Wilson RF01 peRFect Playtest (300gr.)
String & Tension: used for test: Solinco Hyper-G Shaped / Round Hybrid 17 g. @ 44 m 46 crosses.
Tennis experience/background: I have played, coached and been stringing racquets for over 10 years and I am always experimenting with equipment, strings, diet and training etc. in search of things that work. Currently, self-rated at 4.0 looking for 4.5 NTRP.
Playing Style: All-court attacking style. Love to come in whenever possible. Can play from the baseline, but prefer to be inside of it especially on returns and will play the occasional serve and volley, so I need a racquet that is quick enough to accommodate this style of play.
Current racquet/string setup: Babolat Pure Strike 98 16x19 (Gen 2 and 3) weighted in the hoop and buttcap to approx. 11.5 oz. Strings: Generally a Poly / Poly Hybrid. Shaped Poly Mains / round poly crosses. Mains Ytex Quadro Twist 17, Hyper-G 17, or Volkl Cyclone 16 and Round polys like Kirschbaum Flash, PP Vendetta and the occasional synthetic gut or multi
Hours spent with RFO1: Approximately 12 hours absolutely stock (for playtest) with plans to modify post review by bumping up swing weight a touch by adding weight to give it a touch more stability, pop and plow through.
Stroke Comments:
Groundstrokes: From the first hit this was an easy racquet to play with. Power was noticeably greater than my current Pure Strike. It was easy to hit with pace off of both wings and I particularly enjoyed driving shots of my 2HBH. The slightly shaped beam moved through the air easily too. Racquet head speed was easier to generate too, giving me options of power or spin generation. Power was easy but the swing weight was a little low for my tastes, but that is something that can be tailored with a little lead tape. The feel of the ball was firm, but muted due to the foam filled grip. No problem at all with the size of the sweetspot (a touch smaller) and the transition from my Pure Strike 98 was nearly seamless - that for me is very unusual. The biggest differences were power output (higher) , swing weight ( lower) and crispness (more) of feel. The RF01 launch angle was nominally lower, better for drives but you do need to keep that in mind.
Serves: Serves and ROS are critical to my game (as for most) and the RF01 gave me a lot of confidence to hit both. This racquet delivers plenty of spin for kicks or slices and the power and head speed is awesome for hitting flat bombs up the T. That’s where the tighter string pattern helps most. The aero shape and light weight probably helped a bit here too. The slightly thicker beam delivered plenty of power and directional stability. Awesome for overheads too.
Volleys: As an attacking all-court player I tend to hit a lot of volleys and the RFO1 did not disappoint. Firm, powerful, and controlled best describes my experience. For a light racquet it was very stable (not RF97 stable) and the pop it delivers lets you dictate play around the net. This racquet is quick too, which is a big help in getting your racquet on a lot of balls.
Service Return: Return of Serve is critical to my game. For me it is also what separates good racquets / strings from just okay. While it does generate power the denser mid-string bed gives you a fair amount of control. I loved being able to redirect pace with ultra-compact swings and drive it cross court or down the line. In stock form it feels a little light for me, but when I give it a little weight later it will be a screamer.
Racquet Performance:
Power / Control
Power stands out on the RF01 to me as it is (much) more powerful of a racquet than my previous ProStaffs and Pure Strikes. Not too much, but the difference is notable. Most of the time, the added power is a welcome addition to my game. In fact, it is a bit alluring calling you to hit even harder. It can be fun ( a little reminiscent of hitting with Pure Aeros) but what I got in terms of power I lost in terms of touch and accuracy. Generally control (directional / depth) was fine, with the directional being somewhat better IMO than the depth. I had to be more aware with the increase in power of how deep I was hitting, but that’s just getting used to any new racquet.
Top Spin/Slice:
With a 16x19 and strung with Hyper-G spin was not an issue. It is not a spin monster, but spin generation was better than my ProStaff and somewhat on par with my Pure Strike racquets. Groundstrokes were dipping, but my topspin lobs were going long more than I would have liked.
Slices were very nice and powerful, but hindered just a bit by the head light weight. I also had to be aware of a slightly lower trajectory than I’ve been accustomed to. When hit right this helped the ball knife through the air and stay low.
Comfort
The foam filled handle made the RF01 comfortable even though the racquet itself is firm/ crisp. Thanks to the RF01 lower RA of 64 and Wilson’s carbon braid it never felt harsh in the slightest. I think it struck the peRFect balance between comfort and crispness.
Feel
The feel of this racquet is very nice, but not the magic that you might have come to expect from the previous RF97 and ProStaff lines. Again I think this might be a result of the overall light weight and I expect this area to benefit greatly by a little additional weight. As it is now I like it, but not head over heels in love with it. Considered also that I strung it up with poly and there is definitely some wiggle room to make it even better.
Maneuverability
Another definite strength of this racquet. The RF01 is highly maneuverable, being light helps, but the overall balance adds to this as well. It nice as is, but it is so quick that I know I’ll be able to add some weight and it will still be quicker than most racquets! If you need or value quickness in a racquet like I do the RF01 is definitely one of the racquets you need to check out!
Stability
Quick and stable. The new 23mm Shift-like beam absolutely lend itself to making this racquet very stable. One thing I hate is for a racquet to twist in my hand when returning a big shot or serve and the RF01 represented itself well time and time again. For me that is huge around the net and on return of serves. I could play with this anytime!!
General Reaction/ Additional Comments:
What an interesting racquet !! I love the lineage of this offering from Wilson, but it is definitely not a ProStaff it is uniquely a new Wilson line that walks a fine line of paying homage to the RF97/ ProStaff lines while not being constrained by them. It looks outstanding, sleek, stylish and elegant. We wouldn’t expect anything less from and RF racquet. Out of the box it plays very well too and if you never changed a thing you might love it. For me though what is even more intriguing is how this will play with some minor modifications. As others have said, this is a great platform racquet just dying to be modified and I think a little weight in the hoop will unleash the true potential of the RF01. For me I want a racquet as heavy as I can swing without making it too slow, so the out of the box lightweight of the RFO1 is something that appeals to me since I can add weight where I want it.
I am sure to be adding to this after I make some mods to continue this review !!
Thanks TW and Wilson for making this peRFect playtest happen!! Thanks to Roger too!!
