TW Reviews: Wilson Steam 99S, 105S, 99 and 96

[racertempo]

I hit the 99s and 105s and I have a very flat game but have been trying to introduce spin little by little. I don't change my grip very much at all during play, just a minor move 1 bevel or less in the right direction for the shot. My hitting partner for the last 2 years spent time with me with the 99s and he flat out told me to "buy an entire case".

It was a confidence thing, I felt comfortable taking an aggressive swing in situations where I normally did not. That sort of personal feedback is enough for me. It will not change my game monumentally, but it will add a nice element that I normally did not have in my arsenal. It might also help me to get to the net more to take advantage of my 6'4" size.

I love getting to the net but have struggle to get the right approach shot to get in as I am defensive by nature from the baseline. It allowed me to attack much more then I am used to in singles during my first set.....got my pre-order in......now just counting the days till it is strung and in my hands

 

[Dgdavid]

maybe he was telling you to buy the case because you were rubbish with it and he wants to win more ;-)
i agree the benefit on flat shots is definitely a pleasant surprise.

 

[racertempo]

maybe he was telling you to buy the case because you were rubbish with it and he wants to win more ;-)
i agree the benefit on flat shots is definitely a pleasant surprise.

He is a heavy heavy topspin hitter with an APD frame and pushed me around and I just play defense until he goes for too much and makes a mistake. I beat him 8 out of 10 times we play with this style of play....but it is because I know him and how to play him.......he is also my doubles partner and we both know I need more aggressive and confident ground strokes to get competitive at 4.5. This set we played I was on the baseline taking balls on the rise from his topspin and giving them back with greater angles. He was usually caught wrong-footed because he is not used to them coming back quickly from my side. Normally I am 5 feet back playing retriever with minimal pace going back. When we play doubles though is where I expect to see the biggest impact for my game.....again to help me get from the back court to the net as quickly as possible with the right approach shot, especially on a second serve return. I can attack that return with spin and and angle (I play ad) then follow in behind. We played 3 sets of a league match after the set of singles and it felt great.

I will say that the one adjustment I had to make was to have confidence to hit the ball deeper. They were dropping to short in the court with my normal swing from the spin, but the adjustment was not long as the confidence was high. I have tried a dozen frames and nothing has ever removed a Yonex from my hands for a match.....but the Steam S has done that!

Oh, the other thing I hated and many of the play testers mentioned they might consider hybriding the frame......my demo was a hybrid and it was a horrible combination. After the first set of doubles the mains were not snapping back every time and needed adjustment after almost every point. I hope and expect that to be better with a full be a poly.

 

[racertempo]

@Dgdavid,

Yes that's the racquet I play with outside of any playtesting - I feel the most comfortable and aggressive with it on court. Now I just need a tournament to play..

Siobhan, TW

Siobhan, I see you have listed that you are going to be assistant web-editor for TW Europe out of Germany........when you leaving us here

 

[gagaover]

Hi,
Has the steam 99 the inside handle filled with foam like all the latest wilson frames?
Thanks and regards

 

[Mo91]

@ TW Staff

Is there gonna be a Review of the Yonex vcore Xi 98 soon?
Looking foreward, greetings from Europe

 

[racertempo]

Hi,
Has the steam 99 the inside handle filled with foam like all the latest wilson frames?
Thanks and regards

The new steam line has the Amplifeel in the handle, if that is what you are referring to....although it is not foam in the handle.....but I think that is what you were thinking of.

 

[drak]

Makes you wonder what a 16x15 APD would play like........

skip every 5th cross string in a 16/18 racket and you have a 16/15 string pattern, make sure you alternate weaves and I am fairly sure it is legal, worth a try before shelling out $200

 

[NLBwell]

Drak -
I thought there was some rule about string spacing - that it couldn't be wider in spots in the middle than the outside. Am I wrong?

 

[drak]

Drak -
I thought there was some rule about string spacing - that it couldn't be wider in spots in the middle than the outside. Am I wrong?

It isn't this way, start from the top amd ship every 5th cross. it is consistent and is not wider in the middle. If that is an issue leave out the top cross (and/or botom) which is no big deal.

 

[NLBwell]

@NLBwell,

The point is that you play your normal tennis and the spin is increased without you having to try and produce more spin consciously or by changing your strokes (although yes, it does play on your mind more).

