WILSON Steam 99S Tennis Racquet Review
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Groundstrokes
The Wilson BLX Steam 99 provided a very stable response at the baseline. The blend of power and spin was impressive, and I felt like I didn’t need to hold back on my shots because the spin would drop the ball in. The main drawback I found when hitting with this racquet was that it felt a little stiff and it felt unforgiving on off-center shots. Overall, this frame is very solid from the baseline with the spin and power it provides. However, the stiffness isn’t for everyone, and shots out of the sweet spot are unforgiving.
Volleys
While up at the net, this stick provided easy power. It also gave a very stable response whether I was redirecting a hard-hit shot or putting away a high ball. On the contrary, the response I got on some shots felt unpredictable, and I had a hard time placing the ball exactly where I wanted to. Basically, power and stability were major bonuses for this frame at net, but sometimes the control was a little shaky.
Serves
Serving with this racquet was a great experience for me. I found no real weaknesses with this stick on that front. First off, power was easy to come by. Not only was I able to hit with power, but I could hit with lots of spin as well. Finally I was able to move the ball around the service box with ease with this frame.
Overall
This is great frame for intermediate to advanced baseliner’s looking for a good blend of power and spin from the baseline. It also offers a good amount of power and stability at the net. All of this, combined with solid attributes at the net, made this a great racquet. The few downsides are, a lack of stability away from the sweet spot and control on volleys, but those downsides are few and far between with this powerful stick.
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