goldenyama
Professional
For anyone who has hit both, can you please tell us if the regular Clash is noticeably more flexy and comfortable than the Pro? I am looking for the ultimate in comfort.
Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Wilson Clash v3
- Thread starter TW Staff
- Start date
Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
You don't want to go higher on the Clash, you want to go lower. Mid 40s
Especially since you felt you were lacking power. Lower string tension works with the lower RA to create extreme dwell and pocketing.
mmazzinin1
Semi-Pro
I fully agree with Rosstour
they felt the same to me for comfort. imo, its more about the weight. the regular was easier for volleys and pro is better for heavier spin generation for groundstrokes.
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Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
I used to think so too, but I read on here that tension needs to be RA /1.25 and then go up or down 4 lb
Gives you an ideal tension of 44lb for a Clash. I string at 40 and no complaints about power. My stringer hates my racquet because he hits the back fence with ground strokes
Nadal - GOAT
Hall of Fame
What string do you use for your clash?
goldenyama
Professional
Thanks! Definitely sounds like the Pro is for me then. Have booked a demo.
mmazzinin1
Semi-Pro
But does anyone test it??
I was not chosen for the playtest, but I got one through Wilson and was able to test.
I am a 5.0 NTRP and 10 UTR, I have been a blade user for the last 11 years or so. Never thought of changing or testing anything else, in my 30s now and playing against people that are in college, just out of college or late 20s. I love the blade for its precision and crisp feeling, but lately I have been wanting some more forgiveness and pop especially on defense and the serve.
Anyway, I gave the clash 100 pro v3 a test. I went into it thinking I was not going to like it, but the first thing I noticed its how easy the racquet was to swing, even the pro version. Felt great in the arm and just very maneuverable. I have loopy heavy swings and this racquet really accentuated them, I can go for big heavy shots and they were always landing in. On defense, even when not hitting on sweet spot, still getting good power and depth. On serve, super easy to get slice serves and kick serves moving through the court. I lacked some precision on flat serves but they had good power.
The one thing I did not love, was the feel on slices, they fly a bit too high for my liking. Especially coming from a Blade. Volleys felt nice.
I strung with Hyper G soft at 50 lbs.
I am now considering switching to this racquet, not sure why it’s always been marketed as somewhat of a racquet for beginners, it can really work well on high level play. Will keep testing and make a decision.
I am a 5.0 NTRP and 10 UTR, I have been a blade user for the last 11 years or so. Never thought of changing or testing anything else, in my 30s now and playing against people that are in college, just out of college or late 20s. I love the blade for its precision and crisp feeling, but lately I have been wanting some more forgiveness and pop especially on defense and the serve.
Anyway, I gave the clash 100 pro v3 a test. I went into it thinking I was not going to like it, but the first thing I noticed its how easy the racquet was to swing, even the pro version. Felt great in the arm and just very maneuverable. I have loopy heavy swings and this racquet really accentuated them, I can go for big heavy shots and they were always landing in. On defense, even when not hitting on sweet spot, still getting good power and depth. On serve, super easy to get slice serves and kick serves moving through the court. I lacked some precision on flat serves but they had good power.
The one thing I did not love, was the feel on slices, they fly a bit too high for my liking. Especially coming from a Blade. Volleys felt nice.
I strung with Hyper G soft at 50 lbs.
I am now considering switching to this racquet, not sure why it’s always been marketed as somewhat of a racquet for beginners, it can really work well on high level play. Will keep testing and make a decision.
mmazzinin1
Semi-Pro
Thanks for the feedback. Hyper G Soft @50 is a bit too high... i would suggest to lower the tension a bit i.e. 48 mains, 46 crosses, 2 pieces.
Full disclaimer, I am part of wilsons advisory staff, so I am “sponsored” by them and get stuff from them. So, with that said, I need to stay within Wilson racquets. May give the RF 01 a try. I am still having a hard time coming to the decision to leave the Blade behind, it still works for me. So, not sure!
They did not ask me to come in here and promote. These are just my actual honest opinions of the racquet as some who is a Wilson user. Thats all.
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Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
40 with Volkl Cyclone Tour 17 but I also use the @J011yroger combo of Head Lynx Tour and Head Hawk Touch
Also not on this playtest but I’ve been using the V3 Clash Pro for the last 6 weeks. After a few different string/tension misses I’ve finally setting in with Element Soft at 45lbs.
On ground strokes I find the racquet to have plenty of power and spin. At the net I feel that the Clash Pro stands out, the stability, maneuverability and feel is incredible. Plenty of pop on serves and I had no problem accessing spin for kick or my lefty slice.
I feel that the reduction in weight will make this racquet accessible to more players.
For context, I am a 4.5 level player currently using a Wilson Pro Stock Steam 100, also a 16x20 string pattern, with a Blade V9 paint job.
On ground strokes I find the racquet to have plenty of power and spin. At the net I feel that the Clash Pro stands out, the stability, maneuverability and feel is incredible. Plenty of pop on serves and I had no problem accessing spin for kick or my lefty slice.
I feel that the reduction in weight will make this racquet accessible to more players.
For context, I am a 4.5 level player currently using a Wilson Pro Stock Steam 100, also a 16x20 string pattern, with a Blade V9 paint job.
1HBHfanatic
Legend
-no talk last time w.rep stopped by
-but i would say summer time or maybe fall
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Dawgtennis327
New User
Is the PS you use competitively the 16X20 100?
Ombudsman
Rookie
It’s the 16x19 100
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
I’d be interested if they are going to release a new Pro Staff line in the near future or sometime this year.
Should be sometime this year, probably summer or fall since they just released Clash. From what I hear it will still be blue, just different shades. A bit more flexible, and even one of the models will be pretty much a steam.
goldenyama
Professional
I got hold of a v3 Clash Pro demo here in Melbourne. Strung with a copper coloured poly (can't quite read the writing on it) at what feels like about 50lbs.
I was hoping for an extremely comfy hit thanks to the flex, but I didn't feel this was super comfy or flexible. Definitely easy to use but I didn't like the feel or precision and it felt stiffer than 57RA to me.
Is it worth testing the Clash 100 which is 54RA? I was thinking if it's flexier I could lead it up.
I was hoping for an extremely comfy hit thanks to the flex, but I didn't feel this was super comfy or flexible. Definitely easy to use but I didn't like the feel or precision and it felt stiffer than 57RA to me.
Is it worth testing the Clash 100 which is 54RA? I was thinking if it's flexier I could lead it up.
The tension may be too high. I started out at 50 with Toroline O-toro and didn't gel with the racquet at all, went to 44 with Element Soft and it feels/plays like a Clash.
I was given an approximate time frame of September/October 2025 as well.
ChanterRacquet
Professional
Probably Lux Element 1.25, which is comfy for a poly.
justRick
Rookie
I play tested the blade and really liked but I'll be honest, when the RF 01 came out, I bought that instead (judged a book by its cover). I took several weeks for me to adjust but I love the power/control balance. I use a full bed of solinico hyper G 16L @48 lbs.
Ombudsman
Rookie
My first playtest. Thank you TW for the opportunity - hope this helps others with a similar profile.
Racquet tested:
• Wilson Clash 100 Pro v3 - NRG2 1.30 Black @55
• 304g static unstrung / 320g strung + 6g overgrip + 2g dampener = 328g
• I don’t have a way to measure swing weight but the 100Pro felt lighter than my 98v1 which is 326.
Tennis experience/background:
• 55 yo male. Former HS and Div3 tennis and soccer player, but retired from competitive tennis for almost 3 decades, playing soccer instead. Multiple surgeries and a pandemic later, both my wife (former HS #1) and I joined a club and returned to tennis. Currently play at the 3.5/4 ladder and try to play 2 hours a week.
Racquet History:
• PS85 to K-Factor 6.1 Tour to Microgel Prestige Pro. Settled on the Pure Strike 98 G3 upon returning in 2020, but it did a number to my elbow/shoulder. Started playing the Clash 98v1 as my main until the Pure Strike 100 G4 (much more arm friendly but I’m a glutton). Still use the Clash 98v1 for all but competitive play. Tried the 98v2 but just didn’t gel. I use full bed Tecnifibre multi’s almost exclusively.
• I love muted/plush racquets. I don’t swing as fast any longer so look for racquets that are stable and forgiving, while providing me with free power. I play tennis less for the competition but for the exercise and joy of hitting the ball well.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
• Once an all court player but now primarily a baseline counterpuncher. I will come to net to finish points and I try to end points asap
• Flat forehand but a fairly spinny THBH. Heavy flat first and kick 2nd serve. Decent form, poor movement.
Current racquet/string setups:
• Match Play: Pure Strike 100 g4n (16x19) w/ x-1 Biphase 1.30 @50
• All else: Clash 98v1 w/ NRG2 1.30 Black @55
• The questions for me to consider on this playtest: #1 can the Prov3 replace the 98v1 and #2 whether it can replace the Pure Strikes.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 7
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke:
-Groundstrokes: The same plush comfort and easy, effortless swing of the v1 with a similar lively string bed despite the 16x20. Very stable. Lower ball trajectory so I did need to adjust my flat forehand coming from the 98v1. Easy access to spin and very easy depth. Importantly, more control than the v1 but still susceptible to balls flying here and there. Like all Clash racquets, super sensitive to timing and racquet face position. Quite the dream swinging the v3 from the baseline on both sides. Very pleased with the backhand response, especially getting depth on off center swings. All the goodness of v1 + the added control of the 16x20. Definitely a replacement for the 98v1 but does not have the penetrating ball flight of the Pure Strikes.
-Serves: Aces. Plenty of power and spin. I had no issues w/ hitting either my flat 1st serve or my kick 2nd. I actually preferred serving with the Clash Prov3 vs the Pure Strike - likely due to the HL balance and maneuverability. Comes through the air fast, and the weighted racquet face gives it the additional giddy-up. I did receive a few comments about how much more kick the Clash provided vs the Pure Strike.
-Volleys: Hit a lot of volleys throughout the 3 live ball sessions and it’s stable and highly maneuverable. This is where I appreciated the lively string bed. I no longer have the fastest reactions and I don’t come to net much, but the v3 is pretty much point and shoot, and where I appreciated the lively and forgiving string bed.
-Serve returns: So stable. We were hitting w/ the instructors post session including some serves. (They actually tried my Pro v3 and liked it too!) Returning power serves was easy and offered more predictability than the v1, but not as much as my Pure Strikes. Easy to attack - in fact, this is a very attacking frame. Some have mentioned that slices tend to sail - I did not find that for my slice / blocked returns, and could drive into the swing. I pretty only hit slices on serve returns.
Comments on racquet performance in each area:
Power/Control- Plenty of power and improved control from the v1. Very forgiving and offers both slow / fast swings an opportunity to leverage the Clash benefits. I prefer the Pure Strike to the Clash as it provides a heavier and more penetrating ball. Not as plush, but more predictable.
Top Spin/Slice- Excellent top-spin and very good on penetrating backhand slices. Excellent depth. Good racquet for my spinny 2HBH but the Pure Strike works better for my flat forehand.
Comfort- It’s a Clash again and very comfortable and a super easy ride. No issues at all regardless how poorly I strike the ball. Definitely a replacement for my 98v1 and more comfortable than my Pure Strikes.
Feel- Pleased to report that the v3 is very much closer to the v1 than the v2. The 16x20 pattern feels tighter in a good way and it had that familiar Clash feel many, like myself enjoy and appreciate. It’s a delight to swing and very nice at net and for serves.
Maneuverability- Super maneuverable and shines at net, similar to the Clash v1 but better my Pure Strikes.
Stability- Super stable across all swing types. Better than the v1 but I prefer the Pure Strike.
Definitely a replacement for the Clash 98v1 but not quite the control and penetration of the Pure Strike.
More to come - I'm going to try different strings once I give these NRG2 a little more time.
Racquet tested:
• Wilson Clash 100 Pro v3 - NRG2 1.30 Black @55
• 304g static unstrung / 320g strung + 6g overgrip + 2g dampener = 328g
• I don’t have a way to measure swing weight but the 100Pro felt lighter than my 98v1 which is 326.
Tennis experience/background:
• 55 yo male. Former HS and Div3 tennis and soccer player, but retired from competitive tennis for almost 3 decades, playing soccer instead. Multiple surgeries and a pandemic later, both my wife (former HS #1) and I joined a club and returned to tennis. Currently play at the 3.5/4 ladder and try to play 2 hours a week.
Racquet History:
• PS85 to K-Factor 6.1 Tour to Microgel Prestige Pro. Settled on the Pure Strike 98 G3 upon returning in 2020, but it did a number to my elbow/shoulder. Started playing the Clash 98v1 as my main until the Pure Strike 100 G4 (much more arm friendly but I’m a glutton). Still use the Clash 98v1 for all but competitive play. Tried the 98v2 but just didn’t gel. I use full bed Tecnifibre multi’s almost exclusively.
• I love muted/plush racquets. I don’t swing as fast any longer so look for racquets that are stable and forgiving, while providing me with free power. I play tennis less for the competition but for the exercise and joy of hitting the ball well.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
• Once an all court player but now primarily a baseline counterpuncher. I will come to net to finish points and I try to end points asap
• Flat forehand but a fairly spinny THBH. Heavy flat first and kick 2nd serve. Decent form, poor movement.
Current racquet/string setups:
• Match Play: Pure Strike 100 g4n (16x19) w/ x-1 Biphase 1.30 @50
• All else: Clash 98v1 w/ NRG2 1.30 Black @55
• The questions for me to consider on this playtest: #1 can the Prov3 replace the 98v1 and #2 whether it can replace the Pure Strikes.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 7
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke:
-Groundstrokes: The same plush comfort and easy, effortless swing of the v1 with a similar lively string bed despite the 16x20. Very stable. Lower ball trajectory so I did need to adjust my flat forehand coming from the 98v1. Easy access to spin and very easy depth. Importantly, more control than the v1 but still susceptible to balls flying here and there. Like all Clash racquets, super sensitive to timing and racquet face position. Quite the dream swinging the v3 from the baseline on both sides. Very pleased with the backhand response, especially getting depth on off center swings. All the goodness of v1 + the added control of the 16x20. Definitely a replacement for the 98v1 but does not have the penetrating ball flight of the Pure Strikes.
