Wilson Pro Staff 97S Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 80

Our playtesters really enjoyed playing with the updated Pro Staff 97S from the baseline. The unique 18x17 string pattern allowed for good spin potential, but it also reduced the erratic response we encountered with some of Wilson's more open Spin Effect string patterns. Mark enjoyed the improved maneuverability over the previous version. He shared, "I was involved with the review of the first Pro Staff 97S, so I was very eager to see what Wilson had done to update it. Since I knew that the new version featured a head light balance I was confident that I would like playing with it, and I was not disappointed at all. I loved the way the new Pro Staff 97S cuts through the air from the baseline. Its thinner beam profile encouraged me to take an aggressive cut at the ball with little chance of clipping the ball off the side of the frame. Placement and control are my forte, so keeping the ball high and away from my opponent is how I try to get things done, and this racquet definitely complements that approach."

"I liked how much easier it was to swing compared to the previous version," Jason echoed. "The improved maneuverability helped me hit angles and generate racquet head speed. However, even with the 'spin' string pattern, I wasn't getting as much spin on my shots as I thought I was. According to PlaySight my RPMs were down compared to my racquet of choice, the Yonex EZONE Ai 100. I thought I was able to control my side to side shots very well, but my depth wasn't as good; I was hitting just a tad long on shots I thought would drop in. I was able to knife my backhand slices into the court and keep them from floating, which was great."

Tiffani's flat-hitting game usually isn't a good fit for Spin Effect racquets, but she was finding plenty of control with the Pro Staff 97. She praised, "When I think of my game I hardly think 'spin machine,' so it's always interesting when I take a Wilson Spin Effect racquet out to playtest. I've found that I really prefer these tighter Spin string patterns. The 18x17 pattern fits my flatter mechanics pretty well. With this 97S I could hit my usual flatter shots without much worry of my shots flying, and I liked this tighter pattern when slicing my backhand as well. I hit this alongside the Tecnifibre TFight DC 305, which on paper has similar specs. However, these racquets just felt so different to me. The TFight 305 felt whippy through the hitting zone, and by comparison, I felt the 97S plowed through the hitting zone more effectively. I wasn't hitting with tremendous power, and my PlaySight data showed my speed was slower than with the Tecnifibre, but I sensed my shots were just more effective with the Wilson racquet. The Pro Staff 97S felt pretty solid and firm, but never uncomfortable."

Michelle also has a more flat-hitting style, and like Tiffani she was finding surprising success from the baseline during this playtest. She said, "I wasn't on the playtest of the previous version of this racquet, but I really liked it when we customized one to be more head light. I was interested in the updates Wilson made to this frame, seeing that it came out to be 3 points head light and with a decent swingweight. The weight was a bit out of my spec range and lighter than what I usually pick up, but it was still pretty stable and had a great blend of power and control. To be honest, I thought it was heavier than the spec indicated. One of my favorite things about the previous version was that it never felt like a Spin Effect racquet to me, and there wasn't a big gap in the string spacing at 18x17, so I'm glad the string pattern remained unchanged. I like this string pattern because it helps with spin when I need it but it's still easy to hit flat with it. The Spin Effect racquets usually have pretty wide spacing and extreme launches off the stringbed, but this racquet plays pretty consistently, which makes it easy to be precise and calculated. Also, this update definitely swings faster than the previous one. If I had a critique it would be the drop in power and precision on shots hit outside the sweetspot, but it's probably more noticeable to me because I'm used to a racquet with a bit more heft."

Volleys - Score: 80

For the most part, our testers loved the Pro Staff 97S up at net, where it provided great feel, maneuverability and precision. "For me, this racquet seemed pretty simple to use at net," Michelle praised. "Volleys were point-and-shoot simple. And while this racquet isn't as stable as the RF97, it felt pretty solid at the net. I didn't have any issues even when I was blocking big balls back. There was good feel as well, so I could craft nice touch shots."

Tiffani's net game was also dialed in. She shared, "I knew where my shots were going when I was at the net with the Pro Staff 97S, and it felt solid. Mobility is always important to me at net, and although the Pro Staff 97S didn't feel super quick around the net, I didn't feel hindered."

Sharing a similar experience was Mark, who said, "With the exception of when I caught the ball toward the top of the stringbed at full stretch, almost every volley felt stable, effective and predictable. This racquet is very maneuverable anywhere near the net, and it has just enough mass to deal with heavy passing shots."

On the other hand, Jason felt the Pro Staff 97S needed a little more mass in the hoop to make it as solid and stable as he hoped it would be. He critiqued, "When I hit a volley cleanly I had good directional control and power on my shot, but this racquet wasn't the most forgiving on off-center shots. It felt like the racquet got pushed around when I was going up against bigger hitters."

Serves - Score: 79

Control and spin were widely apparent when our playtesters were serving with the Pro Staff 97S, but most of the team would have liked a little more easy power from the racquet. "While the Pro Staff 97S didn't help me in the power department, I was able to get a lot of spin on my serve and place it well," said Jason. "My first serves were averaging in the high 70s/low 80s with this racquet, which is about 5-8 MPH slower than with my own racquet. Because of its mobility it was easy to get the 97S up and through the contact point to put plenty of spin on my serve."

Tiffani was struggling to get enough racquet head speed to generate the power she was hoping for on serve. She explained, "Although I felt like I could serve well enough, I wasn't getting the super quick acceleration through the hitting zone, so I wasn't able to take full advantage of what the 97S could offer. My serves were pretty consistent and I was able to get moderate pace, but I couldn't help thinking that there was more to get out of this racquet on serves."

After a brief adjustment period to get used to the weight of the racquet, Mark was able to serve very effectively during the playtest. He said, "I felt like I had to use a little more wrist action than usual to get my serve speed up with this racquet. However, after serving with the Pro Staff 97S a few times I was able to unlock a little more of its magic, and I was consistently popping some high 90 MPH serves. By the end of this test the Pro Staff 97S became one of my favorite racquets to serve with."

Michelle was able to get her full arsenal of serves working with this racquet, too, saying, "I think my slice serves were most effective with this racquet. I could really pick my targets and get the ball moving. My kick serves were also effective, and my flat serves were great, too. I was worried that the string pattern would create some inconsistency, but I ended up having no issues with accuracy."

Returns - Score: 80

The precision that the Pro Staff 97S offered proved to be its most valuable asset for our playtesters when they were hitting returns. "For me, the 97S tilts to the control side, and I enjoyed this on my returns," Tiffani praised. "The return is the best place for me to use incoming power. Since I'm not a power player I like to use my opponent's pace to my advantage. I liked that with this racquet I could swing away with pretty good confidence that my shot would land in the court."

The control and maneuverability were a perfect complement for Michelle's aggressive return game. She said, "For the most part, I enjoyed returning with this racquet. Personally, I would add some weight to it, but I was pretty happy with the plow through and power I could get out of it. Plus, this string pattern seemed to add extra arch and depth when I needed it. It was fast enough to attack with as well."

"The racquet's specs were a perfect fit for my backhand slice return, along with the occasional topspin return off either side," Mark added.

Jason liked the Pro Staff 97S for ripping his signature inside-out forehand return, but he would have liked a bit more heft for blocking back defensive returns. He shared, "Because of the low-powered response I was able to be aggressive on my returns. I thought hitting inside out forehand returns were especially effective. When all I could do was block a serve back, though, the result was a short reply that landed near the service line."

Overall - Score: 80