A lot of people wonder about Roger Federer’s Tennis Racquet and if you can buy it in the stores. This post deals with Roger Federer Autograph racquet.
Roger Federer’s tennis racquet is nothing magical, but his game style and results easily make you think it is. Federer uses his own Wilson Pro Staff RF 97 Autograph
racquet that you can buy in the store. He uses Champions Choice
strings. If you’re interested in what racquets other ATP pros actually use…read this post about pro player racquets.
For many years, Roger Federer played with the Wilson Pro Staff 90, a 90-inch racquet with a small but efficient sweet spot. Then after his slumping results and an injury-packed 2013, he decided it was time to make the move to bigger pastures and worked together with Wilson on a new, more powerful racquet, with a bigger beam and a larger racquet head. It became the Wilson Pro Staff Roger Federer Autograph 97 
(racquet names ARE getting longer!), abbreviated to the RF97A.
If you want to buy Federer’s racquet, check out one of our affiliates, Tennis Warehouse, Tennis Only, Tennis Warehouse Europe.
Roger Federer’s Racquet – A signature frame
Federer allegedly worked very closely with Wilson to create his specs and to offer them to the public, instead of using a paint job like Djokovic’s racquet and Murray’s PT630 (PT57A pro stock code) with a 16×19 string pattern for example. We still have the conspiracy theorists on the tennis forums claiming that what Federer plays with is completely different, but I really believe Federer plays with at least a very close version of the same stick that is being sold to the public. What could potentially be different is the stiffness rating as amateur retail racquets are often stiffer (pros can generate much more power with their swings), but it’s hard to be sure. According to Federer himself, he was excited by the idea that offering the public the ability to use the same racquet as he is.
Buy Roger Federer’s Gear here.
Roger Federer’s Tennis Racquet Customization and Strings
Wilson even wrote the string specs (Wilson’s Champion’s Choice) on the frame, although they didn’t add whether there is any lead tape, string savers or power pads. My guess is that he still uses string savers and power pads and I know that racquet customization company P1 customizes his handle.
The Wilson Pro Staff Federer Autograph is a racquet that requires a lot from the user, but when they bring the goods, the racquet can be a wonderful hit. Like with everything, you need to be honest with yourself if your game benefits from the weight. I’m used to heavy racquets and found it close to magical at times, but after a few sessions, I got some wrist pain that I think is either due to the wrong choice of string or the stiffness of the frame and that’s why I moved away from it the end. I do however, suggest that accomplished players give it a serious spin, it’s a racquet that can help your game if you’re eager to put the work and movement into it.
Roger Federer’s Tennis Racquet Specifications
Wilson Pro Staff Roger Federer Autograph 97
Head Size: 97 sq. in. / 625.81 sq. cm.
Length: 27in / 68.58cm
Strung Weight: 12.6oz / 357.2g
Balance: 12.38in / 31.45cm / 9 pts HL
Swingweight: 335
Stiffness: 68
Beam Width: 21.5mm / 21.5mm / 21.5mm /
Composition: Braided Kevlar & Graphite / Basalt Fibers
Power Level: Low
Stroke Style: Full
Swing Speed: Fast
Racquet Colors:Red/ Black
Grip Type: Wilson Premium Leather
String Pattern: 16 Mains / 19 Crosses
Mains skip: 7T,9T,7H,9H
One Piece
No Shared Holes
String Tension: 50-60 pounds
Federer’s actual specs (no lead added, just a slightly heavier batch)
- Weight: 12.9 ounces / 366 grams
- Balance: 31.5cm / 9 pts HL
- Stiffness: RA 68
- Swingweight: 340
What are your thoughts about the Wilson Pro Staff 97 Roger Federer Autograph? Does it entice you? Please comment below!
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51 comments
Do you know the model that Fed used when he used the 90 sq inch all of those years?
Hi Branko,
It should have been the original Wilson Pro Staff 90 (black and yellow). He went from the Pro Staff 85 to that.
Cheers / J
In Hambourg 2013, before to play with the RF97A, he tried a 98 headsize racquet. Was it the wilson prostock h22 ?
