RF-01 Pro Review

Not a ProStaff

We need to rip the band-off before we go any further. This is not a Prostaff. If you think you need a box-beam racquet, you can skip the RF-01 Pro and stick with the Prostaff 97, or the X if you want more forgiveness. While box-beam are, undoubtedly, special, I think their time on the market is limited. Demands for free power, spin and stability mean that even Roger Federer is ready to move away from them.

320g unstrung. 31.5cm balance unstrung. The one I tried had a 325SW. 98 square inch head and a variable, elliptical beam shape flaring as wide as 23.2mm. The beam profile in the hoop is reminiscent of an Aero or an EZONE. Kind of like an extruded football shape. The throat is like a combination between the Speed and a VCORE with inset ridges and a trapezoidal shape. NO PWS. The 16x19 pattern is tight in the middle and open towards the perimeter. Very much like a 16x18 6.1 95. Perhaps most importantly, it is foam filled.

Like I said, this is not a Prostaff, but, when you consider the string spacing and the weight distribution, it’s more of a re-imagination than something completely new.

Swing Feel

I’d argue that “swing-feel,” meaning, how the racquet feels to swing, is almost perfect. Swing-feel is a new concept that I’ve been heavily interested in of late. Classic racquets, like old Prestiges and 6.1’s, the Yonex Regna and the V9 Blades all have pretty similar swing-feels. They play well with less extreme grips, like conservative semi-Western or full Eastern forehands. Their whippy tips demand quick and precise swing-speeds if you want to get any court penetration. Hitting through the court with tight spin feels more natural than looping up topspin moonballs. When I think of the modern player than exudes this type of play, that player is, undoubtedly, Roger Federer.

So I think that the swing feel is almost perfect. The low balance point hides the 320g static weight. This thing swings fast and the twistweight feels very low. Perfect for me but I suspect many will be adding weight at 3 and 9.

I’d venture to say that the RF-01 Pro is fastest swinging racquet in the 315g+ weight class, outperforming the heavier Percepts, the Prestiges and Radicals. The speed through the air is reminiscent of lighter frames, like the 305g Blades or the 310g Percept 97. This kind of maneuverability is primed for success on the one-handed backhand and skill-shots around the net.

Sweet Spot Performance

The power on centre is huge. The ball-pocketing effect in the sweetspot leads to a tremendous sense of ball speed. You really feel the ball coming in and out of the stringbed with a crisp velocity. It’s got that “point and shoot” sensation, much like the new Blade, the v14 Prostaff and the Head Radicals.

With this power comes surprising control. The string spacing is tremendously dense in the centre of the stringbed so directional control is superb. I notice this especially on my two-handed backhand, my flattest and cleanest stroke by far, making it the shot I crave control on the most. I felt immense confidence driving big, deep shots cross court or changing direction and sneaking a winner up the line.

That density on centre does have certain draw backs. Heavy spin players won’t be able to generate heavy, looping, high-margin neutral shots, something I require on my forehand side. That said, a big part of that is also the swing feel. Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to stock racquets, the RF-01 Pro hits a very heavy ball, but my forehand specifically benefits greatly from easier spin potential, racquets like the Pure Strike, the Whiteout 18x20 and even the VCORE 95 feel more effective for me on that side.

Thankfully, even when strung with ALU Power @ 53lbs, spin comes so much easier with the RF01 Pro than the Blades. Most of the power comes on centre. While the racquet is certainly more forgiving that the PS97 or RF97, there is still a noticeable drop off in playability outside the sweetspot.

It’s weird because the power on centre is on par with racquets like the Aero 98 or Strike 98, but the drop off is worse than the EZONE. I kind of like this, because the racquet feels fast enough to warrant the smaller sweetspot, so it feels like something you are supposed to overcome. It’s one of the few attributes that keeps the new RF01 feeling like a genuine player’s frame.

The Feel

The feel is sweet. Shockingly plush on central contact without being noodley. The flex is very uniform and consistent. No gimmicky feels like Auxetic or VDM, but not a ton of vibration either. It’s more direct than a Percept and softer than the PS97 v14.

There isn’t any tech marketing on the frame either. Apparently they are calling the foam filling “SABR” but even still, no markings on the frame for this.

The drop-off in playability outside the sweetspot does not translate to jarring vibration either. You just get a weaker ball and a less pure hitting sound. While I don’t think the feel is especially unique, it offers the feedback any advanced players would want while ensuring the comfort for those who may have sensitive arms.

Overall, the RF-01 Pro’s hitting feel reminds me a lot of the 360+ Gravity Pro. Soft and plush, but direct and predictable. So many racquets today feel soft at the cost of predictability. For example the Auxetic Gravity MP or the Phantom’s flex so much that the start shooting the ball in random directions. The RF-01 Pro feels much plusher than the 67RA would suggest, but it also feels as predictable as its RA suggest. There’s very little bending in the hoop and I’m here for that.

Market Report

It plays well and makes sense as the next RF. It feels like something Fed could use but packaged to be lighter and easier to use for the every day player. It combines the greatest attributes of Wilson’s only good racquets, V9 Blade and V14 Prostaff, while simultaneously boosting forgiveness. In reference to Wilson’s silos, the Prostaff, the Clash, the Shift, the Ultra and the Blade, I don’t see how these RF-01’s don’t completely cannibalize the sales of the Prostaff and Blade. The RF-01’s exceed or match those racquets in every metric, perhaps offering slightly less pure control than either of them, but in my opinion, the modern player should gladly trade a 5% loss of control for a 20% boost in forgiveness and power on centre.

With so much R&D budget clearly spent on Wilson’s best release since the V5 Blade, what does Wilson have left for their remaining frames? The Clash V1 was a smash hit for low-intermediate rec player’s with failing physicalities and techniques making it somewhat of a joke racquet for anyone with self-respect. Ok that was pretty harsh, but the kind of player who bought the V1 is going to stick with the V1 until it breaks. Believe me, I was there for the launch of V1 I can’t tell you how many 20 year old T.i S6’s it replaced. The buyers of the V1 Clashes either die before they need a new frame or have replaced tennis with pickleball.

The Shift line is unusable at high levels (no pro’s will even touch it since Sakkari dumped it after one tournament) due to the terribly inconsistent flex profile, though it does have some potential for V2.

The Ultra is an after thought, with most Ultra-endorsed pro’s using H19s or Pro Open’s.

Essentially, all Wilson has left is the RF-01 line.

Final Thoughts

For Wilson’s sake, its a damn good think they have Federer here to save them. While the RF-01 Pro is a great racquet, I doubt it would have garnered as much press without the Federer name.

I think the RF-01 Pro is better than the Blade. It’s better than the Radical, the Extreme Pro and very close in performance to the EZONE 98. It deserves it’s place in an overcrowded market by being a damn good racquet.

I’d say it’s the second best 98 in the world right now after the Aero 98. The problem is, the Aero 98 does everything better, being significantly more torsionally stable and spin friendly despite the lower weight. The only people who should choose the RF are those who are quite sensitive to feel and comfort.

I think there are more special frames out there. I personally think that even the V14 PS97 feels more special and more precise. Obviously the Regna is a step above even that. So I wouldn’t recommend buying the RF01’s as a collector’s item or as a special frame to have in the closet. It’s good but it isn’t special. I would, however, happily recommend it to players in search of a new racquet, specifically Blade replacements.

Still, this is a racquet that I can see dominating the market. We all know RF sells and this RF is something almost anyone could use in a competitive match. No longer is the RF limited by accessibility. The RF01 is the people’s RF. It’s the RF that Wilson needs.