-Serves: Aces. Plenty of power and spin. I had no issues w/ hitting either my flat 1st serve or my kick 2nd. I actually preferred serving with the Clash Prov3 vs the Pure Strike - likely due to the HL balance and maneuverability. Comes through the air fast, and the weighted racquet face gives it the additional giddy-up. I did receive a few comments about how much more kick the Clash provided vs the Pure Strike.
-Volleys: Hit a lot of volleys throughout the 3 live ball sessions and it’s stable and highly maneuverable. This is where I appreciated the lively string bed. I no longer have the fastest reactions and I don’t come to net much, but the v3 is pretty much point and shoot, and where I appreciated the lively and forgiving string bed.
-Serve returns: So stable. We were hitting w/ the instructors post session including some serves. (They actually tried my Pro v3 and liked it too!) Returning power serves was easy and offered more predictability than the v1, but not as much as my Pure Strikes. Easy to attack - in fact, this is a very attacking frame. Some have mentioned that slices tend to sail - I did not find that for my slice / blocked returns, and could drive into the swing. I pretty only hit slices on serve returns.
Comments on racquet performance in each area:
Power/Control- Plenty of power and improved control from the v1. Very forgiving and offers both slow / fast swings an opportunity to leverage the Clash benefits. I prefer the Pure Strike to the Clash as it provides a heavier and more penetrating ball. Not as plush, but more predictable.
Top Spin/Slice- Excellent top-spin and very good on penetrating backhand slices. Excellent depth. Good racquet for my spinny 2HBH but the Pure Strike works better for my flat forehand.
Comfort- It’s a Clash again and very comfortable and a super easy ride. No issues at all regardless how poorly I strike the ball. Definitely a replacement for my 98v1 and more comfortable than my Pure Strikes.
Feel- Pleased to report that the v3 is very much closer to the v1 than the v2. The 16x20 pattern feels tighter in a good way and it had that familiar Clash feel many, like myself enjoy and appreciate. It’s a delight to swing and very nice at net and for serves.
Maneuverability- Super maneuverable and shines at net, similar to the Clash v1 but better my Pure Strikes.
Stability- Super stable across all swing types. Better than the v1 but I prefer the Pure Strike.
Definitely a replacement for the Clash 98v1 but not quite the control and penetration of the Pure Strike.
More to come - I'm going to try different strings once I give these NRG2 a little more time.
goldenyama
Professional
I was looking at these, tempted by the 53 flex. Do you play with it?
ChanterRacquet
Professional
Clash v3 100
String and tension used for test: full beds of Black Multifeel 16 and the included Orange NXT 16, both at 54 lbs on an Alpha crank
Tennis experience/background: My wife played in college so I've spent the last 18.5 years of marriage playing catch up, not there yet, pushing 4.0 NTRP. Started playing league a few years ago in my mid to late 30s, sidelined by tennis elbow, trying to play as much as possible without further aggravating the elbow too much as it's the family sport with both kids playing varsity in high school.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Doubles: hit strong serves and groundstrokes to setup the easy poach volley for my partner, same for singles to setup the short ball. As Mike Leach once said, the best defense is a touchdown. Hit the ball, hit it hard, and force the error. This requires a racquet with higher launch angles which is why I've been gravitating away from the previous gen CX 200 OS as I slap the tape a bit too much with it.
Current racquet/string setups: I'd be playing the Rafa 290 if it didn't aggravate the elbow so 2024 Boom Team with leather and lead (307 g, 33.2 cm, 319 sw), usually with Multifeel 16. Past racquets I spent more than a weekend with include Ti.Radical OS, 2015/8 Pure Drive, PStrike gen3 18x20, CX 200 OS, Avocado Extreme MP, PK Black Ace 300.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 8 hours (it's cold outside, haha)
For context, the specs of the racquet I received are as follows: 314 g with strings and overgrip, 31.9 cm balance, 308 sw.
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):
-Groundstrokes: Forehand is great: does what I expect as long as I put the effort in. No issues with launch angle. My shots are going over the net AND hitting in front of the baseline off both wings. My 2hbh is FINALLY starting to dial in and this racquet has allowed continued improvement with no hindrance.
-Serves: Serving for me is like studying thermodynamics, as soon as you think you understand, you realize you don't understand. During the playtest I underwent a serving renaissance based on some techniques and practices I observed during the AO. So far, I'm hitting some of my strongest serves with consistency, which is weird. I usually win my first serve game at love and lose my second serve game at love, haha. So, the racquet is certainly not a barrier to serving well. As with the groundstrokes, you can impart plenty of spin to bring the ball down.
-Volleys: Volleys are good, aided by the medium power. I found it easy to keep them short for a double bounce but there was enough power to put away when the opportunity presented itself.
-Serve returns: Very predictable response. I wasn't ripping any but I also had the least amount of time on this stroke to test, so I couldn't really dial in.
Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)
Power/Control- I would say it has medium power. It has less power than stiffer frames but more power than similarly soft frames. Medium weight for medium power, given its softness. I was able to overpower my opponents on occasion and didn't end up feeding them many short balls for lack of power. It has more power than the v1 Clash 100, at least comparing to my RG edition which I bought when I first got tennis elbow but never got on with and still don't revisiting it now to compare which is weird since the specs I have some control over (308 g, 32.9 cm, 320 sw, 100", TW 55 RA) are almost identical to my modded Boom Team (307 g, 33.2 cm, 319 sw, 102", TW 62 RA). Control is fine for a racquet that's new to me. I haven't hit with it long enough to fine tune the techniques that work best. I will say that I've been able to hit several winners off of strong serve returns from redirected pace (off some of my stronger serves), so the control is there when it comes together. I'm certainly not struggling to control the frame, I just feel there's a bit more dialing in I could do as I become more familiar with it.
Top Spin/Slice- Plenty of top spin keeps balls in when a groundstroke goes deep. About the only time I slice are backhand slices when it's low and to the body, but I can't recall slapping the tape all that much unlike with some racquets I've tried. Nothing wicked but forcing your opponent to play one more ball isn't a bad thing. Overall, consistent and predictable spin. The rare forehand punch slice just to keep the ball in play got the job done without error.
Comfort- In general, a comfortable racquet, though I've only tried full beds of multifilaments. I also have a RG edition of the v1 Clash which feels slightly softer. But, the performance increase of the v3 that I've experienced is worth what small difference in comfort there *might* be. My only beef with the Clash line is how sharp the yoke is; I sometimes throw a second hand up for extra stability on those backhand volleys to the body and it hurts as the edge of the yoke stabs your hand.
Feel- I'm not sure how to respond to this as I think a lot of people use feel to describe control. Regarding the literal interpretation which is more in line with comfort: it knows it's a Clash, I know it's a Clash, it knows that I know it's a Clash; you can feel how the vibrations echo around the frame differently than any other racquet. Thinking back, I can't recall at any point feeling like I hit outside the sweet spot except for the windy day when the cross wind would blow the ball so you hit lower on the string bed facing one way and shanking off the top of the frame facing the other way, but that's naught to do with the racquet. I never detected (i.e. pain) hitting nearer 3 and 9 so I either didn't shank wide or it has a wide sweet spot.
Maneuverability- Swingweight of mine was 308 at 314 g so it was adequately maneuverable. With my 5'11" 140 lbs of lean muscle and bone in a 160 lbs body, haha, and as my racquet history shows, I'm leaning more into lighter racquets that provide me with more fine tune control of the motions for more accuracy on the big ground strokes, ensuring I can get over the ball to let spin keep it in. My racquet is a very nice combo of weight, balance, and swingweight; I don't feel like any spec of the racquet limited my performance. With a lot of heavier racquets, the atrophy from tennis elbow starts to wear me down pretty quick but I had no such issue with this frame.
Stability- I don't recall any instance of racquet flutter. So, I think it's stable. I also feel it's a little more solid than the v1 as it seems just a little less noodle-y in the longitudinal direction providing more directional control (and more power).
General reaction/comments on overall performance: I MOST DEFINITELY intend on continuing to use the racquet and plan to add to the review as I learn more about it. The specs of the frame I received fall too well within my "wheelhouse" as far as maneuverability goes. That it doesn't aggravate my tennis elbow (that dates back to 2020/2021?) even after sequential days of play is a super bonus. My wife and I will go out and drill cross court, down the line, and volleys and she likes the racquet for the power and consistency I'm able to provide which is high praise. We've had some of our longest rallies with me using this racquet. So, don't fix what ain't broke, I'll keep using it and fine tuning technique to see if I can squeeze a little bit more out of it to match how well I've been playing with the modded Boom Team. Using it so far has not introduced any deficiencies in my game and I've been surprised at how well some shots came out, so I think I can go further with the Clash v3 100.
String and tension used for test: full beds of Black Multifeel 16 and the included Orange NXT 16, both at 54 lbs on an Alpha crank
Tennis experience/background: My wife played in college so I've spent the last 18.5 years of marriage playing catch up, not there yet, pushing 4.0 NTRP. Started playing league a few years ago in my mid to late 30s, sidelined by tennis elbow, trying to play as much as possible without further aggravating the elbow too much as it's the family sport with both kids playing varsity in high school.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Doubles: hit strong serves and groundstrokes to setup the easy poach volley for my partner, same for singles to setup the short ball. As Mike Leach once said, the best defense is a touchdown. Hit the ball, hit it hard, and force the error. This requires a racquet with higher launch angles which is why I've been gravitating away from the previous gen CX 200 OS as I slap the tape a bit too much with it.
Current racquet/string setups: I'd be playing the Rafa 290 if it didn't aggravate the elbow so 2024 Boom Team with leather and lead (307 g, 33.2 cm, 319 sw), usually with Multifeel 16. Past racquets I spent more than a weekend with include Ti.Radical OS, 2015/8 Pure Drive, PStrike gen3 18x20, CX 200 OS, Avocado Extreme MP, PK Black Ace 300.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 8 hours (it's cold outside, haha)
For context, the specs of the racquet I received are as follows: 314 g with strings and overgrip, 31.9 cm balance, 308 sw.
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):
-Groundstrokes: Forehand is great: does what I expect as long as I put the effort in. No issues with launch angle. My shots are going over the net AND hitting in front of the baseline off both wings. My 2hbh is FINALLY starting to dial in and this racquet has allowed continued improvement with no hindrance.
-Serves: Serving for me is like studying thermodynamics, as soon as you think you understand, you realize you don't understand. During the playtest I underwent a serving renaissance based on some techniques and practices I observed during the AO. So far, I'm hitting some of my strongest serves with consistency, which is weird. I usually win my first serve game at love and lose my second serve game at love, haha. So, the racquet is certainly not a barrier to serving well. As with the groundstrokes, you can impart plenty of spin to bring the ball down.
-Volleys: Volleys are good, aided by the medium power. I found it easy to keep them short for a double bounce but there was enough power to put away when the opportunity presented itself.
-Serve returns: Very predictable response. I wasn't ripping any but I also had the least amount of time on this stroke to test, so I couldn't really dial in.
Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)
Power/Control- I would say it has medium power. It has less power than stiffer frames but more power than similarly soft frames. Medium weight for medium power, given its softness. I was able to overpower my opponents on occasion and didn't end up feeding them many short balls for lack of power. It has more power than the v1 Clash 100, at least comparing to my RG edition which I bought when I first got tennis elbow but never got on with and still don't revisiting it now to compare which is weird since the specs I have some control over (308 g, 32.9 cm, 320 sw, 100", TW 55 RA) are almost identical to my modded Boom Team (307 g, 33.2 cm, 319 sw, 102", TW 62 RA). Control is fine for a racquet that's new to me. I haven't hit with it long enough to fine tune the techniques that work best. I will say that I've been able to hit several winners off of strong serve returns from redirected pace (off some of my stronger serves), so the control is there when it comes together. I'm certainly not struggling to control the frame, I just feel there's a bit more dialing in I could do as I become more familiar with it.
Top Spin/Slice- Plenty of top spin keeps balls in when a groundstroke goes deep. About the only time I slice are backhand slices when it's low and to the body, but I can't recall slapping the tape all that much unlike with some racquets I've tried. Nothing wicked but forcing your opponent to play one more ball isn't a bad thing. Overall, consistent and predictable spin. The rare forehand punch slice just to keep the ball in play got the job done without error.
Comfort- In general, a comfortable racquet, though I've only tried full beds of multifilaments. I also have a RG edition of the v1 Clash which feels slightly softer. But, the performance increase of the v3 that I've experienced is worth what small difference in comfort there *might* be. My only beef with the Clash line is how sharp the yoke is; I sometimes throw a second hand up for extra stability on those backhand volleys to the body and it hurts as the edge of the yoke stabs your hand.
Feel- I'm not sure how to respond to this as I think a lot of people use feel to describe control. Regarding the literal interpretation which is more in line with comfort: it knows it's a Clash, I know it's a Clash, it knows that I know it's a Clash; you can feel how the vibrations echo around the frame differently than any other racquet. Thinking back, I can't recall at any point feeling like I hit outside the sweet spot except for the windy day when the cross wind would blow the ball so you hit lower on the string bed facing one way and shanking off the top of the frame facing the other way, but that's naught to do with the racquet. I never detected (i.e. pain) hitting nearer 3 and 9 so I either didn't shank wide or it has a wide sweet spot.
Maneuverability- Swingweight of mine was 308 at 314 g so it was adequately maneuverable. With my 5'11" 140 lbs of lean muscle and bone in a 160 lbs body, haha, and as my racquet history shows, I'm leaning more into lighter racquets that provide me with more fine tune control of the motions for more accuracy on the big ground strokes, ensuring I can get over the ball to let spin keep it in. My racquet is a very nice combo of weight, balance, and swingweight; I don't feel like any spec of the racquet limited my performance. With a lot of heavier racquets, the atrophy from tennis elbow starts to wear me down pretty quick but I had no such issue with this frame.
Stability- I don't recall any instance of racquet flutter. So, I think it's stable. I also feel it's a little more solid than the v1 as it seems just a little less noodle-y in the longitudinal direction providing more directional control (and more power).
