Condition
8
10: New
9: Mint
8: Excellent
7: Good
6: Fair
5: Average
4: Below Average
3: Poor
|
Rarity
8
10: Impossibly rare
9: Extremely rare
8: Hard to find
7: Fairly rare
6: Uncommon
5: Common
<4: Big Seller
9: Mint
8: Excellent
7: Good
6: Fair
5: Average
4: Below Average
3: Poor
9: Extremely rare
8: Hard to find
7: Fairly rare
6: Uncommon
5: Common
<4: Big Seller
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About This Racket
In 1975 the Ski giant Rossignol branched out into tennis and with the help of Bayer eventually in 1979 made the R40. It helped Johan Kriek win Australian Open in 1981 and 1982. He also possibly won Wimbledon with this racket in 1981. However it was expensive, £70, twice the price of Maxply Fort!
They improved on it and made the F200 carbon in 1982 used by Mats Wilandser (see below). The story goes like this: Rossignol was serious and acquired three factories: one in France at Côte-Saint-André (Bièvre), and two others in the United States, in Maine and Massachusetts. They had a remarkable production capacity of 750,000 rackets per year, including 350,000 at their Isère factory. Research efforts conducted with the German company Bayer led to the manufacture of an innovative racket made of fiberglass and carbon fiber. The first models (TR10 and TR20) were released in March 1977. These rackets, weighing around 370 grams, featured the famous inverted bridge. Starting in January 1980, Rossignol formed a team of six players coached by Bob Brett, including José Luis Clerc (Argentina), Johan Kriek (South Africa), and Andres Gomez (Ecuador). But it was undoubtedly Mats Wilander, who won Roland-Garros in 1982, that elevated the brand to another level. Until 1988, when Wilander claimed the No. 1 world ranking at the end of the season, the Swede accumulated Grand Slam titles—seven in total—using his famous F 200 racket. But Johan Kriek, a double winner at the Australian Open (1981 and 1982) with his metal-carbon racket, and American Tim Mayotte, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 1982 with his F100, also contributed to the popularity of Rossignol rackets.
In 1987, the group decided to create a specific department for tenni, Rossignol’s sales increased by 8% but behind Dunlop, Kennex, Prince, Wilson, Head. In 1989, the brand released a third-generation model combining the qualities of a composite racket with those of an aerodynamic racket. Sales picked up (350,000 models sold), with Rossignol ranked No. 1 in Italy and Sweden, No. 3 in France, and No. 5 in Spain. The FT 580 racket, which originated a complete range, even received an Oscar for design. However, due to cost reasons, the brand relocated its production to Southeast Asia, whilst R&D was at headquarters in Voiron. Meanwhile, sponsorship was increasingly expensive and market was in long-term recession Rossignol decided to cease its production in June 2004, after almost 30 years of success.
Rossignol F200 344g
Rossignol F210 355g
Rossignol F230 358g
Rossignol F250 358g
Rossignol F335 372g
Rossignol F340 (A | B) 361g
Rossignol FGC 361g
Rossignol R30 370
Rossignol RS 376
Rossignol Johan Kriek 366
Historic Gallery
Specifications (👋 not yet accurate….check back soon)
Measurements | Value | Performance | Score |
---|---|---|---|
Weight | 394g | Power | 33/100 |
Head Size & Length | 68sq in | 27inch | Control | 28/100 |
Balance | 8pt head light (220) | Spin | 26/100 |
Grip | Perforated leather | Handling | 30/100 |
Strings | 18 x 20 | gut | Comfort | 49/100 |
Flexibility | RA 49 | Consistency | 33/100 |
About Matts Wilander
Mats Arne Olof Wilander, from Sweden born on 22 August 1964 burst onto the scene in 1982 when he unexpectedly won the 1982 French Open at just 17 years old (the same age as Borg at Wimbledon!). He reached world No. 1 tennis player . Between 1982 and 1988, he clinched seven major singles titles: three at the French Open, three at the Australian Open, and one at the US Open. Additionally, he secured a major men’s doubles title at Wimbledon. .Though he never captured the singles title at Wimbledon, he triumphed twice at the Australian Open when it was held on grass courts. This achievement places Wilander among an elite group of only seven men—alongside Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz—to have won major singles titles on grass, hard, and clay courts since 1978, the year the US Open transitioned to hard courts. Furthermore, Wilander, Nadal, and Djokovic are the only male players to have won at least two major singles titles on each of these three surfaces.By the age of 20, Wilander had already won his fourth major singles title, making him the youngest man to reach such a milestone. Throughout his career, he also claimed eight Grand Prix Super Series titles from 1983 to 1988, which were the forerunners of today’s ATP Tour Masters 1000. In total, Wilander amassed 33 singles titles and seven doubles titles. He was instrumental in Sweden’s impressive streak of seven consecutive Davis Cup finals during the 1980s.Wilander’s excellence on the court was recognized in 1983 when he received the Jerring Award. In 2002, he was honored with induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.