Wilson Pro Open BLX Tennis Racquet
|
|
 
If you aspire to play “Pro” tennis at the “Open” then you may want to equip yourself with Wilson’s Pro Open BLX. If there was ever one racquet that epitomized the etymology of tweener, then Wilson’s Pro Open BLX would be it. It approaches the scale at 11 ounces strung, head light, and 100 square inches. Aside from the classic tweener specs, it features Wilson’s BLX technology. BLX refers to basalt – a natural volcanic rock – weaved into the structure of the frame to achieve distinct feel and vibration maintenance.
Groundstrokes
The all-performance purpose of this racquet really showed at the back court. Pushing the ball deep was a cinch. If forced out wide and needed time to get back to the center of the court, producing a high ball with spin was no task. And with a slightly more than modest strung weight combined with BLX technology assured torsional resistance. Deep balls and heavy balls, were all easily overcome. But I have to be real. Though I anticipated a hike in power from the 95 square inch head size I play with, the additional power was a little too much for me. I often uttered the word “wait” under my breath as I saw a few balls sail past the baseline.
Volleys
This racquet’s performance is not only limited to the back court. At the net, its stability, and capability for touch and feel were evident. I never felt that I was bullied by a ball because of the frames stability. A 100 square inch head size proved forgiving enough, especially when I had insufficient time to react. Although this racquet lies in between the power and control scale, it was possible to get some touch on the volleys.
Serve
Serving the ball was easy. I play with a 95 square inch head size, so 5 more square inches was relatively forgiving. This racquet has a good mix of power and control, which enabled me to place the ball accurately with force. Spin was easy to attain, due to the “Open” 16 X 19 string pattern. With so much at my disposal, multiple service types where available to me. I could go for a flat first serve finish, or second serve spin for safety.
Overall
My attempt at serving was my first reality check. The racquet undeniably provides control, but accessing it was the challenge. It took a few attempts before I could accurately place the racquet on the ball, let alone the ball in the court. Once I made some adjustments, I was able to begin play. The control the racquet provides is hardly matched, and the feel is nice, but this racquet is demanding. It took a lot more focus on my part to get the ball in the court and over the net, which should be easy to do from a shot that one has the most control over. Needless to say, it wasn’t.
|