General reaction/comments on overall performance: I MOST DEFINITELY intend on continuing to use the racquet and plan to add to the review as I learn more about it. The specs of the frame I received fall too well within my "wheelhouse" as far as maneuverability goes. That it doesn't aggravate my tennis elbow (that dates back to 2020/2021?) even after sequential days of play is a super bonus. My wife and I will go out and drill cross court, down the line, and volleys and she likes the racquet for the power and consistency I'm able to provide which is high praise. We've had some of our longest rallies with me using this racquet. So, don't fix what ain't broke, I'll keep using it and fine tuning technique to see if I can squeeze a little bit more out of it to match how well I've been playing with the modded Boom Team. Using it so far has not introduced any deficiencies in my game and I've been surprised at how well some shots came out, so I think I can go further with the Clash v3 100.
Nadal - GOAT
Hall of Fame
You didn't face any stability issues in volleys/ ground strokes because of the low swing weight and very flexible frame?
Some people mentioned that the low swing weight makes the racquet unstable when receiving fast paced balls.
ChanterRacquet
Professional
No stability issues for me on fast paced balls. But I also don’t face stability issues when using even lighter racquets; power issues yes, but I don’t lose control of the shot due to a lack of stability. Perhaps stability means something else to those who use the term.
MadisonTennis
Rookie
Clash V3 100
String and Tension Used For Test: Volkl Cyclone 18 at 52#s for about 5 hours and then Volkl Cyclone 18 at 48#s for 3 hours
Tennis Experience/Background: Started playing when I was about 12 yrs old but really did not taking is serious until around 16/took about a 10 year break when I went off to college and then have been playing since then/almost 60 now so I mainly just play for fun at our tennis club/have not played league in a while but when I took it seriously was playing 4.5 in TX/have coached school tennis on the side for about 8 years but stopped a couple of years back
Playing Style: grew up playing singles but have resorted to doubles the past 10 years/play mainly from the baseline which probably drives my doubles partners crazy but guess it's an old habit from singles/hit topspin on both sides with a two handed backhand which has always been my strength/net game is actually not bad/serve is average at best but consistent
Current Racket/String Setups: I've tried various versions of the V1 Clash and tried the V2 but it was too much on my arm/I go back and forth between the V1 Clash and Volkl Organix V1 MP which I have used for years/typical string setup is Volkl Cyclone 18 at 52#s or a Tier One Hybrid at 52#s
How Many Hours Did I Use This Racket: about 8 hours only due to recent knee issues which forced me to get a cortisone shot in each knee
Groundstrokes: From the first time I picked it up, I felt like it was easy to use. The lower swing weight is more catered to my previous rackets. I was able to hit a lot of topspin on both sides and the ball rarely sailed on me. I really think this racket rewards you if you swing thru the ball and not blocking it back. I will continue to test with different strings and want to try a hybrid next. I still don't think I have found the right set up because I was surprised that when I dropped to 48#s the ball did not sail on me. May even try going down to 44#s just to try.
Serves: Serving was easy with this racket but I felt like I lost some pace versus my Volkl. I played the other night indoors against some guys that I play against a lot and they were really attacking my serve which was a little frustrating. Again, the racket is easy to serve with but this was one area where I struggled with pace. It was easy to hit flat or kick serves with this racket though.
Volleys: I really liked volleying with this racket. It was very stable and did not twist in my arm. I felt like I was hitting nice deep volleys and could hit drop volleys as well. I thought it was very maneuverable at the net.
Serve returns: Again, very easy to use. My return of serve is one of my strengths and I had no issues getting my returns in the court on either side. I could hit flat or topspin returns as well as slice when pulled out wide.
Power/Control: This was a mixed bag because I really liked the control but the power just is not there yet until I find the right set up. As mentioned with my serves, I just felt like I had to work a lot more than normal to earn points but I will be trying lower tensions and strings in the future. I wish I could have had more time to test it but the my knees limited me.
Comfort: This is a very comfortable racket. I had zero wrist or elbow issues with this racket. The one area where I felt some soreness was in my shoulder but I really think that was due to me trying to figure the serve out. It is a little heavier than what I am used to so that may be part of the issue as well.
Feel: I felt like it was very muted and really did not feel any jarring effects if I hit outside the string bed. In my opinion, the Clash sort of has it's own feel to it. The ball tends to stay on the string bed longer and you can almost feel the ball leave the racket.
Maneuverability: I felt like this racket was very maneuverable up to an extent. When I played against opponents that hit about the same pace as me, I had no issues. Where I struggled was against the really heavy hitters where I usually have no issues with my Volkl. I really think it was the extra weight of the racket and not getting set as quickly as my normal racket but this is when I would revert back to my Volkl. On a side note, I have been playing only indoors where the ball is quicker so I look forward to getting outside on the clay courts where the ball is slower.
Stability: No issues here. I thought it was more stable than my regular racket at the net and from the baseline as long as I was hitting in front of the ball. If I can work on hitting the ball a little earlier against the heavy hitters, I really think I would find this racket more stable than my Volkl in all areas.
General Reactions: As you can see from my write up, I really think this is a great racket and has gone back more to the V1 Clash. This racket rewards you if you prepare and hit early. Honestly, it sort of remind me of my old ProKennex SMI 10G rackets from the late 90s which was my favorite racket of all time. I will continue to try different set ups but hitting against heavy hitters will be the determining factor long term. If I was 20 years younger, I know this would be the racket for me but we will see. Overall, I think this is a great racket and Wilson went back to the right direction because I was not a fan of the V2 Clash. I will try other setups and see where that goes and give updates down the road. Thanks to Tennis Warehouse and Wilson for allowing me to be part of the racket test.
String and Tension Used For Test: Volkl Cyclone 18 at 52#s for about 5 hours and then Volkl Cyclone 18 at 48#s for 3 hours
Tennis Experience/Background: Started playing when I was about 12 yrs old but really did not taking is serious until around 16/took about a 10 year break when I went off to college and then have been playing since then/almost 60 now so I mainly just play for fun at our tennis club/have not played league in a while but when I took it seriously was playing 4.5 in TX/have coached school tennis on the side for about 8 years but stopped a couple of years back
Playing Style: grew up playing singles but have resorted to doubles the past 10 years/play mainly from the baseline which probably drives my doubles partners crazy but guess it's an old habit from singles/hit topspin on both sides with a two handed backhand which has always been my strength/net game is actually not bad/serve is average at best but consistent
Current Racket/String Setups: I've tried various versions of the V1 Clash and tried the V2 but it was too much on my arm/I go back and forth between the V1 Clash and Volkl Organix V1 MP which I have used for years/typical string setup is Volkl Cyclone 18 at 52#s or a Tier One Hybrid at 52#s
How Many Hours Did I Use This Racket: about 8 hours only due to recent knee issues which forced me to get a cortisone shot in each knee
Groundstrokes: From the first time I picked it up, I felt like it was easy to use. The lower swing weight is more catered to my previous rackets. I was able to hit a lot of topspin on both sides and the ball rarely sailed on me. I really think this racket rewards you if you swing thru the ball and not blocking it back. I will continue to test with different strings and want to try a hybrid next. I still don't think I have found the right set up because I was surprised that when I dropped to 48#s the ball did not sail on me. May even try going down to 44#s just to try.
Serves: Serving was easy with this racket but I felt like I lost some pace versus my Volkl. I played the other night indoors against some guys that I play against a lot and they were really attacking my serve which was a little frustrating. Again, the racket is easy to serve with but this was one area where I struggled with pace. It was easy to hit flat or kick serves with this racket though.
Volleys: I really liked volleying with this racket. It was very stable and did not twist in my arm. I felt like I was hitting nice deep volleys and could hit drop volleys as well. I thought it was very maneuverable at the net.
Serve returns: Again, very easy to use. My return of serve is one of my strengths and I had no issues getting my returns in the court on either side. I could hit flat or topspin returns as well as slice when pulled out wide.
Power/Control: This was a mixed bag because I really liked the control but the power just is not there yet until I find the right set up. As mentioned with my serves, I just felt like I had to work a lot more than normal to earn points but I will be trying lower tensions and strings in the future. I wish I could have had more time to test it but the my knees limited me.
Comfort: This is a very comfortable racket. I had zero wrist or elbow issues with this racket. The one area where I felt some soreness was in my shoulder but I really think that was due to me trying to figure the serve out. It is a little heavier than what I am used to so that may be part of the issue as well.
Feel: I felt like it was very muted and really did not feel any jarring effects if I hit outside the string bed. In my opinion, the Clash sort of has it's own feel to it. The ball tends to stay on the string bed longer and you can almost feel the ball leave the racket.
Maneuverability: I felt like this racket was very maneuverable up to an extent. When I played against opponents that hit about the same pace as me, I had no issues. Where I struggled was against the really heavy hitters where I usually have no issues with my Volkl. I really think it was the extra weight of the racket and not getting set as quickly as my normal racket but this is when I would revert back to my Volkl. On a side note, I have been playing only indoors where the ball is quicker so I look forward to getting outside on the clay courts where the ball is slower.
Stability: No issues here. I thought it was more stable than my regular racket at the net and from the baseline as long as I was hitting in front of the ball. If I can work on hitting the ball a little earlier against the heavy hitters, I really think I would find this racket more stable than my Volkl in all areas.
General Reactions: As you can see from my write up, I really think this is a great racket and has gone back more to the V1 Clash. This racket rewards you if you prepare and hit early. Honestly, it sort of remind me of my old ProKennex SMI 10G rackets from the late 90s which was my favorite racket of all time. I will continue to try different set ups but hitting against heavy hitters will be the determining factor long term. If I was 20 years younger, I know this would be the racket for me but we will see. Overall, I think this is a great racket and Wilson went back to the right direction because I was not a fan of the V2 Clash. I will try other setups and see where that goes and give updates down the road. Thanks to Tennis Warehouse and Wilson for allowing me to be part of the racket test.
Nadal - GOAT
Hall of Fame
Is it difficult to generate higher RHS when playing with lighter racquets to make up for the lack of weight and generate as much power as heavier racquet?
I always assumed playing with lighter racquets would help me swing faster.
Mike T
Rookie
First, I would like to thank TW for the opportunity to participate in this review. I received the Wilson Clash 100 V3 on 1/13/25 and had it strung on 1/15/25 with the TW provided Luxilon ECO Power 17/1.25 at 55 pounds. I am 68 years old, USTA 3.5, I move well around the court and primarily play doubles. I consider myself a baseline player who tries to use placement over power. My current racket/string combo is a Head Gravity Team 2023 with Solinco Revolution 1.70 strung at 54 pounds
NOTE: Today I had it strung with the second string set provided by TW, Wilson NXT 16/1.30. After reading numerous posts that stringing the Clash in the 44–50-pound range produces excellent results, I had it strung @46 pounds. We shall see how this goes. I will provide an update after I have a few hours on court with this stringing.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 10hrs.
Groundstrokes: Groundstrokes come naturally to this racket. At lower swing speeds with my forehand, I could consistently hit small targets (3’ circle for me) and land the ball there with regularity. At higher swing speeds the target size increases proportionally, but the original 3’ target can still be struck but with a lower percentage (-20%). The baseline is very accessible, with shots I thought were going long landed in the aera of the base line. I use a “Windshield Wiper Swing” on FHs and I noticed how easy it was to skim the ball over the net 2 to 3 inches with authority. I use both a 1HBH and a 2HBH. Both work well with this racket. A slice 1HBH took a few minutes to get right, I kept framing the ball on the inside edge of the racket. A slight change in the head angle remedied this and produced reliable results. Launch angle for both FH and BHs seems low, you can hit shots with minimal net clearance which I find advantageous.
Serves: Easy racket to serve with. My flat serves were going slightly long at first, but I was able to dial them in which produced consistent speed (radar gun 70-80 mph) and accuracy. Still working on the flat serve as I want a little more speed (who doesn’t). Slice serves are easy with the string pattern pulling receivers out of position on a regular basis.
Volleys: Volleys were good. It is a very maneuverable racket at the net. Lights here are not well placed, leading to the ball being "lost in the lights resulting in “Oh!!! there it is” quick reactions. The racket earned points here.
Serve Returns: Here is another area where the racket performs well. Picking a return to my opponents FH or BH with depth and speed was easy. As well as directing passing shots down the line. Accuracy for returns is particularly good. Skimming the ball over the net as mentioned earlier with authority is easy.
Power/Control: I thought control was very good. I was able to pick small targets (3’ circle) and hitting them became more frequent with time. I have a set drill for accuracy with which I quantify my progress/training. Comparing percentages from my current racket to the Clash V3 showed they were close enough to tell me the V3 can exhibit good control. With more time, percentages should exceed my current racket numbers. Power was turned on by swing speed but not in a 1:1 ratio. It felt more like a 1:2.5 ratio. You get more than you put into it and it’s manageable.
Top Spin/Slice: Above average performance here. The racket loves top spin when you use a “Windshield Wiper” style swing. It’s very easy to work the base line, shots I thought were going long landed right at the base line. With slice I had a short acclimation period where I was hitting the frame when slicing the ball. Once I adjusted to a thicker frame, slice was lots of fun. Easy and accurate with a sharp hop of the ball slightly sideways when landing.
Comfort: It’s a Clash so comfort is a given. I had a V1 and have a V2 108. V3 comfort is on par with the V2 108, which is excellent. My arm, elbow, and shoulder appreciate the plush, no vibration play to include off center hits.
Feel: Feel is muted. At slow swing speeds it felt somewhat disconnected. I felt the ball on the strings, but feedback seemed distant with no impression of a well struck ball. At higher swing speeds I could feel the ball pocketing and the feeling was smooth and even. It was interesting that it felt heavier than other 300gr. rackets I have. At low speeds it also left me with the impression it was made of ceramic or steel. Very stiff but this was not reflected in less performance.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: V3 is an upgrade over the V1 and V2 Clash’s. It does everything well, but nothing exceptionally well except for comfort. It is an extremely comfortable racket to hit with. I used a generic vibration dampener and still had a very Clash specific ping when the ball was struck. Not annoying, but different. It is a racket that should be on the Demo list if someone is looking for a new racket. It takes a few hours to get used to the dynamics of the Clash (V3), but it is a horse of a different color no doubt. For me the more I played with it, the more I liked it. I would again thank TW for this opportunity, I hope my review provides usable feedback. If anyone has questions, please feel free to contact me through the forum or by PM. If you are in HSV and want to try it, just drop me a PM.
NOTE: Today I had it strung with the second string set provided by TW, Wilson NXT 16/1.30. After reading numerous posts that stringing the Clash in the 44–50-pound range produces excellent results, I had it strung @46 pounds. We shall see how this goes. I will provide an update after I have a few hours on court with this stringing.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 10hrs.
