Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Wilson Pro Staff 97 and X v14

[TW Staff]

Attention Talk Tennis Members:

As we roll into summer, we are pleased to offer a limited playtest of the Pro Staff 97 and X v14. This playtest is open to USA Talk Tennis members only.

VERY IMPORTANT: Playtesters will be required to get their test racquet strung. Each racquet will be shipped with two set of strings. Please note that we only have one grip sizes available - grip 3.

Application period is now closed. Selected participants will receive an email by Friday, June 9th.

We have a very limited quantity of racquets to playtest. We select playtesters based on a number of factors, including message board participation and performance on past playtests.

Your review is due by Friday, July 14th by 5 pm PST.

Posting a full review by the deadline is necessary to remain in good standing for future playtests. Reviews lacking sufficient effort will resort in disqualification from the playtest program.

Include the following in your review:

String and tension used for test:
Tennis experience/background:
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
Current racquet/string setups:
How many hours did you play with the racquet?

Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):
-Groundstrokes:
-Serves:
-Volleys:
-Serve returns:

Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)
Power/Control-
Top Spin/Slice-
Comfort-
Feel-
Maneuverability-
Stability-

General reaction/comments on overall performance:

Thanks,
TW Staff

We will delete “request sent” emails, but encourage a lively “pre-game” discussion on the racquets.

 

[A_Instead]

Oh my.. another fun time..

 

[Newby]

Yessss

 

[shadow01]

Good luck everyone - these stick specs look very interesting... I'll have to pass on applying for this one, but looking forward to an exciting summer of playtests! Hopefully some exciting things down the pipeline just like last summer!

 

[Thibb]

My last racquet was the Prestige pro and I am now playing with Vcore Pro. I have always gravitated towards head sizes around the 97 to 98 range. It will be really interesting to hear how the 97 vs 100 compare to one another

 

[vndesu]

Lets go more playtests!!!!

 

[Casper777]

Nothing for Europe players ((

 

[StringStrungStrang]

The Wilson ProStaff (v14) is Iconic! I have the first iteration, red/black and remember thinking - oh this is why people love these racquets. For ages a ProStaff was tennis, now with so many interesting choices I am interested see if I still love Wilson's ProStaff. It has always been a beautiful racquet and it's association with some of the most legendary players - Federer and Sampras - says it all. Updated and better than ever? I can't wait to find out!

The PS97 v14 specs 27", 11.7 / 332 g, 7 pts HL, 66 RA, and constant beam of 21.5. The feel is sure to be classic.

 

[fed1]

Always loved the Pro Staff feel but I thought the 97 may be a little to demanding for me, this is where the X has me very curious.

 

[McLovin]

Meh…was hoping ’X’ stood for eXtended.

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

Even though I love Pro Staff and wilson shaped grips, I will pass and give others a chance. I still have the Babolat Pure Strike 100 and Prince ATS 98 Tour from those play tests.

 

[TennisHound]

Awesome, I just acquired four Pro Staff 97 racquets - one V11 (has red on either side), and three V12 (has white on either side). Should be a good comparison

 

[dak95_00]

I threw my hat in the ring. I’ve just settled in on the Head Gravity Pro so the X looks intriguing.

 

[Casper777]

The Pro Staff X is absolutely awesome!

A real sledghammer!

 

[A_Instead]

I think if more people would try a ProStaff...more people would use a ProStaff..

 

[stapletonj]

selfishly speaking, I think they should select non wilson users (like me! haha) who can compare the racket to it's competition, a la Yonex, Babolat, Head, etc.

Perhaps I could go to my brother's garage and pull out his pro staff 125 and string it up at about 76 lbs. for comparison! (j/k, my arm hurts even thinking about that!)

 

[Blade_X]

selfishly speaking, I think they should select non wilson users (like me! haha) who can compare the racket to it's competition, a la Yonex, Babolat, Head, etc.

Perhaps I could go to my brother's garage and pull out his pro staff 125 and string it up at about 76 lbs. for comparison! (j/k, my arm hurts even thinking about that!)

Overall Wilson and Head still make the most connected frames! If feel is your main priority i wouldn’t look elsewhere. Even Wilson Ultra gives you more feedback than those modern yonexes.

