Other than a brief stint with Yonex I have played most of my short tennis career with the Wilson 6.1 tour series of frames. I started with the K Factor generation and have now upgraded to the current incarnation, being the BLX 6.1 Tour.

This racquet is what is categorized as a midsized frame. The head being 90 sq inches and weighing 12.5 oz strung, it’s considered a control frame meant for players with a strong knowledge of the game and good technical strokes. However I started playing tennis with the K Factor 6.1 Tour and while it was less forgiving than most of my friend’s wal-mart racquets and I struggled early competing ultimately the frame helped me learn some of the basics as well as some of the complexities of modern tennis.

I hit with this racquet several months ago, right around the time it was released. I demoed the frame from Midwest and overall just hated it. It felt so heavy almost like a hammer, and the feel was so muted it was like hitting with a metal bat over a wooden one. Anyways after some time after that experience I was playing with a guy who was using one, curiosity got the better of me so I asked to switch racquets for a few minutes just to see if the frame was as bad as I remembered. Here comes the strange part, instead of feeling heavy it felt solid, instead of feeling muted it just felt a touch duller than other racquets. I was further intrigued, I demoed it a few more times before completely deciding to put my Yonex’s up for sale and buying three of these racquets.

Ok
.so now time for the actual review

Ground strokes – The way this racquet handles ground strokes is by far my favorite attribute of this frame. With the 90 sq inch frame you have a lot more control of your shots, the 16×18 string bed allows for both good spin and control, and the weight of the frame makes it seem like they need to invent a new word for “plow through”. Basically if you get set up and have a good target in mind this racquet will not miss. You will definitely notice the dampened feel no matter what frame you used before but it shouldn’t affect your game or ground strokes in anyway. The solidity of the frame allows for deep penetrating shots on both wings and adapts easily to both topspin and slice. My one handed BH was one shot were I felt the biggest difference in the positive. Because of its thin beam I was allowed to maneuver the racquet through the air like a knife and its heft meant I could always rely on a penetrating shot back to my opponents side whether I had time to go for the full motion or was subjected to blocking it back. One thing I really liked about this frame was how well it took to poly’s strung at low tensions, my favorite combination thus far has been stringing with ALU Power at 44lbs. The low tension allows to get even more depth on the shots while also helping to add a bit more spin, all while not sacrificing precision and control.

Volleys – To be honest I don’t volley much; I am a singles player who is still learning to approach net. However, recently I have been trying to work on my net game. I find that this racquet despite contrary belief is a great stick for being up at net. Because of its heft and solidity it really allows you to make a short and controlled swing, which is so crucial for volleys. For touch volleys you are able to really hold the racquet loosely and let the racquet do all the work. Allowing the ball to hit and be absorbed by the frame coupled with its weight and firmness makes for a killer drop shot volley. The thin beam helps tremendously maneuvering the racquet quickly through the air in transition when reaction time is at a premium.

Serves – This will be probably the toughest adjustment for players making the switch to this frame from lighter racquets. Because of the weight you might find that swinging as fast as you’re used to will take some time and adjustments. It certainly took some time for me to get my muscles up for the task, but once you get in the groove you’ll find the same solid contact and power that you have in the groundies. The slicing through the air made possible by the thin beam allows for great racquet speed on slice serves which helps to generate more pace, spin, and bite. As a counter-point to the weight of the frame which may cause some temporary timing issues, the racquet when hit dead on will really fly through the air with great pace and purpose.

Serve returns – With the weight and solidity of the racquet it really takes well to shorter swings that return to your opponents side with a good amount of depth and pace. The aforementioned ability to take well to both topspin and backspin allows an opportunity to mix up returns to keep your opponent off balanced. Of course when you do have time to take a full swing you can take the advantage right back and put your opponent of the defensive using the control and power offered. Cross-court, down the line, wherever you might be targeting this racquet will offer all the necessary tools to allow you to play your absolute best.

The best thing about this racquet maybe that because its a smaller and heavier control frame, it takes to customizing very well. Whether you drop or raise string tension, add lead tape, increase or decrease grip size, one thing will remain constant and that is a solid crisp shot from anywhere on the court