Groundstrokes: Groundstrokes come naturally to this racket. At lower swing speeds with my forehand, I could consistently hit small targets (3’ circle for me) and land the ball there with regularity. At higher swing speeds the target size increases proportionally, but the original 3’ target can still be struck but with a lower percentage (-20%). The baseline is very accessible, with shots I thought were going long landed in the aera of the base line. I use a “Windshield Wiper Swing” on FHs and I noticed how easy it was to skim the ball over the net 2 to 3 inches with authority. I use both a 1HBH and a 2HBH. Both work well with this racket. A slice 1HBH took a few minutes to get right, I kept framing the ball on the inside edge of the racket. A slight change in the head angle remedied this and produced reliable results. Launch angle for both FH and BHs seems low, you can hit shots with minimal net clearance which I find advantageous.
Serves: Easy racket to serve with. My flat serves were going slightly long at first, but I was able to dial them in which produced consistent speed (radar gun 70-80 mph) and accuracy. Still working on the flat serve as I want a little more speed (who doesn’t). Slice serves are easy with the string pattern pulling receivers out of position on a regular basis.
Volleys: Volleys were good. It is a very maneuverable racket at the net. Lights here are not well placed, leading to the ball being "lost in the lights resulting in “Oh!!! there it is” quick reactions. The racket earned points here.
Serve Returns: Here is another area where the racket performs well. Picking a return to my opponents FH or BH with depth and speed was easy. As well as directing passing shots down the line. Accuracy for returns is particularly good. Skimming the ball over the net as mentioned earlier with authority is easy.
Power/Control: I thought control was very good. I was able to pick small targets (3’ circle) and hitting them became more frequent with time. I have a set drill for accuracy with which I quantify my progress/training. Comparing percentages from my current racket to the Clash V3 showed they were close enough to tell me the V3 can exhibit good control. With more time, percentages should exceed my current racket numbers. Power was turned on by swing speed but not in a 1:1 ratio. It felt more like a 1:2.5 ratio. You get more than you put into it and it’s manageable.
Top Spin/Slice: Above average performance here. The racket loves top spin when you use a “Windshield Wiper” style swing. It’s very easy to work the base line, shots I thought were going long landed right at the base line. With slice I had a short acclimation period where I was hitting the frame when slicing the ball. Once I adjusted to a thicker frame, slice was lots of fun. Easy and accurate with a sharp hop of the ball slightly sideways when landing.
Comfort: It’s a Clash so comfort is a given. I had a V1 and have a V2 108. V3 comfort is on par with the V2 108, which is excellent. My arm, elbow, and shoulder appreciate the plush, no vibration play to include off center hits.
Feel: Feel is muted. At slow swing speeds it felt somewhat disconnected. I felt the ball on the strings, but feedback seemed distant with no impression of a well struck ball. At higher swing speeds I could feel the ball pocketing and the feeling was smooth and even. It was interesting that it felt heavier than other 300gr. rackets I have. At low speeds it also left me with the impression it was made of ceramic or steel. Very stiff but this was not reflected in less performance.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: V3 is an upgrade over the V1 and V2 Clash’s. It does everything well, but nothing exceptionally well except for comfort. It is an extremely comfortable racket to hit with. I used a generic vibration dampener and still had a very Clash specific ping when the ball was struck. Not annoying, but different. It is a racket that should be on the Demo list if someone is looking for a new racket. It takes a few hours to get used to the dynamics of the Clash (V3), but it is a horse of a different color no doubt. For me the more I played with it, the more I liked it. I would again thank TW for this opportunity, I hope my review provides usable feedback. If anyone has questions, please feel free to contact me through the forum or by PM. If you are in HSV and want to try it, just drop me a PM.
bigserving
Hall of Fame
Racquet Received - Wilson Clash V3 100 Pro 16 x20
STRING AND TENSION USED FOR TEST - Strung with the Luxilon Element that came with the frame. Then, I strung the frame with my familiar Dunlop Black Widow 17 in order to match my normal setup for a better comparison sake. The frame was played at tensions first 49, with the Element, then 49 pounds with the Black Widow string.
TENNIS EXPERIENCE / BACKGROUND - Self taught. Hyper competitive, currently 4.5 league and tournament level player. Grew up playing multiple sports, lots of baseball. I have now accumulated decades of tennis playing experience. Spectate for about 40 or 50 days of pro tennis including ATP, WTA, USTA Circuit events, and WTT, each year.
DESCRIBE PLAYING STYLE - Solid 4.5 singles and doubles, one-hand off both sides, flat fastball first serve (no surprise there) with a wicked yet effectively inconsistent kicker for a second serve. All court player that can implement any styles and strategies at, at least, the 4.5 level. Aggressive style. Chip and charge, and serve/volley on offense, and an all-court defender that can attack and get to net.
CURRENT RACQUET/STRING SETUPS - The current racquet and go-to racquet of choice for a good while now is the Dunlop SX 300 Tour. The regular string setup is a full set of Dunlop Black Widow 17 gauge, normally strung in the range of 50 lbs x 50 lbs.
NUMBER OF HOURS PLAYED WITH THE RACQUET - I managed to get to hit on some hard court, outdoor for this playtest. During the test, I played with the Luxilon Element string that came in the frame for about five hours. Then, I strung Black Widow at two different tensions played for about three hours with each tension.
COMMENTS ON RACQUET PERFORMANCE:
GROUNDSTROKES - Groundstrokes are really quite nice with this frame. For me, very stable and consistent. The lighter weight of this Clash Pro did take a little time for me to adjust. It is more head light than I am accustomed to. The frame like it goes through the air fast. I felt like I had plenty of control and placement on topspin and slices both deep and angled.
Overall, this frame is in the range of average powered. There is power to be had in this frame, but most of it is going to come from the swing speed racquet head speed rather than frame bulk and stiffness. The light weight the frame feels like it goes through the air very fast. Even with the light weight, there is plenty of head stability so the frame does supply some plow through on every stroke. You have to work a little to get power and pace, but the ball will go where you want with the depth that you want.
SERVES - Pace on my first serve suffered just a bit with this frame. The lighter frame goes faster through the air but the lower power but made me lose a foot or so on my first serve. Still, the excellent control that comes with this frame makes it an effective serving weapon. Even with the extra cross-string, there is plenty of spin available with this racquet and string on slice and kick serves. There was plenty of movement on the ball flight of slice serves and excellent jump off of the court on kick serves. Even with the reduction in raw power, the pinpoint accuracy makes this frame quite fun to serve with.
VOLLEYS - Loving volleys with this racquet. This frame is really a rock solid volleying weapon. The light weight of the frame makes this racquet lightning quick at the net. I found it to have plenty of comfort and accuracy on touch, and on drop volleys. It is also easy to get some pop on drive volleys with excellent control on depth.
SERVE RETURNS - The low power aspect of this frame is most noticeable on service returns. On returns where I did not get the opportunity to get my feet set and take a full swing I was just a little underpowered. Some of the lack of power was offset by the increase in control. It was interesting watching some slow-motion, yet very accurate, returns going past serve-and-volleyers! I think that serve returns will be helped a lot much with addition of some weight in the head.
GENERAL COMMENTS OF OVERALL PERFORMANCE -
POWER/CONTROL - the shape and the thickness and of the frame give it the foundation to provide plenty of access to power. Significantly more than a classic thin-beam, “players” frame, but not nearly as many being offered today. Overall, I would consider it average power in the realm of what is available with the current selection of frames.
Control was also very good with this Clash frame. The 100 hoop is thoughtfully designed. The bottom of the hoop is traditionally round shaped the top of the hoop being a bit rectangular shaped. That design seems to expand the spin spot and open the top of the sweet spot.
TOPSPIN / SLICE - Players are always looking for frames with a nice, big “sweet spot.” With the advances in co-poly strings, we are more and more looking for a larger, “spin spot.” For me, this Clash Pro offers a very generous spin spot, more so on my topspin, than slice. The light weight and the Black Widow strings makes this frame setup quite accessible to spin. My opponents did not notice any reduction in my topspin off of either side, or at all throughout play even using multi strings.
COMFORT - I think this Clash Pro is a very comfortable frame. During the test, it did not cause any elbow or shoulder soreness. The extra cross string (20th) may, or may not actually do much for the playability, but it may add a bit to the comfort and disbursement of shock absorption.
FEEL - The relatively light weight of this Clash Pro, gave it plenty of feel. A relatively dampened and muted kind of feel, which I like. The smart design enhances the feel without any uncomfortable vibration or shock.
MANEUVERABILITY - For me, this frame is very easy to handle and it never felt bulky during the test. I felt very quick while hitting some defensive volleys at the net.
STABILITY - The design of the frame has “support” and “bracing” in key places to provide great stability without adding excessive weight. I found the frame stability easy to swing hard through every shot.
GENERAL COMMENTS ON OVERALL PERFORMANCE - I played this entire playtest with the racquet stock form because I wanted to feel the factory form. The design of the frame is obviously very thoughtful. There very subtle functional curves and shapes in the design. The top of the hoop being a bit rectangular For me, the stock weight seems to be toward the low end of a weight that is playable for me.
Overall, this is a very, very nice frame. It is stays comfortable on all shots and even after long periods of play. The pro model is on par with the current trend of lighter weight, "Tour" molds. It plays consistently, it does everything well, and it will work for all levels of players with different types of games. It is comfortable and can be easily modified to personal preference using different strings, tensions, and weight if preferred.
I can't see any particular area of glaring weakness in this Clash Pro. This is not the frame for players looking for a pure power oriented racquet. It is comfortable, it offers great control with ample sweet and spin spots. The 16 x 20 string pattern makes it accessible to plenty of spin. Because of the stock balance of the frame, it seems like it will be easy for any player to customize, or modify to their preference. Or just play with it in stock form. There is something for everyone with this frame.
Thanks to both Wilson andTennis Warehouse.
STRING AND TENSION USED FOR TEST - Strung with the Luxilon Element that came with the frame. Then, I strung the frame with my familiar Dunlop Black Widow 17 in order to match my normal setup for a better comparison sake. The frame was played at tensions first 49, with the Element, then 49 pounds with the Black Widow string.
TENNIS EXPERIENCE / BACKGROUND - Self taught. Hyper competitive, currently 4.5 league and tournament level player. Grew up playing multiple sports, lots of baseball. I have now accumulated decades of tennis playing experience. Spectate for about 40 or 50 days of pro tennis including ATP, WTA, USTA Circuit events, and WTT, each year.
DESCRIBE PLAYING STYLE - Solid 4.5 singles and doubles, one-hand off both sides, flat fastball first serve (no surprise there) with a wicked yet effectively inconsistent kicker for a second serve. All court player that can implement any styles and strategies at, at least, the 4.5 level. Aggressive style. Chip and charge, and serve/volley on offense, and an all-court defender that can attack and get to net.
CURRENT RACQUET/STRING SETUPS - The current racquet and go-to racquet of choice for a good while now is the Dunlop SX 300 Tour. The regular string setup is a full set of Dunlop Black Widow 17 gauge, normally strung in the range of 50 lbs x 50 lbs.
NUMBER OF HOURS PLAYED WITH THE RACQUET - I managed to get to hit on some hard court, outdoor for this playtest. During the test, I played with the Luxilon Element string that came in the frame for about five hours. Then, I strung Black Widow at two different tensions played for about three hours with each tension.
COMMENTS ON RACQUET PERFORMANCE:
GROUNDSTROKES - Groundstrokes are really quite nice with this frame. For me, very stable and consistent. The lighter weight of this Clash Pro did take a little time for me to adjust. It is more head light than I am accustomed to. The frame like it goes through the air fast. I felt like I had plenty of control and placement on topspin and slices both deep and angled.
Overall, this frame is in the range of average powered. There is power to be had in this frame, but most of it is going to come from the swing speed racquet head speed rather than frame bulk and stiffness. The light weight the frame feels like it goes through the air very fast. Even with the light weight, there is plenty of head stability so the frame does supply some plow through on every stroke. You have to work a little to get power and pace, but the ball will go where you want with the depth that you want.
SERVES - Pace on my first serve suffered just a bit with this frame. The lighter frame goes faster through the air but the lower power but made me lose a foot or so on my first serve. Still, the excellent control that comes with this frame makes it an effective serving weapon. Even with the extra cross-string, there is plenty of spin available with this racquet and string on slice and kick serves. There was plenty of movement on the ball flight of slice serves and excellent jump off of the court on kick serves. Even with the reduction in raw power, the pinpoint accuracy makes this frame quite fun to serve with.
VOLLEYS - Loving volleys with this racquet. This frame is really a rock solid volleying weapon. The light weight of the frame makes this racquet lightning quick at the net. I found it to have plenty of comfort and accuracy on touch, and on drop volleys. It is also easy to get some pop on drive volleys with excellent control on depth.
SERVE RETURNS - The low power aspect of this frame is most noticeable on service returns. On returns where I did not get the opportunity to get my feet set and take a full swing I was just a little underpowered. Some of the lack of power was offset by the increase in control. It was interesting watching some slow-motion, yet very accurate, returns going past serve-and-volleyers! I think that serve returns will be helped a lot much with addition of some weight in the head.
GENERAL COMMENTS OF OVERALL PERFORMANCE -
POWER/CONTROL - the shape and the thickness and of the frame give it the foundation to provide plenty of access to power. Significantly more than a classic thin-beam, “players” frame, but not nearly as many being offered today. Overall, I would consider it average power in the realm of what is available with the current selection of frames.
Control was also very good with this Clash frame. The 100 hoop is thoughtfully designed. The bottom of the hoop is traditionally round shaped the top of the hoop being a bit rectangular shaped. That design seems to expand the spin spot and open the top of the sweet spot.
TOPSPIN / SLICE - Players are always looking for frames with a nice, big “sweet spot.” With the advances in co-poly strings, we are more and more looking for a larger, “spin spot.” For me, this Clash Pro offers a very generous spin spot, more so on my topspin, than slice. The light weight and the Black Widow strings makes this frame setup quite accessible to spin. My opponents did not notice any reduction in my topspin off of either side, or at all throughout play even using multi strings.
COMFORT - I think this Clash Pro is a very comfortable frame. During the test, it did not cause any elbow or shoulder soreness. The extra cross string (20th) may, or may not actually do much for the playability, but it may add a bit to the comfort and disbursement of shock absorption.
