Wilson Pro Staff 85 and variants

Since the early 80s, the Wilson Pro Staff 85 (sometimes called the Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 Original) has been winning tournaments in one form or another. Notable wielders of this racket included Chris Evert, Jim Courier (before he went to the Wilson PS 6.6 Stars and Stripes model), Stefan Edberg (after a brief dalliance with the Wilson PS 6.1 95), and of course Pete Sampras, who pretty much used this same racket albeit the much touted St. Vincent model his entire career. Much less known is the fact that the Fed Express aka Roger Federer used this racket at the start of his career beating Sampras in the process in that infamous round of 16 match at Wimbledon in 2001. Since then, Federer has gone on singlehandedly to champion the pro series 90 sq in variant of the original Wilson Pro Staff 85.

I have been using the PS 85 (how I like to  call this stick) for almost 19 years. Efforts to replace it have failed and believe me I have tried. Over the years I have tried nearly all the variants of "Federer's rackets" bar the first few models - the Ncode Six-One Tour, KSix-One Tour, the BLX Six.One Tour and the BLX Prostaff Ninety. I also got the "one off" KProStaff 88, which is honestly a really ridiculous racket - extremely powerful and extremely unwieldy at the same time. Which one did I like? Well I go back to the PS 85 nearly everytime but if I had a choice I think the newest incarnation - the BLX Prostaff Ninety comes the closest. Without lead tape it feels like a slightly head heavy version of of the PS 85 with more power but less controllable and not so nimble at the net. 

Will I be getting another PS 85 variant? I seriously don't think so. There are only so many rackets a man can have! Better to spend the time learning to master these great rackets and getting to know each of their strengths and weaknesses..

Stringing 101... for dummies

I have been stringing my own tennis rackets since 2000. I was fed up with some questionable stringing jobs from stringers in Singapore. When one "reputable" stringer broke my beloved racket at the time - a vintage Dunlop Max 200g, I decided to invest in my own machine.

 

Now the machine I bought isnt one of those fancy electronic types that tensions the string for you using a motor. I bought a manual Gamma spring tension machine instead. I have been using it for all this while and it hasnt given any problems. Made in USA does stand for something.

 

I am not a pro-stringer by any means but after stringing hundreds of rackets for myself and my friends, I feel that I at least can give some advice to budding stringers or people who want to get into stringing.

 

Firstly, buy a machine and learn how to use it. I would suggest that you buy a machine that will last you for some time, at least as long as you retain your interest in tennis. For me, manual is better - either a drop weight model (around 200-400USD) or better still - a spring tension model (around 700-1500USD). Get a model that has 6 mounting points. The electronic models are great but pricey and have the potential to break. Motors do break. Although stringing saves money in the long run, you have to string lots of rackets to make up the cost of the machine. I estimate about 6-12 dollars saved per racket strung depending on the string that you choose. My Gamma cost me about 800USD incl shipping and I think it has only made up the cost in the last few years (I typically do around 20-30 string jobs a year). There are plenty of guides to stringing out there and YouTube has plenty of videos as well. In addition to the machine, you will also need a sturdy table or stand (stands are usually additional), some cutters (standard wire cutters will do), a pair of pliers (I use the bent nose ones), an awl (to act as a pathfinder for new holes) and lastly a measuring tape (I tape the tape to my table).

 

Types of string and stringing methods. In addition to the machine, you need to buy string. Hopefully by now you would know a little bit what types of of string you like - what thickness or "gauge" you prefer. There are literally hundreds of string out there, and they come in single pack or in reel form. For the sake of economy, I usually buy reels of string. As a rough guide, I usually stock a big reel (600-700feet) of a good and cheap synthetic - for me I use Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g or 17g. Gamma and Prince make great synthetics as well. I also have a reel or two of polyester string - I currently alternate between something by Luxilon or Topspin. For the last few years, most of my stringing jobs have been using the 2 string method and I have been doing hybrid stringing jobs with poly mains and synthetic crosses. My current Wilson rackets are mostly strung with Topspin Cyber Flash 17 on the mains and using a synthetic like Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g or Gamma Synthetic 16g on the crosses. I use a thicker gauge cross as the synthetic cross will usually break before the polyester main. Stringing using the 2 string method has several benefits - the stringing jobs typically take less time and there is also a little bit less wastage compared to the 1 string method. I usually dont do any fancy patterns "Round the world" or no shared holes. For maximum economy, I usually measure and cut the optimal lengths to string a particular racket e.g. my Wilson 85-90 sq inch rackets typically only require 18ft for the mains and 16ft for the crosses. I usually take 35-40 minutes to do a single racket (a tip - dont be too fixated about speed when you first start).

