I use the RF97 with a full bed of 4g 125 at 50lbs and absolutely love it! Awesome control. Just need to play relaxed, breathe out when connecting with the ball and the magic happens! Good footwork and good weight transfer will generate the needed power. Keep an attacking mindset and your opponent will have a hard time returning your rockets. ;)
very true..Im a rafa fan and aero pro user..i had RF 97 as xmas gift..been using it for almost 3 mos. now. my game change dramatically…been winning a lot of games and my forehand got more power.
Here is Roman Prokes, the #1 racket stringer in the world probably, did it for Agassi and got Novak to switch rackets recently, he doesn't think any rec player should ever use an RF97 and has gotten every 5.0 player he could get to try something else and thank him later. Of course, that means under 5.0 shouldn't use it either....th-cam.com/video/eTj-labBKtg/w-d-xo.html
I received an RF97 back in 2017 to playtest and I was a bit hesitant because of the stiffness. I had a bad arm injury back in 2010 when I had to take six months off and, after that, could only hit with low RA racquets. I was surprised that I was fine with the RF97 and then found that the reason was due to twistweight. I saw several forum discussions on twistweight and I guess the RF97 has good twistweight because of the PWS. It is nice to know that I can use a more modern frame if I need to switch. Since then, it seems that most frames have gone to higher twistweights to improve comfort and safety and that's a really great thing. Larger frames naturally have higher twistweight as well. I guess the RF97 was ahead of its time. My regular frames are the IG Prestige MP. I think that most people would consider these frames hard to play with as they are 95 sq inches and quite flexible. I have not touched a racquet newer than the RF97 so I don't know what the newer stuff feels like. The upside is that I can focus on my fitness and my game instead of the frame. I used to spend a lot of time on racquets and I think that fitness and techniques are bigger factors.
Agree totally. Swing relaxed and let it follow through. I string mine with Lux. Rough & Klip Natural gut at 55lbs, but after a few sessions the tension is down to about 50lbs which is perfect for an all-court game.
I have 3 Wilson rackets in my tennis bag. They are the Wilson Six One Tour BLX 90, Wilson RFA Pro Staff 90, and the Wilson K factor Six One 9.5 rackets. I love them all. The SIx One Tour BLX gives me lots of plow through and spin and accuracy and maneuverability. And it hits a heavy ball. The RFA Pro Staff has great plow through, power, and precision and maneuverability. It’s good on serves, volleys, and overheads, and it’s very stable. The Six One 95 provides excellent control, plow through, maneuverability, and stability. They’re all comfortable to play with. It helps when I do strength and range of motion exercises. I used to play with lighter rackets but for some reason my shoulder and elbow would hurt if I played more than 3 times a week.
I'm a big Roger fan, but never could get used to the old 90 inch frame rackets. Pretty glad when the RF97 got released cause its so much more manageable with a bigger head size. A bit harder to hit with more spin, but loving the putaway shots I can do with it. Wawrinka's frame was nice with single-handed backhands, but my forehand suffered as a result.
@@anms2023 yep, I think so then I went through most of the PD line😂from PD lite to PD to PD tour. But I found PD is not very good for OHBH so I transferred to Dunlop SX 300 tour.
i recently got back into tennis after playing JV tennis in high school, and I just so happened to have bought a V Core Pro 97 HD, 320g unstrung, it was both a heavy and control oriented 18x20 racket, tension had it at 55lbs. First two lessons I had I thought I was really out of shape, lugging the racket around i felt really weak and my shots were always going into the net. Turns out it was that the racket was out of my league. I have now changed to use the Head Graphene 360+ Speed 2021 at 53lbs and enjoy serving and hitting during my lessons way more!
I have the HD but I do notice the weight sometimes. I have another racquet just as heavy, same balance, and yet that one doesn't feel as heavy as the HD. I feel like the HD has a lot of the weight concentrated in the shaft/top of handle area.
If you want to improve your technique and ball striking, hitting with a heavier Prostaff RFA and the longer Serena 104 rackets seemed to work for me. Where I suffered was on the serve. Over the course of a couple of hours, getting snap with the heavier racket was challenging. Switched back to Blades and added some weight for stability.
Gotta add the Head Prestige MP in there! 18x20, 11.3oz unstrung. Real similar to the Dunlop cx200 but a little less forgiving. Especially on a full bed of poly
I tried the RF for one set. Such a good racquet to hit the ball with BUT my arm was so sore after 😅. My coach gave me an extended Volkl V9 racquets to use for 9 months. Did very well in tournaments -won and runner up BUT again heavy and super stiff that gave me tennis elbow for over a year. Now playing with Yonex Ezone 98 - my arm is healthier now. Tried so many racquets to get here.
I used to swing the Wilson ProStaff 85 back in the days which wasn’t easy. Though, an even more difficult challenge was Boris Becker’s Puma racquet. A member of the tennis club I used to play at in the beginning of the 2000’s had two of them. Man, those were like table tennis racquets if you remove the rubber. I have a heavy serve but getting it over the net with the Pumas was as if an ant tried to push an elefant. It was excellent for volleys but you had to be Boris to manage the other strokes.
Back in the day I used to play with a Wilson sting midsize PWS in middle school. That was considered middle of the road in weight and it was heavier than the Federer autograph
I like a heavy racquet and years ago I tried the RF 97 heavy version. At first I liked it but over time I realized that I couldn't get any top with it because of the weight. Since then I tried a few other sticks on the heavy side that work for me. One is the Head Prestige that was modded with some lead in the head and a leather grip that made it 12.6 oz. The most recent is a Yonex VCORE 100 (300g) that is a little head heavy, so I added a leather grip to that to make it around 12 oz. That's been my best racquet yet.
Same here but with my wrist. I find the extra weight forces me to use fuller swings and let the racket do the work, preventing me from over whipping my wrist on forehands/serves and causing problems
I couldn't agree more with Pro Staff 97, I owned 5 of them over the years. It was not until I try to generate more power, that I realized my arm and my back got muscle injured more often than ever (I go to gym like 4-5 times a week, I have decent muscle to hit hard). It's not a very forgiving racket either, as it generate a lot of vibration if not hit the ball precisely, from both serve and rally. And to generate good amount of power, and reserve good energy, it really pushes me to keep recording my video to make adjustments by following Roger's slow motion. But still, it's a very demanding racket to use freely like good players do.
Are you talking about the ProStaff 97 or the ProStaff RF97? I play with both, and the PS97 is not too heavy or hard to play with at all. The RF97 though, is fatiguing after a while, especially on the serve.
