It’s always exciting when you get your hands on a new tennis racket, whether it’s a brand spanking new frame from your local independent sport shop, a well researched purchase off the internet or perhaps a quick knock about with your friend’s favourite design.
Now let’s step it up a level, and then some. How would you feel if you got sent a final concept version straight from the lab of a major tennis specialist? Well, the team at Wilson did just that and gave me an exclusive first look at their new offering dubbed ‘SHIFT’. So, sit back and let’s serve this gem into play.
Out of the box, the design cosmetic has a striking yet minimalistic intergalactic pearlescent vibe that’s slightly different from the snazzy metallic colours of the Ultra, Clash and Blade. Coupled with its dot matrix style graphic decals along the neck of the racket, it’s a sweet change of gear which makes it stand out from the crowd and will certainly set pulses racing.
So where does the SHIFT sit in the brand’s product line? Amazingly, it’s right in the central sweetspot area between the Clash and Blade, no doubt appealling to wide audience of players - most of whom will be intermediate to advanced level.
Time to tuck into a few of the specs. The frame beam measures around 23mm mark and is designed to feel a bit nifty through the air. Weight wise there are two options at your disposal, 300g and 315g, the latter being geared towards experienced players, whilst the head size is a unique 99sq inches which is sure to produce a nice balance of power and control.
The stringbed isn’t the popular 16x19 or 18x19 set-up you might find. Instead, the lab landed on a more unusal 16x20 pattern which shakes things up a bit and levels up some devastating launch angles off a variety of oncoming balls. The intial feel of the racket is extremly well balanced, silky smooth and flies through the air with zest. On court the SHIFT shines brightly in the performance department as much as its design.
On test, we particulary applauded the immense pop that it produced on groundstrokes from the back court - the deafening crack coming off the strings is just joyous. Serving up overhead is a real dream too, there is a fluid flow of control and power. When it comes to the slice, the feedback experienced is simply outstanding and you’ll be wanting to chisel shots cross court all day long. Volleying doesn’t disappoint either, the stick is not only solid and fast, but softens up perfectly holding it own from the net.
Wilson may just take game, set and match with this inspiring all court winner.
The Wilson SHIFT is due to be released on January 27 2023.