 

Maintenance. My Gamma has largely been maintenance free. The only thing I do once in a while is to use a tension calibrator to make sure that the tension is correct and do a rough wipe down.

 

Has stringing my own racket helped me in my game? Well to be honest, not really. Putting the best stuff on your racket wont make you the next Federer. Some times I get the urge to just throw my racket at a stringer and get it done. You get the convenience of stringing anytime you want or whenever you break string. For me, I save some time by not having to travel to the stringer location and make another repeat trip to collect the strung racket.

 

Does it make sense to have your own stringing machine if you only have one racket and you only play once a month? No. I would say that you should only do this if you play frequently (about 1-2 a week minimum) and you break string often. The general advice is that you should restring your racket annually as often as you play a week e.g. if you play once a week you should restring once a year.

 

Let me know if you have questions and I'll try to help!

 

The secrets to Federers longevity in Tennis

Ideal body frame for tennis (i.e. 6ft 1) with wide shoulders for power and strong legs for a stable base and quickness. Players who are too tall are usually slower and are ungainly. Players who are too short have no reach and less leverage for power.

Although it doesn't look like it, have a really strong body core and strong legs

Little or no fat

I do not believe Federer does much gym work to develop muscles etc. or if he does he probably works on flexibility in conjunction with gym work

Relaxed grip and wrist for power and to allow a late hit.

Same ball toss for flat, slice and kick serves adds deception to serve. He still tends to favor the serve down the line for the deuce court and the wide serve to the ad court.

Late hitting adds deception to the shots. The wrist flick - most beginners to tennis get told that tennis strokes do not involve the wrist but that is wrong. The power in the forehand and backhand of Federer and most other pros is the pre-cocking of the wrist and the wrist snap that they make precisely as they hit the ball. It allows him to hit the ball even when out of position.

True confidence (or arrogance) that he can beat anyone.

the long hair..

Alternatives to the Wilson Pro Staff 85

I have been using the Wilson ProStaff 85 Midplus (or "PS85") racket for nearly 18 years. I do not believe that there will ever be a racket like this made in the future, with the same feel, with the same longevity in terms of having players buy it and use it and win with it for so long. Recently however, I have been tempted to find a replacement for my faithful sidekick on the tennis court. My search was not triggered by any desire for more power on my groundstrokes or improvements to any other part of the game. The main reason, and I hate to admit it, is that I am getting older and am beginning to feel the weight of the PS85 over the length of a long hitting session.

As mentioned in my earlier post, my PS85 has been customized by applying lead tape on the PWS area of the Wilson (at the 3 and 9 area of the head). The effect of applying lead tape at this area is to increase the stability of the hit (the stock PS85 is very headlight at around 12pts HL unstrung). Adding lead tape brings my racket balance to around 10pts. The other effect of adding weight is the produce a slightly heavier ball on the hit and that I can feel the head a lot better. All good things to do with a racket however, there is a cost, it adds to the overall weight of the racket. My PS85s all weigh more or less the same - around 13oz strung with grip.

When Roger Federer burst into the tennis scene as the heir apparent to Pete Sampras in 2001, he used a PS85 (Taiwan version apparently). Over the years, he has had the most influence on Wilson still retaining a relative small headed racket of around 90 sq inches in the market. Like or hate Federer, I guess the purist tennis player has to thank Federer for helping in this part of Wilson racket development.

I have used several of these rackets (Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90, Kfactor Six One Tour 90) in the vain attempt to find something that emulates the feel of the PS85 to no avail.. until the Wilson Kfactor ProStaff 88 ("KPS88") was released for a brief period in the early part of 2009.