@@leebr2010 I added extra 10g lead on it, even without it, regular 97 PS is already on the heavier side among all rackets. I am not sure your playing style, but I try to hit super hard like those extra fast shot Rublev or Alcaraz would do, thus, under such condition, you can feel every single gram the racket tries to fight against your muscle and power. 97 PS is hard to use, hard to maneuver, less forgiving and heavy. (FYI, I play competitively, not recreationally. If just recreationally without demanding the pace and the control on the power shot, I won't feel any discomfort to much heavier racket)
The outgoing Head Prestige Mid was difficult to play with, but so sublime on impact. The Volkl C10 Pro is difficult to play with and is similar to the Prostaff RF 97.
I forget the model but back in the 90's tried the Wilson Federrer racquet felt like the head was made of plywood! Did love my Wilson Pro-Staff classic 6.1!
Love the pro staff. I’m pretty strong, so the weight isn’t a hinderance for me. And since I used to play with the pro staff 85 in college, the updated ones are amazing 😂
I love the PS 85. But I prefer the 95. To me, the PS 85 is a high maintains stick. Very string sensitive. If you are not stringing the 85-90 with either high end multi-filament or Gut, and stringing them yourself, I wouldn't get these rackets.
The RF is soo heavy unless your a pretty strong person the racquet is too unyeildy it put a strain on your wrist when hitting rallies and your shoulder will hurt when a serving a few games with I highly recommend the regular pro staff v13 it's less heavy but packs a similar punch
I mainly play with the prostaff tour 90 and the k factor six one 90 regularly. From my experience, I would say they are definitely harder to play with than the the RF97. The smaller head size heavy racquets of the old days just take so much more footwork, preparation, timing, overall focus, and athleticism to hit well with. But they feel supremely great to hit with and have great control.. Its funny because I actually recently got an rf97 to play with on those days im not feeling up to the challenge of playing with 90" racquets.
I like the Pro Staff 90 for everything except the serve. I feel like I can't whip the racquet fast enough during the service motion. The PS 85 is a lot better in this regard. I recently bought a non RF Pro Staff 97 and added 20g of silicone to the handle and 1g lead to the tip to match the balance and static weight of the PS 85. It may well be the best racquet I've ever played with after the mods. Almost as much feel and control as the PS 85, easier to swing and more easy power.
@@goldencalf5144 100% agree with you on the whiping motion in the serve. I have the same issue especially with the k factor which I think is because of its high swing weight. But I find that applying a significant amount of racquet lag and having a loose wrist works wonders on bringing that racquet head around for a nice whip and compact stroke. So there's a tip for ya. And wow thats really interesting! I didn't know the PS85 could be simulated like that. I'll have to try that myself sometime.
@@YindianHeat Cheers, I may have to try your tip and revisit the PS90. Modding a racquet with silicone is easier than you think and there are TH-cam videos on how to do it. The PS97 is good for this because there's no foam in the handle to dig out and you can put the silicone straight in. The only drawback is the process irreversible once the silicone sets. I guess you could use lead tape instead, but I don't like the thought of lead being in contact with a sweaty hand for a long period of time.
@@YindianHeat I should also point out, I did the mods on the standard PS97 not the RF97. The RF97 is already plenty heavy, so adding a lot of silicone may make it unwieldy. It's generally better to start with a lighter frame and build it up with weight where you want it.
Hi there, I just Adore your videos and your tips. I spotted a cool bag behind your speech. Next to the yellow Dunlop bag, a full black with a black logo can you mention the brand and the model please. Thank you
Perfect video and commentary as always, thank you. Can you please make a video for players who are ex players from juniors years, then haven’t play for 10-15 years and would like to return to tennis again :D it means there is some muscle memory even technique, can go twice a week on court, maybe some low tournaments. But don’t want to fight with “difficult” racquet.
its a weird one with the pro staff i got it early on in my tennis journey and yes it's a tough racket to play with ive used it for about 5 years i play really aggressive which suits this racket (even added weight) and now ive switched to a blade it's crazy how good your technique gets using this heavy racket (pro staff) for such a long time. i'm winning club tournaments easily beating coaches despite playing for half the time with a blade which is so easy to use in comparison. i think if you want to progress your game you should use a pro staff or a racket that encourages you to play with correct technique/footwork it will help you hugley in the long run!
Good call on these frames. The RF97 has a tiny sweet spot, which means your strokes have to be accurate, the Yonex is quite a bit bigger sweet spot, due to the shape of the head. It too, is a heavy racket. And the 95 square inch Dunlop is a waste of time for anyone outside of 35 and a 4.5, maybe even a 5.0. It is for these very reasons that I have stuck with a 100 square inch frame for the last 35 years. I get to choose the weight and, I get a much larger sweet spot. There a lots of easier frames in the +100 and >110 range that maybe could be your next video. Thank you for what you do, very informative.
Pure Control I think is one of the tougher rackets to play with in my opinion. When you’re really hitting your strokes well, it turns into an absolute machine
I used to play with the CX 200 tour rev1 the dunlop-srixon one.... with tons on lead to 357g strung... weight matched to my trusted dunlop revelation 200g that I used to play on my 20s.... aaaand had to admit to myself that was too much for me... it was superb on forehands.... horrendous on my already very weak OHB......... switched to blade v7 that was discounted after the v8 release.... very happy with the change... muuuuuch easier to play.... totally agree you need to realise your age.... and fitness level
Been playing with monfils rebel 95 for 15 years and love it. The RF 97 autograf looks like a great replacement, its 0.4 oz heavier and has the same swing weight. Not worried about 0.4oz more.
I still use the Wilson K Factor Six.One.Tour 90. The other is the Wilson K Factor Six.One.95. The 95 lets me cut loose right out of the gate and demolish the ball. But I rotate back to the 90 to keep me honest on my shots. The smaller sweet spot helps me be more disciplined on my coordination and foot work as I really have to line up all the fundamentals in order to crack great shot.
I love my weighted up Dunlop/Srixon CX2.0 tour racquets. Admittedly I'm in far better shape now at 38 going to the gym 5 days a week and training than when I was in college eating trash and not knowing any better.
The hardest racket to play with in my collection is my Prince NXG; with a very head-light 19mm beam, it's very precise but very low powered both off the ground and on the serve.
How I wish they would make the Dunlop Max 200g again! Still my fave. I need a heavy racket. And the Prince O3 White that Maria played with before she switched to Head. I use the Head Graphene instinct MP now but I struggle to get power 😥
I've always warned developing players against light rackets. The illusion is that if it swings easy, it will be easy to play with. When facing big serves, you need the stability of a heavy racket. The solid feel give you so much more confidence to make shots. The overall statement at the start is true. The general public may play with the racket of whoever is #1 in the world - for wrong reasons. For people who play at a level there the pace of rally is faster - heavy rackets are the way to go.