 

[Aestheticsaboveallelse]

Overall Wilson and Head still make the most connected frames! If feel is your main priority i wouldn’t look elsewhere. Even Wilson Ultra gives you more feedback than those modern yonexes.

Both the heavy and the light new Pure Aero Origins are very raw and connected w/ Babolat, its so good

 

[Purestriker]

Awesome! I have heard great things about the X.

 

[StringStrungStrang]

Meh…was hoping ’X’ stood for eXtended.

@McLovin it is interesting that Wilson will make a ProStaff X variant, but they never choose to make an extended ProStaff available.

 

[Aestheticsaboveallelse]

Awesome! I have heard great things about the X.

V14 97 = if you want ultimate rewarding experience for clean shots but more difficult

X = more forgiving accessible pro staff

 

[colan5934]

@McLovin it is interesting that Wilson will make a ProStaff X variant, but they never choose to make an extended ProStaff available.

Extended frames really don’t sell that well. And the pro staff doesn’t sell awesomely for Wilson anymore. It’s a business decision for them. Not saying an extended wouldn’t be fun though! They did used to make the stretch though way back when.

 

[Aestheticsaboveallelse]

Extended frames really don’t sell that well. And the pro staff doesn’t sell awesomely for Wilson anymore. It’s a business decision for them. Not saying an extended wouldn’t be fun though! They did used to make the stretch though way back when.

Extended is so wrong for a pro staff anyway, correct choice

 

[colan5934]

Extended is so wrong for a pro staff anyway, correct choice

Depends on the player. I know plenty of people who can’t get away from their old extended pro staffs. There was an extended K factor 6.1 too

 

[Aestheticsaboveallelse]

Depends on the player. I know plenty of people who can’t get away from their old extended pro staffs. There was an extended K factor 6.1 too

Not saying it can't be effective just to me a pro staff is supposed to be perfectly balanced and well rounded... nothing extreme like a long length of racquet

 

[Deleted member 775108]

Depends on the player. I know plenty of people who can’t get away from their old extended pro staffs. There was an extended K factor 6.1 too

I always found it interesting that player heights on the pro tour (WTA+ATP) vary from 5'3" to 6'11" (32% spread) BUT racquets only vary from 27 to 27.5" to 28" (3.8% spread). The answer is probably that tennis players are people of habit and size decision happens when they are juniors and before they reach their final height... Unavailability and confusion with too many lengths would also be a complication.

Not saying it can't be effective just to me a pro staff is supposed to be perfectly balanced and well rounded... nothing extreme like a long length of racquet

Yes - Totally - Aesthetics Above All Else.

 

[mhkeuns]

There used to be some stretch versions before in the 90’s, I believe. Maybe they were the iterations of the Six One, not sure. I’m kind of surprised to hear that Pro Staff doesn’t sell well for Wilson. I’ve hit with different iterations of the Pro Staff up until V11, RF97’s and 97S. Though RF97 was a bit too much of a racket for me to use, both Pro Staff 97 & 97S were fantastic frames.

Looking forward to reading some detailed feedbacks on the new 97 and the X. Good luck to those who applied.

 

[colan5934]

Not saying it can't be effective just to me a pro staff is supposed to be perfectly balanced and well rounded... nothing extreme like a long length of racquet

Extreme to you is suitable for others bud. It’s all about preference. I quite like plus length players frames and pro staffs/6.1s but my wrist doesn’t. They do everything well with better leverage on serves and groundies.

 

[colan5934]

There used to be some stretch versions before in the 90’s, I believe. Maybe they were the iterations of the Six One, not sure. I’m kind of surprised to hear that Pro Staff doesn’t sell well for Wilson. I’ve hit with different iterations of the Pro Staff up until V11, RF97’s and 97S. Though RF97 was a bit too much of a racket for me to use, both Pro Staff 97 & 97S were fantastic frames.

Looking forward to reading some detailed feedbacks on the new 97 and the X. Good luck to those who applied.

Still a great stick. But most of the tennis playing population is intermediate level between 3.0 and 4.0 (4.5 in my area had plenty of people I’d consider intermediate too). Clashes, Ultras, and Blades are just better on average for those players. Same for the kids. Doesn’t mean pro staffs don’t sell, and they’re still great sticks. But not as well as the other flagship lines.