Thanks
Hi Davis,
Not sure. I’ve heard it was a H22 or at least a close mold, but I’m not sure at all. Will update you on this if I manage to find out. Cheers / J
All secrecy around RF’s raquette that gives a touch of glamour.
Hi
How reliable are the “Federer’s actual specs” you posted ?
Cheers,
Chris.
Hi Chris,
They’re measured from one of Federer’s match-used racquets so I would say they are as accurate as they can be.
Cheers / Jonas
here about 2mi.Roger starting saying about his racquet and tension https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRCJL2DmKnA&t=355s
I’ve been testing the RF97A for 3 weeks and have slowly started getting used to it.
My current rackets are the Head Graphene Radical Pro’s (and I had a quick dabble with the Pure Drive 2018 – bit too head light – but may return to it and put some tape in the hoop.
The RF97A whilst noticeably heavier, is just rock solid for volleys, serves and return of serves. So solid, that it almost seems to favour ‘flatter’ blocking type shots.
Where I am struggling though is generating topspin on groundstrokes with the RF97A. The heavier weight means I cannot seem to get that racket head speed to whip through and create aggressive plunging topsin shots forcing my opponents back.
I’m going to set up the same strings (Tier One) and tension as the Heads so I can do I direct comparison.
Hi Martin,
Yes, the RF97A is a very solid racquet, but I struggled with the same thing that you do – getting enough racquet head speed and top spin on my shots. Do you use CAP grommets on your Radical Pro’s? Good luck with your racquet experiments! Cheers / J
One trick with the RF97a is swap the leather grip for a synthetic and drop 10g, then use lighter strings. I used a 17g syn gut main, 18 poly cross and with overgrip got it to 338g. I have another that is at 345g with heavier strings, and another at 350g, all with slightly different weight strings.
Somedays I go for the heavier one when I’m playing big hitters. When I do a clinic with mixed players on fast indoor courts with a lot of doubles, I like the lighter one. Everything is a tradeoff.
Reducing the weight sounds like a good idea, I think it’s quite bulky otherwise. I agree that if I play more competitive matches, I play better with heavier racquets. And I very much agree that: “everything is a tradeoff”. Well put!
A tennis racket is not different to a string instrument… saving differences. For example: if you play guitar to a certain level you can feel the difference among many factors. The better you play, like in tennis the most you can tell what works for you.
The idea of starting low weight and customize is good but still a compromise nonetheless. I would suggest also that once you found certain balance that please your swing, try starting the same frame with a higher weight and achieve same balance. If this does not work, probably you are using a stiffer racket than what you need. Another issue to note, I played with rackets that were good for my game but gave me elbow pain after few days. So careful.
I find that the dynamics of the frame/strings are extremely important, so keep that in mind.
The more and better that you play, you want to achieve repeatable results as a goal.
Thanks for your comment, Claud! Some good points here! Cheers / J
Hi, thanks for posting
How do you know there is no lead
Did you look under the bumper?
Thanks
Hi,
From what I’ve heard from very reliable sources, Federer doesn’t have any lead tape on his frames. He just gets a heavier batch. Cheers / J
What are his power pads made of, there is no way you can get leather to be that thick unless you stack them, or you use black foam, which could be the right material because the people who string it reuse them as shown in footage of the Laver Cup.
They are made of leather as far as I can tell. Have a bag at home if anyone’s interested.
Hello, Dimitrov played similar rocket to Federer, I see now on French Open he has some different. Is Roger going to introduce new design as well?
Hi,
Dimitrov uses a relatively different racquet than Federer nowadays, the not commercially available Wilson Pro Staff 93S with 18×17 string pattern. But yes, he is using a new design at Roland Garros. And Wilson will release a new paint job for the Pro Staff RF97A for Wimbledon.
Hi TN,
Like your page.
I’m a bit curious about the ‘federer is just using a heavier batch’ postulate.
Recently I bought a couple of the RF97 black version.
They both came in at around 339 grams without anything added.
I play with solinco tour bite 1.30 which weighs around 16-17 grams installed to the racquet.
I add a wilson overgrip which weighs around 6-7 grams.