In the mid 90's, I bought the extended 28" version of the Wilson Pro-Staff. Do they have any plans to introduce an updated version of that racquet? Thanks.
Head Prestige Tour, previously called Prestige Pro is a high level racquet. 95sq Inch with a 336 Swing weight. Hits like a tank, but very difficult to get up to speed. Strong high level players need only apply.
With my leather power pads, Lux BB X's, Babolat VS gut mains, Wilson white overwrap, and some lead tape, I crank using the RF97. Ok, I'm late a few times, but that's on me, not Roger or Wilson ;-)
it's funny that you talk about the Buba ....I just got through with a month long experiment using that racket ..... two things I can tell you #1 ..I did not lose my serve #2 ...my wrist is really really sore ....I decided I better not continue using it, but there is something about this racket ....it has a fun factor when you watch the volleys destroy people
It's funny hearing people talk about how hard some graphite racquets are to play with. Back in the days of wooden racquets, they were all heavier than the RF97 with a much tinier head. Yet beginners still used them. I sometimes think the easy power of modern racquets encourages bad form in beginners.
I've seen club players play with 275-280g rackets. That's probably why the 310 + rackets feel heavy. But if you started with 300g + you'd get accustomed to the weight. A friend of mine switched from a 275g to a 300g racket and is feeling the benefits
@@gavinlang5143 Yeah, I guess it comes down to what you're accustomed to. I started playing in the 80s where mid sized 12+ ounce racquets were the norm. Guess I'm just a dinosaur.
@@goldencalf5144 If you're a dinosaur, them I'm positively Jurassic. I started playing in the mid-70s, so all my regular sticks were heavier than the RF97. I eventually upgraded to a 2014 RF97 because it was slightly larger and lighter. After playing that long, you kinda get used to the heavy weight. Have tried some of the lighter frames, but felt like using a fly-swatter.
@@ozmagoo7724 Yeah I find not only do the lighter frames lack plow through, but they also give me shoulder pain. A light frame will vibrate more on impact with the ball. And often they make light frames stiffer to give them more power, again not very friendly on the arm.
Totally agree on the RF97A being a demanding racket. As 48 yr old intermediate player, I decided that one season was enough, and sold my RF97A and went with a lighter Yonex VCP 97D 2021, less stiff, less weight and less demanding. My shoulder and my elbow are better for it! I think the value of the RF97A will go up, very much like how pristine a PS85 6.0 would be collectors item for those in search of Pete Sampras memorabilia. For this reason, I still have an unstrung RF97A v11 and a used PS85 in storage!
What about the most current Babolat Pure Drive 110? It's pretty similar to the last racquet with the longer, bigger string bed and all the weight in the head. How would you say that compares?
RF97 are definitely one of the harder rackets to use. Groundstrokes feel really good though as well as volleys but on some things like serves and certain motions it requires a lot more speed which is more difficult to generate with the weight
Just came across an old wooden Spalding Viscount racquet out in the shed. It's an L4 (light, 4.5" grip) but weighs 374 g. (13.3 oz.), so kids before my generation where probably swinging sticks heavier than the RF97. For people of a certain age, these new 300 g sticks may feel like fly-swatters (the young un's might need to Google "fly-swatter").
IG Prestige MP 27.6 inches, static weight 13.25 oz, swingweight 386. So probably too heavy, too small, too long. Full bed of ALU Power at 51 pounds and I've been using a matched and customized set of four of them since late 2010. I was coming off a serious arm injury and wanted something really easy on the arm. I never went through the big weight drop frames in the past five years.
Yeah, the RF autograph has a small sweet spot, is very heavy and it's too powerful to control. Roger Federer also is a serve & volleyer which is a weird play style.
I briefly tried to play the 'windshield wiper' game with my Prince Thunderstick 110 (SW 383 !!!). Didn't really work out! 😆 Gee what a surprise!! Playing the game I am used to, some spin but not RAFA territory, I can play happily with my Pro Staff Classic 6.1, Head Prestige Classic 600, Head Pro Tour 2.0 etc etc. Match your racquet to your game style, you'll be fine ! 👍
I am looking forwards to the "easiest rackets to play with" video. Hope t comes soon. Well of course the racket type should match with the player type. So absolute statements about playability are shurely hard to make.
I love how for the servebot example he doesn't go for Opelka or John, but straight to South Africa's K-dawg. It's the little things like this why I watch Tennis spin.
i could say that there is no better frame than RF97. Reason is simple, it forces you to become better player because you need have better everything to handle that weapon. Its easy to play with and its mass is everything you need to become good player.
I play with the heavier Puma Boris Becker tennis racket from the 1980’s. And it is great! Lots of fun! Plus I’m a huge fan of Roger Federer, so I have the 90” Pro Staffs, and his 97” Pro Staffs. I’m just hitting around with friends, and not playing any sets. Playing tennis for exercise & fresh air plus trash talking with my tennis buddies! 😎😎😎😎😎👍👍👍👍👍
Actually, I think the most difficult Yonex to play with is the Yonex VCORE PRO 97D 320. Why? Because it has a dense 18x19 string pattern. The VCORE PRO 97 330 has a more open 16x19 pattern that provides slightly more power and lift over the net.
I have the RF97 and hyper hammer 5.3. The hammer is almost 100g lighter than RF97 but I found the hammer still give me more power. Th pain of the RF 97 comes off easily. I’m using weight to strengthen my arms so I can play with the RF97.
Feds old K98 hard as hell with no power and micro sweet spot. Babolat lite is so easy to get spin and most club players don't need plow through they need racquet head speed.
The hardest racket to play with I have come across would be the Wilson Prostaff 88 IMO. The weight yes can help you in many ways but also can actually hurt you waist if you try to muscle the ball.
Yeah I agree. Used the PS85 for a long time, got an 88 soon as it came out and sold it pretty quickly. Crazy heavy and felt like a log. Wish I still had it though!
I did the roger spec weight with lead and found it flew through the air much quicker once you got it going. I’d imagine if you don’t want it too much heavier you could put 3-6 grams at 12 o’clock and get a similar effect without too much extra weight
I use the RF97 with alu power. without alu power this racket would almost be unplayable. With it, id say its the perfect racket. You can still generate alot of effortless pace but get to keep the precision. It has a steep learning curve but very rewarding once you learn how to use it.
I actually love playing with the Dunlop cx200 tour 18x20 and i added lead to it to make it more powerful. The racket is in a way easier than the prestige pro (former mp) and mid as the racket face is rounder. A racket that is harder than this Dunlop is the prince phantom 93p 18x20 which i also have in my bag. Love it, can handle it for multiple sets but wouldn't play an official match with it. I'm still tweaking the Dunlop to see if it can be a match racket. I do think so as it plays fantastic
@@garylevine5698 the cx is a scalpel so much control and feel i just keep cracking the but cap. volleys amazing and so much directional control. Love the phantom and the HD both super flexible, oodles of feel. Phantom has the most control than the cx than the HD. You need to be a 4.5 plus to play w the hd and phantom bc of their weights but the dunlop is a little lighter. Cant go wrong w any of them.