 

[colan5934]

I always found it interesting that player heights on the pro tour (WTA+ATP) vary from 5'3" to 6'11" (32% spread) BUT racquets only vary from 27 to 27.5" to 28" (3.8% spread). The answer is probably that tennis players are people of habit and size decision happens when they are juniors and before they reach their final height... Unavailability and confusion with too many lengths would also be a complication.



Yes - Totally - Aesthetics Above All Else.

Too long of a racquet and it’s unusable. Added length messes disproportionately with stability and outgoing power, so a little too long and it’s too hard to swing for what it’s worth eventually. Plus, there’s a limit on what’s legal for competition at 29”

 

[Aestheticsaboveallelse]

Extreme to you is suitable for others bud. It’s all about preference. I quite like plus length players frames and pro staffs/6.1s but my wrist doesn’t. They do everything well with better leverage on serves and groundies.

"Not saying it can't be effective" did you miss that?

 

[McLovin]

Extended is so wrong for a pro staff anyway, correct choice

Not sure why you'd say that. They made 6.1s in extended form for the first decade, and the HPS 6.1 Stretch was an extremely popular frame. I believe many pros did (and still do) use that variant.

 

[colan5934]

"Not saying it can't be effective" did you miss that?

Just trying to say it’s all a matter of preference, guy. Nothing is “wrong” for every player. Just like nothing’s right all the time. No need to get all offended

 

[Trip]

Bringing this thread back on the rails, I'm curious to see how the 97 compares with other player/pleener frames at equal strung spec. If I got one to demo, it would be going up against the '21 VCP 97 310, among others.

 

[colan5934]

Bringing this thread back on the rails, I'm curious to see how the 97 compares with other player/pleener frames at equal strung spec. If I got one to demo, it would be going up against the '21 VCP 97 310, among others.

Thank you! We needed that. I should know better than to try to have conversations with some posters when we veer off topic. I applied and have plenty of similar spec frames to demo against if selected. I did just get a shoe playtest, so I wouldn’t be unsurprised if I’m passed over for this one.

If we compare the v13 to the vcp 310 ‘21, the pro staff is crisper, poppier, and still very controlled in my impression. The vcore pro lacks some pop for me. Though the control is excellent. Spin seems more accessible too from the Yonex. But the pro staff doesn’t lack. Curious how the v14 really plays. I’ve only dabbled with it for 10 minutes. And haven’t hit the X

 

[leokiminardo]

I've been playing with the Blade after seeing all the hype from the top tier college players switching over, but I'm really interested to see what Wilson will do to get people back on the Pro Staff!

 

[badmice2]

I had a chance to play with the v13 100, can’t say it was the most stable racket and rather disappointing. The string bed felt very inconsistent, lot of twisting off mishits. It was overhyped as the “friendly” Prostaff and honestly underwhelming in performance. Perhaps it’s why the Blade 100 got more attention.

 

[colan5934]

I had a chance to play with the v13 100, can’t say it was the most stable racket and rather disappointing. The string bed felt very inconsistent, lot of twisting off mishits. It was overhyped as the “friendly” Prostaff and honestly underwhelming in performance. Perhaps it’s why the Blade 100 got more attention.

I think that's why hopes are so high for the X. It's got a true pro staff weight and construction. It's basically a Pro Staff 97 with a 100 inch head. The swingweight seems to come out of the factory much lighter, though. I wonder if they layup is the same.

The v13 100 was a "Six.One" and looks like it borrowed a mold from some of the price-point frames like the old NFury and such. Layup could very well be a true 6.1 though. Seems like it needs more weight to truly shine.

 

[badmice2]

I think that's why hopes are so high for the X. It's got a true pro staff weight and construction. It's basically a Pro Staff 97 with a 100 inch head. The swingweight seems to come out of the factory much lighter, though. I wonder if they layup is the same.

The v13 100 was a "Six.One" and looks like it borrowed a mold from some of the price-point frames like the old NFury and such. Layup could very well be a true 6.1 though. Seems like it needs more weight to truly shine.

Yea something was wonkie about that stick. My buddy added lead to his but just couldn’t dial it in. It was a different layup compared to the 97, which I had. It felt flimsy and overall just played really awkward.

