Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.4

This Shift 99 scored big on topspin with our playtesters. Brittany kicked off our review stateside, and although she typically hits flatter groundstrokes, she could ramp up the spin with this racquet. She said, "Being lucky enough to hit with the prototype last year, I was excited to be on this playtest. Not to mention, I was a big fan of the Clash line, so I was excited to see what Wilson was going to come up with next. One of the things I first noticed was that the Shift 99 had a lower launch angle, and my groundstrokes were landing a little shorter than I expected, especially because I hit a flatter ball. After a small adjustment period, I found I could aim a little higher and swing a little faster to get the results I wanted. I also noticed that I could hit some amazing shots when I was really brushing up on the ball and adding spin, but that is not my typical game style. I really enjoyed getting in a groove with this racquet from the baseline. When it came to points, the faster I swung, the better my results. When I was a little tentative, my shots were sitting up for my opponent to attack or spraying, but if I kept my racquet speed up and really went after the ball, I had better control."

Jason, who is also based in the US, added, "There would be instances when the ball had no business dropping inside the line, but somehow it did. I didn't feel that flatter shots did as well with this racquet because the stringbed was a bit too launchy. However, with such a whippy response, it was easy to get under the ball and accelerate the Shift 99 up to generate spin and angles."

Our playtesters from Tennis Only in Australia, Amelia and James, both found this Shift 99 to be easy to use. Amelia described, "The Shift 99 suited my game style. It felt stable on my groundstrokes, and it gave me great control. This racquet also felt maneuverable, and I was able to generate great head speed. However, I did overhit shots due to the weight of the racquet. At 300 grams unstrung, this racquet is lighter than what I'm used to playing with."

"I had no problems generating spin," continued James. "The Shift 99 felt great on my forehand and was very forgiving. It felt maneuverable and allowed me to generate loads of racquet head speed. It did take me some time to adjust on my backhand; my shots were sitting up a little more than I'm used to. I was able to counter this with a thicker gauge string and a little bit of weight for more plow through."

Volleys: 8

There was plenty of maneuverability to help our team find success at net with the Shift 99. With a game that brings her to net often, Amelia felt confident executing her volleys with this racquet. She explained, "Volleys are usually my favorite shot to hit, and this racquet was awesome at net. It didn't disappoint! I felt connected and controlled with my volleys."

"The maneuverability of the Shift 99 made it great up at net," added Jason. "I was able to quickly and effortlessly get it into position to hit volleys. It has nice pop to put away sitter balls, and the access to spin was great. I also thought it was fairly torsionally stable and didn't get pushed around too badly, considering it is barely over 11 ounces."

James also highlighted the fast feel, saying, "Maneuverability was great at net, and the overall performance on volleys was fine. The Shift 99 felt quite muted, a bit dampened and not as lively as other racquets, though."

Like James, Brittany noted the Shift 99's dampened response. She said, "Although the racquet pocketed the ball well, I sometimes was left wondering where the ball was going (for the most part, it landed in!), but it also made hitting touch shots a little tricky. However, I thought the Shift 99 worked well enough for my game. I was able to hit my typical volley, which is punching the ball deep to end points. I did not have any issues with maneuverability, and the same could be said about stability. I could get the racquet in place with ease, and I didn't experience any twisting upon contact. I even surprised myself with a couple pickup volleys that were at my feet."

Serves: 8.4

Like their groundstrokes, our team quickly picked up on the spin potential of the Shift 99 on serves. Although this racquet isn't typically the spec James would opt for, he found that it worked well for his serves. He said, "The Shift 99 felt best on kick serves. Again, racquet head speed helped me generate a lot of shape on the ball. It's a slightly larger head size than I'm used to, so I found that the launch angle was not quite as predictable for me, but overall, it was good to serve with."

Brittany shared why racquet head speed is integral to this shot, saying, "I loved and hated the Shift 99 when it came to serves. On the plus side, I had a lot of success on my first serve. When I had plenty of racquet head speed and was really going up and after the ball (like I do on my first serve), I was hitting a heavy serve that landed deep in the box. I was getting more 'free' points than normal because my opponent was either missing the return or sending it weakly back for me to attack the next shot. I even threw in a few aces. However, there was a downside as well. The racquet was not as forgiving on second serves, and as soon as my racquet head speed came down, so did the serve. I was netting a lot of second serves, and my double faults increased. I was having trouble with my confidence in my second serve and felt I was constantly on the defensive when starting off points.”

Amelia, though, felt great stepping up to start her points on the serve. She said, "The Shift 99 generated good power for me on serve, and I felt confident. My favorite serve with this racquet was the out-wide serve. I use slice serves mostly, and I felt the racquet was a good fit for that serve."

Like Amelia, Jason often uses his slice serve as his go-to, and this racquet fit right into that tactic. He said, "Spin is the name of the game on serves. I loved the amount of spin I was able to get on both my first and second serves. The slightly tighter 16x20 string pattern allowed for a bigger margin of error."

Returns: 8.3

The Shift 99 impressed our entire team on returns. With returns being one of her strengths, Brittany found plenty to like about the Shift 99. She said, "The Shift 99 continues the tradition of being a racquet I rather return with than serve with. The reason was that it did everything well. Whether I was returning a first or second serve, the racquet performed as expected. With some racquets, I feel like I have to shorten my swing or alter it on the return. With the Shift 99, I could swing freely and go after every return. Even on first serve returns, I felt I could be aggressive without fear of overhitting. On second serve returns, I could step in and take a big cut at the ball, aim at riskier targets and still be rewarded. My shots would stay in play and drop inside of the baseline (sometimes to my surprise)."

Jason echoed the praise for this racquet's performance on returns, saying, "The blend of spin, power and control made this racquet a weapon on returns. I felt like I could really swing away and be confident that the ball would drop in because of the access to spin. I also felt pretty connected to my shots, and I even pulled off a handful of successful drop returns."

Finishing up the review, James said, "The return of serve was pretty sweet on my forehand, but the ball sat up more than I'd like on my backhand, which was similar to how I felt on groundstrokes. It was effortless to generate racquet speed, but the Shift 99 needs more weight to really shine on return of serves."

Breakdown Summary