Wilson RF 01 Playtest and Evaluation

On this overview, I discover the RF 01, a racket designed by Roger Federer to carry parts of his sport to a broader viewers.

Wilson says it’s the road of rackets Federer would have used if he had efficiently recovered from knee surgical procedure in 2021.

Sadly, everyone knows that by no means occurred, so we will’t make sure if that’s true, however at first look, it definitely seems to be and looks like the kind of racket you’d have seen him wielding on the court docket.

The RF 01 is positioned between the tour-level RF 01 Professional and the lighter RF 01 Future. It’s constructed for superior intermediates and aggressive gamers who search a flexible stability of spin, management, and manoeuvrability.

With its exact body geometry and Braid 45 expertise, the RF 01 is alleged to supply the perfect center floor within the RF lineup. It delivers the facility and stability to help an aggressive taking part in fashion whereas sustaining a player-friendly really feel.

It’s additionally foam-filled, which isn’t new however comparatively uncommon in most trendy rackets and never frequent within the different rackets I’ve playtested this 12 months.

On this detailed overview, I’ll share my expertise testing the RF 01, specializing in the way it carried out in numerous conditions and whether or not it meets my expectations.

Wilson RF01 Cosmetics & Options

One of many standout features of the Wilson RF 01 is its modern, minimalist design. The racket boasts a clear, polished look with no flashy colors or gimmicks.

Its matte black end and refined Roger Federer and Wilson logos convey sophistication and understated class.

This racket is designed for purists—gamers preferring understated efficiency over stylish aesthetics. Its lack of brilliant colors or daring patterns displays its seriousness, aimed toward those that strategy the sport with focus and intention, like Federer himself.

Concerning supplies, the RF 01 is not any totally different from most different rackets available on the market. If something, the “expertise” facet of issues is just not closely pushed on this racket like in most new releases with the newest and best developments.

As an alternative, it’s marketed as high-quality graphite with braided fibres at 45-degree angles, which ensures a sturdy but light-weight body.

Additionally it is foam-filled with PU to optimise vibration dampening, which Federer requested, as he should like that feeling.

Apart from the cosmetics, this racket’s design encompasses a rigorously chosen beam width. As talked about within the specification chart, the RF 01 incorporates a singular 23.2mm/24mm/22mm beam, which goals to supply a mix of stability and manoeuvrability.

The marginally wider center part (24mm) ought to be sure that the racket has sufficient stiffness to generate energy. As compared, the tapered beam in the direction of the top (22mm) is supposed so as to add to its management and finesse, making it simpler to govern for contact pictures and volleys.

Specification and Setup

I had the racket strung with Luxilon Ingredient 1.2mm. Rigidity was 22.5kg on each mains and crosses. Ingredient is a cushty poly to think about in order for you an arm-friendly monofilament.

Wilson RF01 Playtest

First Impressions

From the primary moments of testing the Wilson RF 01, it appeared clear that this racket is constructed for precision and high-level efficiency regardless of its fairly light-weight really feel.

After I first held it, the load distribution and stability felt nicely suited to an aggressive, fast-paced fashion of play.

The racket feels strong and nimble, giving me confidence that my swings can be met with a terrific response.

As quickly as I began hitting balls, these first impressions had been confirmed. The RF 01 is easy and responsive, providing distinctive suggestions on each shot.

Inside a couple of minutes, I realised this racket was designed to let me dictate play whereas sustaining full reliability on my contact pictures.

Past its technical prowess, I additionally honeymooned with this racket’s aesthetics. It’s a great-looking body.

Groundstrokes

The RF 01 carried out admirably concerning groundstrokes, particularly on flat pictures and attacking strokes. The racket offers a strong reference to the ball, providing clear, crisp responses whether or not you’re taking part in aggressive pictures from the baseline or going for exact placement.

It excelled on drive pictures, notably when entering into the court docket. Nevertheless, I might have appreciated it if the racket had delivered extra weight to the ball throughout acceleration.

I’m not sure if including extra weight or altering the load distribution would negatively have an effect on the body’s manoeuvrability, however the specs do depart room for customisation, or as some gamers wish to name it, a “platform racket.”

Nonetheless, because the racket is just not designed for monotone, fast-paced baseline play, this slight lack of energy from the baseline shouldn’t pose an excessive amount of of a problem in case your sport fashion is extra of an all-court variable kind of play.

