Should wilson continue the pro staff series?!

Should wilson continue the pro staff series?!

  • Yes

    Votes: 113 83.7%

  • No

    Votes: 22 16.3%
  • Total voters
    135
Smecz

Smecz

Professional
Hello Guys :)

I have a question about Future of series Pro Staff:

Should wilson continue the pro staff series?!

Recently it is noticeable that players prefer Wilson racquets more Blade, Ultra, Clash less Pro Staff and Six One...

Even recently we have already received a racquet from Wilson and Federer called Wilson RF pro 01.!!!

Wilson is slowly starting to distance itself from Pro Staff, creating something new, besides, does the Pro Staff concept still have a reason to exist in modern tennis?!

Does it make sense for Wilson to create another version of 15?! What player could maintain this series like Alacaraz Babolat Aero Pure?!

What do you think, will the Pro Staff series survive or are we seeing the end of this series?!
 
A

aus89

Hall of Fame
Yeah, they still have pros using them (and frames with PWS) and we'll see how the RF01 line goes, it isn't really seeking to replace the ProStaff (yet?) imo, and Wilson will still want a more classic box beamed control frame in their line up like Head/Yonex with Prestige/Percept etc... - I think the PS is in for some more changes still but it will keep going...
 
Smecz

Smecz

Professional
aus89 said:
Yeah, they still have pros using them (and frames with PWS) and we'll see how the RF01 line goes, it isn't really seeking to replace the ProStaff (yet?) imo, and Wilson will still want a more classic box beamed control frame in their line up like Head/Yonex with Prestige/Percept etc... - I think the PS is in for some more changes still but it will keep going...
Click to expand...
You're quite right, but it's certainly easier for the wilson six one to stay in modern tennis than the Pro staff..

Since the Pro Staff v14 is quite different from the Pro staff 85 version, it's increasingly difficult to replicate the Pro Staff in current tennis.
 
A

aus89

Hall of Fame
Smecz said:
You're quite right, but it's certainly easier for the wilson six one to stay in modern tennis than the Pro staff..

Since the Pro Staff v14 is quite different from the Pro staff 85 version, it's increasingly difficult to replicate the Pro Staff in current tennis.
Click to expand...
6.1 was the main ProStaff for many many years beyond Fed's Tour 90 up til 2013/2014 or so when the box beam came back and then we got the RF/PS 97 so that wouldn't be the end of the world... an updated PS 6.1 could make sense as the future of the PS rather than the Federer based PS 97 that isn't really used on tour beyond Dimitrov.
 
Smecz

Smecz

Professional
aus89 said:
6.1 was the main ProStaff for many many years beyond Fed's Tour 90 up til 2013/2014 or so when the box beam came back and then we got the RF/PS 97 so that wouldn't be the end of the world... an updated PS 6.1 could make sense as the future of the PS rather than the Federer based PS 97 that isn't really used on tour beyond Dimitrov.
Click to expand...
It's about Wilson six one 95, plays by Daniel Evans, which played by Del Potro or Nishikori...

It's just getting harder and harder for Pro Staff to follow the original,but I'm curious about version 15 when it comes out...
 
A

aus89

Hall of Fame
Smecz said:
It's about Wilson six one 95, plays by Daniel Evans, which played by Del Potro or Nishikori...

It's just getting harder and harder for Pro Staff to follow the original,but I'm curious about version 15 when it comes out...
Click to expand...
Six One was always a ProStaff - they only separated it off when the ProStaff 97 came along and made Federer's mold the only PS. Dan Evans, Lehecka, Bautista etc... are still on the 6.1 yeah. Nishikori used the Tour 95 though now has a new mold (which weighted up would also be a viable ProStaff successor imo and is used under ProStaff (and a few under Ultra) paint by Zheng and others on the WTA Tour as well) - The ProStaff 6.1 was always the main ProStaff alongside the Federer Tour 90
 
Smecz

Smecz

Professional
aus89 said:
Six One was always a ProStaff - they only separated it off when the ProStaff 97 came along and made Federer's mold the only PS. Dan Evans, Lehecka, Bautista etc... are still on the 6.1 yeah. Nishikori used the Tour 95 though now has a new mold (which weighted up would also be a viable ProStaff successor imo and is used under ProStaff (and a few under Ultra) paint by Zheng and others on the WTA Tour as well) - The ProStaff 6.1 was always the main ProStaff alongside the Federer Tour 90
Click to expand...
Okay, I understand,you have a right.!

