Yonex introduces Nanoray racquet

Badminton strokes just got faster with the Yonex Nanoray Z-Speed racquet that was unveiled here Saturday by World No.4 Saina Nehwal on the sidelines of the launch of a Yonex store.

While the global launch is scheduled for Sep 13, the racquet with a smaller head but a bigger sweet spot and is designed to increase the swing speed by 10 percent, it is claimed.

Built with cutting-edge materials like Nanometric and X-Fullerene, the racquet, with a new frame cross-section and an ultra-slim long shaft, is said the most aerodynamic racquet Yonex has ever produced, according to Yonex-Sunrise India manager Vikram Dhar.

Using the racquet, a Malaysian player unleashed a smash that sent the shuttle hurtling at 493 kph in a monitored environment to set a world record July 28.

"Yonex is consistently working towards building a product range that is a commitment to the seriousness of the game. As a company driven by technology and the discovery of new material, Yonex constantly delivers products that improve everyone's game and the Nanoray Z-Speed racquet is their latest commitment to the excellence of the game," Dhar said.

Endorsing the product, Saina said: "Yonex has always been my first choice since I started my badminton career in 1999 and they have always come up with quality products that are used by most players in the world today."

India's first All-England champion Prakash Padukone turned nostalgic and said he first received a Yonex racquet in 1967 when it was branded as Yoneyama after Minoru Yoneyama, who founded the company in 1946.

"I have seen virtually every Yonex racquet since then. In 1967, when I lost in the first round of the National Championship in Chennai, Saroja Ravindran, who saw me play, was so impressed with my game that she presented me with the Yoneyama racquet. Yonex has contributed a lot to Indian badminton by sponsoring international tournaments in our country which in turn has helped our players to gain experience and exposure," said the 58-year-old.

Saina and Padukone later inaugurated store, located in the Karnataka Badminton Association premises.