FEEL - The relatively light weight of this Clash Pro, gave it plenty of feel. A relatively dampened and muted kind of feel, which I like. The smart design enhances the feel without any uncomfortable vibration or shock.
MANEUVERABILITY - For me, this frame is very easy to handle and it never felt bulky during the test. I felt very quick while hitting some defensive volleys at the net.
STABILITY - The design of the frame has “support” and “bracing” in key places to provide great stability without adding excessive weight. I found the frame stability easy to swing hard through every shot.
GENERAL COMMENTS ON OVERALL PERFORMANCE - I played this entire playtest with the racquet stock form because I wanted to feel the factory form. The design of the frame is obviously very thoughtful. There very subtle functional curves and shapes in the design. The top of the hoop being a bit rectangular For me, the stock weight seems to be toward the low end of a weight that is playable for me.
Overall, this is a very, very nice frame. It is stays comfortable on all shots and even after long periods of play. The pro model is on par with the current trend of lighter weight, "Tour" molds. It plays consistently, it does everything well, and it will work for all levels of players with different types of games. It is comfortable and can be easily modified to personal preference using different strings, tensions, and weight if preferred.
I can't see any particular area of glaring weakness in this Clash Pro. This is not the frame for players looking for a pure power oriented racquet. It is comfortable, it offers great control with ample sweet and spin spots. The 16 x 20 string pattern makes it accessible to plenty of spin. Because of the stock balance of the frame, it seems like it will be easy for any player to customize, or modify to their preference. Or just play with it in stock form. There is something for everyone with this frame.
Thanks to both Wilson andTennis Warehouse.
hitthefence38
New User
String and tension used for test: Luxilon Element 45 LBs and Wilson NXT 55LBs
Tennis experience/background: 4.5 Player in Norcal. Learned to play on my own by rallying a bunch everyday.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): I am more of a baseliner because I am a scared cat at the net. My serve is decent nothing special about it and my favorite side to hit off of is my forehand but my backhand is my best side when I am on.
Current racquet/string setups: Yonex Ezone 100 with Solinco Tourbite
How many hours did you play with the racquet? I played for 50 hours with this racket.
-Groundstrokes: With the low stiffness, the racket was a lot more forgiving than my yonex ezone. It was easy to hit with this racket, I did not feel like I had to make many adjustments to my strokes. I can see why people play with the clash for the playability, and I felt you had to generate power on this racket which I did not have a problem with. In terms of spin there was good spin production off both sides, but I feel it is less than my Yonex racket. For those with tennis elbow, I think switching to this racket might be helpful due to the low stiffness and the forgivingness on the racket.
-Serves: I did not have any issues with locating my serve on this racket. I do wish it had more pop and more spin. I think a little bit more weight would have been helpful for this racket.
-Volleys: I felt my volleys were a bit short and tend to pop up more on this racket. It could be due to poor technique, but I did not enjoy volleying with this racket or felt very confident with it. Drop volleys were a bit difficult to feel on this racket. I never could get a feel for it it was either too short or it popped up.
-Serve returns: Due to the high playability of this racket, I felt I could go for more on my returns. I got plenty of deep returns on some good servers, and with a bit more accuracy than my yonex. Also, I did not feel discomfort hitting with it.
Power/Control- In terms of power it is a bit muted. You will need to generate your own power. Control is good on the racket but I would not say it is razor sharp. I had no issues hitting my general spots but I would not say it is a precision tool.
Top Spin/Slice- Top spin has some bite and it was noticeable but not enough to say it could compete with the Babolat racket. Slice was easy on the racket, and I feel that I could get better depth on this racket because of its lighter weight.
Comfort- In terms of comfort, this is the most comfortable racket I have used. I was a bit concerned with the low stiffness, but for those with tennis elbows, I think this would be a good racket to play to minimize pain.
Feel- Nothing special to write home about the feel of the racket. I think I felt comfortable with all my shots, but there were times when somebody hit a hard shot where I felt disconnected with the racket. I think you would need to tinker with these weight a little bit to counter for that.
Maneuverability- Due to the lightness of the weight, there was not any shot where I feel I could not execute. If I needed to hit a backhand down the line, I could hit those shots comfortably. Volleys were okay, I am still getting used to a bigger frame. In general it was very easy to maneuver with this racket.
Stability-Stability was great at times, but when playing against heavy top spin players I felt a bit pushed back. It usually resulted in a shorter ball (mid court). I really had to focus on taking the ball earlier against my opponents who hit with lots of spin. However, I do think the racket is relatively stable compared to my Yonex racket.
Overall, I enjoy hitting with the Wilson Clash and I appreciate the lack of painful responses when I mishit. The racket playability makes this an easy racket to just pick up and hit regardless of what racket you use. Thanks TW for the playtest!
Tennis experience/background: 4.5 Player in Norcal. Learned to play on my own by rallying a bunch everyday.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): I am more of a baseliner because I am a scared cat at the net. My serve is decent nothing special about it and my favorite side to hit off of is my forehand but my backhand is my best side when I am on.
Current racquet/string setups: Yonex Ezone 100 with Solinco Tourbite
How many hours did you play with the racquet? I played for 50 hours with this racket.
-Groundstrokes: With the low stiffness, the racket was a lot more forgiving than my yonex ezone. It was easy to hit with this racket, I did not feel like I had to make many adjustments to my strokes. I can see why people play with the clash for the playability, and I felt you had to generate power on this racket which I did not have a problem with. In terms of spin there was good spin production off both sides, but I feel it is less than my Yonex racket. For those with tennis elbow, I think switching to this racket might be helpful due to the low stiffness and the forgivingness on the racket.
-Serves: I did not have any issues with locating my serve on this racket. I do wish it had more pop and more spin. I think a little bit more weight would have been helpful for this racket.
-Volleys: I felt my volleys were a bit short and tend to pop up more on this racket. It could be due to poor technique, but I did not enjoy volleying with this racket or felt very confident with it. Drop volleys were a bit difficult to feel on this racket. I never could get a feel for it it was either too short or it popped up.
-Serve returns: Due to the high playability of this racket, I felt I could go for more on my returns. I got plenty of deep returns on some good servers, and with a bit more accuracy than my yonex. Also, I did not feel discomfort hitting with it.
Power/Control- In terms of power it is a bit muted. You will need to generate your own power. Control is good on the racket but I would not say it is razor sharp. I had no issues hitting my general spots but I would not say it is a precision tool.
Top Spin/Slice- Top spin has some bite and it was noticeable but not enough to say it could compete with the Babolat racket. Slice was easy on the racket, and I feel that I could get better depth on this racket because of its lighter weight.
Comfort- In terms of comfort, this is the most comfortable racket I have used. I was a bit concerned with the low stiffness, but for those with tennis elbows, I think this would be a good racket to play to minimize pain.
Feel- Nothing special to write home about the feel of the racket. I think I felt comfortable with all my shots, but there were times when somebody hit a hard shot where I felt disconnected with the racket. I think you would need to tinker with these weight a little bit to counter for that.
Maneuverability- Due to the lightness of the weight, there was not any shot where I feel I could not execute. If I needed to hit a backhand down the line, I could hit those shots comfortably. Volleys were okay, I am still getting used to a bigger frame. In general it was very easy to maneuver with this racket.
Stability-Stability was great at times, but when playing against heavy top spin players I felt a bit pushed back. It usually resulted in a shorter ball (mid court). I really had to focus on taking the ball earlier against my opponents who hit with lots of spin. However, I do think the racket is relatively stable compared to my Yonex racket.
Overall, I enjoy hitting with the Wilson Clash and I appreciate the lack of painful responses when I mishit. The racket playability makes this an easy racket to just pick up and hit regardless of what racket you use. Thanks TW for the playtest!
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ChanterRacquet
Professional
RHS is easier to generate with a lighter racquet. Though lighter racquets will have diminishing returns on power for that RHS.
Racquet tested:
• Wilson Clash 100 Pro V3. Came in at 308 g unstrung / 324 g strung.
String and tension:
• Volkl V-Square 17 at 48 lbs
Tennis experience/background:
• I'm 65 and been playing tennis off/on since I was about 14. Played leagues/tournaments when I was younger, usually 4.0 level. Still workout regularly, stay in decent shape, but injuries/age have slowed me down. Play mostly for recreation, exercise and the satisfaction I still get from a well struck shot. Usually rally singles so I can get more exercise and hit more balls.
Racquet History:
• Have accumulated numerous rackets over the years, currently not married to any one racquet. Liked to try new racquets when I was younger, but always gravitated back to the weightier more flexible frames with a 98 or less sq in head. Head Pro Tour 280, Prestiges, and Volkl C-10 Pro being some of my favorites. Lately I've been mostly hitting with a Yonex Vcore Pro 97 HD. Majority of the racquets I'm drawn to are above my pay grade, but I get the most satisfaction hitting with them.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
• Definitely prefer the baseline, can volley when needed. Hit topspin off both sides. One handed backhand is my most consistent shot, but recent elbow injuries have forced me to resort back to a 2 hander on occasion.
Current racquet/string setups:
• Varies. Most recently Yonex Vcore Pro 97 HD with PolyTour Rev at 44 lbs
How many hours did you play with the racquet:
• 10
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke:
• Groundstrokes: Comfortable and easy. Topspin was very easy to generate off both sides with my normal swing. Never any issues getting depth. Have never played with a Clash before, was actually expecting a more unique feel based on some of the reviews I read when they first came out. It was comfortable, but didn't feel unusually "soft". Very consistent for the most part, but I did find the string bed a bit lively on occasion and would overhit a few.
• Serves: Had good placement on my serves and was hitting decent spin serves. Came through the air fast and easily getting enough racquet speed to generate a lot of spin, but not enough weight to generate a heavy penetrating kick. Slices serves were effective. Struggled some hitting flat serves. Would probably need to add a little weight and more time with the racquet to get the results.
• Volleys: Didn't hit a ton of volleys but seemed stable and maneuverable when I did. Very forgiving and easy to make contact with the ball. Got good placement and depth but needed to be careful not to overhit.
• Serve returns: Didn't really have any issues with service returns. Again, light enough to get around on the return and stable enough to get it back with depth and predictability.
Comments on racquet performance in each area:
• Power/Control- I felt the racquet had plenty of power to keep the ball deep but never felt like I was able to hit a really heavy ball. Didn't have to work very hard to keep the ball deep. Feels like it has a large forgiving sweet spot and even shots outside the sweet spot were getting back. Did struggle at times with control, some of my flat shots would trampoline long.
• Top Spin/Slice- As previously stated, top spin was excellent and effortless. Generally had a similar reaction with slices, good bite/spin and was able to drive through the ball. On occasion slices and would float a bit. It was more difficult to hit effective flat shots.
• Comfort- As expected, comfort was the shining point of this racquet. Felt comfortable on all shots. Recent injuries have left my elbow sensitive, especially with my one handed backhand. I only remember hitting a couple backhands where I felt any vibrations, and those were minor. Even complete shanks weren't jarring.
• Feel- Different. Guess best described as muted. A bit disconnected at times, especially when I wasn't hitting hard. I could feel the ball pocketing but disconnected as to where it was on the face.
• Maneuverability- Extremely maneuverable for a 100 with a wider frame. Slightly less maneuverable on my backhand, but very slight.
• Stability- Surprising stable on most shots for a racquet in this weight class.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
• Interesting racquet. Happy I finally got the chance to hit with a Clash, I can see now why they have become so popular. Definitely not what I'm used to playing with or usually drawn to. After my initial couple outings, I wasn't really liking it all that much and didn't plan on trying to modify it more to my preferred specs. While I was playing pretty well with it, I just wasn't getting enough satisfaction on solidly hit shots. Around my 3rd outing things started to change a little and I began to gel more with it. I've now become intrigued enough with the racquet that I plan on tinkering with the weight and string setups to see if I can overcome some of it down falls. To anyone demoing the Clash Pro V3, if you don't like it at first, I would recommend giving it some extra time.
• Wilson Clash 100 Pro V3. Came in at 308 g unstrung / 324 g strung.
String and tension:
• Volkl V-Square 17 at 48 lbs
Tennis experience/background:
• I'm 65 and been playing tennis off/on since I was about 14. Played leagues/tournaments when I was younger, usually 4.0 level. Still workout regularly, stay in decent shape, but injuries/age have slowed me down. Play mostly for recreation, exercise and the satisfaction I still get from a well struck shot. Usually rally singles so I can get more exercise and hit more balls.
Racquet History:
• Have accumulated numerous rackets over the years, currently not married to any one racquet. Liked to try new racquets when I was younger, but always gravitated back to the weightier more flexible frames with a 98 or less sq in head. Head Pro Tour 280, Prestiges, and Volkl C-10 Pro being some of my favorites. Lately I've been mostly hitting with a Yonex Vcore Pro 97 HD. Majority of the racquets I'm drawn to are above my pay grade, but I get the most satisfaction hitting with them.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
• Definitely prefer the baseline, can volley when needed. Hit topspin off both sides. One handed backhand is my most consistent shot, but recent elbow injuries have forced me to resort back to a 2 hander on occasion.
Current racquet/string setups:
• Varies. Most recently Yonex Vcore Pro 97 HD with PolyTour Rev at 44 lbs
How many hours did you play with the racquet:
• 10
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke:
• Groundstrokes: Comfortable and easy. Topspin was very easy to generate off both sides with my normal swing. Never any issues getting depth. Have never played with a Clash before, was actually expecting a more unique feel based on some of the reviews I read when they first came out. It was comfortable, but didn't feel unusually "soft". Very consistent for the most part, but I did find the string bed a bit lively on occasion and would overhit a few.
• Serves: Had good placement on my serves and was hitting decent spin serves. Came through the air fast and easily getting enough racquet speed to generate a lot of spin, but not enough weight to generate a heavy penetrating kick. Slices serves were effective. Struggled some hitting flat serves. Would probably need to add a little weight and more time with the racquet to get the results.
• Volleys: Didn't hit a ton of volleys but seemed stable and maneuverable when I did. Very forgiving and easy to make contact with the ball. Got good placement and depth but needed to be careful not to overhit.
• Serve returns: Didn't really have any issues with service returns. Again, light enough to get around on the return and stable enough to get it back with depth and predictability.