As we mentioned in the review, this is more cohesive to some techniques than others - for example, those that have western or semi western grips. Something to note is that it's not necessarily about the technology - some of us loved the S technology, but didn't enjoy the frame itself so that may have some influence as to why everyone isn't switching to this racquet. I, for one, loved the spin created, but didn't like the Steam itself as much as I like others such as my APD. Food for thought.

Siobhan, TW

With the string technology opening up even wider angles from being able to drop the ball in with even sharper angled cross-court passes and, as Chris said, being able to hook the ball in crossing the net even a foot or two or three outside the line and still get the ball in, it will become impossible for anyone at the pro level to be at the net and win a point with any regularity. It will turn tennis back into a grinding marathon like the 70's and 80's clay matches. There will be more emphasis on speed and defense, since the players will have to cover so much court.

That said, for myself, I can't play with a stiff racket because of the tear in my elbow tendon, so the Steam itself wouldn't be a choice for me. I hit most of my shots flat, so I like a controlled string bed, but benefit from additional spin on many of my shots.
I could really see something like a 93" POG with a 14x12 string pattern, strung with stiff poly, being a game changer for me.

 

[drak]

Drak -
I thought there was some rule about string spacing - that it couldn't be wider in spots in the middle than the outside. Am I wrong?

It isn't this way, start from the top and ship every 5th cross. it is consistent and is not wider in the middle. If that is an issue leave out the top cross (and/or botom) which is no big deal.

 

[NLBwell]

It isn't this way, start from the top amd ship every 5th cross. it is consistent and is not wider in the middle. If that is an issue leave out the top cross (and/or botom) which is no big deal.

Cool, Thanks

 

[drak]

Cool, Thanks

Note that I think my interpretation is correct, but am not 100% sure

Drak

 

[TW Staff]

98 in topspin the 99s and only 88 in topspin the 105s which has the same 15x16 but in bigger head???????

I thought the 105s will generate best spin.

carolosoki,

I wouldn't compare the scores of the two reviews. Those are two completely different sets of playtesters so it's not going to be an apples to apples comparison. Personally, though I found loads of topspin with the 105S, the lack of maneuverability for me limited its spin potential. I'm sure someone who can more effectively swing it could produce more spin than I could. The point is, though, even though I had difficulties maintaining my usual swing speed due to the higher swingweight, I was able to create more spin than usual.

Tiffani, TW

 

[TW Staff]

I would doubt they return them. Why would Wilson even want them? I would guess (curious to know) that TW has a certain number of sticks they have exclusively for demo, and after a while they sell them as used sticks? If they did return them, there might be a close inspection, then they are probably offered to employees or destroyed.

We mostly keep our hitters in our playtesting racquet vault so we can compare them to future versions. For instance on our recent AeroPro Drive review, our testers had the chance to hit with every version so they could feel the evolution of the line.

Chris, TW

 

[sundaypunch]

We mostly keep our hitters in our playtesting racquet vault so we can compare them to future versions. For instance on our recent AeroPro Drive review, our testers had the chance to hit with every version so they could feel the evolution of the line.

Chris, TW

That is a great idea.

 

[carlosoki]

carolosoki,

I wouldn't compare the scores of the two reviews. Those are two completely different sets of playtesters so it's not going to be an apples to apples comparison. Personally, though I found loads of topspin with the 105S, the lack of maneuverability for me limited its spin potential. I'm sure someone who can more effectively swing it could produce more spin than I could. The point is, though, even though I had difficulties maintaining my usual swing speed due to the higher swingweight, I was able to create more spin than usual.

Tiffani, TW

Thank you very much.

I want to take 99s or 105s. Level 4,5 5,0. Flat Groundstrokes. Very Very agressive. I´m looking something very easy to generate spin in clay court because my flat play is not so effective in clay than in hard court.

Power in clay (in my level) is not such important because flat winners are not so agressive than in hard court. I´m thinking that the steam spin could help my game, but I dont know if better 105s or 99s.

 

[fibonacci888]

i have a similar question. can't decide which one to test. 105s or 99s.
Power is important to me, but also control. The rackets need to be strung with full poly and that brings less power. Perhaps the 99s with a more powerful poly?