Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 82

The familiar Pro Staff feel came with a modern twist in the Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 100 v13. This racquet impressed our team with more forgiveness and power than the 97-square-inch version, and the only downsides were less precision and plow through. Michelle found out how easy it was to transition to the Pro Staff Six.One 100. She said, "As someone who swings the heavier, more demanding Pro Staff RF97, it was obvious from my first hit that this racquet offered easier power, a larger sweetspot, more maneuverability and an overall more forgiving experience. Don't get me wrong, I love what the RF97 provides, but some days an easier racquet is welcome. I could swing fast and found easy depth, power, spin and a nice feel at contact that was a bit softer than my RF97. I noticed that I could hit more effective angles with this racquet, but the tradeoff was that my shots just didn't have as much mass behind them; that was OK, and I just spent a ball or two longer constructing the point. I knew I could pick this racquet up and hit well with it no matter how I was feeling physically, and I appreciated the ease of use at the baseline. Having always loved the Babolat Pure Drive for its easy power and ease of use, I felt like this racquet offered me something similar, but in the realm of the Pro Staff. I found an easier hitting experience and just enjoyed swinging it."

Fellow RF97 player Sage added, "Initially, I wasn't sure what to expect from the unique characteristics Wilson chose for the Pro Staff Six.One 100. There are very few 100-square-inch racquets paired with a 305-gram unstrung weight. From the first hitting session, I felt the precision associated with the Pro Staff heritage, with an injection of modern power. It was comfortable, but it also offered plenty of pop and spin when I wanted to play aggressively. This is a racquet I could swing all day without fear of discomfort or fatigue. It produced easy depth, but I did note on occasion the launch angle caused the ball to sail longer than I intended."

Chris found himself aiming at bigger targets and utilizing the racquet's power. He said, "I enjoyed the very forgiving response of the Pro Staff Six.One 100 when I was rallying with it. I was getting slightly better access to spin compared to the Pro Staff 97 v13 and easier power, but not quite as much precision and control. I liked ripping the ball to big targets with this one, whereas I'm more comfortable flirting with the lines with the Pro Staff 97. I liked the amount of both topspin and slice I was getting with the Pro Staff Six.One 100. I was able to be very consistent because I could hit high over the net and let the spin bring the ball down to my targets. The feel was pretty crisp and lively. I never felt like I had to work hard to generate pace or depth with this racquet."

The Six.One 100 was one of Mark's favorite racquets of the year from the baseline. One major reason was the level of comfort, even with a full bed of polyester strings. He explained, "The Pro Staff Six.One 100 turned out be a great racquet for my baseline game. I was already aware of the basic specs of the frame, so I was confident that I would enjoy it, but it ended up being one of my most favorite racquets to play with from the baseline. Groundstrokes were just easier to hit well compared to a lot of other racquets I have played with, and the comfort level was top-notch with a monofilament string. Absorbing pace and changing the direction of the ball are what I do best, and in stock form, the Pro Staff Six.One 100 catered to that style whether I used topspin or slice to test my opponent's movement."

Volleys - Score: 83

A great racquet provides the perfect balance between stability and maneuverability, and our playtesters were eager to approach the net with the Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 100 v13. Mark found the balance superb. He said, "The overall package of the Six.One 100's low 320 swingweight, low 60 RA, 5-point head-light balance and approximate 11.4-ounce strung weight worked just as well inside the service line as it did from the baseline. For my game, Wilson's latest addition to the Pro Staff family of frames walked that fine line of having enough weight for stability and being balanced in a way to keep it maneuverable."

The Six.One 100's specs were right in Chris' wheelhouse, so he felt confident right away at net. He said, "The weight, balance and swingweight of the Pro Staff Six.One 100 fell right in my preferences, so the racquet felt very natural in my hands. I felt fast to the ball, was reacting well and closed the net with confidence. Getting pace on deep volleys was easy, and I enjoyed how well I could punch shots away. I also found enough spin to carve an angle or to get drop volleys to die quickly."

Our Pro Staff RF97 testers Michelle and Sage prefer higher swingweights, but neither had trouble adjusting quickly to the Six.One 100. Sage described, "The Six.One 100 was easy to maneuver at the net and offered good touch as well. At times, I wanted slightly more stability out toward the tip of the racquet, but that likely had more to do with my personal preference for a higher swingweight. Depth was effortless, and I loved the pace I could generate with this racquet. Overall, I was happy with how the sweetspot felt and the resulting degree of accuracy, especially considering the larger head size."

