Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Tennis Racquet
The tennis world has been waiting for a breakthrough star on the men’s tour for quite a while. Thanks to the dominance of guys like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, the next generation is still looking to breakthrough in a big way.
In many years, Stefanos Tsitsipas has been labeled as many to be the next guy up to have success at the highest level. With his aggressive style of play from the baseline, many tennis fans wonder how he gets so much power behind all of his strokes, while still controlling everything. The answer? Not only is he extremely talented, but he has the perfect racquet for his style of play.
What racquet does Tsitsipas use? Stefanos Tsitsipas has during his whole career used some version of the Wilson Blade 98. Although many speculate that he still uses an older model painted to look like the new one, he endorses the Wilson Blade 98 V7.
Tsitsipas Racquet Compared To What He Endorses To The Public
There are a lot of similarities between what Tsitsipas actually uses, and the new Wilson Blade 98 V7 that he endorses for the public. They both play very similarly, and the new option has added technology that is supposed to be better overall.
Like a lot of professional players, he likes the feel of the older racquet model, so he prefers to stick with a Wilson Blade from a few years ago. He has customized it exactly to his liking, and it has helped him reach where he is today.
Some people will view it as only marketing, but when playing with both one after another, there are some noticeable differences. The racquet has a lot more feel to it now compared to past options, and volleys are a bit crisper because of the stability at the net.
Tsitsipas Racquet Specs
Purchasing an older model of the Wilson Blade is pretty difficult to do these days, so here is a look at the racquet he endorses. It is going to be a perfect option for anyone looking for this type of racquet, so don’t be disappointed that it is not the exact model he’s used to playing with.
- Head size: 98 square inches
- Length: 27 inches
- Weight: 11.4
- Balance: 4pts HL
- Swingweight: 334
- Stiffness: 62
- String Pattern: 18 x 20
It’s a very balanced racquet, and the dense string pattern definitely helps players add a little bit of control to their game. It is worth checking out for any player who has either used a Blade model in the past, or want to move to something with a great amount of control.
String also makes a difference with any racquet, so make sure to mess around with different types, different tensions and more. Tsitsipas currently relies on Luxilon 4G 17, and strings it at around 57 pounds.
Stefanos Tsitsipas Racquet Review
With Wilson just updating the new Blade line, many are wondering exactly how the new V7 model plays. While they didn’t make a ton of changes, there are enough upgrades to check out and see how it feels in hand.
Serving
The common theme surrounding this entire racquet is, of course, the control. This has been a staple for the Blade line for years, especially when dealing with the 18 x 20 string pattern. What is a bit surprising is that the power is there as well. It might not be the most powerful racquet for the first serve, but a person can still get some pretty hard serves in without much trouble.
About the only complaint is that spin might be limited somewhat because of the string pattern. Those who hit with a lot of spin won’t notice that much of a difference, but it doesn’t provide any free spin like some other racquets. A player has to really work for it when hitting service.
Those who struggle to get their second serve in a lot might consider this to be a great option. Instead of having to re-tool everything, a person can hit through their serve with a bit of confidence so everything feels great.
Groundstrokes
Wilson has incorporated a new technology known as FeelFlex, and it helps with a bit more feel when hitting balls in a rally. This is considered by many to be a step in the right direction, and helps with control even more.
The racquet has a pretty nice sweet spot, allowing for a few miss-hits to still go in with ease. There is not as much free power from this racquet as others on the market, but those who can generate their own power will have no problem keeping up in rallies.
Do keep in mind that the standard model comes in at 334 for the swingweight, which is going to be a little demanding for some players. If it feels too heavy, go with a lighter option, or look elsewhere in the Wilson family.
Volleys
This is the one area where Wilson looked to step their game up with the Blade. Although it has always had great stability and control, Wilson wanted to build off of that as much as possible.
The new technology in the Wilson Blade V7 provides a softer feel, which leads to softer hands close to the net. Players can enjoy moving the ball around and not feeling like the racquet is too stiff when it is needed most.
Overall thoughts
Simply put, this is another addition of the Wilson Blade that fans are going to enjoy quite a bit. They don’t stray away from what makes the racquet so popular, and they have improved on some of those shortcomings as well.
The FeelFlex technology changes the stiffness of the racquet a bit, and that will probably be the most noticeable difference. The good news is that many will find it a big improvement, and it makes forward the upgrade.
Those who are not used to it might find the demo to be pretty demanding at first. It’s a racquet that needs a little bit of time to fully understand how it plays. Advanced players should not give up on the racquet right away if it doesn’t feel exactly right. You can read our full review in this post.
Who Should Use Tsitsipas Racquet?
Experienced, control-oriented tennis players will benefit most from the Wilson Blade 98 V7. The dense string pattern, the head size, the swingweight, and the stiffness all make this a perfect racquet to place shots exactly where they need to be. It’s not designed to be a racquet for beginners, as many will find it to be a little too heavy to maneuver.
if this particular Wilson Blade model does not work, there are always options within the family. Players like Milos Raonic and Serena Williams also use Wilson Blades, but they use different models for their specific game. In most cases, a person will be able to find at least one racquet in the family that could be usable.
Can You Buy Tsitsipas Racquet?
With the Tsitsipas racquet, the Wilson Blade 98 being the most popular racquet in the world, it’s available pretty much everywhere.
The price differ a lot depending on where you look at, but as I’m writing this, I found the cheapest price on Wilson.com and Amazon. You can check the current prices below.
Final Thoughts
For top players in the world like Tsitsipas, the Wilson Blade 98 V7 makes a lot of sense. He has been using an older model of this very racquet for most of his career, and the added control helps to bring in his sometimes erratic shots. As he matures as a player, his control will likely increase more and more, and he has the perfect racquet to help with that.
The Wilson Blade line has several professional endorsers, and their sales prove that this is a racquet many people enjoy using at all levels. This might be the most demanding of them all in the current line, but it is still a great racquet in the right hands.
First appearing in the Wilson lineup in 2006, the Blade has been through a few changes during the years. It is still a racquet some people swear by, and others convert every single year. For those who have not used a Wilson Blade in a while, this might be the time to jump all in and see if it is worth exploring once again.
Also Read: What Tennis Shoes Does Stefanos Tsitsipas Wear?