Generally, I see a better chance of survival for Six One than Pro Staff, for me Six One is better for modern game.!!
 
Alexh22

Alexh22

Professional
I believe they should release the lighter Prostaff 97 or paint it as RF . Like they did overseas for their 90 and 95 many years ago. not the L version which is a different mold.
 
Smecz

Smecz

Professional
jarko111 said:
I can’t imagine Wilson not having one of the most iconic frames in their fleet.
Click to expand...
No, it wouldn't be appropriate, but Pro Staff has a smaller and smaller target group...

Players play on the end line with 2Hb, without going to the net, and play top spin, not how their style fits Pro Staff...
 
esgee48

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
If they drop it, they can still offer it using Pro Labs. But I think it is too soon to make an accurate projection. The Holics are trialing the RF Lite and Carve frames. I am curious as to which ones will get the Thumbs Up. (y)
 
S

Say Chi Sin Lo

G.O.A.T.
I think we need to look at the Junior scene. Most of us are loyal to our current racquet because we grew up playing with them as kids. In tennis, and most sports in general, kids and the younger generation will always have the most buying power, even if they aren't doing it with their own money.

If you look at the junior scene, forget about the Pro Staff, most kids don't even use Wilson frames as they're dominated by Babolat, Yonex, and even Head.

If we want the Pro Staff line to continue, Wilson needs to do a much better job at appealing to the younger generation.

Babolat struck gold with endorsement with the likes of Roddick, Nadal, and now Alcaraz.
Yonex is doing it with straight up quality.
Forget about the Pro Staff line, what's Wilson doing exactly?
 
Smecz

Smecz

Professional
Say Chi Sin Lo said:
I think we need to look at the Junior scene. Most of us are loyal to our current racquet because we grew up playing with them as kids. In tennis, and most sports in general, kids and the younger generation will always have the most buying power, even if they aren't doing it with their own money.

If you look at the junior scene, forget about the Pro Staff, most kids don't even use Wilson frames as they're dominated by Babolat, Yonex, and even Head.

If we want the Pro Staff line to continue, Wilson needs to do a much better job at appealing to the younger generation.

Babolat struck gold with endorsement with the likes of Roddick, Nadal, and now Alcaraz.
Yonex is doing it with straight up quality.
Forget about the Pro Staff line, what's Wilson doing exactly?
Click to expand...
Wise post, I will add that mainly Federer and a little Dimitrov saved Pro Staff.

The young generation had idols, and they wanted to play with this racquet.!!

If it weren't for them, Pro Staff wouldn't have survived, there was also Dolgopolov but I don't think he contributed that much to saving Pro Staff.
 
S

Say Chi Sin Lo

G.O.A.T.
Smecz said:
Wise post, I will add that mainly Federer and a little Dimitrov saved Pro Staff.

The young generation had idols, and they wanted to play with this racquet.!!

If it weren't for them, Pro Staff wouldn't have survived, there was also Dolgopolov but I don't think he contributed that much to saving Pro Staff.
Click to expand...

Yep, we all lived through this. Does the playability of a racquet appeal to an aspiring junior? Nope.

Does the image of the racquet appeal to the junior? Yep!
 
V

vokazu

Legend
Why don't Wilson make racquets that already have extra weight built in under the head guard? I don't want to add lead tapes to racquets, I want it ready to use off the shelves.
 
