The Wilson Blade SW 102 Autograph racquet specs and design are now published by Wilson Tennis. Let’s have a look!
I wrote about the Serena Williams Autograph racquet in this post and it turns out the specs I wrote about there, check out well. I based those on the limited edition prototype racquet that Wilson released a while back. This is what Serena Williams said about the process behind the Wilson Blade SW 102 Autograph racquet:
“I love my previous Blade tennis racket, and it’s been a huge part of my game, but I knew I needed to make adjustments,” said Serena. “A tennis racket is such a sensitive thing. I talked with Wilson about wanting more control and what that could look like, and importantly, feel like. So we got to work!”
Serena and Wilson LABS co-developed and play-tested nine different 102-inch prototypes before ultimately landing on the final design for the Blade SW102 Autograph racket. “While the process was long, we ultimately designed exactly what I need for my game,” shared Serena. “I’ve had this new racket in my hands for most of this year, and it just feels right.”
Check out and buy the Wilson Blade SW 102 from Wilson’s official website.
Wilson Blade SW 102 Autograph – Specs and tech
As you can see above, this is not a racquet for the faint of heart. The XXL length, the balance, it must create a significant swing weight. (Sadly, I have not found any info for the swing weight yet, but it should come pretty soon.)
The major spec change from her previous racquets is the smaller head size. This will give her more control. Wilson LABS engineers modified the racquet’s flex points along the string bed and the frame to increase the control. Wilson racquet engineer Ron Rocchi said the following:
“We took the same stiffness and feel she loved in her previous racket and re-engineered it into a smaller geometry,” explained Ron. “With a smaller frame, you naturally add control.”
The racquet comes with Countervail dampening technology, similar to her previous racquet, but different from the Wilson Blade V7 series. I hope to be able to test and review the racquet in the near future. It seems to work well for Serena so far, in a few hours she will play her US Open quarter-final match against Tsvetana Pironkova.
What do you think of the new Wilson Blade SW 102 Autograph racquet?
3 comments
Exactly the same weight and balance as the sw 104 autograph then. Not really a surprise.
https://www.wilson.com/en-us/tennis/rackets/blade-sw104-autograph-countervail-v7-tennis-racket
This means the 102 is probably just slightly less powerful. I wonder if Serenas current less powerful serving has something to do with this.
I have a sw 104 that I’m trying to make work because of the huge serve potential. It’s simply a vastly superior serve tool to anything else I tried. I keep trying more control oriented strings to tame it for ground strokes and this improves the situation. Currently testing Luxilon 4G and this is the best so far. Normally I play with Gravity Pro so I can hit what I aim at. All would be just fine if I had never tested sw 104. It simply adds 10 or more mph to serves so I keep trying to make it work.
I just watched the Serena exit from US Open.
Looks like she currently doesn’t have the physique to compensate for the likely loss of power in the sw 102.
It didn’t use to look like this with Serena on the court did it?
Her best years are behind her and the competition is a lot tougher. She needs a really lucky break if she is going to get slam number 24.