I additionally observed that the racket misplaced management when making an attempt heavy topspin pictures at increased speeds.

The problem arose after I tried to take care of a quick tempo whereas producing topspin. The spin potential was respectable however not as sturdy as another rackets I’ve examined, particularly underneath these situations.

Whereas glorious when it comes to feeling and luxury, I believe that the Luxilon Wilson Ingredient string is probably not the very best match for the RF 01 300g with regards to dealing with aggressive topspin pictures at velocity.

That being stated, the racket’s excellent manoeuvrability allowed me to generate good spin after I slowed down and targeted purely on creating topspin, although I needed to sacrifice some velocity for that added spin.

This stability may fit nicely for gamers prioritising management over uncooked energy of their topspin sport.

Contact Photographs and Volleys

The RF 01 shines in contact pictures and volleys. The racket felt quick and responsive on the web, making it straightforward for me to exactly hit delicate drop pictures and angle volleys. The body affords glorious suggestions, which gave me confidence when making an attempt extra artistic and exact performs.

The racket was extremely straightforward to manoeuvre on the web, nearly as if I had been gripping it from its throat. This allowed me to react shortly to fast-paced rallies and end factors effectively.

Furthermore, feeling the gentle and managed response on contact pictures made me perceive what Wilson and Roger had in thoughts when claiming this racket was designed for artistic tennis gamers.

Serves

If I needed to describe my expertise serving with RF 01 in a single phrase, it will be “easy.” The racket allowed for mixture of energy and precision.

I discovered it straightforward to position serves precisely, and the facility was there when wanted for flat, aggressive first serves. The top-light stability additionally contributed to a fast swing, which helped generate respectable racket-head velocity on serves.

Nevertheless, like with groundstrokes, I felt the racket lacked some spin potential on second serves. The spin serves didn’t appear to have as a lot kick as I sometimes anticipate, doubtless once more influenced by the string setup.

Returns

I notably loved testing my return with RF 01. The racket’s strong construct supplied stability in opposition to large serves, whereas its gentle head made it straightforward to manoeuvre when reacting to fast-paced pictures.

Whether or not blocking a serve again into play or attacking a second serve, the RF 01 delivered with energy and precision. Its distinctive management makes it simpler to information the ball to particular spots on the court docket, and I feel the foam-filled facet provided some added stability and made the sound much less pingy when returning quick incoming balls.

Who’s This Racket For?

The Wilson RF 01 is undeniably designed for gamers who respect precision and contact of their sport. It is a perfect racket for gamers who take pleasure in a artistic, all-court fashion, permitting them to combine up their pictures and hold their opponents guessing.

The mix of energy and management makes it good for gamers who wish to dominate factors with finesse, aggression, and selection.

Whereas the RF 01 could not excel in producing heavy topspin, its strengths in different areas make it a superb selection for gamers who prioritise contact, web play, and strategic shot-making.

I agree with Wilson that this racket is geared towards the subsequent era of artistic tennis gamers.

In comparison with the RF 01 Professional and RF 01 Future

In comparison with the RF 01 Professional, which is heavier and geared towards superior gamers searching for most stability and management, the RF 01 is lighter and extra accessible, ideally suited for intermediate to superior gamers who need versatility with simpler dealing with.

In distinction to the RF 01 Future, the lightest of the trio and greatest suited to novices or early intermediates, the RF 01 offers a extra substantial really feel whereas nonetheless forgiving sufficient for a variety of taking part in kinds.

I like to recommend that almost all gamers who play recurrently and have a number of years of expertise demo the RF 01 first. The Professional mannequin has a narrower match at 337g strung.

In the event you like lighter-weight frames however nonetheless like the98 square-inch head dimension, then the RF 01 Future is an choice,  

Remaining Ideas

In abstract, the Wilson RF 01 300g delivers mixture of class and efficiency. Its minimalist design is visually interesting and displays its on-court efficiency, the place precision and contact pictures really shine.

I genuinely love the design—it’s undoubtedly one of the crucial lovely rackets I’ve ever seen. I’m additionally inquisitive in regards to the RF 01 Professional’s efficiency, and I hope to check out that model (the one they are saying Federer would have used) to see if it will meet the calls for of ATP and WTA-level gamers.

Execs

Cons

Have you ever tried any rackets from the brand new Wilson RF line? What did you assume?