B

BumElbow

Professional
I'm not sure that Wilson should continue the new RF series - the reviews have been mixed. And, since it's only available in a 98 sq. inch headsize, I won't even consider purchasing it.
 
tennis_balla

tennis_balla

Hall of Fame
aus89 said:
6.1 was the main ProStaff for many many years beyond Fed's Tour 90 up til 2013/2014 or so when the box beam came back and then we got the RF/PS 97 so that wouldn't be the end of the world... an updated PS 6.1 could make sense as the future of the PS rather than the Federer based PS 97 that isn't really used on tour beyond Dimitrov.
Click to expand...

Agreed. The Six.One was a great racket, its too bad they got rid of it in favor of the PS97
 
A

aus89

Hall of Fame
tennis_balla said:
Agreed. The Six.One was a great racket, its too bad they got rid of it in favor of the PS97
Click to expand...
I think a Six One 97 or 98 would do pretty well actually as a modern pro-staff - have a 315/330/maybe a Tour for Dimitrov's PS97 mold (much like the Tour 90 in the 2000s) and keep the 6.1 100
 
C

Chairman3

Hall of Fame
aus89 said:
I think a Six One 97 or 98 would do pretty well actually as a modern pro-staff - have a 315/330/maybe a Tour for Dimitrov's PS97 mold (much like the Tour 90 in the 2000s) and keep the 6.1 100
Click to expand...
I think a smarter play would be scrap the 16x19 6.1 100 and offer it in a 16x18 and 18x20.
Not sure the market for a 97/98 6.1 racquet is viable.
 
A

awesomeTENNIS

Rookie
I think they are kinda shifting more into modern rackets specially now with the new RF line. RF was even supposed to hard launch shift to new rackets professionally briefly before retirement ( or as they say). You barely see any pros using it at their current skillset, what more on the new generations, and regular players/newbies in Tennis. So I wouldn't be surprised.
 
Smecz

Smecz

Professional
awesomeTENNIS said:
I think they are kinda shifting more into modern rackets specially now with the new RF line. RF was even supposed to hard launch shift to new rackets professionally briefly before retirement ( or as they say). You barely see any pros using it at their current skillset, what more on the new generations, and regular players/newbies in Tennis. So I wouldn't be surprised.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's getting harder to tune pro staff to the modern game...

And how to please old and new players so that everyone is happy?!, that's an art!!!

I'm interested in selling pro staff v 14, and I wonder if version 15 will be released?!
 
am1899

am1899

Legend
Pro staff will likely continue to evolve, but I don’t see any chance it doesn’t stay in the lineup for the considerable future.
 
T

taylor15

Hall of Fame
Say Chi Sin Lo said:
I think we need to look at the Junior scene. Most of us are loyal to our current racquet because we grew up playing with them as kids. In tennis, and most sports in general, kids and the younger generation will always have the most buying power, even if they aren't doing it with their own money.

If you look at the junior scene, forget about the Pro Staff, most kids don't even use Wilson frames as they're dominated by Babolat, Yonex, and even Head.

If we want the Pro Staff line to continue, Wilson needs to do a much better job at appealing to the younger generation.

Babolat struck gold with endorsement with the likes of Roddick, Nadal, and now Alcaraz.
Yonex is doing it with straight up quality.
Forget about the Pro Staff line, what's Wilson doing exactly?
Click to expand...
Atlanta area there are tons of blade 100s, a lot of clash and the PS97/97L is kind of popular too.
 
I

insiderman

Semi-Pro
Well, the original Ultra's (back in the late 80's) were nothing like today's Ultra frames... yet symbolic SKU in the history of Wilson frames - same goes for the Pro Staff line - it will always remain (I'm sure) yet there will be subtle changes as the game/players change.
Specific "names" (i.e. ; Product Lines) that are historic - don't just fade away... they get reborn etc - as they represent the Brand!
 
tele

tele

Hall of Fame
insiderman said:
Well, the original Ultra's (back in the late 80's) were nothing like today's Ultra frames... yet symbolic SKU in the history of Wilson frames - same goes for the Pro Staff line - it will always remain (I'm sure) yet there will be subtle changes as the game/players change.
Specific "names" (i.e. ; Product Lines) that are historic - don't just fade away... they get reborn etc - as they represent the Brand!
Click to expand...
Wilson has also not topped "Pro Staff" with any of the other names they have come up with since IMO. I would not be in a hurry to get rid of that name. Regardless, it would be nice if they would set up something like a permanent "Pro Staff Heritage" line that included the 85 and 6.1 95 reissues currently available along with the tour 90 and the RF97.
 