Good one I’m on the hunt for a new racquet that suits me. Thinking right in the middle of all specs might be the way to go. Or stiff frame loose strings. Or flexible frame tight strings. I don’t know. Thoughts? 4.0 baseliner.
Most that I have tried had alot of flaws.I now use the Prince CTS Oversize Approach from 88. I am USPTA pro and have tried hundreds of racquets. The CTS models have a thick rubber grip over the handle which dampens shocks immensely. This is the only oversized racquet I could even play with.
I used to play with heavier rackets in the 90s, and even now can't stand with light rackets, feeling flimsy. Also heavy rackets give you the smoothness and shock resistant that can't be found otherwise. Just easy swing, hit early and leverage the opponent's power back at them, you'll appreciate the easiness
I'm 15 years old, and I have been using, and still am, the RF97 for the 4 YEARS. When i first got it the racquet was very difficult to use, BUT i did love the heavy feel of the racquet. Before i used to have a pure aero and that was a very hard transition. After using that racquet I have found it very easy to use other racquets because of the small sweetspot on the pro staff made my contact point very focused. BUT i hate racquets that dont have the same balance as the pro staff because im very much used to using a fully balanced racquet and not a racquet with more weight in the top end or bottom end. I have added 5 grams of weight to my racquet taking it to 340/345 grams. This is hard for people who haven't been practicing with it to use, but i still recommend it because you WILL BECOME BETTER, mainly because you have to have a clean hit on every ball if you want it to come in.
Man, I use the Vcore Pro 97 and now I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t. I’m 44, an ex-college player, but am now inconsistent with any racket! 😂 Question, what’s a great ‘player’s racket’ that comes in slightly under the ones in the video?
Which vcore pro 97? There are 4 versions. The light, the normal, the high density (hd) and the heavy (h). Only the heavy version might be too heavy, but the hd (320) or the normal one (310) are perfectly fine. Low powered yes, but with good control and touch and fast through the air
Lighter rackets cause me to cheat my stroke form. So I only use rackets that are 12 oz and above. I'm also 6ft 4 and 210. If I'm out of shape, I have a lighter racket in my bag, but even it weighs 12.4 oz.
I recently joined tennis league in town All I have is a 80s wooden racket They wiped the floor with me So I ordered a new head 360 extreme plus mp Should make a world of difference Wooden rackets are the hardest to play with
Please, best rackets for 45 year old mildly obese Roger fans who loved the Roddick Pure Drive Plus back in the day but have been persevering with the RF Signature model for the last five years. Thanks. Great video! (What are some good options for easier power, with a failing body? I quite like my daughter’s Pure Drive Lite)
The problem isn't the weight of the racquet, the problem for most is they want to play a 'modern' game with a 'windshield wiper forehand' and you need a lighter racquet for that. Be realistic, don't expect a 12 oz racquet to be whippy. Match the racquet to your playing style.
In my youth I used to play with a Wilson 6.6 tour classic, strung weight 356 grams, a Donnay Pro One 345 g and an Estusa Power Beam 352 g. I really enjoyed them. But now, I think it would be murder in my arm. I just started playing again after 22 years and found today's racquets far too light. Fortunately I've found a happy medium with frames that are 315 g unstrung.
I play with Yonex Vcore Pro 97 310 with Volkl Cyclone. When I got it, my coaches asked me if I could play with(I was 13 at the time) and the only reason I chose it was because of the feel. I should have chosen a lighter racket. But at this point, I am too used to the racket.
so... I play with the RF Pro Staff 85 and this is the ONLY racquet I can play with. I was raised on the original Pro Staff 85 which also has a very true feel. I spent hundreds of dollars attempting to upgrade my racquet but ended up not being able to keep the ball in the court because the racquets were too powerful. Oh well...
As a racket nerd, HARDEST: current racket. The EASIEST: The next racket 😂
I think that sums it up perfectly
I use the RF97 with a full bed of 4g 125 at 50lbs and absolutely love it! Awesome control. Just need to play relaxed, breathe out when connecting with the ball and the magic happens! Good footwork and good weight transfer will generate the needed power. Keep an attacking mindset and your opponent will have a hard time returning your rockets. ;)
so true 😊
very true..Im a rafa fan and aero pro user..i had RF 97 as xmas gift..been using it for almost 3 mos. now. my game change dramatically…been winning a lot of games and my forehand got more power.
Here is Roman Prokes, the #1 racket stringer in the world probably, did it for Agassi and got Novak to switch rackets recently, he doesn't think any rec player should ever use an RF97 and has gotten every 5.0 player he could get to try something else and thank him later. Of course, that means under 5.0 shouldn't use it either....th-cam.com/video/eTj-labBKtg/w-d-xo.html
I received an RF97 back in 2017 to playtest and I was a bit hesitant because of the stiffness. I had a bad arm injury back in 2010 when I had to take six months off and, after that, could only hit with low RA racquets. I was surprised that I was fine with the RF97 and then found that the reason was due to twistweight. I saw several forum discussions on twistweight and I guess the RF97 has good twistweight because of the PWS. It is nice to know that I can use a more modern frame if I need to switch. Since then, it seems that most frames have gone to higher twistweights to improve comfort and safety and that's a really great thing. Larger frames naturally have higher twistweight as well. I guess the RF97 was ahead of its time. My regular frames are the IG Prestige MP. I think that most people would consider these frames hard to play with as they are 95 sq inches and quite flexible. I have not touched a racquet newer than the RF97 so I don't know what the newer stuff feels like. The upside is that I can focus on my fitness and my game instead of the frame. I used to spend a lot of time on racquets and I think that fitness and techniques are bigger factors.
Agree totally. Swing relaxed and let it follow through. I string mine with Lux. Rough & Klip Natural gut at 55lbs, but after a few sessions the tension is down to about 50lbs which is perfect for an all-court game.
I have 3 Wilson rackets in my tennis bag. They are the Wilson Six One Tour BLX 90, Wilson RFA Pro Staff 90, and the Wilson K factor Six One 9.5 rackets. I love them all. The SIx One Tour BLX gives me lots of plow through and spin and accuracy and maneuverability. And it hits a heavy ball. The RFA Pro Staff has great plow through, power, and precision and maneuverability. It’s good on serves, volleys, and overheads, and it’s very stable. The Six One 95 provides excellent control, plow through, maneuverability, and stability. They’re all comfortable to play with. It helps when I do strength and range of motion exercises. I used to play with lighter rackets but for some reason my shoulder and elbow would hurt if I played more than 3 times a week.
