This review was possible thanks to
Tennis Warehouse Europe and
Wilson.
This is a review of the upcoming
Wilson Pro Staff 97
Setup: Luxilon 4G 1.41mm @ 24kG (1 piece)
Specs:
Headsize: 97 sq.in. / 625.81 sq. cm*
Length: 685mm**
Weight: ±315g (11.1oz)* / ±330g (11.64oz)**
Balance: ± 310mm (10HL)* / ±321mm (6.8HL)**
Beam: 21.5mm*
String pattern: 16x19
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* Unstrung manufacturer advertised specs.
** Strung specs of the owned model.
Graphics, looks and overall impression...
I'll be honest. When Wilson was realising the teaser pictures showing some parts of the RF97 Autograph which shares the paintjob with the Pro Staff 97 I was really pleased with the looks of this new frame up until they showed the mostly red head. I was disappointed, while the paintjob wasn't in my opinion ugly I was hoping for a more stealth look - more black, less red so to speak.
Luckily photos don't make justice to this paintjob. In person the 97 looks very good, the graphics are sleek and elegant. The red is a true red colour and not some strange lighter shaded one which could be mistaken for pink or whatever. To sum up the paintjob is nice and by no means busy. Congrats to our very own PeterFig. Kudos, my friend!
Feel, comfort & stability...
The frame offers crisp and direct feel which you could probably define as specific for certain Wilson frames - most certainly correlated with graphite braided kevlar. You get a pretty good sense of what's going on with the ball on the stringbed. However while you feel the heritage of the old box beam Pro Staffs it is by no means a PS 6.0 85 or PS 90 with a bigger headsize. If you want that distinctive thin box beam feel but with a bigger headsize buy a Pro Staff 95 and bring it up to your specs with lead. This model still beats almost any racquet in the Wilson line up (6.1 95, Blades etc.) in the feel department and while it's not exactly what the diehard purists would want it still preserves a lot of "old school" in its fibres while achieving certain characteristics which makes it more tuned for the needs of the modern game, more on which later on.
While crisp the frame remains comfortable. The racquet equipped with a dampener is literally vibration free (naturally the handle is foam filled). Of course if you hit near the frame you feel it, you get a somewhat blunt sensation but still, not one annoying vibe.
I don't have elbow problems but was a bit scared what a 1.41mm poly could do to my arm, a really pleasant surprise, I must say.
What is also worth mentioning is a very generous sweetspot and beyond average stability in its weight class which could actually go on par with many heavier frames.
Power, spin & control...
Every trait has a trade-off, well for this model the trade-offs are minimised as much as it gets. You get quite a lot of "controllable" power without sacrificing much of the control. You can't have the best of both worlds but this model does a fantastic job at balancing these aspects. It is not as "scalpel" precise as the Pro Staff 90/95 models but it sure isn't a "ball sprayer" either. If you've got solid strokes you won't have a slightest problem to place the ball exactly where you want. What you get in return is good access to power which really shines when your on the attack and doesn't make you as helpless when you're on the defence allowing you to return a deep ball even when pushed far from the baseline.
Still the player is rewarded the most for staying aggressive from either the baseline or inside the court. Serve and volley acolytes need not worry, half or put away volleys after that first smashing serve aren't a problem.
Spin access was good however I think that the uber gauge of the used string hampered this aspect the most and while producing satisfying topspin was doable thanks to the possibility of achieving good racquet head speed, I found these strokes to be the most erratic, especially on the backhand side. Funny enough low sitting slices from both wings weren't a problem. Still I think this frame is above average in the spin department.
Overall playability...
In the immortal words of Jason Huang "I really enjoyed this playtest".
I think Wilson did a great job balancing out the characteristics of this model adjusting it to fit the needs of the modern player while maintaining as much of that classic old school feel as possible. They basically created a frame without any significant weaknesses and some good highlights like the already mentioned generous sweetspot. Solid on returns as well as volleys, precise from all areas of the court, gives those extra mph when needed. The racquet plays great stock still leaving some place to customise to your preferred specs.
Believe it or not but in my opinion this is one of the best frames Wilson released in years. I predict a bestseller.