Last edited:
tennis_balla

tennis_balla

Hall of Fame
In my opinion the 6.1 mold is a lot quicker through the air, the PS97 can feel clunky. For me in its stock 315gr configuration it’s too light for a one hander to handle today’s pace. Again my experience with the racket. I think it’s a great racket (PS97) but considering the Blade exists and is so popular, I don’t see the current version breaking any ground or gaining popularity. The Six.One 95 is definitely more demanding but considering the Pro Staff line is a heritage line and more players on tour use that mold than the PS97 says a lot. I still think there’s a market for modern 95 sq in rackets especially when paired up with the proper string. Or what they could do is what Head did with the Prestige and keep the characteristics of your old racket and make it slightly bigger, a 97sq in Six.One
 
O

optic yellow

Legend
am1899 said:
Pro staff will likely continue to evolve, but I don’t see any chance it doesn’t stay in the lineup for the considerable future.
Click to expand...
They kinda can't drop it in the sense it is their strongest brand identity, it speaks to a level of class nothing else matches. Wilson will never drop their Staff Model golf irons even though their average customer is a self-doubting ***** who will gravitate to the CBs instead: it is the same with the PS and the Blade.
 
am1899

am1899

Legend
optic yellow said:
They kinda can't drop it in the sense it is their strongest brand identity, it speaks to a level of class nothing else matches. Wilson will never drop their Staff Model golf irons even though their average customer is a self-doubting ***** who will gravitate to the CBs instead: it is the same with the PS and the Blade.
Click to expand...

Totally agree.
 
Icsa

Icsa

Professional
Why aren't any of the ATP Pro players choosing Pro Staff? Most are with Blades and a few 6.1s.
 
G

glenWs

Semi-Pro
Smecz said:
Hello Guys :)

I have a question about Future of series Pro Staff:

Should wilson continue the pro staff series?!

Recently it is noticeable that players prefer Wilson racquets more Blade, Ultra, Clash less Pro Staff and Six One...

Even recently we have already received a racquet from Wilson and Federer called Wilson RF pro 01.!!!

Wilson is slowly starting to distance itself from Pro Staff, creating something new, besides, does the Pro Staff concept still have a reason to exist in modern tennis?!

Does it make sense for Wilson to create another version of 15?! What player could maintain this series like Alacaraz Babolat Aero Pure?!

What do you think, will the Pro Staff series survive or are we seeing the end of this series?!
Click to expand...

I would play a ProStaff LONG before I used an RF.
 
30T2

30T2

Rookie
Wilson will continue to sell rackets under the pro staff name as they have since the wooden era. They will continue to update them to fit what they see is the current taste in frames, as they have for decades. Whether or not this is the best marketing strategy, I have no idea, but I don't see why they would stop now in particular. As long as there is money in their coffers, they will have no shortage of pros who will happily have their frames painted to look like the latest iteration, to drive some consumer demand. Whether or not pros actually play those frames is, if I had to guess, not too relevant to the sales figures.
 
R

recreationalplayer

Semi-Pro
Any chance the Pro Staff line will morph into the RF 01 design ? The RF 01 line looks like an aerodynamic, sleek updated Pro Staff, in time could PS adopt the RF 01 design?
 
B

bigR

New User
“Staff” is an incredible name. Whether they keep the pro staff specifically or not idc. Just throw out the Gandalf Staff line YOU SHALL NOT PASS
 
McGradey

McGradey

Hall of Fame
bigR said:
“Staff” is an incredible name. Whether they keep the pro staff specifically or not idc. Just throw out the Gandalf Staff line YOU SHALL NOT PASS
Click to expand...
Wilson has imo the two best racquet names ever in Pro Staff and Blade.

‘Staff’ has that ancient/anachronistic quality to it and it’s such a badass concept for a tennis racquet.
 
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