Here was a racket, with the exact same weight as my leaded PS85, which felt most similar to that racket in terms of the solid, almost creamy, feel it imparted to the practitioner on the court at the hitting point. It felt "dense", if you know what I mean, and felt like part racket part knife when swinging it. However, it had one main drawback and that was the balance. Wilson had a bad QC when making this racket and even though it was listed as having a 10pt HL spec (which seemed ideal for me), some of the rackets I had had a 6pt HL balance instead. So what, some of you might ask? Well, for most tennis players, balance is nearly everything when it comes to "liking" a racket and being able to wield it properly. I was always a little bit slow when it came to getting into the hitting zone with my KPS88. Forehands were ok, backhands were ok - beautiful slices resulted, net game was ok, however the serve was a disaster.

Clearly, the KPS88 was not the racket that I was looking for. I still bought two of them, hoping vainly that I would get used to them.

Around sometime early this year, I purchased a mint late version of the US version of the Wilson BLX Six.One Tour 90 ("BLX90") second hand from a guy here in Singapore. It was strung with Luxilon Big Banger - kind of like the string of choice of Singaporeans nowadays - and after hitting with it briefly, I shoved it into my racket bag and dismissed it as another failed clone of my beloved PS85. I forgot about the racket until one day - I was too lazy to restring enough of my PS85s and ended up bringing the BLX90 along. I don't know why I felt like the BLX90 wasn't good during my initial hitting session with it but for some reason, during my second session, the racket felt really good. Even though I never added any lead tape, the balance was spot on and the racket being .6oz lighter than the PS85 really helped a lot. Even though I felt that I could not hit a a heavier ball compared to the PS85, the faster racquet head speed I could generate compensated by giving me a little bit more spin generation ability. I had a lot less mishits as well.

Thinking back, I think I know why my initial encounters with the 90 sq in models from Wilson didnt quite hit it off. I was using the Asian version of those rackets which were around .7oz lighter than the US versions and which were more head heavy.

Since the BLX90 is no longer in production, I guess I will have to source the second hand market for them or get the replacement the Wilson BLX ProStaff Tour 90 which just came out this year. Look out for my impressions then. Ciao!

The pro's racket.. Wilson Pro Staff 6.0

My first racket was an aluminium Dunlop with an oversized head that my dad bought for me when I was 16 yrs old. I dont remember what happened to it only that he borrowed it for a game in Jakarta and it never came back. That was some time ago...

Later, I got myself a Dunlop Max 200g in the vein of Johnny Mac and Steffi Graf. It was was a beautiful racket, full of touch and verve.. however, the head always felt too small, the frame was boxy and boy was it a heavy racket at 13oz or more. I used the 200g throughout my college days and midway (I cant remember exactly when though), I bought a Pro Staff 6.0 to replace it.


My introduction to the Pro Staff 6.0, or PS 6.0 was during my army days while on the tennis team. I remember we were at NUS courts one day and some guy had a PS 6.0 and I tried it out knowing that great players like Edberg, Evert and Courier had used it. A guy called Sampras had not quite broken through yet. Well, my first impression of the racket wasnt good. It felt like a board and my arm hurt afterwards.

No idea why I bought the Pro Staff then a few years later. I bought a pair of PS 6.1s with a 95 sq inch head b4 that and good as those rackets were, I never felt comfortable with them. I sold them on Auction and bought a single PS 6.0 to try out. What a revelation. I must have been too used to the 200g's flex beforehand but the PS 6.0 felt perfect after the 6.1s.

The headsize of the PS 6.0 is really small at 85sq inches. Also, the frame is really thin and manoeuvrable. You cant find a racket like this anymore. I added some lead tape at 9 and 3 oclock and it felt even better on groundstrokes. There was a definite lack of power before I did that. Of course, the weight of the racket did go up to nearly 13 oz again.... but I hardly feel it. I am so used to heavy rackets, whenever I am tempted to get a new racket to replace the PS 6.0 e.g. like the Babolat Aeros or a Wilson K-factor, I give up the idea bcos these rackets feel like plastic toy rackets. I refuse to use the K-factor 90sq incher bcos that is the "Federer" racket and I just dont feel gay enough to use it. :p

Update in Sep 2012 -

I am not sure whether you guys know this but Tennis Warehouse has reissued  the PS85 for a while at http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Wilson_Pro_Staff_60_85/descpageRCWILSON-W6085.html. I grabbed two so my personal PS85 stash is at 6 now.