MSRP: $220
Available: Now
Head Size: 105 sq. in.
Length: 27.25 in. (F.); 27.25 in. (D.)
Weight*: 10.8 oz.
Balance*: 10 pts. HL
Swingweight: 318
Beam Width: 23-26-22.5mm
String Pattern: 16 x 19
Ideal Swing: Medium to Long
NTRP: 3.5+
Web: http://www.naturaltennis.com

*NOTE: Values represent strung frames

The Pitch
Choice
of ATP pro Brian Battistone, the Freestyle and Diamond racquets feature
a double-handled design, which the company says allows players, on both
sides of the body, to hit with greater leverage, reach, and stability.
(“The modern tennis stroke,” states Natural Tennis, “is a combination of
the push-pull concept. Optimal leverage is created by pulling with the
front handle and pushing with the back.”) What’s more, the company
claims that, by discouraging lopsided stroke development and encouraging
more symmetrical play, the two handles reduce the types of muscle
imbalances that can stress the wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

Save for a difference in length—the Freestyle is 27.25 in. long, the
Diamond 27.5 in.—what distinguishes each racquet is shape of its
handles: Whereas the Freestyle’s are constructed like a V, the Diamond’s
handles conform to a more rectangular configuration. According to the
sticks’ designers, both promote strong wrist positions at contact, as
well as a wide variety of heretofore uncommon shots. (Think of two
singled-handed Western forehands, or the two-handed “Santoro Slice.” For
instruction and demonstrations by Brian Battistone himself, click here.) Both racquets are approved by the International Tennis Federation for use in sanctioned competition.

How It Tested
As
sui generis iconoclasts of tennis’ singled-handled norms, the
Battistone Freestyle and Diamond are without direct context or
precedence, and thus are difficult to evaluate without prejudice. In
other words, readers, bracket your skepticism: The Freestyle and
Diamond, if perhaps specialized in their appeal, are valuable additions
to today’s racquet market.

“For someone who grew up playing a classic, one-handed style game, like
myself, these racquets come off as a little bizarre,” says Bruce
Levine, Racquet Advisor for Tennis Magazine. “But I think someone who
plays with two hands may really enjoy this. Keep in mind, though, that
the two handle designs are going to affect where your elbows sit
relative to your swing. If you use the Diamond, your elbows are forced
in a little bit more. Whereas if you use the Freestyle, your elbows are
more comfortable bowing out. [If nothing else] there’s definitely value
in it as a teaching tool to help people learn how to turn their hips
into the ball.”

Playtesters, for their part, approached the sticks with a combination
of bafflement and mirth. (“They look like hedge clippers,” said one.)
But after a few hits, many players, especially those with ambidextrous
dispositions, found the racquets growing on them; together, they
presented a wide range of reasons why. “It really helps you turn your
hips and follow through,” said a 4.5 teaching professional, who went on
to say that, by using the Diamond, one of his 3.0 students had managed
to lengthen one of her previously abbreviated swings. One 4.0 player
said he found both two-handled designs offered succor during rapid-fire
exchanges at the net, while another claimed that, by using the handle
closest to the net, the Freestyle gave him added reach when hitting
squash shots stretched wide. Also with the Freestyle, this writer—a
college-level, right-handed player with a semi-Western forehand and
one-handed backhand, usually—started to get a feel for two-handed
groundies, and even managed a few left-handed stab volleys at net.
Although some playtesters encountered a learning curve when attempting
to serve—Natural Tennis recommends that the handle closest to the net be
used to hit serves and overheads—many reported the sticks presented
advantages when blocking back returns.

Certainly, the Freestyle and Diamond’s unique design allows players to
hit a number of unique shots—a tantalizing proposition for early
adopters. But the racquets’ novelty may present a challenge to those
uncomfortable with public scrutiny. Naturally, one might ask, when
contemplating playing a match with a doubled-handled racquet, “What if
our opponents make fun of us?”

Bottom Line
Resisting clear-cut categorization, the Freestyle and Diamond are
promising candidates for the adventurous and ambidextrous players, not
to mention those who seek a more symmetrical approach to developing
their form. While tennis pedagogy incorporating the sticks is, for the
most part, still in the works, players open to unorthodox means might do
well to give two handles a whirl.

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– Racquet Review: Dunlop 3.0 (F Tour, M, S Lite)
– Product Profile Archive: Impressions on the latest racquets, shoes, apparel, and more
– The Gear Page: Discuss and read about tennis equipment