Finally a put on a dampener at 2.5 grams. (maybe it adds up for the power pads – dont know how much they weigh)
All in all thats about 364-365 grams pr. racquet.
Where is the difference then?
I believe that the specs you got from the match used Fed-racquet is with everything installed.
And the specs for the retail RF97 is without an overgrip and a dampener or powerpads.
Thank you.
Keep it up!
Hi,
It is not much difference to be honest! The reason I wrote “heavier batch” is that with the Wilson QC you can get a quite different spec. I had three RF97A, one was 356 strung, one was 363 strung and one was 367 strung with a slight difference in balance points.
But the listed specs are pretty much what Federer plays. A rarity of honesty in the racquet business!
Cheers / Jonas
How much are you selling for 6 power pads, because i know that the power pads are reuseable
I have quite a few so you can get new, never-used ones. I can ship them to you for 10 euro unless you live on planet Mars :)
Hi
I really like your website. It is very informative and detailed.
Do you know which string saver Federer uses?
I have recently bought string saver of Babolat, but the colour is grey, whereas Federer uses white ones.
Also, I watched a video where Ron Yu uses String savers for Federer, but there was no make on it.
Thanks
Choi
Hi Choi,
Thanks. I don’t know. Would guess it is Wilson.
Regards / Jonas
Hi Jonas, great article and pictures! Thanks :)
A few questions:
How did you get hold of one of his actual rackets?
Sorry if this is a stupid one but do the power pads make a significant difference in the feel of the ball when contact is made?
I’m curious as to why he uses the alu rough on the crosses when (in my head) surely it would generate more spin having them on the mains?
Best wishes,
Aaron
Hi Aaron,
Thanks! Sadly it was not one of the actual racquets, but I got one from the factory that was exactly his spec and then I added the same string setup and power pads to get the feel of the Federer stick.
The power pads do not alter the feel a great deal, to be honest. They were made to avoid natural gut string wear of older racquets with sharp edges, but now that is not necessary. They might dampen the feel a bit, sort of like a dampener.
I think the spin for these top players is not the issue and the feel of having the gut in the mains is much better. You could, of course, do the opposite and some players do, but it is a bit like a waste of good gut :)
Regards / Jonas
Ah I see! Thank you.
Would you say the string set up makes it one of the best set ups you’ve ever used? I’ve heard someone once describe the set up as the ‘rolls royce’ of tennis rackets/strings.
Best wishes,
Aaron
Yeah, Rolls Royce is an apt description. Great feel and performance to that setup! Cheers / J
Hi Jonas
I just can not think he uses such a stiff racquet (RA 68) . I think it’s impossible.
The build quality of the racket and the flexibility of materials must be different.
The “made in China” is not the problem, but the surgical precision of his shots would have been different with a rigid material.
And the natural gut on mains would have produced too much power with the stiffness and the open string pattern.
Strange…
Thank you
Michel
Hi Michel,
I know a guy who owns his actual racquet and has measured it on an RDC and it is actually the same specs as the retail racquets.
Federer’s 90 sq inch racquet was also close to what was sold in the stores, so that is not so crazy.
Federer’s customizers and stringers (P1) actually need to do some matching and tweaking since he doesn’t get “peRFect” frames from the factory.
I have tried his setup, weight, balance, strings, tension and you can control the power with the kind of technique Fed has.
Cheers / Jonas
what are the dots on the strings ? Weight or string straightners ?
They are string savers to help the gut string last longer.
They’re called string savers to help save the natural gut.
Dear Tennisnerd,
thanks for your very good site! I learned a lot with it. I play the RF97A with Luxilon 4G Soft and I found nothing what could be better.
I wanted to write a mail to Roger because we are lacking in opportunities to play tennis :-( , but I cannot find any address. Do you know anything, please?
kind regards
lydia
Hi Lydia,
Thanks! And good choice in racquet!
Do you want to write an e-mail to Roger Federer? I don’t have his e-mail sadly, but you can try writing to him via his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Federer/
Regards / Jonas
Hi Jonas,
Thank for your answer! Too sorry, I don’t have Facebook :-( How I can reach him?
