If Wilson asked me to name this frame, it would be the BLX Paradox (And that is why I am not in marketing). Everything that you would expect looking at the headsize, string pattern, and weight would probably lead you to the wrong conclusions about this frame.

The last two years have seen some very positive changes in the 104 + inch frames available. Gone are the day of having a hot spot in the middle of the sweetspot that made it feel you were playing with a slingshot not a tennis racket. The new frames have the maneuverability of a midplus and in most cases play like a more forgiving version.

   

The BLX Team is right at the top of the list in this category. What is surprising is that this is not a high power racket, quite the contrary. It is a forgiving, smooth, precise control frame.

The box beam section used in the throat maximizes stiffness and twist resistance. The more rounded cross section of the head is intended to reduce wind resistance during the swing. Elongated string holes at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions on the frame allow the string bed a little extra freedom to deflect. This is part of the reason for the excellent control this frame has. It may seem counter intuitive but this creates longer ball dwell time on the strings. This serves the purpose of allowing the strings to move more freely. Finally the Basalt Fibers give this racket a very smooth, damped feel.

 

Despite the head size, the 18 x 19 string pattern is quite dense and is the basis for the degree of control this frame possesses. As you would expect the sweetspot is quite large mainly along the length of the racket.

  

The head light balance and the relatively low overall weight made racket head speed easy to generate, reminiscent of the Prince EXO3 Black Team frame. Spin generation is good and accuracy is excellent especially given the size of the head.

 

Because this is a control oriented frame you will need good technique to hit hard serves, however, don’t let that deter you if you don’t have it. The accuracy will allow very consistent placement versus other frames and placement and spin is actually more important than pace. The large sweetspot is very forgiving on serves.

 

 

If you hit fairly flat groundstrokes and need a little boost in consistency this frame is the one to try. It has good spin potential as well but it is really nice to be able to hit the ball exactly where you want it with very moderate topspin without worrying about your shots sailing long. It was also good for heavy topspin and slice shots. The precision along with the spin makes this a really effective baseline frame. No surprise here since this is the Williams family racket of choice. The low overall weight should also make this a good frame for juniors or players with slighter builds.

 

The light weight control and large head make this a relatively user friendly racket. It has great touch and good spin production for hitting drive or drop volleys. Because it is fairly light it will twist when hit well off center laterally this is about the only significant issue found.

This frame and the Head YouTek IG Extreme Oversize are the frontrunners of the Super Mid / Oversize frames that I have tested recently. If you are a 3.0-4.5 level player looking for a little something extra, you should add these frames to your demo list.