Wilson Ultra 100 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 85

Our TW playtesters found immediate success from the baseline with the Wilson Ultra 100. Tiffani said, "The feel of this Ultra 100 stood out the most to me from the baseline. Stiffer racquets in this 11 ounce range can feel hollow, but the Cushion Foam grip created a more dampened and solid feel. I didn't notice off center twisting or jarring as much as I have with similarly weighted racquets. This racquet offered plenty of power, but it was surprisingly spin friendly for a racquet with a traditional string pattern. I was getting more topspin than usual without putting out any additional effort or changing my strokes."

"It was very easy to get in a groove with this racquet from the baseline," offered Brittany. "There was plenty of power with little effort. I loved how my groundstrokes were landing in the court within a couple of feet from the baseline. I definitely noticed an increase in power, and my PlaySight data confirmed that I was consistently a couple MPHs above my average. I was having too much fun hitting flat so I didn't tap into the spin potential. When I was on the defensive I had plenty of confidence hitting a low slice to keep myself in the point."

Jason really enjoyed hitting groundstrokes with this racquet. He raved, "At just around 11 ounces and with a fairly low swingweight, the Ultra 100 was very user friendly. I think a variety of players could pick up this racquet and use it right off the bat. I was enjoying the power and depth I was getting off both wings. Since it's fairly whippy, I could I hit angled shots with it or flick shots cross court while on the run. It's probably not as powerful as the Juice 100, but it has more of a plush, solid feel with more control."

The Ultra 100 is slightly different than Sebastian's normal racquet of choice, the Prince Textreme Tour 95. He said, "I was surprised how responsive and spin friendly this Ultra 100 felt during my playtest. I loved its forgiving feel and exceptional comfort from basically all areas of the court. I enjoyed its larger head size and definitely noticed a bigger, more forgiving sweetspot, especially compared to most traditional racquets I have been playing with lately."

Volleys - Score: 80

The fast feel of the Wilson Ultra 100 was the standout feature for our TW Playtesters at net. Tiffani offered, "I appreciated the comfort of this Ultra 100 on my volleys. I didn't notice excessive jarring on off-center hits and I could punch volleys with some good pace. The racquet moved into hitting position easily as well."

Sebastian enjoyed the Ultra 100's maneuverability when volleying, but he felt something was lacking. He explained, "I was missing that solid and stable feel I do enjoy from a traditional player's racquet. Nonetheless, I was able to quickly react to my volleys, making it a great weapon for singles and doubles."

Brittany was impressed with the Ultra 100 at the net, saying, "This racquet felt stable when I was hitting volleys. On off-center shots I could punch the volley back deep, and while I did lose a little bit of directional control and feel, I still felt confident ending the point in both singles and doubles. I especially liked hitting pickup volleys, and I made a couple that I wasn't expecting to make. The Ultra 100 never felt sluggish, and I could always get my racquet into position for any passing shot."

"Up at net, the two features I liked most about this racquet were the quick response and larger sweetspot," Jason added. "It was great for reflex volleys and overheads. I tend to hit every part of the stringbed at some point when I'm volleying, so I definitely appreciate it when the sweetspot is slightly larger than usual. The negative for me was that the Ultra 100 did get pushed around, so I would add weight around the hoop area to shore that up."

Serves - Score: 81

Power and spin potential helped our TW playtesters start points off offensively with the Wilson Ultra 100. Jason said, "If I had to choose between consistency and power on my serves I would have to pick consistency, and with this racquet that is exactly what I got. I didn't find myself hitting the biggest serves of my life, but I was getting lots of first serves in play. The open string pattern and the inherent power were enough to get me into most points without immediately being put on the defensive."

"I was hoping for a bit more mass when serving to really take advantage of the responsive and forgiving feel of the Ultra 100," explained Sebastian. "With some extra weight I could have served more powerfully, and I could have added some extra spin on my second serves. Nonetheless, I did enjoy that comfortable, large sweetspot when serving with this Ultra 100."

Tiffani was surprised when it came to serving. She offered, "I initially thought this racquet was going to deliver only power, but in the end I was more impressed with the levels of spin I was getting. Since I have trouble bringing any sort of heat to my serve in general, I liked how the extra spin enhanced my first and second serves."

Brittany had mixed feelings about serving with the Ultra 100. She said, "There was plenty of free power and I could really generate some racquet speed behind the ball. There was enough mass that I was getting decent plow through and my serves were traveling through the court. However, I just couldn't get a consistent feel and rhythm. I ended up aiming more toward the middle of the service box to up my percentage. I also couldn't get my slice serve dialed in. I found plenty of spin to go up and after second serves, but I was missing just a little bit of confidence."

Returns - Score: 82

Our playtesters found themselves being aggressive on their returns thanks to the Ultra 100. The return was Brittany's absolute favorite shot to hit with this racquet. She raved, "It was fast and maneuverable, but also stable. I could go after any serve with ease, and I was hitting the ball deep in the court to start points on the offensive. I could block back big serves or create my own power on second serves. I felt very confident returning any serve coming my way."

Jason could quickly and easily get the Ultra 100 into position to hit a return. He said, "Its 16x19 string pattern provided enough spin to let me take a big cut at the ball and spin it into the court. I would have liked a bit more power and heft for blocking back harder serves, and I was hitting those types of shots closer to the service line than I would've liked."

Sebastian had some ups and downs while hitting returns. He said, "I did enjoy the larger, more forgiving sweetspot when hitting returns with the Ultra 100. It allowed me to get a lot of serves back into play even when I felt that I was out of position. However, I was hoping for a somewhat more solid and stable feel when I had the time to position myself and go after my returns."

"The Ultra 100 does offer more power than control to me, and I noticed that a bit more on returns than I did on groundstrokes," said Tiffani. "I was able to access more spin on my groundstrokes, but my flatter returns resulted in a few more errors. I enjoyed returning with this racquet, but aiming for more conservative targets was a better play for me."

Overall - Score: 83