With the Autograph, it is working very well, only the serve is a little bit hardly to do. I wish to try the Serena William Autograph, one time.
kind regards
Lydia
Hi Tennisnerd,
i think, after all seeing and trying, Federer’s racquet is the best!
thanks and wish you a nice Pentecost!
Lydia
Based on the review above and the quality of your tennis racket reviews, I feel confident Fed uses very close to the retail version, which is great to know.
What really interests me is that I have seen he uses a quite low string tension, around 48lbs. So combined with a stiff and heavy frame, he must have to work hard to keep the ball from going into orbit!
What’s your take on the low tension? Did you set your demo stick up like that too?
Hey Jonas,
I’m surprised how is actual specs have 30gr less of SW compared to Djokovic for example, not that heavy for a “old” pro stick.
Any ideas on what the frame can be based on, H22?
I have a PS97 and despite Wilson claiming it’s a more manageable and lighter version of the RF, I still think the frame and the head shapes are very different.
The PS97 has a more oval shape, where the RF has a more traditional style, less round shape.
Don’t you agree?
Hi,
I would say it is more like 20 grams less SW. Djokovic is at 360 these days and Federer at 340. Fed plays with a stiffer frame and a more open pattern, which helps him kill points and use his aggressive game. Djokovic’s racquet is more suitable to defensive play.
The RF97A is simply a progression from the Pro Staff series and plays quite different than an H22 or H19 pro stock.
I thought the head shapes were exactly the shame?
Cheers / Jonas
PS. If you feel like my advice is really useful, please consider becoming a patron for $2 at patreon.com/tennisnerd and get exclusive content every week. DS.
Hi all
Found out from someone who gets Pro Stock frames from Wilson that Federer actually plays with a Pro Stock rf97. I’ve seen 3 of these selling on the internet. It weighs 332g unstrung. Federer had silicone injected into the handle and lead tape under the bumper guard. Specs are almost identical to retail version, but Federer has the ability to tweak his racquet as he likes.
This correlates with other Wilson Pro Stock frames which come in at 332g base weight for modification for pro players.
Also, power pads not only protect the string through the grommet, they also enlarge and change the sweet spot ever so slightly. You have to remember that those 6 strings are going to be a bit longer than normal. Slightly different feel, not for everybody, but Federer and Sampras are very used to it throughout their careers.
One thing to remember is that most Pro players will always use a racquet with similar specs throughout their careers. Even Federer’s PS90s were between 360g to 364g match ready (with strings, overgrips, pads and savers), balance point of around 31.5cm, and swingweight between 330-340g. Even they were Pro Stock frames, if you remember the drill patterns in the PWS of the frames, not available in retail.
Hope this helps.
Sorry, but you couldn’t be more wrong. The racket Federer uses is nothing like the model sold to the public. How do I know? I used to play tennis with Federer’s agent and we had specific conversations about Fed’s racket. He even brought one of Fed’s actual sticks to the courts after the French Open and let us hit with it. The racket he plays with is MUCH heavier than the public version and is built to Fed’s specs for weight and balance. He keeps more than 200 identical frames in a climate controlled vault so when Wilson changes graphics, Fed can ship out a dozen frames and have the new graphics applied, but he never actually changes to a new model. Recreational players could not play with his stick – or most pros’ sticks – and the manufacturers sell what is best for the pubic, not for tour players.
Hi Ibiza. So are you suggesting that all the people who have one of Federer’s actual racquets are getting the specs wrong?
Does anyone know if the swing weight of Federer’s racquet was measured with or without string?
Thanks!
There does seem to be lead tape under his racquet at 12, just like when Federer was using the smaller 90 racquet. Watch this video – he does all the measurements on camera and even shows exactly where the lead tape is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP4GOLcbZRA&t=2s
Hi, I’ve been watching a video haw they customised Federer racket, and found it that there is difference between markets racket and his(swing weight, balance) without lead tape you can’t bring his specs, but with lead tape on hoop it’s really hard to hit topspin shot! How to make that heavier batch?
Why is his leather grip a different color? Is it just cosmetic, or does he actually use another brand.
He uses P1 leather grips, they customize and string all his racquets.
Hello Tennis Nerd,
Do you know what the actual size of the grip is? A L3 or L4?
Thank you