Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.8

When it came to baseline exchanges, the Blade Pro 16x19 v9 dominated the rally with energy and authority. This racquet proved to be one of the more powerful options with a 98-square-inch hoop, allowing for a variety of shot options. It fit in well with Michelle's first-strike style of play. She explained, "I have always heard how amazingly this racquet plays, so I was excited to playtest it. Based on the specs alone, I had a feeling I would enjoy this playtest based on specs alone, and I instantly felt a solid and plush response from the baseline. There's lots of power and plow through, with built-in control. Once I started drilling and hitting up to speed, I noted a bit of a struggle off my backhand side. The racquet features a similar swingweight to my Wilson Pro Staff RF97, but it has a lighter static weight, which was tough to get all the way around when swinging off my backhand wing. With the RF, the racquet collides with the ball and does the work for me, but this Blade Pro needed more effort to really whip it around. I would say this racquet is the opposite of whippy and swings more club-like. I hardly ever add weight to the bottom of a racquet, but I would add a leather grip or some mass to the handle to help get the tip through the ball more efficiently. This Blade Pro had a noticeably softer feel than my RF97 as well, which some may love, but I do prefer the crisper beam of the RF97." 

Despite not having an affinity for the franchise, Oak was more than pleasantly surprised by the Blade Pro 16x19 v9. He said, "This frame's design theory works almost perfectly for me in stock form. Once I began trusting this racquet, it started working wonders on court. The power access of this 98-square-inch hoop is really unlike anything else I've tried at that head size. It somehow maintains all of the precision and feel that the standard Blade is known for, but the full graphite layup just seems much more power-oriented. I was surprised by the level of pace I could generate off my backhand wing, even with a more minimal take-back and swing. My motion usually tends to be more elongated, but with this racquet, I found more success with smaller timing windows. Overall, the Blade Pro 16x19 just feels and plays 'easier,' which is always a green flag on court. It was immensely satisfying to experiment with my forehand because the Blade Pro proved to be one of those racquets that feels more encouraging the more I play with it. The frame casually corrected any awkward take-backs with its superb pocketing. The relatively low RA felt incredible with the full graphite, and I got a soft response with no feedback interruption. This frame complemented my defensive style of play quite nicely; I could hit big while defending or when looking to close out a point. The more I played with the Blade Pro 16x19 v9, the more I found myself enjoying its laser-like capabilities."

Ana was a big fan of this hitting experience, enjoying the variety and ease of play afforded to her. She noted, "I was impressed with this Wilson Blade Pro 16x19, and I thought it was a very solid racquet overall. The racquet felt great when hitting in rhythm against heavy hitters because I just had to hit out in front and the racquet would do the rest without much effort on my side. The Blade Pro 16x19 rarely got pushed around at contact, but when I hit late or hesitated just a bit on my shots, I felt like I easily lost control of the ball. I could tell right away that the Blade Pro 16x19 v9 is not made for an average player. The shot I struggled with the most was my backhand. I have never been confident on my backhand side, so I found myself having no control or trust in my shots with the Blade Pro. I felt like my issues here were due to a lack of commitment on my side since I tend to hesitate more and hold back on my follow-through, which made the whole groundstroke lose control. I am not used to playing with a racquet that requires so much commitment and timing. This is not a forgiving racquet, and you need to be in great shape and have good timing to take advantage of everything this racquet can offer. One adjustment I did make on my groundstrokes was to take a couple of steps back from the baseline so I could feel more comfortable hitting the ball, and also because it felt like it took longer for me to get ready for my shots. In a way, the racquet felt so slow. The Blade Pro 16x19 v9 is definitely a more physically demanding racquet, but it was quite fun to test due to how fast and heavy my shots were coming in." 

For Zsofi, this Blade Pro 16x19 v9 proved downright sensational. She said, "Wilson really created something special with the new Blade Pro! Other than its amazing look, the first thing that stood out to me was how incredibly stable this racquet was from the baseline. I could definitely feel the heftier swingweight (our sample was around 340 strung), which I honestly didn't mind at all. Power was super easy to come by, and I loved how heavy my shots were from the baseline. Stability was absolutely top-notch too! I love hitting the balls on the rise, and this racquet really allowed me to take them early. I never got pushed around at all." 

Volleys: 8.6

Up at the net, our team found good directional capability and great depth with the Blade Pro 16x19 v9. The spin and touch also went a long way impact-wise. Ana appreciated the stability she found at net, though the swingweight made things tougher at times. She said, "Very similar to how it felt on my groundstrokes, this Blade Pro felt solid when I went for flatter compact volleys. I avoided using my wrist too much due to how heavy the racquet felt. As I said before, this new Blade Pro was not very forgiving when I slacked off on my shots. Not only did the racquet feel more demanding for a compact volley, but I found myself struggling more to get in position to volley. I felt off on quick reaction volleys." 

