Wilson Pro Staff 97 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 88

As expected, the TW playtesters found a good blend of power, spin and maneuverability from this update of the Pro Staff 97. One of the playtesters who also playtested the previous version, Andy, started off by saying, "I felt very comfortable hitting from the baseline with this racquet. In typical Pro Staff fashion, it left me feeling extremely connected to the ball as it sunk into and subsequently left the stringbed. There was plenty of power and spin available whenever I wanted to take a bigger cut at the ball, yet there was plenty of feel for when I was just trying to place the ball in a good spot on the other side of the net. I did have a slight lack of control at times. I would occasionally get too much power from the open string pattern and have trouble controlling my depth."

"Crisp, comfortable and effortless, the Pro Staff 97's dampened feeling really complemented my fast game from the baseline," noted Hannah. "I loved the variety I was able to hit with thanks to this racquet's smooth control and spin-friendly string pattern. Although I did wish for a little more swingweight at times, this racquet's weight provided the power I needed on my groundstrokes."

For Karly, the Wilson Pro Staff 97 played very similarly to the previous model. She compared, "It generated loads of spin, felt extremely comfortable on the arm and produced a bit more pop than control. I loved how I could get good power and depth without feeling too overwhelmed with its pace, and it allowed me to add plenty of topspin to keep the ball in. However, just like the last version, I needed a bit of an adjustment period before finding my groove with the Pro Staff 97. I thought both versions offered an inconsistent response off the stringbed. When I hit the sweetspot the ball launched off the stringbed with lots of pace, but when I hit outside of it my shots lacked power."

Volleys - Score: 84

The Wilson Pro Staff 97 helped our playtesters end points at the net with ease. Karly was a big fan of the Pro Staff 97 at net. She raved, "The net was where I enjoyed playing with this racquet the most. I loved how maneuverable and comfortable it felt in my hands. It allowed me to get into position quickly and offered a dampened feel on contact, which was great for touch volleys. Not to mention, the stringbed opened up when I was at the net and felt more forgiving than in other areas of the court. I could put my volleys away with great pop and precision, whether I hit the sweetspot or not."

"I really enjoyed hitting volleys during this playtest," continued Andy. "Once again, I felt super connected to each shot, and there was loads of feel for shots that required more finesse. Even though the feel was pretty crisp there was still plenty of responsiveness to keep me feeling connected to the ball. The open string pattern was very forgiving and provided a big sweetspot for imperfect contact. It felt solid and stable, even against big hitters. Like from the baseline, there were times when I noticed a small lack of control, but this happened less often on shorter strokes like the volley."

Hannah had some ups and downs when volleying with the Pro Staff 97. She explained, "The great stability made it easy to transition from groundstrokes to volleys, making it easy to finish points at net. However, the Pro Staff 97 didn't have ample amounts of control at net. I really had to make sure my hands were out in front because the sweetspot wasn't as forgiving on my volleys."

Serves - Score: 87

The TW playtesters were able to tap into the Pro Staff 97's spin potential when serving. Hannah found excellent access to spin and placement on her serves. She offered, "I hit some awesome kick serves with the Pro Staff 97. This racquet made it easy to place my serves exactly where I intended. The good placement gave me the confidence to really go up and after my serves to gain extra spin or pace when needed."

"Unlike my other strokes, I thought the Wilson Pro Staff 97 dropped off in power when I was serving with it," Karly reported. "It took more energy to serve with power compared to other strokes. I wanted more mass in the head of the racquet to hit through the ball for power. However, I also thought the drop in power made my serve the easiest stroke to control. The control gave me the confidence to hit my targets in the service box. When it came to kick serves, the excellent spin potential helped make my serve jump even more than usual. If I didn't make my first serve I was still confident I could get on the offensive quickly with an aggressive second serve."

Andy served well throughout the playtest. He detailed, "The racquet provided easy access to power and spin, allowing me to get flat serves moving through the court well and spin serves jumping and diving off the court. It was plenty maneuverable as well, and it was easy to generate racquet head speed over head. Like from other areas of the court, the booming power did lead to a loss in control at times, so I had to either really take aim at my targets or choose bigger ones for a greater margin for error. Overall, though, I found this to be a very effective racquet for my service games."

Returns - Score: 83

Maneuverability and feel were standout characteristics when it came to returning with the Wilson Pro Staff 97. Karly really liked the Pro Staff 97's maneuverability and comfortable feel. She said, "I could get the Pro Staff 97 into position quickly and take a good swing, so taking a big crack at the ball was easy to do. The response felt lively, yet dampened, so my shots jumped off the strings and felt comfortable on contact. I did have to be careful not to send the ball flying with the easy power, but its excellent access to spin helped prevent that from happening."

The dampened feel and maneuverability were absolutely perfect for Hannah's return of serve. She said, "I was able to step in and use the pace from the serves to hit aggressive returns inside the baseline. I was hitting consistent returns that put me on the offensive with this racquet."

Andy had mixed reviews on his returns. He explained, "The maneuverability and feel were standout features of the Pro Staff 97 when I was returning serve, but the ample power did, once again, lend itself to some control issues. The open string pattern made it forgiving, powerful and spin friendly, but there were instances when I lost control of the depth of my shot and the ball sailed long. With that said, the racquet felt solid and stable at impact, was easy to get into position quickly and performed well when I was just trying to block back a defensive return deep in the court."

Overall - Score: 86