Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.7

During baseline exchanges, our testers were surprised by how maneuverable the Wilson RF 01 Pro was for a 320-gram frame. That maneuverability also didn't take away from the racquet's stability, which allowed our players to maximize their groundstroke game off both wings. Chris was won over by this racquet, and he noticed an uptick in playability over RF's previous frame designs. He said, "The RF 01 Pro was an interesting racquet to hit with and a big departure from the outgoing model. The new beam design has a modern look, and the racquet felt fast in my hands, which the previous RF racquet was not. At contact, this RF 01 Pro still offers plenty of that Wilson feel with a crisp and clean response, and I think Wilson fans will find enough Pro Staff DNA in the feel of this racquet to find the familiarity they seek. However, I found this update much more spin-friendly and easier to accelerate through contact. I could do way more with the ball and found a good balance between plow through power and the ability to flick angles. While not as rock solid as the previous RF, I still found this RF 01 Pro impressively stable, and the specs were better aligned with my tastes. I really enjoyed hitting my backhand slice. I was able to get plenty of spin on the ball, and the mass of the racquet helped me hit a hard and low skidding slice. I also found this racquet a great fit on my topspin backhand. It was light enough to maneuver yet allowed me to hit a very penetrating ball." 

This playtest was always going to be special for Michelle because the Pro Staff RF97 is still her go-to option. She explained, "This was an important playtest for me, and I spent a lot of time testing this racquet. I approached it as if I was testing for a potential new racquet of choice. That being said, I also spent a lot of time comparing it to my current RF97s, and I tested it with many different string setups, from lower tension polys to tighter polys, shaped polys, low-powered polys, etc. What is so rewarding about the RF97 is the harmony between the power and control; when you swing big, you are rewarded with a lot of plow through, but also built-in control. This RF 01 Pro is similar, but I would be wrong not to say that this isn't a direct replacement for the RF97. The slightly bigger head size and new beam shape and thickness give it more free power. There were times when I was swinging this racquet the same way I'd swing the RF97 and the ball flew because I was lacking that built-in control from the RF97. I liked that the string spacing was tighter in the sweetspot of this RF 01 Pro, and that helped add control and precision. I found similar access to spin and feel, which were two spots where this racquet felt very similar to the RF97. I'm so glad Wilson and RF made sure the feel was in line with the previous RF97s: firm but comfortable, and oh-so stable! I could hit deep into the court with the RF 01 Pro, but the RF97 still takes the win when it comes to pushing opponents back. However, I enjoyed the maneuverability of the RF 01 Pro more; I was able to access angles much more easily and could get around the ball faster. I think the RF97 might be the most stable racquet from the past few years, so it is safe to say this racquet isn't as stable, but it certainly follows the DNA of the RF and is a very stable racquet."

For Troy, this testing experience proved to offer a lot more than he might have initially thought. He said, “I felt pretty dialed in when I first started hitting from the baseline. Looking back on the specs of this racquet, the weight and the swingweight are very much where I like them (#wheelhouse), so it was a natural transition when it came to timing the ball. Also, it has plenty of mass and plow through but also feels noticeably easier to consistently swing fast from the baseline when compared to the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph. There was a pretty good blend of power and control, with maybe a bit more power than Federer's previously endorsed racquets. I loved hitting slices with this racquet; it felt solid and stable, and I got a good amount of control and feel. On the other hand, when it came to topspin shots, those tight center main strings yielded a slightly lower launch angle, so I felt like I had to aim a bit higher over the net to achieve easy net clearance."

As a devout Federer fan, Munish was ecstatic to be testing the newest version of the RF racquet, and his results matched his excitement. He said, "The new RF 01 Pro is a lot more powerful than I thought it would be, but it still felt solid and stable. I was still able to hit a good ball even if I was a tad off-center. I could quite easily hit with tons of spin and flatten the ball out when I wanted. I appreciated that the strings are densely packed in the center because it gave me a slightly lower launch angle, which was ideal for my flatter balls. Although my flatter shots were flying a little at first, the adjustment was easy. Additionally, I had no arm issues swinging the RF 01 Pro, nor any vibrations upon contact, which was quite nice." 

Volleys: 8.9

Because Federer is renowned for his touch at net, it makes sense that his new racquet would play great on volleys. Our team was impressed when hitting volleys with the Wilson RF 01 Pro, noting how the maneuverability was complemented by reliable stability. Troy was able to implement his technique fairly naturally, but he noted some stiffness on off-center shots. He said, "I found the weight and balance of this racquet to work well for me up at net. It had that solid and stable feel when I hit my volleys, with enough mass to hold up against hard hitters, but it wasn't hefty to the point of feeling slow or sluggish. There was definitely a firmer feel on contact, so it had that nice pop on the ball. It's that feeling where the ball is in and off the strings rapidly; I think Chris might call it point-and-shoot. When it came to control and precision, I found I could place the ball well. It does not have quite as much feel and precision as the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph or the Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 95 v14, but overall I would say this Wilson RF 01 Pro was more than competent when I was targeting my spots. One thing that bothered me a bit was that the racquet felt a bit dead when I made contact slightly lower in the stringbed. I also got to hit with the Wilson RF 01, and I preferred that racquet's less stiff feel, whereas this RF 01 Pro was a bit firmer and less forgiving on my arm and wrist at times."

