Wilson Blade 98 V9 Tennis 4 1/4" (2)

Racket string tension was very bad. We had to replace string immediately. Don't waste stringing with them. Also I was charged extra due to billing error. When reported the matter, refund has not made. Overall I incurred $40 loss.

Amazing all around modern control racquet

I used to compete in high school and college. Around a 4.0 now. Racquet is strung with Hyper-G 17g at 50 lbs. As I've developed my game to be more all-court from just purely an aggressive baseliner, I needed something that provided more control and stability. The Blade 16x19 feels great all around the court. It really is a modern player's control racquet, providing forgiveness, spin, control, and comfort. Also, it's still a great platform for customization as most blades have been historically.

Amazing blend of control plus power

Racquet is very easy to swing. Ball pocketing and feel is amazing. Control is 4/5 and spin generation is easy with the 16x19. Great combination of control feel and power.

Blade is back!?

Played with some racquets so far, 3-4 months each.. Pure Drive (2021), Pure Aero 100 (2023), Pure Strike 98 3rd gen (2020), Head Radical MP (2023), Head Speed (both 2020 and 2022), Yonex Ezone 98 and 100 (2022), Tecnifibre Tempo 298 IGA, Wilson Blade v7 and finally v8.. I really liked v7 and when v8 was out i thought Blade is going some other direction but v9 proved BLADE is back! It is as good as v7. Compared to v7 in some areas stronger/better maybe and slighly poor/worse in some others but overall great racquet. (I use hybrid strings; main poly -22- /cross multifilament -23-)

Blade v9 18x20

Swing weight gives a great control and power but it does need a fast swing to achieve ideal result. This racquet needs to have certain techniques to optimize its performance, so it doesn't suit lower level player.

Effortless Power and Control

I love the way my ground strokes gained effortless power and control with this racket. I am switching from my Clash 100L (16x19) to the Blade 98 (18x20); not having issues with the weight increase.

Great upgrade from v8

Have it strung exactly the same as the V8 and I think there is a lot more control and much better feedback. Don't notice any more power, but that is not what I bought it for.Stoked I made the upgrade.

Poor Quality Control, Stiff, Nothing Like a Blade

I have played this racket a few times and have found this comes very low on swing weight. These rackets have almost no weight at the tip and are very unstable in stock form. I use a v7 blade which I consider one of the greatest rackets of all time. Great spin, power, control, comfort. This racket has almost none of these things and is designed for flat players. It is very unstable off center, jarring, and provides a very linear ball. The v9 blade feels like a Pro Staff in terms of weight distribution.The only positive thing to come out of this model is the better "mid pace" control and power. This thing feels awful with Alu Power.How did we go from such a great Wilson v7 to this? This is almost the exact opposite direction that wilson was trying to go in a few ... MoreI have played this racket a few times and have found this comes very low on swing weight. These rackets have almost no weight at the tip and are very unstable in stock form. I use a v7 blade which I consider one of the greatest rackets of all time. Great spin, power, control, comfort. This racket has almost none of these things and is designed for flat players. It is very unstable off center, jarring, and provides a very linear ball. The v9 blade feels like a Pro Staff in terms of weight distribution.The only positive thing to come out of this model is the better "mid pace" control and power. This thing feels awful with Alu Power.How did we go from such a great Wilson v7 to this? This is almost the exact opposite direction that wilson was trying to go in a few years ago toward modern rackets...Stiff racket face technology and color similar to the percept... putting weight where the percept has it... seems like they're taking all the bad decisions from yonex or stole an engineer from them.

Wilson did it! An upgrade from the Blade v7

I've been using v7 16x19 for the last 3+ years. It worked great to reduce arm pain, swing very hard, and have decent control.I've tried: the following as potential replacements for the v7 without satisfaction:E Zone 98Blade 98 V8Ultra Pro v4 98sqinHead Gravity Tour 100Prince ATS Textreme Tour 98 (not too far off)Vcore Pro 98 (2020 Version)Precept 98 330h (Close)For anyone using a v8 - try this immediately. I never liked the v8.The v9 compared to the v7 is:More responsive - for the same level of effortMore stable - There is no flutter on ground stokes for a stock v9 (I have still not added any weight at 3&9 and I've had to do this to every racquet since switching from Pro Staffs.)I let a v8 user hit with the v9 yesterday for three minutes ... MoreI've been using v7 16x19 for the last 3+ years. It worked great to reduce arm pain, swing very hard, and have decent control.I've tried: the following as potential replacements for the v7 without satisfaction:E Zone 98Blade 98 V8Ultra Pro v4 98sqinHead Gravity Tour 100Prince ATS Textreme Tour 98 (not too far off)Vcore Pro 98 (2020 Version)Precept 98 330h (Close)For anyone using a v8 - try this immediately. I never liked the v8.The v9 compared to the v7 is:More responsive - for the same level of effortMore stable - There is no flutter on ground stokes for a stock v9 (I have still not added any weight at 3&9 and I've had to do this to every racquet since switching from Pro Staffs.)I let a v8 user hit with the v9 yesterday for three minutes afterwards, he through his old blade on his bag and said "I'm switching and giving all of my v8's to my son"More accurate - strung 2 lbs lower I can still hit targets easier than I could with the v7 (Tourna Big Hitter Silver 7 + Ghostwire)Just slightly more stiff than the v7 but somehow less jarring than the v8I've bought three so far and will be getting two more and selling my v7's.

Works extremely well for me

So I have been playing for two years and I got this racket around two weeks ago. Ever since then I have been playing amazing. The first shot I made on this racket managed to get past my sister (who is way better than me) and has been serving me well. The 18x20 string pattern does add a noticeable amount of control to the racket, which is important since I am a more aggressive player. Going from a 100in^2 racket to a 98in^2 racket isn't hard to get used to but It does improve your accuracy with your shots. Overall, I highly recommend at least trying out this racket.