Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.3

The Ultra 99 Pro v5 dazzled our playtesters with its easy power, massive spin and generally quick swing speeds. The racquet's versatility thoroughly impressed our playtesters, who enjoyed the connected feel derived from the full graphite layup. The Ultra 99 Pro could do whatever Mark asked of it from the baseline, and it featured more feel than he had anticipated. He said, "Overall, the new Ultra 99 Pro fit my game plan from the backcourt. However, it had been a while since I last swung a racquet featuring a high swingweight combined with a 3-points head-light balance, and it actually took an hour of hitting before I got comfortable from the baseline. That said, the Ultra 99 Pro's stability was never going to be called into question. Once I was in my comfort zone, it was easy to generate and gauge my groundstroke shot depth. In terms of spin, the spacing of the 16x18 pattern nicely complemented the Ultra 99 Pro's substantial power. To my slight surprise, my backhand slice was one of my favorite shots to hit, which is not always the case with wide-open string patterns."

Chris also found extraordinary feel, highlighted by a knifelike slice backhand that skidded off the court, leaving his opponents bewildered. He explained, "The Ultra 99 Pro v5 packed plenty of power from the baseline. I wouldn't say the Ultra 99 Pro v5 is the fastest swinging racquet, but I was able to get enough racquet head speed to generate plenty of spin. My topspin shots had good penetration and were jumping off the court nicely, but my favorite shot to hit with this racquet was my backhand slice. I could knife through the ball with this racquet and hit a fast and low skidding slice. Interestingly, I found strings to quickly feel like they had lost tension and control in this racquet. A freshly strung racquet that felt great on Monday would be too loose by Friday, and my groundstrokes would be flying."

Munish's groundstrokes were nicely complemented by this racquet's maneuverability, and he found his best form by compacting his stroke. He said, "I liked how I hit my groundstrokes on the Ultra 99 Pro v5. I'm not the biggest spin hitter, so I probably didn't take advantage of the spin window like some of the other testers did, but the feel and power from the baseline were amazing. I was hitting a bit longer than I wanted at first, and I lost a few points due to that. Although I don't like playing this way, a shorter back swing and more conservative groundstrokes fixed that problem. I found that the maneuverability of the racquet was very helpful with keeping my strokes compact and my shots in play. I could still add decent racquet head speed to my strokes and keep the RPMs going. I had a bit of arm fatigue after an hour and a half of play but nothing too concerning."

The Ultra 99 Pro v5 exceeded Michelle's expectations, rewarding her with devastating creativity to top off her inherent power. She said, "I heard a lot of hype about this racquet and knew it was a popular frame among some pro players, and many people were telling me that the specs would align with what I like. Sometimes that can be a good or bad thing. I was expecting a bit of a flighty experience with the 16x18 string pattern, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could control the ball more than I expected, along with getting easy depth and arc on my groundies. Power and spin seemed to come easily. There were only a few times during each hitting session when I felt like I lost a bit of control of the ball and made contact maybe slightly outside the sweetspot. I loved the variety of shots I could access with this racquet while still having enough confidence to step up and strike big when I was ready to put the ball away. I like firmer playing beams, and I appreciated how this racquet felt at contact; I will also say I noted some of that 'Wilson magic' pocketing that allowed the ball to really sink into the stringbed. With that being said, the Ultra 99 Pro was possibly a bit string sensitive, and I think certain setups (shaped polys, lower tensions) felt bouncier and looser than other setups. I am interested in trying a weighted-up Ultra 100 because I enjoyed that racquet too, and it has the 16x19 pattern. It would be fun to try them side by side and go a bit deeper into playtesting both racquets."

Volleys: 8.6

When our testers found themselves at the net, the Ultra 99 Pro v5 proved versatile, stable and powerful, making it a devastating stick to be on the receiving end of. For Michelle, the experience at net was rewarding, making it feel even more futile for her opponents to attempt to track down her volleys. She said, "I was really happy with how this Ultra 99 Pro played at net. I found it to be very stable, and that allowed me full creative freedom with my shots. I could get my volleys right inside the baseline or drop them short. I could swing big or use all the touch.

Likewise, Munish had a very favorable experience at the net and reveled in the racquet's inherent feel and his ability to put shots away with even more emphasis. He noted, "The power and feel of the Ultra 99 Pro v5 were the biggest highlights when it came to volleys. I could really punch the ball and hit very penetrating shots without much effort."