I'm a big Roger fan, but never could get used to the old 90 inch frame rackets. Pretty glad when the RF97 got released cause its so much more manageable with a bigger head size. A bit harder to hit with more spin, but loving the putaway shots I can do with it. Wawrinka's frame was nice with single-handed backhands, but my forehand suffered as a result.
1. RF97
2. Vcore Pro H (330)
3. CX 200 Tour
4. Bubba
Not all heroes wear capes. Thanks man, this dude talks way too slow
@@faltbasse bro u gotta watch all Tennis Spin videos on 2x playback speed
1.5X works well for me 🤣
You should do easiest rackets
The answer should be always Babolat PD 😂
@@thycarmenc the PD is insanely light
I can’t play with the PD
@@anms2023 yep, I think so then I went through most of the PD line😂from PD lite to PD to PD tour. But I found PD is not very good for OHBH so I transferred to Dunlop SX 300 tour.
@@alwaysfinishwhatistar1521 any recommendations?
i recently got back into tennis after playing JV tennis in high school, and I just so happened to have bought a V Core Pro 97 HD, 320g unstrung, it was both a heavy and control oriented 18x20 racket, tension had it at 55lbs. First two lessons I had I thought I was really out of shape, lugging the racket around i felt really weak and my shots were always going into the net. Turns out it was that the racket was out of my league. I have now changed to use the Head Graphene 360+ Speed 2021 at 53lbs and enjoy serving and hitting during my lessons way more!
which speed? mp? pro?
Nice swap, the VCP HD is a beast but you really gotta be able to handle the weight- I couldn’t either lol
I have the HD but I do notice the weight sometimes. I have another racquet just as heavy, same balance, and yet that one doesn't feel as heavy as the HD. I feel like the HD has a lot of the weight concentrated in the shaft/top of handle area.
HD is my racket of choice, I agree that it's very difficult to use, but on your best day, its dwell and precision is ridiculous
If you want to improve your technique and ball striking, hitting with a heavier Prostaff RFA and the longer Serena 104 rackets seemed to work for me. Where I suffered was on the serve. Over the course of a couple of hours, getting snap with the heavier racket was challenging. Switched back to Blades and added some weight for stability.
Gotta add the Head Prestige MP in there! 18x20, 11.3oz unstrung. Real similar to the Dunlop cx200 but a little less forgiving. Especially on a full bed of poly
I tried the RF for one set. Such a good racquet to hit the ball with BUT my arm was so sore after 😅.
My coach gave me an extended Volkl V9 racquets to use for 9 months. Did very well in tournaments -won and runner up BUT again heavy and super stiff that gave me tennis elbow for over a year.
Now playing with Yonex Ezone 98 - my arm is healthier now. Tried so many racquets to get here.
I used to swing the Wilson ProStaff 85 back in the days which wasn’t easy. Though, an even more difficult challenge was Boris Becker’s Puma racquet. A member of the tennis club I used to play at in the beginning of the 2000’s had two of them. Man, those were like table tennis racquets if you remove the rubber. I have a heavy serve but getting it over the net with the Pumas was as if an ant tried to push an elefant. It was excellent for volleys but you had to be Boris to manage the other strokes.
Back in the day I used to play with a Wilson sting midsize PWS in middle school. That was considered middle of the road in weight and it was heavier than the Federer autograph
I like a heavy racquet and years ago I tried the RF 97 heavy version. At first I liked it but over time I realized that I couldn't get any top with it because of the weight. Since then I tried a few other sticks on the heavy side that work for me. One is the Head Prestige that was modded with some lead in the head and a leather grip that made it 12.6 oz. The most recent is a Yonex VCORE 100 (300g) that is a little head heavy, so I added a leather grip to that to make it around 12 oz. That's been my best racquet yet.
love the Yonex, just rips right through the ball.
The ProStaff97L is dope! I have 3 in my bag.
I've been playing with heavier racquets because I've demoed lighter racquets and can't control ball that much. Heavier racquets suit me well.
I use the RF97 and it cured my tennis elbow...not sure why...but it did. Love it!
Same here but with my wrist. I find the extra weight forces me to use fuller swings and let the racket do the work, preventing me from over whipping my wrist on forehands/serves and causing problems
I couldn't agree more with Pro Staff 97, I owned 5 of them over the years. It was not until I try to generate more power, that I realized my arm and my back got muscle injured more often than ever (I go to gym like 4-5 times a week, I have decent muscle to hit hard). It's not a very forgiving racket either, as it generate a lot of vibration if not hit the ball precisely, from both serve and rally. And to generate good amount of power, and reserve good energy, it really pushes me to keep recording my video to make adjustments by following Roger's slow motion. But still, it's a very demanding racket to use freely like good players do.
Are you talking about the ProStaff 97 or the ProStaff RF97? I play with both, and the PS97 is not too heavy or hard to play with at all. The RF97 though, is fatiguing after a while, especially on the serve.
@@leebr2010 I added extra 10g lead on it, even without it, regular 97 PS is already on the heavier side among all rackets. I am not sure your playing style, but I try to hit super hard like those extra fast shot Rublev or Alcaraz would do, thus, under such condition, you can feel every single gram the racket tries to fight against your muscle and power. 97 PS is hard to use, hard to maneuver, less forgiving and heavy. (FYI, I play competitively, not recreationally. If just recreationally without demanding the pace and the control on the power shot, I won't feel any discomfort to much heavier racket)
The outgoing Head Prestige Mid was difficult to play with, but so sublime on impact. The Volkl C10 Pro is difficult to play with and is similar to the Prostaff RF 97.
So true. I played with it for a year and almost every shot shook the frame around.
I forget the model but back in the 90's tried the Wilson Federrer racquet felt like the head was made of plywood! Did love my Wilson Pro-Staff classic 6.1!
Love the pro staff. I’m pretty strong, so the weight isn’t a hinderance for me. And since I used to play with the pro staff 85 in college, the updated ones are amazing 😂
agree, i play with RF Pro Staff 85 and I LOVE IT!
I love the PS 85. But I prefer the 95. To me, the PS 85 is a high maintains stick. Very string sensitive. If you are not stringing the 85-90 with either high end multi-filament or Gut, and stringing them yourself, I wouldn't get these rackets.
@@garyhilson7220 I agree. I actually prefer the 95 over the 97.
