Wilson Ultra 100 Countervail Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 83

The Wilson Ultra 100 Countervail is loaded with potential from the baseline. Tiffani compared this racquet to the previous Ultra 100 as well as a racquet with similar specs. She offered, "I really enjoyed the first version of this racquet, and the follow-up Ultra 100 Countervail felt just as good from the baseline. The addition of Countervail muted the feel of the racquet somewhat, but the racquet still had a firm feel overall. I enjoyed a powerful yet controllable response. This racquet didn't feel as powerful as the new Pure Drive that I also tested recently, but the power was plenty enough for me. I actually liked that it wasn't as free wheeling with the power because if I wasn't feeling quite on top of my game I didn't need to reel in my targeting as much as I did with the Pure Drive."

Jason felt comfortable hitting with the Ultra 100 Countervail from the first swing. He commented, "Since it has very similar specs to my own racquet, the Babolat Pure Strike 16x19, I was able to transition seamlessly into the Ultra 100 Countervail. I loved how easy it was to swing this racquet, and to generate both power and spin. I think that the addition of Countervail and the Crush Zone grommets help provide a softer response in comparison to the previous model. I would've preferred a bit more heft in the hoop to help with knifing my slices, and adding more weight would also shore up some slight instability issues on off-center shots."

"The Ultra 100 Countervail was very easy to use from the baseline," added Hannah. "I found the response to be consistent off the strings, granting me good control, especially when I was drilling. The large sweetspot, excellent maneuverability and access to spin allowed for an overall pleasant experience. I think that this racquet plays to the strength of a counterpunching game style really well. However, when I tried to add pace and step inside the baseline I struggled to be precise with the Ultra 100 Countervail. My directional control suffered, I lost stability and it took a lot of work to get extra pace on the ball to end points. I think adding weight in the hoop would help with this. As far as the feel is concerned, the Countervail technology is prevalent compared to the previous iteration. The feel of the new Ultra 100 Countervail is muted, offering less connection to ball on contact compared to the previous version. I found this to have pros and cons. I don't mind the dampened feel because I think it adds comfort, but because I was already struggling with directional control, I was craving more connection to the ball at times."

The specs of the Ultra 100 Countervail are right where Brittany likes them to be, so it was no surprise that this racquet was easy for her to pick up and use right away. She stated, "The first things I noticed from the baseline were power, a generous sweetspot and easy depth. I really enjoyed just hitting groundstrokes. The spin potential also allowed me to hit more angled groundstrokes and have my groundstrokes drop in right in front of the baseline. There was enough mass that my slices were effective whether they were offensive or defensive slices. When I was going after shorter balls or attacking balls (or hitting swinging volleys) I felt just slightly disconnected from the string bed due to the feel, and I was missing wide a lot more than I am used to. I didn't feel as confident going for riskier shots so I was pulling back and going for safer shots."

Volleys - Score: 85

The TW playtesters found success at the net with the Ultra 100 Countervail by keeping it simple with the "point and shoot" method. Net play was Hannah's favorite part of this playtest. She praised, "I thought the low stability would carry over to the net, but I had no stability issues and had a lot of success volleying with the Ultra 100 Countervail. While the lively response and overall control was consistent and comfortable from the baseline, it felt even better at the net. This played to my strengths. These characteristics and the above average maneuverability allowed me to simply get the racquet in place and execute effective point and shoot volleys. I found the directional and depth control to be great from the net, and I really enjoyed volleying with this update."

"I enjoyed hitting volleys deep in the court," continued Brittany. "I also liked the maneuverability. I wouldn't say it was the fastest racquet up at net, but it was quick enough for me to get it into position on fast reflex volley exchanges, and it still had stability when I had to return a hard hit passing shot. I was missing a bit of feel so I opted to not hit touch volleys."

Tiffani was in agreement, saying, "I felt confident with the Ultra 100 Countervail at net because I felt it offered good stability and pace. I just needed to keep it simple and block the shots back into the court. I didn't have a lot of luck when I tried to use finesse, but that isn't my typical style so I didn't miss that shot much."

Jason had some ups and downs when it came to volleying. He noted, "This racquet felt quick when I was volleying. It definitely had some nice point-and-shoot qualities about it, so I could really hit my targets, and the open string pattern helped control my touch/drop volleys. I did struggle more on my overheads with this racquet than I did with the previous model. It felt slightly more sluggish than the older model."

Serves - Score: 82

The TW playtesters had some mixed results with the Wilson Ultra 100 Countervail on serves. Brittany was impressed when serving. She shared, "I thought Wilson did a great job creating an excellent combination of maneuverability and plow through. It was very easy to get the racquet moving and up and over my head to generate racquet head speed. At the same time, there was enough plow through for my serves to have power and weight behind them. I found my serve could be a weapon, and I was very confident going after my first serves from the very first point to the last. Second serves had enough spin and kick to keep me in a neutral position to start the point."

Hannah was craving a little more accuracy from the Ultra 100 Countervail on serves. She offered, "This racquet was easy to serve with. It felt extremely comfortable to swing and I was able to control my serves in general. I knew exactly what to expect at contact, and although muted, the feel on the serve felt good on my arm. I think I only missed one or two serves out of the first 20 I hit with the Ultra 100 Countervail. However, when I started trying to place my serves it was almost impossible to remain precise with direction. This was frustrating, but again, I think adding weight would help with this and in general. This racquet fits the bill for someone looking for consistency."

Jason enjoyed the added spin potential on both his first and second serves, saying, "I was definitely getting more spin than power on my serves. I could feel the ball really pocket into the stringbed, which gave my slice and kick serves some bite."

"Although I was finding plenty of power from the baseline, I wasn't getting the pace as consistently or as easily as I expected on serves," critiqued Tiffani. "Most of the time I spent serving with this racquet I was switching between it and the Pure Drive, and it just wasn't a fair fight in the power department. The Pure Drive remains one of my favorite serving racquets. However, the Ultra 100 Countervail offered more consistency as well as decent power and spin."

Returns - Score: 82

On one hand, the Ultra 100 Countervail provided easy depth and power. On the other hand, the TW playtesters were looking for a little more stability and precision. Jason felt the racquet could use a little customization for better stability on returns. He explained, "The easy maneuverability really allowed me to go after a variety of serves. I found a nice combination of power and spin on my returns, resulting in my shots landing closer to the baseline. It can get pushed around a bit on the big first serves, but a little tungsten tape will fix that."

Missing some precision, Tiffani found herself aiming for bigger, safer targets. She stated, "This racquet was a good mix of power and control for me on returns. The key for me was to choose smart targets. I felt confident moving the ball around and hitting deep returns as long as I wasn't aiming for the lines. I found more success returning with this racquet than I did serving."

"While I had some positives and some negatives with returns, I ultimately was able to find a rhythm," Brittany exclaimed. "I enjoyed how aggressive I could be and how deep my returns were landing. I like to aim deep down the middle to return first serves, so I didn't have to worry about losing control. I did notice the racquet twisting in my hand a couple of times when I made contact, but it didn't occur often enough to make me worry about it."

Hannah wanted more stability on her returns. She explained, "Sometimes my returns came up short, and in general it was difficult to produce an effective return that put me on the offensive. I like to step in on serve returns and either go deep up the middle or pull my opponent off the court with an angle, and the Ultra 100 Countervail didn't give me a lot of options to do that."

Overall - Score: 81