Despite struggling some with the handling, Mark found plenty to like about his ability to end points at the net with the Ultra 99 Pro v5. He said, "Although I felt the Ultra 99 Pro was very stable, and I would not describe it as whippy, the design provided just enough agility for me to consistently execute my volleys with confidence. It was pretty easy to retrieve half volleys, change their direction and keep them low over the net. Put-away volleys were, shall we say, put away!"

Chris had only positive results when volleying, and he was able to deploy his signature finesse at net. He described, "I really enjoyed the Ultra 99 Pro v5 at net. It felt very solid and stable. I found good stability from the Ultra 99 Pro v5 even when returning heavy incoming pace. I liked the power level of the racquet because it allowed me to let it do the work, and I could focus on targeting. I also enjoyed punching through my volleys with this racquet to add a little slice. I found I could keep those volleys deep and low, which somewhat limited my opponent's passing options."

Serves: 8.6

The Ultra 99 Pro v5 once again delighted with its performance and reliability on serves. Chris was able to serve effectively and also confidently move forward to the net, upping the ante from the get-go. He said, "I was very happy with the pace I generated on my serves with the Ultra 99 Pro v5. I was often able to hit a strong enough serve to quickly go on the attack and finish the point at net. I found this racquet a willing partner for some serve-and-volley play when I was playing doubles. My slice serve was working well and helped set me or my partner up for easy volleys.”

Serving proved to be Mark's second favorite shot to hit with the Ultra 99 Pro v5. He said, "Besides my backhand slice, hitting serves with this beast of a 305-gram frame was my favorite shot to hit for the entire playtest. In particular, I had success aiming serves to the middle on the deuce side and out wide on the ad court."

Munish also had plenty of praise for the Ultra 99 Pro v5 when serving, especially regarding his kick serve. He explained, "I loved this frame on serves. I struggled with my flat serves since I wasn't very accurate or precise with it, but my kick serves were very jumpy, and I even got a few aces off it. There's no surprise there, as I expected my kick serves to be rewarded with a racquet like this. It made it a lot easier to attack the ball early into the point and get the upper hand. I would like more predictability on my flat serves, but that's the only criticism I have when it comes to serves."

Like the rest of the playtest team, Michelle found the Ultra 99 Pro v5 to be extremely rewarding on serve. She said, "I liked this racquet the most when serving because it just offered power and spin and good targeting. I thought the open pattern really helped add kick or slice on second serves, and the firm beam and large sweetspot made hitting flatter first serves fun and effective. The Ultra 99 Pro v5 swung fluidly and was rewarding for serve-plus-one point creation."

Returns: 8

The Ultra 99 Pro v5 provided plenty of power for returning serves. Michelle's return was nicely boosted by the easy depth she found, although she did need to rein in that power at times. She explained, "I felt in command when returning with this racquet. I didn't feel like I could smack returns flat the same way I can with the Wilson RF 97, but I did feel like I could take big cuts, find some nice angles and get the ball deep. Again, I enjoyed a stable response from the Ultra 99 Pro v5, but depending on the string setup and how big of a swing I took, the ball did fly every now and then."

Munish also found an occasionally flighty nature from the Ultra 99 Pro v5 when returning, but he was still able to hit through the court. He noted, "Getting dialed in was quite difficult on returns due to the variety of serves I was having to return. I eventually got the hang of it and just started chipping the ball back in. I could take sharper cuts at the ball and make it a bit more penetrating rather than floating it back."

The Ultra 99 Pro made it harder for Mark to implement his shot variety on returns. He said, "This is the one shot of the playtest where I would have preferred a more head-light balance just to make it easier for me to get over the top of the ball instead of relying so much on my chip or slice return. As with every other shot with the Ultra 99 Pro v5, it felt incredibly solid and predictable on the return (even during off-center ball contact)."

Chris found continued success with this Ultra 99 Pro when returning, leaning into heavier pace and deeper drives to force the issue against his opponents. He said, "The Ultra 99 Pro v5 proved to be a good fit for my return game. I had fun driving returns when given the opportunity. On more defensive returns, the super solid response kept the racquet stable and seemed to help me block those serves back with good depth. Again, my slice backhand was one of my favorite shots to hit. I felt like I had a lot of options and could knife the ball deep, carve an angle or sneak in a drop shot return."

Breakdown Summary