 

[Soundbyte]

Passing on applying for this. I've hit with both. Good frames but not my cup of tea. Good luck to everyone!

 

[colan5934]

Yea something was wonkie about that stick. My buddy added lead to his but just couldn’t dial it in. It was a different layup compared to the 97, which I had. It felt flimsy and overall just played really awkward.

Never actually hit it myself but that seems to be the feedback. Some racquets just generally flop and it is what it is, sadly. But the X and 97 seem to be well received so far. I’d imagine the X is a bit clunkier than the 97 but we shall see what the playtesters have to say!

 

[TennisHound]

There used to be a lot of lighter versions that were 95” 16x18 27.25” long.

 

[time_fly]

I liked the first generation Pro Staff 97 315g and it was my regular stick for a while. Although the Pro Staff was always considered more of a control racquet I found it to be pretty powerful and spin friendly for a more traditional racquet. The last version I tried was the v13 and I found that one to be more control oriented. I'm curious how this new one compares.

 

[StringStrungStrang]

I always loved my Pro Staff 97. The RF97 was a bit too much for me to get around, but it was a racquet that definitely made a difference. The Pro Staff was very stable and had a quality and precision about it. Loved it, but and there is always a but it was lower powered, a touch less maneuverable and generated less spin than my Pure Strike 16x19. IMO they were neck and neck, the Pro Staff having better feel and quality, not to mention more comfortable. Yet somehow I choose the Pure Strike 98. If either had an extended version it would have been game over. That's the reason that I played a weighted up Blade 104 for a couple years and still like them, but missing the precision of the Pro Staff and Pure Strike.

 

[TennisHound]

I always loved my Pros Staff 97. The RF97 was a bit too much for me to get around, but it was a racquet that definitely made a difference. The Pro Staff was very stable and had a quality and precision about it. Loved it, but and there is always a but it was lower powered, a touch less maneuverable and generate less spin than my Pure Strike 16x19. IMO they were neck and neck the Pro Staff having better feel and quality, not to mention more comfortable. Yet somehow I choose the Pure Strike 98. If either had an extended version it would have been game over. That's the reason that I played a weighted up Blade 104 for a couple years and still like them, but missing the precision of the Pro Staff and Pure Strike.

The stock Pure Strike needs no mods since already has a healthy SW. Even though the Pro Staff is slightly heavier (.2-.3oz) it benefits really well from a weight up top while still remaining maneuverable (since it’s very HL).

 

[SlowTiger]

Never actually hit it myself but that seems to be the feedback. Some racquets just generally flop and it is what it is, sadly. But the X and 97 seem to be well received so far. I’d imagine the X is a bit clunkier than the 97 but we shall see what the playtesters have to say!

The bigger headsize will usually feel clunkier given they're the same weight. That's kind of how I felt about the 6.1 90 vs 6.1 95. The PS 97 are nice sticks as they moved easier then the 6.1 because of the lower weight but still felt surprisingly stable.

 

[cmkim88]

X v14 specs seems very interesting. I always wanted to like the pro staff 97 but it wasnt for me unfortunately. I would like to demo the X v14

 

[Aestheticsaboveallelse]

Just trying to say it’s all a matter of preference, guy. Nothing is “wrong” for every player. Just like nothing’s right all the time. No need to get all offended

Offended? Your entire post was redundant when I already admitted it can be completely effective. Its just not meant for a pro staff, its great for pure aero and other lines. Anyhow Wilson agrees with me thats why they don't make them

 

[colan5934]

Offended? Your entire post was redundant when I already admitted it can be completely effective. Its just not meant for a pro staff, its great for pure aero and other lines. Anyhow Wilson agrees with me thats why they don't make them

Don’t fall off that high horse, friend

 

[colan5934]

The bigger headsize will usually feel clunkier given they're the same weight. That's kind of how I felt about the 6.1 90 vs 6.1 95. The PS 97 are nice sticks as they moved easier then the 6.1 because of the lower weight but still felt surprisingly stable.

Yep. Exactly why I think it’ll be clunkier than the 97 at the same specs. The smaller heads cut through the air so much better. And I agree on the 97 vs 6.1. The stability is quite good for the weight. It seems to come from the stiffness. The only 6.1 that is clear cut better for me is the KFactor which is likely due to the high stiffness on that one.