It’s Baaack!! Yes the return of king. If you were one of the few people on the planet who was able to handle the original Pro Staff 6.0 85 and still have the strength to wield on you will love this racquet. Mere mortals will probably want to just pass this one by. But if you are a tennis god, or if you just want to see what it was like to swing Pete Sampras’ racquet, this stick is worth the test drive.
The K Pro Staff weighs in at a staggering (by modern day standards) 12.8 ounces (strung) making it a the heaviest racquet on the market, the 17mm width of the frame belies its stability and head light balance (6pts. HL) makes surprisingly maneuverable for such a weighty stick. The benefit of such a heavy frame is that there is very little vibration even on off center hits. The downside of off center hits however, is that the head is so small that you’ll probably frame the ball if hit it off center! The classic leather grip is a throwback to the golden days of tennis where racquet control and sturdy grip superseded grip comfort and perspiration absorbency. If you like a firm grip and have solid calluses the grip won’t bother you, and if you don’t, you can always re-grip it!
Along with the tiny head (88 sq. in.) it has an equally small sweetspot. The return of the PWS (Perimeter Weighting System) helps keep the racquet head stable and firm. In the event that you are able to find the sweetspot with this baby watch out! You will see exactly why the greats such as Sampras, Edberg, and Federer swore by this frame. Precision control with surprising power! Flat serves jump from the strings with explosive power, returns and ground strokes land with great depth and pinpoint accuracy, and volleys land with superior depth and speed in the exact place you intended. That being said, I only found the sweetspot about 20-25% of the time!
The string pattern is 16×19 and due to the small head size seems relatively tight. Since most players who actually use this racquet will have flatter swings, string life should be on the higher end. Because of the weight and response of the racquet I would caution even top level players in using a hybrid stringing and absolutely advise against using polyester in both mains and crosses and I would advise for all players to use a softer synthetic gut or natural gut. I personally suggest:
Elite players:
If you must use a Hybrid:
If you take my advice and go softer:
Gamma TNT 16 or Fat Core, Wilson Sensation, Prince Premier Softflex 16, PrinceLighting XX 16, Babolat Excel Premium 16, or Babolat VS Natural Gut
USTA League Players:
Just Don’t Bother!!
