Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 79

The Spin Effect pattern on the Wilson Clash 100S provided our playtesters easy depth and spin on their groundstrokes. Flatter swings tended to drive long due to the racquet's higher launch angle, but when utilizing topspin, baseline play was effortless. Mark began by describing, "It did not take more than 10 swings from the baseline to determine that Wilson's new Clash 100S was very comfortable, spin friendly, easy to swing and relatively stable for my game. I could disguise my shots with either a delayed or early backswing (the latter I have to do with heavier racquets) and still get a good shot result. The racquet had just enough weight for me to be able to absorb the pace of my opponent's shots, change the direction of the ball and keep my ground attack inside the lines with that 18x16 pattern."

Brittany thought the Clash 100S excelled at hitting short, angled groundstrokes, and she was able to hit a variety of shots. She said, "If I had to describe the Clash 100S with two words, those words would be power and spin. I noticed a high launch angle from the first hit, which translated to easy depth on my groundstrokes. However, it was extremely easy to overhit, and my balls were landing well past the baseline. It was very difficult to hit the ball early or short hop it since the ball would fly on me, so I had to change up my game. I was more conscious about letting the ball drop and really brushing up on it. This created some amazing short angled groundstrokes that I could mix in with the deep shots to keep my opponents on their toes and out of position."

"Because it is an 'S' racquet, the Clash 100S obviously provides tons of spin, but I also found really easy depth and pop," Jason added. "The launch angle is higher than normal, which was good for hitting with depth, but also resulted in more shots hit long. It was a really easy racquet to rally with, but when I wanted to put away balls in match play I was launching them long much more often."

Tiffani enjoys playing with the standard Clash 100, but she found her flatter swings more erratic with the Spin Effect string pattern. She said, "I am a fan of the Clash feel and like the Clash 100 for its easy playability. However, I'm more of a flat ball striker, so it took a couple of hitting sessions to figure out how to get this spin-oriented racquet to work for me. I discovered that the most reliable tactic for me was to stand farther back and let the ball drop. This allowed me to get under the ball more easily and add the topspin I needed to control all the power and spin this Clash 100S could generate. Although I'm more defensive in style, when I want to take the offensive I typically step in and take the ball on the rise. This helps me take away time from my opponents, with the aim of catching them out of position. More often than not, if I tried that with this racquet the ball rocketed past the baseline since I couldn't get the spin I needed to get the ball to drop in bounds. Hanging back might not be my usual game plan, but there were times when the Clash 100S let me hit groundstrokes that jumped up and took my opponent by surprise."

Volleys - Score: 80

Our playtesters were pleasantly surprised by the Wilson Clash 100S at net. As expected, stability was slightly lacking against heavy hitters, but volleys felt forgiving, even on off-center hits. Tiffani explained, "This racquet provided a nice combination of mobility and comfort. I liked that it was easy to get into place to just block the ball back with good depth and pace. The Clash 100S also felt comfortable, even when I mis-hit the ball, and I definitely appreciated that on volleys."

Brittany appreciated the simplicity of keeping the ball deep in the court without extra effort. She said, "The Clash 100S was extremely easy to maneuver, allowing me to the get the racquet into position up at net for any passing shot hit my way. I was surprised how much I liked the feel, and I felt fairly comfortable hitting a variety of volleys. Most of the time, I kept it simple and just punched the volley deep to big targets. I also didn't notice any major stability issues, despite its lighter strung weight — maybe just once or twice when I was stretched out trying to return a heavy passing shot."

Although this racquet had great spin and touch, Mark and Jason both felt that it could benefit from added weight in the hoop. Jason described, "Up at net, the lack of control wasn't nearly as evident as at the baseline. I felt connected to my shots, but it was still comfortable. The combination of easy power and spin made it effortless to put sitters away. It does tend to get pushed around against bigger hitters, so I'd definitely add some weight in the hoop to stabilize it a bit more."

Mark added, "Because a racquet is decelerating at contact with an incoming ball for a volley, this is where I really get the feel of a racquet's level of stability. The volley turned out to be the one shot where the 7-points head-light balance of the new Clash 100S was not entirely a benefit to my game, and I would add a little weight to the hoop to increase its stability."

Serves - Score: 84

The playtesters found that the Wilson Clash 100S served extremely well due to its spin potential and ball pocketing. Jason was initially concerned about power due to the lighter weight. He said, "It was fun to serve with the Clash 100S. It provided plenty of pop for my first serves, and I was able to get crazy amounts of spin on my second serves. It definitely hits with more pace than the weight would suggest, which was a pleasant surprise."

Taking note of the exceptional ball pocketing, Mark said, "I felt like the ball was sinking into the 18x16 stringbed, and the softer layup of graphite held the ball on the racquet for a long time, which helped me consistently produce serves with a tight rotation and decent pace."

Tiffani typically prefers to return over serving, but she found that this racquet improved her serves. She described, "It's not often that I'm looking forward to starting off points on my serve. I would usually much rather be returning, but the opposite is true with this Clash 100S. My serves improved noticeably with this racquet. I felt I had more success hitting both flat and spin serves, and I also didn't struggle with consistency as much as I did on groundstrokes. Serves were my favorite shot with this racquet."

The Clash 100S' winning combination of power and spin access helped Brittany hit a variety of successful serves. She said, "Wow, was this racquet fun to serve with! I always appreciate easy power, which allows me to hit with pace throughout a match without getting any arm fatigue. My first serves were consistently landing deep in the service box. With the unique 18x16 string pattern, I had access to all sorts of spin. I loved to slice my serve out wide on the deuce side. Second serves had plenty of kick, bouncing out of my opponent's strike zone. Although, I will note that they weren't the heaviest of second serves."

Returns - Score: 77

The Wilson Clash 100S required focus to keep our playtesters' returns dialed in. The launch angle provided great depth when returning hard hit serves, but it required lower swing speeds or additional wrist whip to bring the ball down. Jason described, "I thought hitting defensive returns with this racquet was really easy. Whether it was a slice or a blocked shot, I found easy depth that allowed me to get back to the center of the court. When being offensive, I had to be really conscious of adding topspin to my shots to get the ball to drop in consistently."

Mark changed his return style from chip-and-charge to a more aggressive topspin return with the Clash 100S. He said, "In a way, my return of serve was my second favorite shot to hit with the Clash 100S. My usual chip style of return works best with heavier racquets. Consequently, with this racquet, I was confident enough to focus more on developing a topspin groundstroke return of serve, which I needed to do anyway."

Brittany and Tiffani both had difficulty dialing in their returns due to a lack of control. Brittany explained, "The return of serve was where it was the easiest for me to get in trouble with the Clash 100S. I had to consciously add spin to every return, otherwise I was hitting out — sometimes close to the back fence. This led me to be a little tentative at times and to go for larger targets. For a lot of my first serve returns I just aimed deep down the middle to keep myself in a neutral position."

"I struggled to be consistent with my return game with the Clash 100S," Tiffani added. "My first few returns flew well past the baseline. As I fine-tuned my strategy with this racquet, I felt best dialing back my swing and my targeting. I struggled to control my depth if I tried to swing through the ball, so I liked to try to loop the ball into play."

Overall - Score: 80