syke
Professional
I still shank on my 100 just as much as my 90. And it's always due to the lack of concentration and poor timing.
Wilson ProStaff RF97 Autograph
- Thread starter Jenda
- Start date
I still shank on my 100 just as much as my 90. And it's always due to the lack of concentration and poor timing.
West Coast Ace
G.O.A.T.
That's good stuff! I heard they'll put them next to the ear hair trimmers and Depends.On unrelated news Wilson just tweeted that rf97 will be sold exclusively through Walmart for $18-$25 following recent turn of events
That's not happening. New racquet has improved his BH and serve quite a bit; return a little. But he's having trouble harnessing the power on the FH. But since most opponents are wearing out his BH and his only hope of winning is serving big, the new stick is here to stay.
drakulie
Talk Tennis Guru
The simplest way I could describe a box beam is as follows:
If you saw off a piece of the shaft on a pro staff, and look at it, you will see the shape of a box with sharp edges. If you saw off a piece of the shaft on a juice 100, you will see an oval shape. A "flat" beam could be "square" or "rectangular" in shape, but has rounded edges.
Hope this helps.
jelle v
Hall of Fame
For once I can say that we agree on something.. If one would like to eliminate shanks by increasing headsize, if even possible, I guess you would have to go to a 170 sqin racket head size or so.
Shanking is an effect of not timing the ball right and/or flawed technique, or other such factors, but 90" or 97" will have zero to none influence on shanking.
HunterST
Hall of Fame
Got it! Makes much more sense. Thanks!
I will certainly try the 340 grams version. I am curious what the flex rating and SW will be. But I have always liked heavy and head light rackets so it will be no problem I guess..
Might be close to the PS 6.1 classic, that was 340 unstrung and very head light. Pretty stiff though, although it never felt as stiff as the listed 72 RA to me.
Might be close to the PS 6.1 classic, that was 340 unstrung and very head light. Pretty stiff though, although it never felt as stiff as the listed 72 RA to me.
I was just browsing over the Wilson Website today and saw this! http://www.wilson.com/betterer/us/
(not sure if this has been posted, if so I apologise)
(not sure if this has been posted, if so I apologise)
gplracer
Hall of Fame
Federer has a unique ability to take the ball earlier than anyone else. Also, there was a time when Federer hit way more topspin than the majority of players. He was able to do this and create an aggressive shot due to his tremendous racket head speed. That said times have changed. Federer is my favorite player but lets be honest. He is older (tennis terms). He has a family. He just does not play as well as he used to play. Add this to the fact that players are better. Most hit more spin than 7 years ago. I think it is harder for him to take the ball so early and get a clean shot without shanking due to the factors I just mentioned. I do think the 97 inch racket has more power. I think Federer wanted a racket that would help him have about the same ball velocity with less effort. I know Break Point and others stated that he is not hitting the ball as hard with the 97in racket. I do not think that was his plan. He wanted a racket to give him the same results with less effort so as to be easier on the body and allow him to compete longer. I do think that Federer has lost some first strike ability on the forehand. But tennis has changed. When he played James Blake way back in the US Open (Federer vs Blake court level on youtube) he struck the ball harder with less spin than today. The game continues to evolve. My son just played zonals in the 12s and it looked like clay court tennis on hard courts. The amount of spin and pace hit by youngsters today is totally different than it was 10 years ago.
anubis
Hall of Fame
I honestly don't know what everyone is complaining about. This "old, washed up, slow, error-prone" Federer is still winning titles, playing Grand Slam finals and is #3 in the world.
I would LOVE IT if my "worst tennis" got me as far. Yes, he's not like he used to be, but so what? He's still better than all but two people in the world. We should all be proud of him, and congratulate him. Not criticize him.
I would LOVE IT if my "worst tennis" got me as far. Yes, he's not like he used to be, but so what? He's still better than all but two people in the world. We should all be proud of him, and congratulate him. Not criticize him.
D
dblsplayer
Guest
Seriously?
If you as a club/rec player cannot criticize one of the greatest players in the game, you are not worthy of posting. Only real posters know what is best for Federer
(yes, sarcasm) Had to include that for those who don't understand it
If you as a club/rec player cannot criticize one of the greatest players in the game, you are not worthy of posting. Only real posters know what is best for Federer
(yes, sarcasm) Had to include that for those who don't understand it
West Coast Ace
G.O.A.T.
A lot of insecure, bitter, jealous people in the world.
