Calderano and his new equipment

[Koichi]

Ever since his switch to Joola I feel like he has been underperformaing in general. Matches and opponents he would breeze through back in the days when he was with XIOM are now formidable opponents. Whether he is currently having a low is another question. But I feel like it has been some time since his switch and he has never found his "old self" again. What are your guys' takes? Does his current performance have to do with the international competition catching up in level, his (in my opinion inferior equipment) with which he never got to his previous heights or is he simply in a rut he's struggling to get out of?

 

[mamedium]

who cares?

 

[piligrim]

who cares

Calderano

 

[ajtatosmano2]

He might've had a little bit of uncertainity with his new equipment for a short while, but I think he is performing up his own standard, he is just not on an exceptional run, while others improved and in good form. I doubt that equipment plays any role right now.

 

[Airoc]

I doubt that equipment plays any role right now.

It really shouldn´t.
On that level, it is possible to match the new rubbers to the former ones - which doesn´t mean that the new Joola rubbers are identical to the XIOM rubbers when you buy them in the shop, but his individual composition should be the same.
As for the blade, there has certainly been quite some testing before the move was even made.

 

[chinacurious]

Both his rubbers and blade still come out of the same factories as before. So I doubt there is much change.

 

[Archosaurus]

It really shouldn´t.
On that level, it is possible to match the new rubbers to the former ones - which doesn´t mean that the new Joola rubbers are identical to the XIOM rubbers when you buy them in the shop, but his individual composition should be the same.
As for the blade, there has certainly been quite some testing before the move was even made.

I'm not sure that a manufacturer would make equipment for just one sponsored player while not intending to make it into a product they could recoup the costs from, apart from if it's for development like Tenergy 09c, something that you intend to lose money on in the near term to be able to make money from later.

 

[Airoc]

I'm not sure that a manufacturer would make equipment for just one sponsored player while not intending to make it into a product

No, of course not. But that what is or becomes the marketable product can be individualized in almost any respect.
What I meant is that Joola should be able to have his rubbers tweaked as much into what he used before that it shouldn´t matter for him, even if the Xiom and Joola shop version rubbers differ.

In other words, if you make the change from Jekyll & Hyde to Trinity it might take some time to adapt (haven´t played them, don´t know how different the are).
On pro player level, there´s no such time, so Xiom "Hugo individual" should be equal to Joola "Hugo individual".

 

[jonol]

I don't think it has anything to do with the Joola equipment being any worse overall than Xiom, but the fact that he switched around equipment a number of times after leaving Xiom.

Someone at Hugo's level certainly can adapt quicker than almost anyone, but the game is still very much a game of reaction and muscle memory. It only takes missing 1-2 extra shots per game to potentially change the outcome of a match.

I think there was almost no way that him changing wouldn't end up looking bad for Joola, because Hugo was playing so well from 2025-2026, it wasn't likely he could continue in that same form for a long time. At some point people were always going to blame his losses on his equipment.

 

[chinacurious]

I don't think it has anything to do with the Joola equipment being any worse overall than Xiom, but the fact that he switched around equipment a number of times after leaving Xiom.

How do you know that? What equipment did he switch?

 

[Lula]

Would be interesting to know his reasoning behind changing.

 

[jonol]

How do you know that? What equipment did he switch?

He tried multiple different blades and was working with Joola to develop the equipment he wanted. So he wasn't always using the same equipment from match to match for at least a period of months.

Matt Hetherington gave some more details about it in another thread.

 

[Matt Hetherington]

I don't think it has anything to do with the Joola equipment being any worse overall than Xiom, but the fact that he switched around equipment a number of times after leaving Xiom.

Someone at Hugo's level certainly can adapt quicker than almost anyone, but the game is still very much a game of reaction and muscle memory. It only takes missing 1-2 extra shots per game to potentially change the outcome of a match.

I think there was almost no way that him changing wouldn't end up looking bad for Joola, because Hugo was playing so well from 2025-2026, it wasn't likely he could continue in that same form for a long time. At some point people were always going to blame his losses on his equipment.

This is correct. Him starting to try carbon fiber at the end of 2025 even before he came to Joola seemed to rock the boat a bit on the blade front. He ended up having to ground himself by going back to all wood and building back up from that stability again. That process alone lasted 4-5 months.

 

[Airoc]

back to all wood

?
His trusted HAL was Arylate (no carbon) so why go back even further?

 

[zeio]

I guess the bigger problem is he's gone back to what he had been using but we're being led to believe otherwise.

2026/1/17
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/calderano-signs-with-joola-139.38480/post-560587

If he wanted that then Joola could just make the exact same racket. He’s been trying also carbon fiber options in previous months even before he switched to Joola. His equipment decisions are up to him in the end.

2026/8/10
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/the-pros-equipment-discussion.12497/post-584227

well … I did shoot Star Contender in Ljubljana, and did some sniffing around the blades …

Dima, that blade isn’t inner, its normal ALC, at least it looks like that.
Hugo, still uses HAL. from a very reliable source I learned that the rubbers he is using are still Xiom C57.5/C52.5, but sponge is purple to make them look like Joola. if that’s true or not, I don’t know …
Khanak was testing some different blades but all with FZD handle, as he prefers a bit fatter handle.
Yunsuke Uda uses completely custom made blade with G-Fless handle.
Freitas was actually using Freitas ALC and Satoshi Aida was actually using his Masamune.

2026/8/11
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/the-pros-equipment-discussion.12497/post-584354

We know he tried various blades starting from WTT F Hong Kong 2025 but his performance had already dipped before CODE VI was spotted. His results don't matter. What matters is what he really uses. Correlation does not imply causation.