Comments on racquet performance in each area:
• Power/Control- I felt the racquet had plenty of power to keep the ball deep but never felt like I was able to hit a really heavy ball. Didn't have to work very hard to keep the ball deep. Feels like it has a large forgiving sweet spot and even shots outside the sweet spot were getting back. Did struggle at times with control, some of my flat shots would trampoline long.
• Top Spin/Slice- As previously stated, top spin was excellent and effortless. Generally had a similar reaction with slices, good bite/spin and was able to drive through the ball. On occasion slices and would float a bit. It was more difficult to hit effective flat shots.
• Comfort- As expected, comfort was the shining point of this racquet. Felt comfortable on all shots. Recent injuries have left my elbow sensitive, especially with my one handed backhand. I only remember hitting a couple backhands where I felt any vibrations, and those were minor. Even complete shanks weren't jarring.
• Feel- Different. Guess best described as muted. A bit disconnected at times, especially when I wasn't hitting hard. I could feel the ball pocketing but disconnected as to where it was on the face.
• Maneuverability- Extremely maneuverable for a 100 with a wider frame. Slightly less maneuverable on my backhand, but very slight.
• Stability- Surprising stable on most shots for a racquet in this weight class.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
• Interesting racquet. Happy I finally got the chance to hit with a Clash, I can see now why they have become so popular. Definitely not what I'm used to playing with or usually drawn to. After my initial couple outings, I wasn't really liking it all that much and didn't plan on trying to modify it more to my preferred specs. While I was playing pretty well with it, I just wasn't getting enough satisfaction on solidly hit shots. Around my 3rd outing things started to change a little and I began to gel more with it. I've now become intrigued enough with the racquet that I plan on tinkering with the weight and string setups to see if I can overcome some of it down falls. To anyone demoing the Clash Pro V3, if you don't like it at first, I would recommend giving it some extra time.
pheonix6579
Professional
Clash v3 100
String and tension used for test: Lux Element 1.25 @ 48lbs, Tourna Black 7 @ 48lbs, Tourna Black 7 @ 45lbs
Tennis experience/background: I played tennis in high school for four years. Then dabbled with tennis and college with intramural sports but not on the team. I resumed playing once I got married. I have been playing tennis for about 25 years recreationally. I really don’t play competitively too often. I prefer singles, but do play doubles on occasion. I also drill 1 to 2 days per week. I am a USTA 4.0 player.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):I am a baseliner with a big first serve. I am mostly a control focused player, but trying to add a little more offensive aggression to my playstyle. I play mostly singles.
Current racquet/string setups: Yonex Percept 100D, Toroline KPop @ 45lbs, Tourna Black 7 @ 45lbs
How many hours did you play with the racquet? Around 15 hours total over a few weeks, with a few different string setups
-Groundstrokes:
Ground strokes were great with this frame. I was able to really find a groove after about an hour or two hitting around and playing through a set. At first they really felt lackluster, but after really seeing that I could go for my shots I became more comfortable being aggressive and being successful. Forhands had a slightly higher launch angle vs. my Precept 100D, however still lower than I would have expected from an open pattern 100 frame. This was beneficial in being able to drive the ball flat, but also provided a little bit more easy depth of shot as well.
-Serves:
Serves were middle of the road for me. Extremely comfortable racket to serve with and I really enjoyed hitting kick and slice serves with this frame. It went through the air with ease, which helped with spin production. I felt that my double fault percentage was significantly lower serving with the Clash. Flat serves however felt lacking power and weight. Control on serves were very good, as I was able to relatively easily hit my targets a majority of the time.
-Volleys:
Great volley racket! I do not spend much time at the net, but the little time I did was pretty good. My volleys are the trash of my game, so take this with a grain of salt. Touch was good. I felt I could punch the ball deep and also choose to drop it short.
Serve returns:
This was probably the biggest surprise for me with this frame. Initially, I would assume the lower weight (from what I am used to) and the flex would not make a great returning frame based on my current preferences. I was wrong. With the exception of plow through (with the frame does lack), I felt that it performed extremely well on returns and defensive shots overall. The times I had to just stick the racket out and block back returns delivered solid deep returns. With the weight layup, it was also able to really crank up the pace on slower/weaker 2nd serves and put me on the offense early. This was probably one of my favorite aspects of the
Power/Control- Power seemed on the low end, maybe a touch more than my Percept but not much. Depth and pop came more from higher swing speeds due to lower static weight and swing weight. Control was actually higher than anticipated. Control of the ground strokes and serve were pretty spot on! I was able to move my serve around the box with relative ease and hit targets on my forehand and backhand consistently.
Top Spin/Slice- Topspin was nothing to write home about, but it was noticeably better than my Yonex. Due to the weight layup, topspin was easy to generate, but I wouldn't say this was an inherent spin monster like the Pure Aero. Slice though…this was a dream. My BH slices stayed low and deep. Hitting that specific shot felt wonderful and it gave me plenty of confidence to use it
Comfort- This is always where the v1 shined and the v3 did not disappoint. I have been noticing a touch of shoulder pain recently. However, throughout the entire playtest, I never felt a bit of discomfort at all. The flex of the frame provided a really plush hitting experience. I will say some of the flexes are a bit weird some of the time compared to a traditional flex, but overall the comfort level is great.
Feel- I would give this racket high marks in terms of feel. The feel is a bit muted but is definitely there. I was able to drop volleys and drop shots relatively easily after I adjusted to the frame. Considering the lower weight, I believe it hits harder than the weight would suggest in terms of feel. I felt pretty connected to the frame on ground strokes and the racket gave me good feedback on sweetspot shots and was pretty forgiving on off center shots.
Maneuverability- Super maneuverable frame. This was probably the thing I noticed right off the stringer. It moves like a dream. The frame never felt sluggish and was easy to move into any position with ease. Reflex volley…boom there, punch return….boom there…weird bounce adjustment…done. Really easy to manipulate frame to produce a variety of shots.
Stability- This is a weird part of the frame. While the frame lacked plow through or much weight behind the shots and weight isn’t a factor into the power of the frame, the frame is surprisingly stable. It was really weird. Like everything else says that the racket really needs lead somewhere in the head, I found it never really lacing stability. The frame feels light but performs with the league of heavier frames…well without the feel of weighted stability. I don’t really know how to explain it…light stability.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: I was really caught of guard by how much I liked this racket. I’ve always loved the Clash (while most of my time has been spent with v1 Clash Pro) with its unique feel. It lacked the natural plow through of the Pro, but performed just as well about 80% of the time. Comfort still is a pinnacle feature. I agree this frame calls more toward the lower range of string tension to get the most out of the frame. But at the end of the day it provided a very comfortable hitting experience, great control with a low launch angle with marginal spin potential, a weight layup that encourages fast swing speeds and confident swings. Another great option from Wilson. Thank you TW and Wilson for the opportunity.
String and tension used for test: Lux Element 1.25 @ 48lbs, Tourna Black 7 @ 48lbs, Tourna Black 7 @ 45lbs
Tennis experience/background: I played tennis in high school for four years. Then dabbled with tennis and college with intramural sports but not on the team. I resumed playing once I got married. I have been playing tennis for about 25 years recreationally. I really don’t play competitively too often. I prefer singles, but do play doubles on occasion. I also drill 1 to 2 days per week. I am a USTA 4.0 player.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):I am a baseliner with a big first serve. I am mostly a control focused player, but trying to add a little more offensive aggression to my playstyle. I play mostly singles.
Current racquet/string setups: Yonex Percept 100D, Toroline KPop @ 45lbs, Tourna Black 7 @ 45lbs
How many hours did you play with the racquet? Around 15 hours total over a few weeks, with a few different string setups
-Groundstrokes:
Ground strokes were great with this frame. I was able to really find a groove after about an hour or two hitting around and playing through a set. At first they really felt lackluster, but after really seeing that I could go for my shots I became more comfortable being aggressive and being successful. Forhands had a slightly higher launch angle vs. my Precept 100D, however still lower than I would have expected from an open pattern 100 frame. This was beneficial in being able to drive the ball flat, but also provided a little bit more easy depth of shot as well.
-Serves:
Serves were middle of the road for me. Extremely comfortable racket to serve with and I really enjoyed hitting kick and slice serves with this frame. It went through the air with ease, which helped with spin production. I felt that my double fault percentage was significantly lower serving with the Clash. Flat serves however felt lacking power and weight. Control on serves were very good, as I was able to relatively easily hit my targets a majority of the time.
-Volleys:
Great volley racket! I do not spend much time at the net, but the little time I did was pretty good. My volleys are the trash of my game, so take this with a grain of salt. Touch was good. I felt I could punch the ball deep and also choose to drop it short.
Serve returns:
This was probably the biggest surprise for me with this frame. Initially, I would assume the lower weight (from what I am used to) and the flex would not make a great returning frame based on my current preferences. I was wrong. With the exception of plow through (with the frame does lack), I felt that it performed extremely well on returns and defensive shots overall. The times I had to just stick the racket out and block back returns delivered solid deep returns. With the weight layup, it was also able to really crank up the pace on slower/weaker 2nd serves and put me on the offense early. This was probably one of my favorite aspects of the
Power/Control- Power seemed on the low end, maybe a touch more than my Percept but not much. Depth and pop came more from higher swing speeds due to lower static weight and swing weight. Control was actually higher than anticipated. Control of the ground strokes and serve were pretty spot on! I was able to move my serve around the box with relative ease and hit targets on my forehand and backhand consistently.
Top Spin/Slice- Topspin was nothing to write home about, but it was noticeably better than my Yonex. Due to the weight layup, topspin was easy to generate, but I wouldn't say this was an inherent spin monster like the Pure Aero. Slice though…this was a dream. My BH slices stayed low and deep. Hitting that specific shot felt wonderful and it gave me plenty of confidence to use it
Comfort- This is always where the v1 shined and the v3 did not disappoint. I have been noticing a touch of shoulder pain recently. However, throughout the entire playtest, I never felt a bit of discomfort at all. The flex of the frame provided a really plush hitting experience. I will say some of the flexes are a bit weird some of the time compared to a traditional flex, but overall the comfort level is great.
Feel- I would give this racket high marks in terms of feel. The feel is a bit muted but is definitely there. I was able to drop volleys and drop shots relatively easily after I adjusted to the frame. Considering the lower weight, I believe it hits harder than the weight would suggest in terms of feel. I felt pretty connected to the frame on ground strokes and the racket gave me good feedback on sweetspot shots and was pretty forgiving on off center shots.
Maneuverability- Super maneuverable frame. This was probably the thing I noticed right off the stringer. It moves like a dream. The frame never felt sluggish and was easy to move into any position with ease. Reflex volley…boom there, punch return….boom there…weird bounce adjustment…done. Really easy to manipulate frame to produce a variety of shots.
Stability- This is a weird part of the frame. While the frame lacked plow through or much weight behind the shots and weight isn’t a factor into the power of the frame, the frame is surprisingly stable. It was really weird. Like everything else says that the racket really needs lead somewhere in the head, I found it never really lacing stability. The frame feels light but performs with the league of heavier frames…well without the feel of weighted stability. I don’t really know how to explain it…light stability.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: I was really caught of guard by how much I liked this racket. I’ve always loved the Clash (while most of my time has been spent with v1 Clash Pro) with its unique feel. It lacked the natural plow through of the Pro, but performed just as well about 80% of the time. Comfort still is a pinnacle feature. I agree this frame calls more toward the lower range of string tension to get the most out of the frame. But at the end of the day it provided a very comfortable hitting experience, great control with a low launch angle with marginal spin potential, a weight layup that encourages fast swing speeds and confident swings. Another great option from Wilson. Thank you TW and Wilson for the opportunity.
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Racquet tested: Wilson Clash 100
String and tension used for test: Luxilon Eco poly at 55 M/53 C.
Tennis experience/background: Been playing for a little over 3 years, almost exclusively doubles. 45+ USTA 3.0. Average about 35-40 matches per year and play once or twice per week.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Powerful baseliner and aggressive net player. I love playing at net in doubles, and will try to follow in a good groundstroke to finish the point at net. I have an average serve, mostly a slice serve and sometimes flat. I prefer to hit flatter groundstroke, especially from the backhand side (one-handed backhand). I can get a lot of topspin on the forehand side when needed.
Current racquet/string setups: Current racquet of choice is a Tecnifibre TF40 16x19, 305g. Just switched from a Blade 98 18x20 in search of a little more spin and easier access to power. I typically string a hybrid poly setup with a shaped poly in the mains and a smooth round poly in the crosses, somewhere around 54-55 lbs in the mains and 1-2 lbs less in the crosses.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? I played about 10 hours with the racquet. Approximately 4 hours rallying or with a ball machine, about 4 hours of clinics, and 2 sets in two different USTA matches for about another 2 hours.
Groundstrokes: It took me about an hour of hitting to get used to the racquet compared to my TF40. Primary issue was control and overhitting. Once I adjusted to the racquet it was very solid on groundstrokes.
I had to work a little harder with this racquet to get the same pace I normally get on my forehand. I think it's due to the lighter weight in the head of the racquet, so if I didn't push out with my strokes, the ball would come off the racquet with plenty of spin but end up a little short. As long as I focused on technique, I could maintain the depth on my shots and get a lot of topspin action to land the ball in. More than a few times I would think the ball was going long and it would dive down near the baseline and stay in. I do think my forehand lacked a little 'heaviness' though. Velocity-wise I was pretty close to normal by the end of the playtest, maybe 3-4 mph slower on average.
I loved this racquet on my backhand. Probably my favorite shot to hit with it. Since I could get a little more spin with this racquet, I could really get the racquet through the hitting zone and toward the target and rip my cross-court backhands. I was also able to maintain most of that velocity when redirecting my backhand down the line. I would say my velocity on the backhand was probably 2-3 mph higher than normal with more topspin. Very comfortable with that shot and this racquet.
I was very comfortable with the slice backhand, too. My slice technique is not quite as good, but when I got it right, I could knife the ball deep into the court with great backspin to keep the ball low.