For Zsofi, the Blade Pro 16x19 v9 continued to impress at the net. She noted, "I especially enjoyed the Blade Pro 16x19 v9 on volleys. I had a great feel for where my shots were going, and honestly, I felt like the racquet was basically doing the work for me without me having to put any effort into my shots." 

"The net might have been my favorite spot to hit from with this racquet," Michelle added. "I've been doing a lot of one-up one-back hitting, and when I was at the net I felt very connected to each volley, which helped me place my shots where I wanted them."

Likewise, Oak liked the predictability of his volleys with this racquet. He said, "Up at net, I found the Blade Pro to be extremely responsive and plenty spin-friendly for the shaping that is usually required when volleying. The balance of the frame prompted me to move to my volleys sooner, and I found myself really trusting the Blade Pro 16x19 v9 to make a harder volley feasible when I was pulled out of position or having to reach. The touch on low volleys was excellent, and anything above my shoulders benefited from the extra absorption stemming from the low flex. Overheads felt automatic, with the high swingweight helping to bring the racquet down and through the ball."

Serves: 8.6

On serve, the Blade Pro 16x19 v9 felt more than reliable, offering good placement, spin and pace. The power that Ana found on her serves was immensely satisfying. She said, "Even though I felt like the Blade Pro 16x19 v9 was a bit too slow, the power I was able to generate on my serves was amazing. Once I got myself into position and got the timing right, my serve would come in fast and heavy. I like the Blade Pro 16x19 the most on my flat first serves. I felt like I could generate a fast serve without much effort."

Zsofi was also impressed by the Blade Pro 16x19 v9 when it was her turn to start the point. She noted, "I thought that this Blade Pro also shone on serves! I was able to tap into that extra power and still had great control over my shots and placements." 

Oak enjoyed the serve options at his disposal despite the swingweight being somewhat challenging at times. He described, "Serving with the Blade Pro 16x19 v9 was extremely fun and rewarding. I felt like the racquet's geometry compelled me to trust my natural mechanics while still showing that this frame can be quite damaging when wielded effectively. The always-welcome free power on the serve definitely made itself known, and the Blade Pro 16x19 v9’s inherent spin also proved quite practical. Placing both spin serves and seconds was highly viable, and going for bigger, flatter firsts felt fun more than anything. The stock form of the racquet was a little challenging up top initially, but the less racquet torque I applied, the better. My favorite serve was up the middle on the ad side with a topspin looping ball or a flat serve." 

Always a threat when serving, Michelle continued to power through. She said, "I enjoyed serving with this racquet and found it to gel well with both my flatter first serves and my second serves. Targeting was good. I enjoyed trying to slide balls into my opponent's body with the extra plow through the Blade Pro 16x19 v9 provided. I had no issues getting the racquet up and around the ball."

Returns: 8.6

When redirecting the fastest shot in the game, the Blade Pro 16x19 v9 got the job done for our team. For Michelle, the easy depth she found worked wonders. She explained, "I loved returning with this racquet because it offers loads of control, feel and plow through, making it a solid option to return with. It isn’t super maneuverable, and angles were tough to execute, but the Blade Pro 16x19 v9 was stable at impact. I could essentially keep a short backswing and be rewarded with a relatively good return to get the point started on the right foot." 

Oak found ample success when returning, even against heavier serves. He said, "The return is always one of my favorite parts of tennis. Here, the extra stability provided via the swingweight was incredibly practical. When chipping the ball back, there was plenty of extra movement side to side, and slices had good consistent depth as well. When I took a bigger swing the swingweight and spin capability of the racquet brought forth penetrating angles diagonally and immensely satisfying down-the-line shots."

Once she got her timing dialed in, Ana could deliver some effective returns with the Blade Pro 16x19 v9. She described, "I definitely needed a little adjustment time to get my timing better on returns. Like I mentioned before, this Blade Pro felt a bit too slow to get into position to hit my strokes. I struggled the most to get my timing right, but once I did, the racquet felt great, especially against first serves. I took first serve returns early, and the racquet was stable enough to keep the ball deep, fast and heavy without losing control."

Zsofi appreciated the automatic nature of this racquet when she timed her shots properly. She said, "I loved returning with the Blade Pro 16x19 v9! I was able to quickly take control of points right off the bat with my returns." 

Breakdown Summary