Player Name	Association	Event	Category	Men's Singles	Women's Singles	Men's Doubles	Women's Doubles	Mixed Doubles
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Star Contender São José dos Campos 2026	SEN	Champion				Finalist
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	United States Smash 2026	SEN	Round Of 16				SemiFinal
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2026 Presented by I Feel Slovenia	SEN	Finalist				QuarterFinal
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Champions Chongqing 2026 Presented by AITO	SEN	QuarterFinal
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	Singapore Smash 2026 Presented by Resorts World Sentosa	SEN	Round Of 16				Champion
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Star Contender Doha 2026	SEN	SemiFinal
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Champions Doha 2026	SEN	Round Of 32
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Finals Hong Kong 2025	SEN	Round Of 16				Groups
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Champions Frankfurt 2025	SEN	Round Of 16
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Champions Montpellier 2025	SEN	Round Of 32
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	China Smash 2025 Presented by Beijing Shijingshan Culture & Tourism Group	SEN	QuarterFinal				SemiFinal
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Champions Macao 2025 Presented by Galaxy Entertainment Group	SEN	Finalist
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	Europe Smash - Sweden 2025	SEN	QuarterFinal				QuarterFinal
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguaasu 2025	SEN	Champion				QuarterFinal
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Contender Buenos Aires 2025	SEN	Champion				Champion
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2025 Presented by I Feel Slovenia	SEN	Champion				Finalist
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Champions Incheon 2025	SEN	QuarterFinal
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025 Presented by IndianOil	SEN	Round Of 16
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	WTT Champions Chongqing 2025 Presented by AITO	SEN	Round Of 32
CALDERANO Hugo	BRAZIL	Singapore Smash 2025	SEN	Round Of 16				Round Of 16

 

[NextLevel]

I guess the bigger problem is he's gone back to what he had been using but we're being led to believe otherwise.

2026/1/17
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/calderano-signs-with-joola-139.38480/post-560587


2026/8/10
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/the-pros-equipment-discussion.12497/post-584227


2026/8/11
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/the-pros-equipment-discussion.12497/post-584354

Isn't it a bit much to take the statement of someone who has not posted a verified picture or any evidence other than his testimony as a counter to the claim of someone who actually supplied Hugo and explained the source of his using Joola Xylo 7 which was precisely the all wood blade that we know he used during his testing period?

While Matt hasn't commented on the claims of @Yurifi as far as I know, there is no way that anyone can or should take what Yurifi wrote as anything other than an interesting possibility but clearly unsubstantiated. We know that Joola has released an ARY only blade under Hugo's name as well. But we usually have the camera wizards who can verify what a player is using in a .match if they are sufficiently motivated.

To cut a long story short, one needs more hard evidence than a claim of someone you have never met and whose track record you do not know to start taking such claims seriously.

If this is your method of asking Matt to comment on @Yurifi 's comments, then again, I would ask that you do it respectfully. Being rude to industry insiders is not how this forum will be run.

 

[JustANoob]

I am not sure why we are directly going to the equipment at all, if I remembering correctly in the Joola thread there was a comparison with his supposed previous blade and the one Joola had released that is supposed to be the one he's using and construction wise the looked 99% identical.

I believe pros would have much better tolerance and adaptation to equipment change considering how much they play/train and their general talent. Also like someone else mentioned above the rubbers are not all that different coming from the same factory, considering its his job to play/win if he felt like they could always get him his XIOM rubbers until Joola gets the desired performance, its not like FZD trying zyre compared to a h3.

I personally feel like the game pace and strategy changed somehow in 2025, more of an instinctual feeling from watching than anything else, and maybe that had much more of an affect than the equipment.

 

[zeio]

Isn't it a bit much to take the statement of someone who has not posted a verified picture or any evidence other than his testimony as a counter to the claim of someone who actually supplied Hugo and explained the source of his using Joola Xylo 7 which was precisely the all wood blade that we know he used during his testing period?

While Matt hasn't commented on the claims of @yurifas far as I know, there is no way that anyone can or should take what Yurifi wrote as anything other than an interesting possibility but clearly unsubstantiated. We know that Joola has released an ARY only blade under Hugo's name as well. But we usually have the camera wizards who can verify what a player is using in a .match if they are sufficiently motivated.

To cut a long story short, one needs more hard evidence than a claim of someone you have never met and whose track record you do not know to start taking such claims seriously.

If this is your method of asking Matt to comment on @Yurifi 's comments, then again, I would ask that you do it respectfully. Being rude to industry insiders is not how this forum will be run.

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/a-better-forum-via-better-moderation.39768/post-584759

 

[NextLevel]

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/a-better-forum-via-better-moderation.39768/post-584759

Last warning. I have put you on notice. If you want to question Matt do it directly, courteously and courageously. You need more than just the post of someone who has shown you no pictures or hard evidence to claim that Hugo is not using Joola rubbers and blades. We know brands and players can lie, but you need to do better.

 

[Matt Hetherington]

Hugo is free to use whichever blade he chooses, we produced the ARY-x for a reason and if that’s ultimately what he decides to use then he will. The supplier sent all of his blades with a green and yellow handle because that’s what he liked initially, I have asked them whenever they send blades to Hugo to use the correct handle colour so people can distinguish which blade is which. I can tell you for a fact that he has just been sent more of both blade, the carbon and the non-carbon some of which I sent myself from the US.

It’s easy to sit in a forum and yap, you think working with table tennis players is easy I suggest you try it sometime.

Hugo makes his own decisions, he could change blade tomorrow and I, and others, would have no idea about it, so to say people are being misled is just silly. This is not some giant conspiracy theory, although you seem to revel in pointing fingers and playing detective.