The RF is soo heavy unless your a pretty strong person the racquet is too unyeildy it put a strain on your wrist when hitting rallies and your shoulder will hurt when a serving a few games with I highly recommend the regular pro staff v13 it's less heavy but packs a similar punch
I mainly play with the prostaff tour 90 and the k factor six one 90 regularly. From my experience, I would say they are definitely harder to play with than the the RF97. The smaller head size heavy racquets of the old days just take so much more footwork, preparation, timing, overall focus, and athleticism to hit well with. But they feel supremely great to hit with and have great control.. Its funny because I actually recently got an rf97 to play with on those days im not feeling up to the challenge of playing with 90" racquets.
I like the Pro Staff 90 for everything except the serve. I feel like I can't whip the racquet fast enough during the service motion. The PS 85 is a lot better in this regard. I recently bought a non RF Pro Staff 97 and added 20g of silicone to the handle and 1g lead to the tip to match the balance and static weight of the PS 85. It may well be the best racquet I've ever played with after the mods. Almost as much feel and control as the PS 85, easier to swing and more easy power.
@@goldencalf5144 100% agree with you on the whiping motion in the serve. I have the same issue especially with the k factor which I think is because of its high swing weight. But I find that applying a significant amount of racquet lag and having a loose wrist works wonders on bringing that racquet head around for a nice whip and compact stroke. So there's a tip for ya. And wow thats really interesting! I didn't know the PS85 could be simulated like that. I'll have to try that myself sometime.
@@YindianHeat Cheers, I may have to try your tip and revisit the PS90. Modding a racquet with silicone is easier than you think and there are TH-cam videos on how to do it. The PS97 is good for this because there's no foam in the handle to dig out and you can put the silicone straight in. The only drawback is the process irreversible once the silicone sets. I guess you could use lead tape instead, but I don't like the thought of lead being in contact with a sweaty hand for a long period of time.
@@YindianHeat I should also point out, I did the mods on the standard PS97 not the RF97. The RF97 is already plenty heavy, so adding a lot of silicone may make it unwieldy. It's generally better to start with a lighter frame and build it up with weight where you want it.
That Dunlop CX 200 is similar to the Prince 95 Tour (18 x20) Yellow cosmetic they had a couple of years ago …
I love my 16x19 Cx 200 tours. It's a total throwback
Hi there, I just Adore your videos and your tips.
I spotted a cool bag behind your speech. Next to the yellow Dunlop bag, a full black with a black logo can you mention the brand and the model please.
Thank you
Perfect video and commentary as always, thank you. Can you please make a video for players who are ex players from juniors years, then haven’t play for 10-15 years and would like to return to tennis again :D it means there is some muscle memory even technique, can go twice a week on court, maybe some low tournaments. But don’t want to fight with “difficult” racquet.
its a weird one with the pro staff i got it early on in my tennis journey and yes it's a tough racket to play with ive used it for about 5 years i play really aggressive which suits this racket (even added weight) and now ive switched to a blade it's crazy how good your technique gets using this heavy racket (pro staff) for such a long time. i'm winning club tournaments easily beating coaches despite playing for half the time with a blade which is so easy to use in comparison. i think if you want to progress your game you should use a pro staff or a racket that encourages you to play with correct technique/footwork it will help you hugley in the long run!
Good call on these frames. The RF97 has a tiny sweet spot, which means your strokes have to be accurate, the Yonex is quite a bit bigger sweet spot, due to the shape of the head. It too, is a heavy racket. And the 95 square inch Dunlop is a waste of time for anyone outside of 35 and a 4.5, maybe even a 5.0. It is for these very reasons that I have stuck with a 100 square inch frame for the last 35 years. I get to choose the weight and, I get a much larger sweet spot. There a lots of easier frames in the +100 and >110 range that maybe could be your next video.
Thank you for what you do, very informative.
Pure Control I think is one of the tougher rackets to play with in my opinion. When you’re really hitting your strokes well, it turns into an absolute machine
I used to play with the CX 200 tour rev1 the dunlop-srixon one.... with tons on lead to 357g strung... weight matched to my trusted dunlop revelation 200g that I used to play on my 20s.... aaaand had to admit to myself that was too much for me... it was superb on forehands.... horrendous on my already very weak OHB......... switched to blade v7 that was discounted after the v8 release....
very happy with the change... muuuuuch easier to play.... totally agree you need to realise your age.... and fitness level
Do you know if Wilson makes Skuotball rackets? It is a team racket sport that an Argentine invented and I want to bring to the US.
Been playing with monfils rebel 95 for 15 years and love it. The RF 97 autograf looks like a great replacement, its 0.4 oz heavier and has the same swing weight. Not worried about 0.4oz more.
I still use the Wilson K Factor Six.One.Tour 90. The other is the Wilson K Factor Six.One.95. The 95 lets me cut loose right out of the gate and demolish the ball. But I rotate back to the 90 to keep me honest on my shots. The smaller sweet spot helps me be more disciplined on my coordination and foot work as I really have to line up all the fundamentals in order to crack great shot.
same here, my K90 has always been the holy grail.
The pro staff is actually easier for stronger people sometimes because you can let it do the work.
I love my weighted up Dunlop/Srixon CX2.0 tour racquets. Admittedly I'm in far better shape now at 38 going to the gym 5 days a week and training than when I was in college eating trash and not knowing any better.
The hardest racket to play with in my collection is my Prince NXG; with a very head-light 19mm beam, it's very precise but very low powered both off the ground and on the serve.
How I wish they would make the Dunlop Max 200g again! Still my fave. I need a heavy racket. And the Prince O3 White that Maria played with before she switched to Head. I use the Head Graphene instinct MP now but I struggle to get power 😥
I've always warned developing players against light rackets. The illusion is that if it swings easy, it will be easy to play with. When facing big serves, you need the stability of a heavy racket. The solid feel give you so much more confidence to make shots.
The overall statement at the start is true. The general public may play with the racket of whoever is #1 in the world - for wrong reasons. For people who play at a level there the pace of rally is faster - heavy rackets are the way to go.
Carlos plays with 300g soooo… what was your point a year ago? 🤡🤡🤡
In the mid 90's, I bought the extended 28" version of the Wilson Pro-Staff.
Do they have any plans to introduce an updated version of that racquet?
Thanks.
Head Prestige Tour, previously called Prestige Pro is a high level racquet. 95sq Inch with a 336 Swing weight. Hits like a tank, but very difficult to get up to speed. Strong high level players need only apply.
That's a more difficult racket than the Dunlop cx200 tour, as the Dunlop is rounder and has a bigger sweet spot
With my leather power pads, Lux BB X's, Babolat VS gut mains, Wilson white overwrap, and some lead tape, I crank using the RF97. Ok, I'm late a few times, but that's on me, not Roger or Wilson ;-)
Pro Staff 85 at 12.3 onz. Returning on the serve is quite a nightmare. Swinging strokes are fine as well as the serving.
it's funny that you talk about the Buba ....I just got through with a month long experiment using that racket ..... two things I can tell you #1 ..I did not lose my serve #2 ...my wrist is really really sore ....I decided I better not continue using it, but there is something about this racket ....it has a fun factor when you watch the volleys destroy people
My 13 yr old daughter plays the the Pro Staff. She loves it! Lots of power.
