little bit of an issue with his elbow, and that made him focus on finding a setup with a racquet that was a bit easier on his arm.

The tweaks added slightly more power and spin to his shots as well. It seems to have worked, as he has been relatively injury-free since, and he is back to playing high-level tennis.

Since he is still in the prime of his career, do not expect any major changes just yet. There might be a point when he decides to switch to a racquet with a head size bigger than 95 square inches, but much like a player such as Roger Federer, he will stick with a smaller head size for as long as he can. 

Can You Buy Novak Djokovic Racquet?

The Head P11 is considered to be one of the rarest racquets in the world. Head doesn’t produce them anymore, so finding a new one is pretty much impossible. If you are lucky to find one, you need to be ready for some pretty hefty prices.

There are some sites like eBay and prostocktennis that you should look out for. There are normally not listed that often but if there are somewhere that you are going to find this racket, these are the go-to sites.

However, the racquet that Djokovic endorses, the Head Graphene 360 Speed Pro is available at pretty much every single tennis store in the world. You can check the current price on Amazon here.

Final Thoughts On Djokovic Racquet

I can see why this racquet suits Djokovic play-style perfectly, but it’s not the most beginner-friendly racquet out there and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who doesn’t consider themselves as an advanced player.

The racquet does have a fantastic feeling frame, but there are other 95 sq inch, flexible racquets out there that are cheaper. So unless you are a collector or a racquet purist of the most specific kind, you will be fine without buying Djokovic racquet.


Also Read: What Tennis Shoes Does Novak Djokovic Wear?

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