"This racquet was seamless to hit volleys with," Michelle added. "It had enough pop to be aggressive. There were a few times I felt I didn't have enough behind the ball when someone was blasting big groundies at me, but that was to be expected. It proved to be a fun doubles racquet."

Serves - Score: 87

Thanks to its maneuverability, the Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 100 v13 allowed our playtesters to easily whip through the ball with pace when starting the point. Pairing a 100-square-inch head size with a thicker beam than the 97 version resulted in effortless serving power, which our team relished. Michelle began by saying, "It has been a minute since I have found a racquet that I loved most on serves, but this was that racquet. I have been spending some time working on my mechanics and found success serving bigger first serves with this Six.One 100. I feel I've lost some power the last year due to some shoulder issues, so throughout this playtest I was focusing on mechanics and pushing forward into the court (rather than just up). I was getting my serve deep in the box, with the bounce hitting mid back fence (which is how I've often gauged my powerful, flat or even kick serves). The racquet was easy to get moving through the ball, and I could be explosive, whereas my heavier RF97 comes through with a lot of mass, but it can be a bit more taxing to swing effectively. As for spin, it came easily, and I felt super confident serving with this racquet."

This category was also the highlight of the playtest for Mark. He said, "As much as I enjoyed this racquet at net and from the baseline, I was more consistent and effective on serve than usual, making the serve my absolute favorite shot to hit with the Pro Staff Six.One 100."

Sage found the serve to be his favorite shot as well, and even though the Six.One 100 could be erratic, he was still able to generate heavy pace to keep opponents off the court. He said, "Snapping through contact with the ball was smooth, and the predictability let me go for my first serve knowing I could trust my second. The increase in power compared to the Pro Staff 97 v13 made it even more fun to dial up big serves. Placement wasn't quite as precise, but as long as I opened my targets a little bit, I still felt confident that the pace and movement would cause errors."

Chris agreed with the other playtesters, and he added that he never experienced shoulder fatigue. He said, "My serves had solid pace and spin with the Pro Staff Six.One 100. I liked how easy it was to accelerate the racquet through the ball. I never felt tired, even on long service games deep into a match. I kept my serving aggressive on both first and second serves without worrying about any loss in consistency since I was using plenty of spin to get the ball down into the box."

Returns - Score: 79

Like with volleys, an ideal returning racquet offers versatility with shot selection while remaining controllable and stable, and with the Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 100 v13, our playtesters got mixed results depending on their individual game styles. Mark felt that the modernized aspects of the Six.One 100 improved this shot for him. He said, "My return of serve is not the most practiced part of my game, therefore it is not the most reliable shot for me to hit under pressure. That said, this is one of the more obedient racquets I have tested, and as with every other shot I have in my arsenal, Wilson's new Pro Staff Six.One 100 helped tune my return of serve up by a noticeable margin."

This racquet also aided Chris' return game. He added, "The crisp and clean feel I found with the Pro Staff Six.One 100 really stood out on returns. Just as with groundstrokes, when hitting with topspin I found it best to hit to bigger targets with lots of pace and plenty of spin. I rarely got into trouble, but if I did, it was when I hit flatter returns. I had better precision with my slice backhand return and felt more confident going for the corners. I also generated enough spin to work some angled returns into my repertoire to keep my opponent guessing."

On the other hand, Michelle and Sage, our Pro Staff RF97 hitters, found control lacking with the Six.One 100. Sage described, "This is the area where I wanted more control on a consistent basis. Returns were polarizing for me. If I took a risk and it paid off, it was wonderful, but there were many unforced errors. My game is already high-risk/ high-reward, so having a racquet that doubled down on that didn't work as well as I wanted. That said, it was comfortable and fairly stable on contact, so I think I could get dialed in with additional court time."

"This is where I would be the pickiest," Michelle continued. "If you follow the racquets I like you know I often enjoy a racquet that helps me hit out and offers a bit of control, and this racquet was the opposite of that — it helped generate more power! It was explosive and fast, but not as precise or controlled as I would have liked. On the positive, angles were easy to navigate and execute, and I found this especially useful in doubles."

Overall - Score: 83