Munish initially struggled to make the adjustment up at net, but once he did, he made good use of his quick hands to hit his volleys with devastating depth and placement. He noted, "Volleys were hard to hit at first because I had difficulty gauging the power of the RF at times. Once I was able to hone it in, the maneuverability and the stability of the RF 01 Pro really shone through. I liked how I was able to punch the ball through the court but also sneak in a drop volley at times, and I would credit that to the amazing feel of this racquet. The targeting on the RF is amazing, and I felt confident that I could put the ball anywhere on the court when I was at net."

As something of a net specialist, Chris found immediate success with the RF 01 Pro on his volleys. He said, "The RF 01 Pro offered a crisp and clean response at net, and I felt very connected to my volleys. I felt like I could line up the stringbed with my target and zip volleys away. The specs are right where I like them, and I found a nice balance of the racquet feeling stable and easy enough to maneuver. I was able to cut under volleys and get solid spin to help me carve sharper angles, or to get drop volleys to spin away from my opponent."

Michelle also found lots of success with the frame at net, prompting her to go for more finishing touches on volleys. She described, "As with the RF97, the goal with this racquet is to dictate and finish points off with authority, which often means I am coming forward to the net. I enjoyed the feel and stability of this racquet at net and had no complaints. It held up to big hitters. I joked throughout this playtest that somehow I could access my 'inner Roger’, and I found myself going for some really fun touch shots that were not only effective, but also easy to execute."

Serves: 8.9

Serving with the RF 01 Pro was a delight for all of our team members. For Michelle, the racquet handled extremely well on her serve. She said, "I loved serving with this racquet! The ease of power was super noticeable here, and hitting serves was much less demanding, yet still as effective, as when I am serving with my RF97. I found really good targeting, great access to spin and slice, and felt confident hitting big flat first serves. This made my first-strike tennis simple. I could start on offense and take my second ball wherever I wanted to with authority." 

Serves were also a fantastic experience for Troy. He explained, "When it came to serves, this is one of the areas where I felt the most improvement compared to the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph. The overall 20-gram weight drop made a big difference when it came to maneuverability, and my left shoulder really appreciated it. I also noticed the extra pop I was getting on my flat serves; I think the thicker beam and stiff layup helped give me a bit more juice here. When it came to my spin serves, I found it easier to snap my wrist, especially compared to the RF97 Autograph, so that gave me a boost in confidence when hitting my kick and slice serves. With that being said, I also noticed I wasn't getting quite as much lift over the net on my topspin and kick serves as I do with a racquet like the Yonex VCORE 98 Tour, which I have been hitting lately."

Chris was more than impressed with this racquet on serves. He said, "My favorite shot with the RF 01 Pro was my serve. Hitting this racquet and the lighter RF 01 side by side produces a distinctive difference. My serves tended to sit up and were hittable when I served with the RF 01, but I was hitting a much heavier ball with the RF 01 Pro. I hit more winners and forced way more errors as a result. I was very happy with the pace and spin I was getting on my shots."

"Serving with the RF 01 Pro was the highlight of this playtest for me," Munish added. "I could hit flat serves all the live long day with this RF. On second serves, I was able to generate a lot of racquet head speed and therefore add a lot of spin to my serves. I will point out that the weight of this racquet did become more apparent the more kick serves I hit. I was feeling some tension on my forearm after a few serves, and that went away once I went back to my Blade. I loved serving with the RF overall, but I might have to kick back on the kickers." 

Returns: 8.4

The firm and crisp response of the RF 01 Pro left little to be desired on returns. For Chris, the stability of the frame was quite welcome. He said, "Power and stability were impressive when I was returning with the RF 01 Pro. I would prefer a softer, plusher feel from the RF 01 Pro, but I had a good sense of the pace and direction of my shots the instant they left the stringbed. I was able to get plenty of spin on the ball to help me get my returns to dip inside the lines, and both my topspin and slice returns were working well."

Michelle may prefer returning serves with this version of the RF over her RF97. She said, "Returns can make or break a playtest for me, and I love returning with this racquet! It was stable, solid, had enough mass, and with the lower static weight, I actually had more tools when returning compared to the RF97. It was super easy to block back tough first serves and get myself into the point. It was also fun to swing big and hit a penetrating shot through the court to attack off a weaker serve, just as I like to do with the RF97. I was able to hit players off the sides of the court and could hit angles when needed, which is something I lack with some of my heftier RF97s."

Munish also found success when returning serves, even implementing some SABR (Sneak Attack By Roger) strategy. He said, "I had a lot of fun returning serves with the RF 01 Pro. It has a ton of stability and maneuverability, and that works perfectly well with returning big serves. I was able to step onto the court and direct the ball anywhere within reason as long as I told myself to not swing too much into my shot. I had to try some SABRs with the RF, and it held up really well in terms of stability, even with first serves, which I was surprised by." 

For Troy, the RF 01 Pro was workable on returns, but nothing exemplary. He explained, "I liked the solid and stable feel of the RF 01 Pro on my returns, and there was plenty of mass and swingweight built in without it feeling too hefty or sluggish. I loved hitting my slice return on the backhand side. I found that I could really knife the slice; there was a stable feel, and with the dense strings in the center I found plenty of control. I could swing freely on my forehand returns, and I was getting good plow through on the ball. The lower launch angle took a bit of getting used to, and initially I was clipping the net a lot, so I had to make a conscious effort to aim a bit higher over the net when swinging aggressively. Besides that, I also noticed the firm feel on contact."

Breakdown Summary