It's funny hearing people talk about how hard some graphite racquets are to play with. Back in the days of wooden racquets, they were all heavier than the RF97 with a much tinier head. Yet beginners still used them. I sometimes think the easy power of modern racquets encourages bad form in beginners.
I've seen club players play with 275-280g rackets. That's probably why the 310 + rackets feel heavy. But if you started with 300g + you'd get accustomed to the weight. A friend of mine switched from a 275g to a 300g racket and is feeling the benefits
@@gavinlang5143 Yeah, I guess it comes down to what you're accustomed to. I started playing in the 80s where mid sized 12+ ounce racquets were the norm. Guess I'm just a dinosaur.
@@goldencalf5144 If you're a dinosaur, them I'm positively Jurassic. I started playing in the mid-70s, so all my regular sticks were heavier than the RF97. I eventually upgraded to a 2014 RF97 because it was slightly larger and lighter. After playing that long, you kinda get used to the heavy weight. Have tried some of the lighter frames, but felt like using a fly-swatter.
@@ozmagoo7724 Yeah I find not only do the lighter frames lack plow through, but they also give me shoulder pain. A light frame will vibrate more on impact with the ball. And often they make light frames stiffer to give them more power, again not very friendly on the arm.
Totally agree on the RF97A being a demanding racket. As 48 yr old intermediate player, I decided that one season was enough, and sold my RF97A and went with a lighter Yonex VCP 97D 2021, less stiff, less weight and less demanding. My shoulder and my elbow are better for it! I think the value of the RF97A will go up, very much like how pristine a PS85 6.0 would be collectors item for those in search of Pete Sampras memorabilia. For this reason, I still have an unstrung RF97A v11 and a used PS85 in storage!
You say your older, wiser self wouldn't play with a PS97, but you took a Clash and added 32g of lead and made a heavier version of the PS97...
What about the most current Babolat Pure Drive 110? It's pretty similar to the last racquet with the longer, bigger string bed and all the weight in the head. How would you say that compares?
this is really usefull, thanks!!!!!
RF97 are definitely one of the harder rackets to use. Groundstrokes feel really good though as well as volleys but on some things like serves and certain motions it requires a lot more speed which is more difficult to generate with the weight
mine is a Wilson k factor 6.1 95 at 332 grams unstrung. Im an old guy and still love it but I do swing it hard which I like to do.
Just came across an old wooden Spalding Viscount racquet out in the shed. It's an L4 (light, 4.5" grip) but weighs 374 g. (13.3 oz.), so kids before my generation where probably swinging sticks heavier than the RF97. For people of a certain age, these new 300 g sticks may feel like fly-swatters (the young un's might need to Google "fly-swatter").
IG Prestige MP 27.6 inches, static weight 13.25 oz, swingweight 386. So probably too heavy, too small, too long. Full bed of ALU Power at 51 pounds and I've been using a matched and customized set of four of them since late 2010. I was coming off a serious arm injury and wanted something really easy on the arm. I never went through the big weight drop frames in the past five years.
Yeah, the RF autograph has a small sweet spot, is very heavy and it's too powerful to control. Roger Federer also is a serve & volleyer which is a weird play style.
Honorable mention: any of the 6.1 90s, Kfactor Sampras 88, Fed 85, Prestige Mid, and a few others
The pro staff six one 95 is the same exact thing as the Dunlop cx200 except it's more powerful 🎾
I briefly tried to play the 'windshield wiper' game with my Prince Thunderstick 110 (SW 383 !!!). Didn't really work out! 😆 Gee what a surprise!! Playing the game I am used to, some spin but not RAFA territory, I can play happily with my Pro Staff Classic 6.1, Head Prestige Classic 600, Head Pro Tour 2.0 etc etc. Match your racquet to your game style, you'll be fine ! 👍
I am looking forwards to the "easiest rackets to play with" video. Hope t comes soon. Well of course the racket type should match with the player type. So absolute statements about playability are shurely hard to make.
The Pro Staff RF is my racket of choice. Really easy to play with
Yeah I played with a 12oz racquet without knowing and it destroyed my back. Couldn't handle it. But I loved hitting with it.
Swing weight most important. My burn fst 95 is 12.7 ish but I have a swing weight 360. Which happens to be the grams of my racquets exactly.
I love how for the servebot example he doesn't go for Opelka or John, but straight to South Africa's K-dawg. It's the little things like this why I watch Tennis spin.
Do you have the rf 97 autograph on sale? I want to purchase one.
i have a vintage MUZUNO 8.9 pro IVAN LENDL
damnn the tight pattern in the center i could never get use to has a ton of power hitting flat
i could say that there is no better frame than RF97.
Reason is simple, it forces you to become better player because you need have better everything to handle that weapon.
Its easy to play with and its mass is everything you need to become good player.
I play with the heavier Puma Boris Becker tennis racket from the 1980’s. And it is great! Lots of fun! Plus I’m a huge fan of Roger Federer, so I have the 90” Pro Staffs, and his 97” Pro Staffs. I’m just hitting around with friends, and not playing any sets. Playing tennis for exercise & fresh air plus trash talking with my tennis buddies! 😎😎😎😎😎👍👍👍👍👍
I collect all those as well, even the Puma Boris Becker too. Darn, that racquet is a breeze.
Estusa rackets.. darn.. those are classics 😉
Actually, I think the most difficult Yonex to play with is the Yonex VCORE PRO 97D 320. Why? Because it has a dense 18x19 string pattern. The VCORE PRO 97 330 has a more open 16x19 pattern that provides slightly more power and lift over the net.
I have the RF97 and hyper hammer 5.3. The hammer is almost 100g lighter than RF97 but I found the hammer still give me more power. Th pain of the RF 97 comes off easily. I’m using weight to strengthen my arms so I can play with the RF97.
Feds old K98 hard as hell with no power and micro sweet spot. Babolat lite is so easy to get spin and most club players don't need plow through they need racquet head speed.
Babolat Pure Strike Tour if you want guaranteed arm problems!
The hardest racket to play with I have come across would be the Wilson Prostaff 88 IMO. The weight yes can help you in many ways but also can actually hurt you waist if you try to muscle the ball.
Yeah I agree. Used the PS85 for a long time, got an 88 soon as it came out and sold it pretty quickly. Crazy heavy and felt like a log. Wish I still had it though!
Personally I found the Stan racquet much harder to use than the Roger one. The Roger racquet I got a lot of power from. The Stan one was tough to use.
