16 Mains / 19 Crosses
Mains skip: 7T, 9T, 7H, 9H
One Piece
No Shared Hole
Swing Speed: Fast
Swing Weight: 310
Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 95 BLX Racquet Review
I have played Wilson racquets on and off all my life and thought every model was great. Heck, my very first “real” racquet was the iconic Jack Kramer Auto wood racquet that was played by everyone. I’ve played the original Pro Staff and the Pro Staff Classic in the “old days” and loved them both. I was very excited to play test the latest version of the Pro Staff with BLX and the new Amplifeel technology. The promise is that it you'll "feel" the ball better over previous versions. The graphics have changed somewhat so that it's more white than before. I really like the graphics on this version as this color scheme seems to work nicely. My test racquet was strung with a synthetic gut at middle to upper tension range.
Groundstrokes
I noticed the light feel of this racquet right away. It was fast through the air but I felt it lacked a little weight. I would have loved to have that extra plow though that more weight would have provided. However, it was quick to swing and maneuver and the open string pattern gave plenty of spin. I could generate good power but this is definitely a control stick. If I were to play this racquet, I would experiment with adding a little weight, probably nearer the handle to make it a little more headlight and increase the overall weight. Touch shots were excellent as this is where the Amplifeel came through. It’s a nice feeling stick. The fairly flexible specs provided a pretty soft ride with no arm issues. Groundstrokes were crisp, spiny and the ball went where it was told.
Volleys/Overheads
Since the Pro Staff 95 has a light overall weight and swing weight, volleys were a cinch but I would have liked a bit more punch. I liked the control I had and when struck on the sweet spot, it felt rock solid. Overheads were solid but not spectacular.
Serves/Returns
Control is the best word to describe this racquet on serves. I could direct the ball easily but I wasn’t able to generate a ton of power. Spin and kick were good but it didn’t jump over the fence. Still, the Pro Staff 95 is an excellent weapon if you’re looking for control and accuracy. My 1st serve % went up and I kept my opponent guessing. Serve returns were solid and controlled but I didn’t get a lot of oomph on the ball. When blocking the ball, I just needed to make sure to aim a little farther back in my opponent’s court to keep it deep.
This play test took me back to that great Pro Staff feel – almost. If there was a bit more weight to it, I could reminisce back to the old days. Adding weight is easy to do but many players will like it just as it is because it's a fairly light swinging, maneuverable racquet that is easy on the arm and will provide players an excellent tennis experience. This is a very good stock racquet and one that will provide the 4.0+ all court player good spin, control, touch and feel. The excellent thing about this racquet is that it’s easily customizable and it can go from a very good racquet to a great one.