That's why Reality TV does so well - people sit and home and mock the people on the shows and it temporarily makes them feel better about their pathetic selves.
Fans will miss Fed. So will the ATP.
jackcrawford
Professional
It is only in comparison to his old self that he pales a little. The 90 detracted from his play - it was an idiosyncratic choice that always hurt him, like Charlie Parker's plastic saxophone of 1953 was a negative, not the secret of his sound. Fan boys would carry a plastic sax to gigs in the mid '50's, knowing they were like Bird, just like fan boys carried the 90 to the courts in the 2000's. The 1% it cost Roger early didn't matter much, although it likely cost him the 2005 Australian and French. Had Parker lived to be an old sax player, he would have had to go back to brass, like old tennis player Fed has gone on to a MP.
Sander001
Hall of Fame
Or like Borg returning to the tour with a wood racquet in the 90's.
BreakPoint
Bionic Poster
Of course, Borg not having played competitive tennis for almost 10 years wasn't a factor.
Sander001
Hall of Fame
Look at all the titles won by players using wood in the 90's. So many.
pug
Semi-Pro
Great post, and absolutely spot on. We are all lucky that Fed continues to play and play at such a high level.
fabiomazzer
New User
I created this rf97 pro staff:
What do you think?
What do you think?
I created this rf97 pro staff:
What do you think?
Looks great. I hope they keep it simple, classic, and clean like this. However performance is what really matters in the end.
bert96
Rookie
yeah...really looking forward to leading it up to my specs and testing it
D
Deleted member 19728
Guest
http://www.wilson.com/betterer/us/?1=26
Anyone else notice grip sizes 1-4????? Wtf is that? We are going to make a massively heavy players racquet and then not make it available in 4 5/8....utter brilliance. I was all excited about this one till I saw that....plus the stock leather on wilson raquets is so thin if you don't swap it out your 4 1/2 will feel like it is a size or two smaller after you hit with it for a few weeks.
Anyone else notice grip sizes 1-4????? Wtf is that? We are going to make a massively heavy players racquet and then not make it available in 4 5/8....utter brilliance. I was all excited about this one till I saw that....plus the stock leather on wilson raquets is so thin if you don't swap it out your 4 1/2 will feel like it is a size or two smaller after you hit with it for a few weeks.
5point5
Hall of Fame
It's like selling a size 15 shoe, not a big enough market for Wilson to care.
mmk
Hall of Fame
Yes, I noticed that and thought it was a bit odd. However, it could be that there isn't enough demand for 4 5/8 to warrant building any. I've used 4 5/8 since I was in high school in the 70s, and earlier this year decided to try smaller grips, but I'm back. But, no one I play uses anything bigger than 4 1/2.
slice bh compliment
G.O.A.T.
This haz really happened all over the woild.
Nowadays, most guys i know use a sz 3. big guys use a 4. Almost nobody uses a sz 5 or six anymore, even on the tour.
I remember when wilson and volkl were the only ones making a size six. Now, it is hard to find a five.
According to the traditional measurement methos, my hand from tip of ring finger to the palm's second crease is a 5 and a quarter, so i used 4 and 3/4 for uears. Then 4 and 5/8. Now 4 and a half modified to a 4 and 9/16. Feels good. No elbow pain. Yet.
Nowadays, most guys i know use a sz 3. big guys use a 4. Almost nobody uses a sz 5 or six anymore, even on the tour.
I remember when wilson and volkl were the only ones making a size six. Now, it is hard to find a five.
According to the traditional measurement methos, my hand from tip of ring finger to the palm's second crease is a 5 and a quarter, so i used 4 and 3/4 for uears. Then 4 and 5/8. Now 4 and a half modified to a 4 and 9/16. Feels good. No elbow pain. Yet.
borg number one
Legend
Yes, he hadn't played regularly for years and later referred to that return as "madness". He seemd to be trying to cast off his exacting, former self. He even used that strange coach. They were developing Donnay graphites for him to switch to after 1982.
slice bh compliment
G.O.A.T.
^fanks^
I remember his comebacks, but only vaguely. The press did not make a big deal, but the tennis press covered it with alacrity, i felt. Maybe just the newspaper guys.
There was the qualifying scenario on 1982. Borg was so offended.
Then the first comeback.
Then the one in the nineties at monte carlo ...losing to jordi arrese. He wore a ridiculously loose sweater vest and looked sullen and drawn.
Then there was yet another 90s comeback in sf, i believe. Did that happen? Or did he pull out? I am thinking jaime oncins was the opponent for some reason.
