Wilson is trying to start a new revolution in tennis with the release of their innovative racquet the Clash. This new racquet family will incorporate new technologies, FreeFlex and StableSmart, to make the frame more versatile for the ever-changing game of tennis. Players will be able to swing freely with more confidence and not lose out on control, stability or spin. The Clash 100 Tour is a slightly heavier frame than the Clash 100, gearing towards players that want a little more control and stability without the loss of flexibility. As a truly loyal Wilson racquet user, I was both excited and nervous to see what changes this frame brought to the court.

Groundstrokes
At first, this frame took some time to get use to since the flexibility is very apparent. When I started to hit forehands or backhands, I felt a slight bend in the frame almost like its moving the racquet head faster through contact. I personally liked this feeling and started to get locked into my shots right away. As long as I kept attacking the ball, I could easily control and pinpoint the ball into the corners. However, when I slowed down my swing the ball would take off unexpectedly resulting in the ball going out. On defense, the racquet helped me more by providing easy power but I still needed to generate some racquet head speed to keep the ball from flying on me. Compared to the Clash 100, the static weight of this frame is noticeable and the extra 0.5 ounce impacted the stability in a great way. The added stability really helped me keep up with hard hit shots whenever I was on the baseline and not twist in my hand whenever I hit the side of the frame. One area that I think could be improved is on slice shots. Whenever I did hit a slice the ball stayed low and had plenty of bite, but I couldn’t keep the ball deep consistently. I would be required to swing harder than normal otherwise the ball would just sit up in the middle of the court.

Volleys
Thanks to the great amount of flexibility, this racquet performed very well at net. I got plenty of feel for the ball allowing me to dictate where my volleys went on the court. Thanks to the added mass I never felt my volleys spray away or lose control even when the ball was hit hard directly at me. Although the weight is slightly heavier, I didn’t feel like I could get in trouble because the racquet is very mobile. During quick exchanges I easily got the frame into position and finished off the point with an offensive mindset. Dropshots too were great to hit since I could accurately direct my shot without worrying about it going too long. Whether you need to drive the volley deep, hit a sharp angle or keep up with fast exchanges, this frame will keep you in the winning position while at net.

Serves & Overheads
Serves and overheads were pretty good with this frame, but tended to favor my flatter hits. I felt I could get more control with the Tour version because of the heavier weight. The ball doesn’t generate much pace off the serve, but I felt I could accurately place it in the box and keep my opponent on the defense right away. Slice serves were pretty effective and usually stayed low to the ground making it harder to return. Kick serves struggled a little more and didn’t jump up over my opponent’s head making it easy for them attack. Players that like to hit with more slice or kick will want to try out the Clash 100.

Overall
Wilson has made a great innovative racquet that I think many players will enjoy. The greater amount of flexibility in the frame is very interesting and this Tour version provides players with a little more control than the standard Clash 100. There is plenty of feel, power, stability and spin enabling aggressive hitters to take advantage of their opponents whenever they play. Whether you are an Ultra, Burn, Blade or Pro Staff user, the Clash 100 Tour may become your new weapon of choice.

About the Reviewer: Chris Virk-Brown currently works at Tennis Express on the Content Marketing team. He previously played at Neumann University and coached at the collegiate level for 3 years. He is an active USTA League and Tournament player.