Serves: My serves were solid but not spectacular with the Clash 100. My velocity was a little lower than normal. I was able to maneuver the racquet easier through the serving motion, but I had to swing a little harder than normal to get close to my normal velocity. I was able to get a little more spin on the serves, but I could never get fully comfortable with power and placement. It felt a little less stable at contact, and I felt a little less margin for error than with the TF40. I also ended up with more mishits on the serve, I think due to the balance of the frame and not being used to it. It through my timing off a little bit, I think because I was able to accelerate the racquet easier so I was a little early to the contact point. It does seem like something I would get used to with more time with the racquet.
Volleys: My volleys were a little weaker than normal, but the increased maneuverability of the racquet helped me get to more balls that may have gotten by me with a heavier or more head heavy frame. The racquet feels light in the hand, and even sometimes when hitting volleys it would feel a little unstable, however it did not play unstable. Similar to my forehand, I had to focus a little more and maintain good technique, but when I did, volleys came off the strings with plenty of power and precision. The extra maneuverability helped me hit some fantastic drop volleys, too. My only complaint with volleys would be slightly off center shots, or not punching through the ball, would severely limit the depth and pace of my volleys if that's what I was going for. With my TF40 I think there's a little more forgiveness on a slight miss when volleying.
Serve returns: The maneuverability helped me get the racquet in position on faster serves. I did not have any problem with stability on harder returns. In fact, I think my forehand and backhand chip returns were better than normal with this racquet. Similar to the serve timing, I had to get used to the lightness of the racquet so I wasn't starting my swing too early and then decelerating to hit the ball. Once I adjusted, returns were at or above average, good depth, better than average topspin on my forehands, which helped me get additional net clearance and avoid the net player. I was able to go for tighter angles and get the ball up and down and keep it in the court.
Power/Control- I was able to get good power with this racquet. There's a little more of a trade off between power and control than my TF40. The string bed had a little more trampoline effect than my TF40 or Blade, but was a little harder to control if I went for too much power. I think the power is controllable if you keep the racquet head speed up. If I went for power and did not maintain swing speed it would launch the ball and my directional control would suffer. One bonus in terms of control is with the lighter weight and head light balance, I felt I could hold my shots a little longer and still get the racquet head to the point of contact on time, so I could disguise where I was going a little better.
Top Spin/Slice- Top spin was easy to generate. The racquet feels very light when you pick it up, and it plays very whippy. I could get loads of net clearance when I wanted, and I could get out of trouble by playing a loopier, spinny angled cross court shots. While the top spin came easily, I did struggle at first to flatten out my shots. I had focus a lot more on hitting through the ball and transferring my weight through the court, otherwise my attempt at a flatter shot would end up short. This racquet was great at taking a little pace off the forehand and getting the ball to dive over the net short in the court.
Slice was above average on balls that I could catch above net level and drive low to the other side. On lower balls, it felt like the racquet lacked a little bit of weight in the head and the ball would sit up a little bit after bouncing on the other side. I guess I'd call that a slight lack of plow through to hit deeper, heavier slices. I was able to get really good side spin on slice forehands and backhands.
Comfort- The Clash is known for comfort and it did not disappoint in this area. No elbow or shoulder problems with this racquet. I did not sense a lot of vibration or anything transferring through the frame and into my arm. It did feel a little 'tinny' when I first started hitting with it, but I'm also used to playing with a foam-filled TF40. Despite it sounding like it would feel harsh, it did not feel harsh in the least. I'm not sure I would call it plush, but no issues with comfort, even on hard or off-center shots.
Feel- I did not get a great sense of feel from the racquet. Again, it didn't feel plush. I didn't get a lot of ball pocketing, perhaps that's due to string tension and using poly versus a softer multi or syngut string? I didn't have a problem making shots, but I didn't feel a great connection with the ball.
Maneuverability- Maneuverability was probably the best of any racquet I've demoed/tested. It was very whippy and easy to get through the hitting zone. The racquet was so much quicker than I'm used to that I had to adapt my timing to not hit balls early. I felt like this gave me a little more time to get in position to make shots. I was also able to reach balls that were behind me and hit them squash style back over the net when I had no business getting to them.
Stability- I was worried about stability due to the lower weight overall and how light the head feels, but there were very few shots that I felt were impacted by lack of stability (at least on the part of the racquet). I never had a problem handling higher pace from either the baseline or at net. I think at the 3.0/3.5 level no one is hitting hard enough to give you stability problems with this racquet. The only times where I would have liked a little more weight in the head or more stability were for deeper slices and on heavy spin serve returns, like on kick serves. If I just tried to block the ball back on a good kick serve and did not push the racquet through the ball the return would sail on me (I think this is more of a me issue than a racquet issue, but at 3.0 level that's probably a problem a lot of us have).
General reaction/comments on overall performance: Overall I had a good experience with the racquet. It provided a nice change of pace from what I'm used to. Due to the lighter weight, I would use this anytime I'm feeling a little fatigued or experiencing elbow or shoulder soreness, and I would be able to maintain the level I achieve with my normal racquet. I don't think I will switch to this racquet, but I would enjoy hitting with it from time to time, and I think it is an excellent beginner/intermediate racquet that suits a wide range of swing styles, playing styles and experience levels.
Also, I like the simple look, colors, and the in-between matte/glossy finish.
String and tension used for test: Luxilon Eco poly at 55 M/53 C.
Tennis experience/background: Been playing for a little over 3 years, almost exclusively doubles. 45+ USTA 3.0. Average about 35-40 matches per year and play once or twice per week.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Powerful baseliner and aggressive net player. I love playing at net in doubles, and will try to follow in a good groundstroke to finish the point at net. I have an average serve, mostly a slice serve and sometimes flat. I prefer to hit flatter groundstroke, especially from the backhand side (one-handed backhand). I can get a lot of topspin on the forehand side when needed.
Current racquet/string setups: Current racquet of choice is a Tecnifibre TF40 16x19, 305g. Just switched from a Blade 98 18x20 in search of a little more spin and easier access to power. I typically string a hybrid poly setup with a shaped poly in the mains and a smooth round poly in the crosses, somewhere around 54-55 lbs in the mains and 1-2 lbs less in the crosses.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? I played about 10 hours with the racquet. Approximately 4 hours rallying or with a ball machine, about 4 hours of clinics, and 2 sets in two different USTA matches for about another 2 hours.
Groundstrokes: It took me about an hour of hitting to get used to the racquet compared to my TF40. Primary issue was control and overhitting. Once I adjusted to the racquet it was very solid on groundstrokes.
I had to work a little harder with this racquet to get the same pace I normally get on my forehand. I think it's due to the lighter weight in the head of the racquet, so if I didn't push out with my strokes, the ball would come off the racquet with plenty of spin but end up a little short. As long as I focused on technique, I could maintain the depth on my shots and get a lot of topspin action to land the ball in. More than a few times I would think the ball was going long and it would dive down near the baseline and stay in. I do think my forehand lacked a little 'heaviness' though. Velocity-wise I was pretty close to normal by the end of the playtest, maybe 3-4 mph slower on average.
I loved this racquet on my backhand. Probably my favorite shot to hit with it. Since I could get a little more spin with this racquet, I could really get the racquet through the hitting zone and toward the target and rip my cross-court backhands. I was also able to maintain most of that velocity when redirecting my backhand down the line. I would say my velocity on the backhand was probably 2-3 mph higher than normal with more topspin. Very comfortable with that shot and this racquet.
I was very comfortable with the slice backhand, too. My slice technique is not quite as good, but when I got it right, I could knife the ball deep into the court with great backspin to keep the ball low.
Serves: My serves were solid but not spectacular with the Clash 100. My velocity was a little lower than normal. I was able to maneuver the racquet easier through the serving motion, but I had to swing a little harder than normal to get close to my normal velocity. I was able to get a little more spin on the serves, but I could never get fully comfortable with power and placement. It felt a little less stable at contact, and I felt a little less margin for error than with the TF40. I also ended up with more mishits on the serve, I think due to the balance of the frame and not being used to it. It through my timing off a little bit, I think because I was able to accelerate the racquet easier so I was a little early to the contact point. It does seem like something I would get used to with more time with the racquet.
Volleys: My volleys were a little weaker than normal, but the increased maneuverability of the racquet helped me get to more balls that may have gotten by me with a heavier or more head heavy frame. The racquet feels light in the hand, and even sometimes when hitting volleys it would feel a little unstable, however it did not play unstable. Similar to my forehand, I had to focus a little more and maintain good technique, but when I did, volleys came off the strings with plenty of power and precision. The extra maneuverability helped me hit some fantastic drop volleys, too. My only complaint with volleys would be slightly off center shots, or not punching through the ball, would severely limit the depth and pace of my volleys if that's what I was going for. With my TF40 I think there's a little more forgiveness on a slight miss when volleying.
Serve returns: The maneuverability helped me get the racquet in position on faster serves. I did not have any problem with stability on harder returns. In fact, I think my forehand and backhand chip returns were better than normal with this racquet. Similar to the serve timing, I had to get used to the lightness of the racquet so I wasn't starting my swing too early and then decelerating to hit the ball. Once I adjusted, returns were at or above average, good depth, better than average topspin on my forehands, which helped me get additional net clearance and avoid the net player. I was able to go for tighter angles and get the ball up and down and keep it in the court.
Power/Control- I was able to get good power with this racquet. There's a little more of a trade off between power and control than my TF40. The string bed had a little more trampoline effect than my TF40 or Blade, but was a little harder to control if I went for too much power. I think the power is controllable if you keep the racquet head speed up. If I went for power and did not maintain swing speed it would launch the ball and my directional control would suffer. One bonus in terms of control is with the lighter weight and head light balance, I felt I could hold my shots a little longer and still get the racquet head to the point of contact on time, so I could disguise where I was going a little better.
Top Spin/Slice- Top spin was easy to generate. The racquet feels very light when you pick it up, and it plays very whippy. I could get loads of net clearance when I wanted, and I could get out of trouble by playing a loopier, spinny angled cross court shots. While the top spin came easily, I did struggle at first to flatten out my shots. I had focus a lot more on hitting through the ball and transferring my weight through the court, otherwise my attempt at a flatter shot would end up short. This racquet was great at taking a little pace off the forehand and getting the ball to dive over the net short in the court.
Slice was above average on balls that I could catch above net level and drive low to the other side. On lower balls, it felt like the racquet lacked a little bit of weight in the head and the ball would sit up a little bit after bouncing on the other side. I guess I'd call that a slight lack of plow through to hit deeper, heavier slices. I was able to get really good side spin on slice forehands and backhands.
Comfort- The Clash is known for comfort and it did not disappoint in this area. No elbow or shoulder problems with this racquet. I did not sense a lot of vibration or anything transferring through the frame and into my arm. It did feel a little 'tinny' when I first started hitting with it, but I'm also used to playing with a foam-filled TF40. Despite it sounding like it would feel harsh, it did not feel harsh in the least. I'm not sure I would call it plush, but no issues with comfort, even on hard or off-center shots.
Feel- I did not get a great sense of feel from the racquet. Again, it didn't feel plush. I didn't get a lot of ball pocketing, perhaps that's due to string tension and using poly versus a softer multi or syngut string? I didn't have a problem making shots, but I didn't feel a great connection with the ball.
Maneuverability- Maneuverability was probably the best of any racquet I've demoed/tested. It was very whippy and easy to get through the hitting zone. The racquet was so much quicker than I'm used to that I had to adapt my timing to not hit balls early. I felt like this gave me a little more time to get in position to make shots. I was also able to reach balls that were behind me and hit them squash style back over the net when I had no business getting to them.
Stability- I was worried about stability due to the lower weight overall and how light the head feels, but there were very few shots that I felt were impacted by lack of stability (at least on the part of the racquet). I never had a problem handling higher pace from either the baseline or at net. I think at the 3.0/3.5 level no one is hitting hard enough to give you stability problems with this racquet. The only times where I would have liked a little more weight in the head or more stability were for deeper slices and on heavy spin serve returns, like on kick serves. If I just tried to block the ball back on a good kick serve and did not push the racquet through the ball the return would sail on me (I think this is more of a me issue than a racquet issue, but at 3.0 level that's probably a problem a lot of us have).
General reaction/comments on overall performance: Overall I had a good experience with the racquet. It provided a nice change of pace from what I'm used to. Due to the lighter weight, I would use this anytime I'm feeling a little fatigued or experiencing elbow or shoulder soreness, and I would be able to maintain the level I achieve with my normal racquet. I don't think I will switch to this racquet, but I would enjoy hitting with it from time to time, and I think it is an excellent beginner/intermediate racquet that suits a wide range of swing styles, playing styles and experience levels.
Also, I like the simple look, colors, and the in-between matte/glossy finish.
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
My apologies for posting such a late review, been a busy week with work and trying to fit in as much tennis as I could. Hopefully, this being a couple days late won't ding against me for future playtests.
Racquet Received - Wilson Clash V3 100 Pro 16 x20
STRING AND TENSION USED FOR TEST - Strung with my own personal hybrid of Volkl Cyclone (16 gauge) in the mains @ 49 lbs and Volkl V-Feel in the crosses @ 53 lbs.
TENNIS EXPERIENCE / BACKGROUND - Mostly self taught, I can remember spending hours and hours just hitting against a backboard from 2011-2017, and even still go up and hit the backboard from time to time like I did this past Friday and Sunday when nobody is available to hit. I started playing around 2009, I can rememember begging my dad to buy me my first racket (Babolat Pure Drive) for Christmas that year. Since then, I've used a lot of different rackets over the years I'm pretty competitive, currently 4.0 USTA league in doubles, but maybe more of a 4.5 singles player since I played more singles before moving into doubles the last 3-4 years.
DESCRIBE PLAYING STYLE - Solid 4.0 doubles and 4.5 Singles player. I use a one-handed backhand, and hit with quite a bit of slice on that wing. Forehand is mostly flat, and serves are usually flat or slice.
CURRENT RACQUET/STRING SETUPS - My current racket of choice is the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 V13, and I use the same string setup as the above for the Clash playtest, though I do vary the tension depending on the weather conditions, typically go down when it's cooler out and higher when it's toasty out.
NUMBER OF HOURS PLAYED WITH THE RACQUET - I played only on outdoor hardcourts with this racket, since that's really all that's available to me, and I would say I probably got in a solid 7-10 hours of time with the Clash. I was also demo'ing some other rackets in the last week, as I've been wondering what else is out there since I've pretty much exclusively played with my PS97 Autographs since 2016.