I remember his comebacks, but only vaguely. The press did not make a big deal, but the tennis press covered it with alacrity, i felt. Maybe just the newspaper guys.
There was the qualifying scenario on 1982. Borg was so offended.
Then the first comeback.
Then the one in the nineties at monte carlo ...losing to jordi arrese. He wore a ridiculously loose sweater vest and looked sullen and drawn.
Then there was yet another 90s comeback in sf, i believe. Did that happen? Or did he pull out? I am thinking jaime oncins was the opponent for some reason.
Last edited:
D
Deleted member 19728
Guest
Babolat seems to think there is a market for them....
Michaellearningtennis
New User
It's official, this will be the name of the Federer racket, it will come in three different specs as listed below. Release date 10/1/14.
Pro Staff RF97 Autograph:
340g/12oz Unstrung
22mm beam
16x19
ProStaff 97
11.1oz unstrung
22mm beam
16x19
ProStaff 97 LS
10.2oz unstrung
23mm beam
16x18
Heavy!!
Matchball
Semi-Pro
Except for the string pattern, close to the VCORE 97, too.
Regarding the specs: I am very curious what the SW of the 340 grams version will be. Below 330 and it will be dream specs to me. If it is much higher (not unlikely), the 315 grams with a leather grip (if it has synthetic, which I assume) might be perfect, a little more head light and plus 10 grams or so.. Hope the SW of the 315 version is higher than the way too light SW of the current PS 95. (I hate adding lead).
I realize, speculating about specs of a racket that hasn't been released yet is somewhat stupid haha..
Just dreaming
And enjoying my PS 90 a lot until then
(You know what the trick is with this stick? Lowwww tension. Plays like haven, sweat spot enlarges enormously by dropping the tension. If you like the weight of the stick but not the 90 head size, this is the way. I have it strung with thick natural gut (Babolat 15 gauche, thick to make it not too much alive) at 22 kg. perfect. )
So the 97 better be good
Or betterer
I realize, speculating about specs of a racket that hasn't been released yet is somewhat stupid haha..
Just dreaming
And enjoying my PS 90 a lot until then
(You know what the trick is with this stick? Lowwww tension. Plays like haven, sweat spot enlarges enormously by dropping the tension. If you like the weight of the stick but not the 90 head size, this is the way. I have it strung with thick natural gut (Babolat 15 gauche, thick to make it not too much alive) at 22 kg. perfect. )
So the 97 better be good
Or betterer
slice bh compliment
G.O.A.T.
Ja, we are all hoping it will be betterer! Loved the racquet scientists on the betterer vid. Fun marketing there.
Here's hoping it is the ideal blend of characteristics: less twist than a blade, clearly heavier than a babolat pure strike, better string pattern than a strike tour, more flex than a dunlop 2.0, sweeter and quicker than the old 90, the 6.1 95, the pure control tour or prestige pro. If so, wilson can do well with this one for many years.
If not, The middle one will sell very poorly. The autograph will sell to us dorky fedfans who want what he uses, no questions asked.
The spin version is probably its own thing (a totally different kind of frame), but it will capitalize on the fed look.
Here's hoping it is the ideal blend of characteristics: less twist than a blade, clearly heavier than a babolat pure strike, better string pattern than a strike tour, more flex than a dunlop 2.0, sweeter and quicker than the old 90, the 6.1 95, the pure control tour or prestige pro. If so, wilson can do well with this one for many years.
If not, The middle one will sell very poorly. The autograph will sell to us dorky fedfans who want what he uses, no questions asked.
The spin version is probably its own thing (a totally different kind of frame), but it will capitalize on the fed look.
borisbaseball
New User
For anyone that has tried the racquet out, could you provide a quick review and how it compares to other popular racquets on the market? Thanks
pug
Semi-Pro
hoodjem
G.O.A.T.
Maybe he works at the factory.?
slice bh compliment
G.O.A.T.
October 2014
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
so do we know what the final racket color will be ?
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
I created this rf97 pro staff:
What do you think?
Looks good. but lets add some Neon flash color in there so while swinging the racket, opponents will be blinded by the flash
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Yes the pictures are posted everywhere, but you can't access them due to Wilson blacklisting your VPN provider.
jmk2888
Semi-Pro
stringertom
Bionic Poster
.5mm...big difference, no? Whatever it is, everyone's gonna go for it bcoz of the RF factor!
Thanks for the link! At least I got a few chuckles! Also noticed the string savers in all the right spots.
