Wilson Pro Staff 97 Review

The Wilson Pro Staff 97 is a stunning tennis racket made for intermediate to advanced tennis players. This is far from meaning that beginners can’t use it but it does have a build structure and features that are best suited for at least intermediate tennis players. If you’re asking yourself why that is, we will explore everything about this tennis racket in our Wilson Pro Staff 97 review.

Read more to find out all the details about this racket, how it performs on the tennis court, its strung and unstrung specs, and more.

Wilson Pro Staff 97 Overview

wilson pro staff 97 tennis racket

This tennis racket provides a very enjoyable experience in all areas. It has a great feel, perfect power, amazing comfort, good control, and will make sure that you are well-suited for your next tennis match. The Wilson Pro Staff 97 is a lighter version of Roger Federer’s signature racket, the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph.

With a larger head size, a stiffer beam, and a great balance between power and control, the Wilson Pro Staff 97 is definitely something intermediate or advanced players can have a lot of fun with. It may be a bit difficult to find your sweet spot at first but once you get there this racket will help you win quite a lot of tennis matches.

Wilson Pro Staff 97 Specifications

wilson pro staff 97 side view

What’s a Wilson Pro Staff 97 review without sharing the specs of the tennis racket. Below are the official specs of the Wilson Pro Staff 97 with both strung and unstrung versions of the racket.

  • Length: 27 Inches
  • Head Size Unstrung: 97 Square Inches
  • String Pattern: 16 x 19
  • Weight Unstrung: 315g
  • Weight Strung: 336g
  • Balance Point: 32cm
  • Swing Weight Unstrung: 320
  • Swing Weight Strung: 334
  • Flex Rating: 66
  • Construction: 21.5mm / 21.5mm / 21.5mm
  • Composition: Braided Kevlar & Graphite / Basalt Fibers

Wilson Pro Staff 97 Features & Benefits

wilson pro staff 97 bottom view

Even though all tennis players lack in some areas and exceed in others, everyone usually wants a tennis racket with an amazing balance of power, spin, comfort, and feel. It’s important for the racket to feel great but also have good spin-potential, easy power delivery, and great control.

The Wilson Pro Staff 97 does a great job of offering just that. It is designed to help intermediate players reach the advanced level much faster by improving their gameplay and skills. Having said that, you will notice great spin potential with this racket, amazing control, but you may feel it is lighter and more difficult to play with if you’re switching from something such as the RF97 Autograph. But at the end of the day, practicing tennis alone or with a partner is what will make you better at the sport.

Wilson Pro Staff 97 Performance Scores

When we don’t have the chance to test a specific tennis racket ourselves, performance scores are the closest thing to knowing how it will perform. Thanks to various playtesters, this Wilson Pro Staff 97 review will show you how the racket performs on the court. We have averaged it down to a few performance score grades. This will help you understand where this tennis racket lacks and where it thrives.

That should help you decide whether the Wilson Pro Staff 97 is for you based on what you’re looking for. You will also learn much more about the tennis racket by looking at the scores. They will reveal whether it lacks power, if it has enough control, comfort, spin, and everything in between.

Groundstrokes (8.5)

The fact that the Wilson Pro Staff 97 is lighter than a few of its counterparts makes it easier to swing fast and apply enough power and control to the ball. This makes hitting good groundstrokes fairly easy even for beginner players. However, you may struggle with it a bit until you find your sweet spot which, as we mentioned, will take some time with the Pro Staff 97. There were no overall complaints regarding groundstrokes with this tennis racket. This gives us more than enough reason for a great score regarding this area.

Returns (7.8)

Returns are another area that’s hard to complain about regarding this racket. Thanks to its impeccable speed and maneuverability, you can hit returns quickly and accurately once you’ve found your sweet spot. It may be a bit more difficult to pull off more aggressive returns due to its lack of weight, but it’s far from impossible with enough training and getting used to. Since you won’t struggle a lot with returns, we’re more than happy to leave an above-average performance score for returns.

Serves (8.0)

Here is where the lack in weight compared to the Wilson Pro Staff RF97A starts to really matter. We’re not saying that you won’t be able to pull off great tennis serves with this racket, but you will always feel a lack of power if you’ve played with the RF97A before. It’s hard to compare these two in this field which is why many who’ve played with the heavier one can’t deal with a lighter tennis racket. However, the additional spin that the Pro Staff 97 produces makes up for this, making serves easier and more satisfying once again.

Volleys (8.8)

Volleys may be the easiest to pull off with the Wilson Pro Staff 97 thanks to its lightweight, maneuverability, and extra control. You will find that you can easily produce a lot of power when hitting a volley shot. It’s easy to reach them in most cases and hit the ball with more precision and spin. So, if there’s anything we’ve learned from this Wilson Pro Staff 97 review it’s that this tennis racket is very maneuverable and comfortable. It will help you pull off most types of tennis shots with ease and provide a better tennis experience.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this Wilson Pro Staff 97 review was able to help you with your choice of which tennis racket to purchase. This review features everything you need to know about this racket. Have fun exploring its capabilities by yourself and experience everything it can offer on the tennis court.

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8.6
Review Summary

If you’re an intermediate or advanced tennis player, the Wilson Pro Staff 97 will surely make a great addition to your tennis racket arsenal. It offers the perfect blend of power, spin, and comfort. This is the lighter version of Roger Federer’s signature racket which will help ensure that you reach the pro tennis player level much sooner.

  • Durability 8.5
  • Comfort 8.6
  • Stability and Control 8.8

Pros:

  • Comfortable and Great Feel
  • Great Cosmetics
  • Enjoyable Balance of Power, Spin, & Control

Cons:

  • Inconsistent Stringbed Response

About The Author

AthletePath Staff

We are a team of enthusiasts and professional athletes thriving to provide you with helpful advice on buying everything you may ever need to become a better athlete.

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