COMMENTS ON RACQUET PERFORMANCE:
GROUNDSTROKES - Groundstrokes weren't bad with this frame, I thought it had a good amount of forgiveness since it's 100 square inches so a little bigger headsize than I'm used to. The lighter weight of this Clash Pro did take a little time for me to adjust to. I'm used to using my Autographs which weight nearly 12.7 ounces when I'm swinging them, so this definitely took some time getting used to, since I could swing it much faster. The frame like it goes through the air fast. When I had time on the ball, I really enjoyed what I got out of it in terms of the groundstrokes. My forehand was really good with this racket, and my backhand slice was not too shabby either. I did note that my onehanded topspin backhand wasn't quite as nice with this racket compared to my usual frame of choice. I also did feel like I missed osme of that magical plow-through and on deeper shots or shots with heavier topspin that came at me, I felt like it wasn't as great at re-directing the pace/spin since it was so much lighter than I was used to.
Overall, I would say I did enjoy hitting groundstrokes with this racket and it does have power. Although, most of that power will require you to swing through and take full cuts at the ball, since the lightweight frame travels through the air faster, but if you get pushed back or don't have time, it's not as good at absorbing that pace and re-directing it, the way my RF97's are.
SERVES - This is one area, where I did notice an uptick and so did the people I played with. One of the guys said you're getting more "juice" on that service since the racket is so much lighter. I could defiinitely feel I was coming through the hitting zone on serves faster and generating a noticeable amount more pace on my serves. Even with the extra cross since this is a hybrid type of pattern - not fully closed, but not fully open - I didn't notice any lack of spin when hitting my slice serves, though I don't possess a massive kick serve since I tend to hit mostly flat or slice serves. I would definitely say that I served better with this racket compared to my 97 Autographs, though perhaps with those I may have had just a bit more precision, but this Clash wasn't bad for me in terms of locating my serves in the box.
VOLLEYS - I hit some pretty decent volleys with this racket, though I wouldn't say I loved it at the net or on volleys. I think because I may be used to using a much more headlight racket (my current one is about 10 or so points headlight), I felt like this one wasn't as maneuverable for me since it's closer to an even balance racket. I think it might benefit me to throw a leather grip on it or even add a few grams in the handle and make it more headlight. I just felt like my volleys were lacking a little something with this racket compared to other rackets that I've used and my current racket of choice.
SERVE RETURNS - Because of the compact nature in which you would typically hit a return with, I also felt like this racket wasn't my favorite to hit returns with. On returns, particulary if the serve was hit pretty hard or with a ton of kick, and I wasn't able to take a full cut, I felt like the racket didn't do as well for me. I definitely think adding some weight to it may help give a little more stability where I can feel more confident blocking returns back into play and at least getting the point back to neutral instead of letting the opponent take complete control of the point.
Racquet Received - Wilson Clash V3 100 Pro 16 x20
STRING AND TENSION USED FOR TEST - Strung with my own personal hybrid of Volkl Cyclone (16 gauge) in the mains @ 49 lbs and Volkl V-Feel in the crosses @ 53 lbs.
TENNIS EXPERIENCE / BACKGROUND - Mostly self taught, I can remember spending hours and hours just hitting against a backboard from 2011-2017, and even still go up and hit the backboard from time to time like I did this past Friday and Sunday when nobody is available to hit. I started playing around 2009, I can rememember begging my dad to buy me my first racket (Babolat Pure Drive) for Christmas that year. Since then, I've used a lot of different rackets over the years I'm pretty competitive, currently 4.0 USTA league in doubles, but maybe more of a 4.5 singles player since I played more singles before moving into doubles the last 3-4 years.
DESCRIBE PLAYING STYLE - Solid 4.0 doubles and 4.5 Singles player. I use a one-handed backhand, and hit with quite a bit of slice on that wing. Forehand is mostly flat, and serves are usually flat or slice.
CURRENT RACQUET/STRING SETUPS - My current racket of choice is the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 V13, and I use the same string setup as the above for the Clash playtest, though I do vary the tension depending on the weather conditions, typically go down when it's cooler out and higher when it's toasty out.
NUMBER OF HOURS PLAYED WITH THE RACQUET - I played only on outdoor hardcourts with this racket, since that's really all that's available to me, and I would say I probably got in a solid 7-10 hours of time with the Clash. I was also demo'ing some other rackets in the last week, as I've been wondering what else is out there since I've pretty much exclusively played with my PS97 Autographs since 2016.
COMMENTS ON RACQUET PERFORMANCE:
GROUNDSTROKES - Groundstrokes weren't bad with this frame, I thought it had a good amount of forgiveness since it's 100 square inches so a little bigger headsize than I'm used to. The lighter weight of this Clash Pro did take a little time for me to adjust to. I'm used to using my Autographs which weight nearly 12.7 ounces when I'm swinging them, so this definitely took some time getting used to, since I could swing it much faster. The frame like it goes through the air fast. When I had time on the ball, I really enjoyed what I got out of it in terms of the groundstrokes. My forehand was really good with this racket, and my backhand slice was not too shabby either. I did note that my onehanded topspin backhand wasn't quite as nice with this racket compared to my usual frame of choice. I also did feel like I missed osme of that magical plow-through and on deeper shots or shots with heavier topspin that came at me, I felt like it wasn't as great at re-directing the pace/spin since it was so much lighter than I was used to.
Overall, I would say I did enjoy hitting groundstrokes with this racket and it does have power. Although, most of that power will require you to swing through and take full cuts at the ball, since the lightweight frame travels through the air faster, but if you get pushed back or don't have time, it's not as good at absorbing that pace and re-directing it, the way my RF97's are.
SERVES - This is one area, where I did notice an uptick and so did the people I played with. One of the guys said you're getting more "juice" on that service since the racket is so much lighter. I could defiinitely feel I was coming through the hitting zone on serves faster and generating a noticeable amount more pace on my serves. Even with the extra cross since this is a hybrid type of pattern - not fully closed, but not fully open - I didn't notice any lack of spin when hitting my slice serves, though I don't possess a massive kick serve since I tend to hit mostly flat or slice serves. I would definitely say that I served better with this racket compared to my 97 Autographs, though perhaps with those I may have had just a bit more precision, but this Clash wasn't bad for me in terms of locating my serves in the box.
VOLLEYS - I hit some pretty decent volleys with this racket, though I wouldn't say I loved it at the net or on volleys. I think because I may be used to using a much more headlight racket (my current one is about 10 or so points headlight), I felt like this one wasn't as maneuverable for me since it's closer to an even balance racket. I think it might benefit me to throw a leather grip on it or even add a few grams in the handle and make it more headlight. I just felt like my volleys were lacking a little something with this racket compared to other rackets that I've used and my current racket of choice.
SERVE RETURNS - Because of the compact nature in which you would typically hit a return with, I also felt like this racket wasn't my favorite to hit returns with. On returns, particulary if the serve was hit pretty hard or with a ton of kick, and I wasn't able to take a full cut, I felt like the racket didn't do as well for me. I definitely think adding some weight to it may help give a little more stability where I can feel more confident blocking returns back into play and at least getting the point back to neutral instead of letting the opponent take complete control of the point.
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
Since my complete review exceeded the character count limit for a singular post, I'm having to post it in two parts:
GENERAL COMMENTS OF OVERALL PERFORMANCE -
POWER/CONTROL - It's a bit thicker of a beam that I'm normally used to, which typically translates to more power. I definitely got more pop or power on the serve, though from the baseline, I think I preferred the precision of my Autograph and the feeling of not getting pushed back. With this Clash, I definitely felt like against certain types of players, I was getting pushed back a bit more than I would like. players. Overall, I would consider it pretty middle of the road in terms of power compared to what I've been testing recently.
Control was also not bad with this Clash 100 Pro. Compared to my main racket, it obviously didn't have that same precision/control, but I definitely didn't feel like I couldn't control the ball and where I was aiming.
TOPSPIN / SLICE - For me, this Clash Pro offers good access to spin. I'm not typically a heavy topspin player, so I couldn't really notice a decrease in my topspin shots or the RPM's on the ball. However, since I play a lot of slice on the backhand side, I did note that perhaps compared to my main racket, my slices didn't have as much bite, but it wasn't a substantial drop off.
COMFORT - I think this Clash Pro is a very comfortable frame. I was a bit concerned since I usually use a more headlight racket, but neither during the test nor after hitting with it, did I experience any elbow pain/soreness, etc. I'm unsure if the extra cross string does anything for the playability or if it was necesarry, but maybe it adds a bit to the comfort and shock absorption since you have one more cross string to absorb the impact on the ball. I should also note that I typically play with a dampener on my rackets, so I used one each time I played with this Clash 100 Pro.
FEEL - The lighter weight of this Clash Pro, gave it plenty of feel. I do play with a dampener, but I had no issues with the feel compared to other rackets I hit with and my current racket of choice.
MANEUVERABILITY - For me, this frame is very light compared to what I'm used to, though I did wish it was a little more headlight, but I had no issues swinging it from the back of the court, especially when I had time to setup my shots.
STABILITY - I wouldn't say the frame was unstable, but compared to what I'm used to, I wish it had a bit more stability. Or rather, it left me wishing it had more stability since I'm used to using a racket that is about 1.3 ounces heavier, so naturally with a static weight difference of that much, anyone would feel like there's a drop off in stability comparably speaking. I think I would add some weight and play around with the balance and see if that helps increase the stability more to my liking.
GENERAL COMMENTS ON OVERALL PERFORMANCE - I forced myself to play this entire playtest with the racquet in stock form, because I wanted to feel the factory form with no weight or changing of the base grip to leather, etc. The only 2 things I did, were using a dampener as I mentioned previously, and I put a Wilson Pro Overgrip on since I typically like to play with overgrips on my rackets. The design of the frame is pretty thoughtful. I did like the cosmetic in terms of the colors of the racket, however, I did notice that the paint had a slight chip in it and I can't remember dinging the racket or dropping it on the court, so not sure how that happened, but a little questionable in terms of the quality/durability of the paintjob. I also think the racket is a bit on the lighter side in terms of static weight for something that I would use. I think ideally, I would prefer something in the upper 11 ounce range to even 12+ ounces. I know I'm not getting any younger so my hand speed isn't going to increase, but for me I like the stability and security of a heavier frame.
Overall, I would say this is a solid racket. Would I switch to it? Probably not, but I may mess around and add some weight to it and see if that gels more with my liking and my gamestyle.
I just want to say thank you to both Wilson and TennisWarehouse for selecting me to participate in this playtest! And again, I'm terribly sorry this is late.
I really enjoyed getting out of my sort of comfort zone and forcing myself to try new frames. Since the RF97 has been dc'd for the past 2 years, at somepoint, I'll have to make a tough decision to move on from those, and so I'm on a quest to find a new racket that I can call my racket of choice for the forseeable future.
GENERAL COMMENTS OF OVERALL PERFORMANCE -
POWER/CONTROL - It's a bit thicker of a beam that I'm normally used to, which typically translates to more power. I definitely got more pop or power on the serve, though from the baseline, I think I preferred the precision of my Autograph and the feeling of not getting pushed back. With this Clash, I definitely felt like against certain types of players, I was getting pushed back a bit more than I would like. players. Overall, I would consider it pretty middle of the road in terms of power compared to what I've been testing recently.
Control was also not bad with this Clash 100 Pro. Compared to my main racket, it obviously didn't have that same precision/control, but I definitely didn't feel like I couldn't control the ball and where I was aiming.
TOPSPIN / SLICE - For me, this Clash Pro offers good access to spin. I'm not typically a heavy topspin player, so I couldn't really notice a decrease in my topspin shots or the RPM's on the ball. However, since I play a lot of slice on the backhand side, I did note that perhaps compared to my main racket, my slices didn't have as much bite, but it wasn't a substantial drop off.
COMFORT - I think this Clash Pro is a very comfortable frame. I was a bit concerned since I usually use a more headlight racket, but neither during the test nor after hitting with it, did I experience any elbow pain/soreness, etc. I'm unsure if the extra cross string does anything for the playability or if it was necesarry, but maybe it adds a bit to the comfort and shock absorption since you have one more cross string to absorb the impact on the ball. I should also note that I typically play with a dampener on my rackets, so I used one each time I played with this Clash 100 Pro.
FEEL - The lighter weight of this Clash Pro, gave it plenty of feel. I do play with a dampener, but I had no issues with the feel compared to other rackets I hit with and my current racket of choice.
MANEUVERABILITY - For me, this frame is very light compared to what I'm used to, though I did wish it was a little more headlight, but I had no issues swinging it from the back of the court, especially when I had time to setup my shots.
STABILITY - I wouldn't say the frame was unstable, but compared to what I'm used to, I wish it had a bit more stability. Or rather, it left me wishing it had more stability since I'm used to using a racket that is about 1.3 ounces heavier, so naturally with a static weight difference of that much, anyone would feel like there's a drop off in stability comparably speaking. I think I would add some weight and play around with the balance and see if that helps increase the stability more to my liking.
GENERAL COMMENTS ON OVERALL PERFORMANCE - I forced myself to play this entire playtest with the racquet in stock form, because I wanted to feel the factory form with no weight or changing of the base grip to leather, etc. The only 2 things I did, were using a dampener as I mentioned previously, and I put a Wilson Pro Overgrip on since I typically like to play with overgrips on my rackets. The design of the frame is pretty thoughtful. I did like the cosmetic in terms of the colors of the racket, however, I did notice that the paint had a slight chip in it and I can't remember dinging the racket or dropping it on the court, so not sure how that happened, but a little questionable in terms of the quality/durability of the paintjob. I also think the racket is a bit on the lighter side in terms of static weight for something that I would use. I think ideally, I would prefer something in the upper 11 ounce range to even 12+ ounces. I know I'm not getting any younger so my hand speed isn't going to increase, but for me I like the stability and security of a heavier frame.
Overall, I would say this is a solid racket. Would I switch to it? Probably not, but I may mess around and add some weight to it and see if that gels more with my liking and my gamestyle.
I just want to say thank you to both Wilson and TennisWarehouse for selecting me to participate in this playtest! And again, I'm terribly sorry this is late.
I really enjoyed getting out of my sort of comfort zone and forcing myself to try new frames. Since the RF97 has been dc'd for the past 2 years, at somepoint, I'll have to make a tough decision to move on from those, and so I'm on a quest to find a new racket that I can call my racket of choice for the forseeable future.