I'm waiting on my Wilson Blade 93 that's arriving tomorrow. Gonna be fun to try it out 😄👍
Only issue with the RF97 for me is when serving. It’s so hard to get the racquet head speed for kick or topspin serves.
I did the roger spec weight with lead and found it flew through the air much quicker once you got it going. I’d imagine if you don’t want it too much heavier you could put 3-6 grams at 12 o’clock and get a similar effect without too much extra weight
@@braddick4130 but, you would play better with a lighter racket, unless you are 5.5 or open player th-cam.com/video/eTj-labBKtg/w-d-xo.html
@@nominal you’d be correct, I was referring too the serving issue tho not whether one would play better or not
@@nominal Thanks for the link. Fascinating clip!
Great video. I still see those dang Gamma Bubba 137 on the courts. Still boggles my mind
I use the RF97 with alu power. without alu power this racket would almost be unplayable. With it, id say its the perfect racket. You can still generate alot of effortless pace but get to keep the precision. It has a steep learning curve but very rewarding once you learn how to use it.
I actually love playing with the Dunlop cx200 tour 18x20 and i added lead to it to make it more powerful. The racket is in a way easier than the prestige pro (former mp) and mid as the racket face is rounder. A racket that is harder than this Dunlop is the prince phantom 93p 18x20 which i also have in my bag. Love it, can handle it for multiple sets but wouldn't play an official match with it. I'm still tweaking the Dunlop to see if it can be a match racket. I do think so as it plays fantastic
I agree .If you add Sergetti stringing,
it's really great.best I've played with
I' m about 5.0
@@garylevine5698 the cx is a scalpel so much control and feel i just keep cracking the but cap. volleys amazing and so much directional control. Love the phantom and the HD both super flexible, oodles of feel. Phantom has the most control than the cx than the HD. You need to be a 4.5 plus to play w the hd and phantom bc of their weights but the dunlop is a little lighter. Cant go wrong w any of them.
The old Head Prestige Pro was a difficut stick.
just went from 320/330g unstrung 93-97 frames to a 300g 100. i love it. why the hell did i suffer so long? ha!
Hahaha
If anything just add a little lead tape to your 300g
Can you review the Astrel line pls? Just curious.
Good one
I’m on the hunt for a new racquet that suits me. Thinking right in the middle of all specs might be the way to go. Or stiff frame loose strings. Or flexible frame tight strings. I don’t know. Thoughts?
4.0 baseliner.
demo some rackets
Heavy racquet and tight strings or light racquet loose strings lol
Most that I have tried had alot of flaws.I now use the Prince CTS Oversize Approach from 88. I am USPTA pro and have tried hundreds of racquets. The CTS models have a thick rubber grip over the handle which dampens shocks immensely. This is the only oversized racquet I could even play with.
I used to play with heavier rackets in the 90s, and even now can't stand with light rackets, feeling flimsy. Also heavy rackets give you the smoothness and shock resistant that can't be found otherwise. Just easy swing, hit early and leverage the opponent's power back at them, you'll appreciate the easiness
I'm 15 years old, and I have been using, and still am, the RF97 for the 4 YEARS. When i first got it the racquet was very difficult to use, BUT i did love the heavy feel of the racquet. Before i used to have a pure aero and that was a very hard transition. After using that racquet I have found it very easy to use other racquets because of the small sweetspot on the pro staff made my contact point very focused. BUT i hate racquets that dont have the same balance as the pro staff because im very much used to using a fully balanced racquet and not a racquet with more weight in the top end or bottom end. I have added 5 grams of weight to my racquet taking it to 340/345 grams. This is hard for people who haven't been practicing with it to use, but i still recommend it because you WILL BECOME BETTER, mainly because you have to have a clean hit on every ball if you want it to come in.
You should do a video on the easiest ones to use.
Man, I use the Vcore Pro 97 and now I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t. I’m 44, an ex-college player, but am now inconsistent with any racket! 😂 Question, what’s a great ‘player’s racket’ that comes in slightly under the ones in the video?
Speed pro :)
Which vcore pro 97? There are 4 versions. The light, the normal, the high density (hd) and the heavy (h). Only the heavy version might be too heavy, but the hd (320) or the normal one (310) are perfectly fine. Low powered yes, but with good control and touch and fast through the air
@@LarzB The H, I like it, haven’t liked the lighter rackets
@@ronaldpauldog I don’t like that Speed Pro is 18x20
You might like the standard Wilson Pro Staff 97 (non RF). It’s 11.7 oz strung and stable and maneuverable.
What is the name of the last one
I have the Wilson pro Staff RF 85 sq inch and I don't want anything else!
Lighter rackets cause me to cheat my stroke form. So I only use rackets that are 12 oz and above. I'm also 6ft 4 and 210. If I'm out of shape, I have a lighter racket in my bag, but even it weighs 12.4 oz.
I recently joined tennis league in town
All I have is a 80s wooden racket
They wiped the floor with me
So I ordered a new head 360 extreme plus mp
Should make a world of difference
Wooden rackets are the hardest to play with
Must have been a sight to the others when you turned up with your old wooden racket.
Please, best rackets for 45 year old mildly obese Roger fans who loved the Roddick Pure Drive Plus back in the day but have been persevering with the RF Signature model for the last five years. Thanks. Great video! (What are some good options for easier power, with a failing body? I quite like my daughter’s Pure Drive Lite)
The problem isn't the weight of the racquet, the problem for most is they want to play a 'modern' game with a 'windshield wiper forehand' and you need a lighter racquet for that. Be realistic, don't expect a 12 oz racquet to be whippy.
Match the racquet to your playing style.
In my youth I used to play with a Wilson 6.6 tour classic, strung weight 356 grams, a Donnay Pro One 345 g and an Estusa Power Beam 352 g. I really enjoyed them. But now, I think it would be murder in my arm. I just started playing again after 22 years and found today's racquets far too light. Fortunately I've found a happy medium with frames that are 315 g unstrung.
as a lifelong Yonex guy, hard to believe that Vcore doesn't have a formidable sweet spot.
Is Vcore 95 also one of the hardest list ?
I play with Yonex Vcore Pro 97 310 with Volkl Cyclone. When I got it, my coaches asked me if I could play with(I was 13 at the time) and the only reason I chose it was because of the feel. I should have chosen a lighter racket. But at this point, I am too used to the racket.
Good for single backhand
so... I play with the RF Pro Staff 85 and this is the ONLY racquet I can play with. I was raised on the original Pro Staff 85 which also has a very true feel. I spent hundreds of dollars attempting to upgrade my racquet but ended up not being able to keep the ball in the court because the racquets were too powerful. Oh well...
I own all of these (without last) and I play with them. RF is my favorite choice.