Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
Yes, PS97.
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Wilson_Pro_Staff_97/descpageRCWILSON-PS97.html
Do you think my buddie can play better doubles with this racket ? and how does this racket play ? looks like a solid frame
Next Generation of Pro Staff is Here; Pro Staff RF 97 Review
- Thread starter drakulie
- Start date
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Wilson_Pro_Staff_97/descpageRCWILSON-PS97.html
Do you think my buddie can play better doubles with this racket ? and how does this racket play ? looks like a solid frame
asifallasleep
Hall of Fame
If the weight of the RF97 is not a problem in singles and he's having great results with it, i don't think changing frames would be a great idea.
Perhaps he just needs to continue playing more doubles to improve his recognition and reaction time at net and not change frames. If he's good enough to use the RF97 in singles he should be able to do so in doubles as well.
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
He doesnt' want to play Singles anymore. His knee is killing him. He wants to play doubles 90 % of the time now. When he played singles, he played baseline 90 % of the time so he didn't have to volley much. Now in doubles, he has to serve and Volley and often gets into 4 guys at the net fast exchanges and he is having trouble getting the racket in place fast enough.
asifallasleep
Hall of Fame
Sounds like someone who hasn't played a lot of doubles and just needs to adjust to the fast pace of net play. That means continuing to play as much doubles as possible. Doubles is completely different than singles. There needs to be an adjustment period.
I haven't heard any evidence of his racquet being too heavy.
Did his arm get tired serving with the Rf97 in singles? Was he late on his groundstrokes a lot? If not, it's not the racquet. He just need more time.
That all being said, there are easier racquets to play with. Sounds like he's going to demo the PS97 so you'll know soon enough - and so will he!
coolschreiber
Hall of Fame
I think your racket will become 'less' maneuverable if you take your leather grip off and swap it for a lighter grip.
I tend to disagree with that. Yes I know it will be slightly less head light but removing 8-10 grams should help.
asifallasleep
Hall of Fame
I went back and forth buying and selling RF97's 3 times, smh, but now i have 4 of them and am playing them all stock. So far so good. What's odd is that my fave out of the four is the heaviest one - which is right on spec. I bought the other 3 lighter than stock.
asifallasleep
Hall of Fame
sometimes what seems correct on paper doesn't always translate.......when i had switched to the synthetic from the leather grip I did find the frame to be a little more maneuverable. strange i know.
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
not really, he really said it is too hard for him to get the racket in front of him fast enough when bullet volley is coming at his chest from a player just 7 feet away......he wants something faster.... I suggested PS97
So I have playing with this stick for about 2 months now so I figure I will add my thoughts.
Just a little background on my racquet history. I have always loved the Pro Staff line. My second serious stick was the Pro Staff 85 and this cannot be beat for feel and precision. I played this thru out high school and then in college switched to the Pro Staff Classic 4.2 looking for a little more pop. The PSC 4.2 is an absolute fantastic racquet. I then took about 18 years off and came back to it. Had a short stint with the Pure Drive Tour but missed the precision of the Pro Staff. This then brought me to demo the RF 97 and I absolutely fell in love after my week long demo.
Yes this racquet does not have the plushness and feel of the Pro Staff 85 but it makes up for it with its power,spin, and control. My only complaint is I would have loved it to be a thin beam. In comparison to my PSC 4.2 I feel the RF 97 offers more controlled power. Not sure why that is maybe because the PSC 4.2 is slightly lighter so I can whip thru the ball faster wheras my swing is slower and probably smoother with the RF 97. It also feels stiffer even though the PSC 4.2 stiffness rating is higher either 72 or 74, can't remember which one. I do get some discomfort sometimes, that is the only thing that will keep me from sticking with it.
My discomfort seems to come from string setup though because since switching to gut/poly I have noticed some discomfort. When I was using NXT Control I had no discomfort.
Anyway I feel this is a fantastic racquet and glad I gave it a try. Great thread and perfect title!
Just a little background on my racquet history. I have always loved the Pro Staff line. My second serious stick was the Pro Staff 85 and this cannot be beat for feel and precision. I played this thru out high school and then in college switched to the Pro Staff Classic 4.2 looking for a little more pop. The PSC 4.2 is an absolute fantastic racquet. I then took about 18 years off and came back to it. Had a short stint with the Pure Drive Tour but missed the precision of the Pro Staff. This then brought me to demo the RF 97 and I absolutely fell in love after my week long demo.
Yes this racquet does not have the plushness and feel of the Pro Staff 85 but it makes up for it with its power,spin, and control. My only complaint is I would have loved it to be a thin beam. In comparison to my PSC 4.2 I feel the RF 97 offers more controlled power. Not sure why that is maybe because the PSC 4.2 is slightly lighter so I can whip thru the ball faster wheras my swing is slower and probably smoother with the RF 97. It also feels stiffer even though the PSC 4.2 stiffness rating is higher either 72 or 74, can't remember which one. I do get some discomfort sometimes, that is the only thing that will keep me from sticking with it.
My discomfort seems to come from string setup though because since switching to gut/poly I have noticed some discomfort. When I was using NXT Control I had no discomfort.
Anyway I feel this is a fantastic racquet and glad I gave it a try. Great thread and perfect title!
asifallasleep
Hall of Fame
Recently I'd been in a bad patch with the RF on groundies but just remembered today that I had gone back to stock (leather grip) from the babalot skin synth grip I had been hitting very well with. The Bab skin grip took my static weight down to 355 grams and a smaller grip size, enabling me to get the frame moving a lot quicker and easier for racquet head speed and faster exchanges. It also makes my grip a size smaller which allows me to whip the ball and react quicker for reflex shots. Also makes the beam of the frame feel thinner to me. I haven't been to the gym in over a year so i am certain my strength isn't what it used to be, lol. Stamina is no issue as I play 3 times a week.
TennisHound
Legend
I used the RF with just two overgrips and it dropped down the weight to 12.3oz, and it was still 6-7 pts HL. Played great.
asifallasleep
Hall of Fame
probably close to where i'm at. I started a thread over a year ago about removing the leather grip for a synthetic to improve maneuverability and increase head speed. Is the RF your main stick now?
TennisHound
Legend
Pretty much. I mainly do lessons and feed balls right now so I use a little lighter racquet for that, but use the RF for play.
asifallasleep
Hall of Fame
Seems my ground strokes are much better with the RF97 if I hit on the rise on my forehands and backhands. Makes sense I guess since Fed helped design the frame and he of course hits on the rise almost exclusively. I exert a lot less effort by hitting this way and there is no lack of maneuverability on my forehand which sometimes had been a problem. This is with the frame stock.
tribesmen
Professional
why?
More control, easier on the arm and just a better feel of the sweetspot.
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