Wilson RF 01 Playtest and Assessment

On this evaluate, I discover the RF 01, a racket designed by Roger Federer to carry parts of his recreation 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 actually appears 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 steadiness of spin, management, and manoeuvrability.

With its exact body geometry and Braid 45 expertise, the RF 01 is claimed to supply the best center floor within the RF lineup. It delivers the facility and stability to assist an aggressive enjoying 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 widespread within the different rackets I’ve playtested this yr.

On this detailed evaluate, I’ll share my expertise testing the RF 01, specializing in the way it carried out in varied 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 smooth, minimalist design. The racket boasts a clear, polished look with no flashy colors or gimmicks.

Its matte black end and delicate 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 vibrant colors or daring patterns displays its seriousness, geared toward those that strategy the sport with focus and intention, like Federer himself.

Relating to supplies, the RF 01 is not any completely different from most different rackets in the marketplace. If something, the “expertise” facet of issues will not be closely pushed on this racket like in most new releases with the newest and biggest developments.

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

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

Other than the cosmetics, this racket’s design includes a fastidiously chosen beam width. As talked about within the specification chart, the RF 01 incorporates a novel 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. Compared, the tapered beam in 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 Component 1.2mm. Stress was 22.5kg on each mains and crosses. Component is a snug poly to contemplate if you’d like 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 moderately light-weight really feel.

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

The racket feels strong and nimble, giving me confidence that my swings might be met with a fantastic 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 supplies a strong reference to the ball, providing clear, crisp responses whether or not you might be enjoying aggressive pictures from the baseline or going for exact placement.

It excelled on drive pictures, significantly when moving into the court docket. Nonetheless, I’d have appreciated it if the racket had delivered extra weight to the ball throughout acceleration.

I’m uncertain if including extra weight or altering the load distribution would negatively have an effect on the body’s manoeuvrability, however the specs do go away room for customisation, or as some gamers wish to name it, a “platform racket.”

Nonetheless, because the racket will not be designed for monotone, fast-paced baseline play, this slight lack of energy from the baseline mustn’t pose an excessive amount of of a problem in case your recreation 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 greater speeds.

The problem arose once I tried to keep up a quick tempo whereas producing topspin. The spin potential was first rate however not as robust as another rackets I’ve examined, particularly underneath these circumstances.

Whereas glorious when it comes to feeling and luxury, I believe that the Luxilon Wilson Component string will not be the very best match for the RF 01 300g in relation to dealing with aggressive topspin pictures at velocity.

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

This steadiness may match nicely for gamers prioritising management over uncooked energy of their topspin recreation.

Contact Photographs and Volleys

The RF 01 shines in contact pictures and volleys. The racket felt quick and responsive on the web, making it simple 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 inventive and exact performs.

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

Furthermore, feeling the smooth and managed response on contact pictures made me perceive what Wilson and Roger had in thoughts when claiming this racket was designed for inventive 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 a very good mixture of energy and precision.

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

Nonetheless, 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 usually count on, probably once more influenced by the string setup.

Returns

I significantly loved testing my return with RF 01. The racket’s strong construct supplied stability towards large serves, whereas its gentle head made it simple 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 believe 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 recognize precision and contact of their recreation. It is a perfect racket for gamers who take pleasure in a inventive, 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 might not excel in producing heavy topspin, its strengths in different areas make it a superb alternative for gamers who prioritise contact, web play, and strategic shot-making.

I agree with Wilson that this racket is geared towards the following era of inventive 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 looking 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 supplies a extra substantial really feel whereas nonetheless forgiving sufficient for a variety of enjoying kinds.

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

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

Closing Ideas

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

I genuinely love the design—it’s undoubtedly one of the vital stunning rackets I’ve ever seen. I’m additionally inquisitive concerning 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?