Guest blogger Nick has the Wilson Ultra Tour tested ! Nick usually plays with 'pro stock' rackets and makes a comparison in this blog with a Wilson H19 and a Prince Exo3 Tour 95 pro stock version of Lucas Pouille.

Tester:

Nick Verduin
High performance coach, former hitting partner of Anna Ivanovic. Tour coach of Anna Brinkmann, Emily van der Werf and Vivien Sandberg. 

Tested racket:

Brand: Wilson
Model: Ultra Tour
Blade size: 97 sq/inch
Weight: 305 gr
Balance: 31.5 cm
Stringing pattern: 18/20
Length: 27 inches
RA: 63
Stringing: Yonex Poly Tour Pro 1.25 / Wilson Sensation 16 at 22/21 kg

The Wilson Ultra Tour is now available in our webshop!

To my great pleasure I was able to test this Wilson Ultra Tour. I play with a number of pro stock rackets myself: previously a Wilson H22 and Wilson H19, nowadays with a prince pro stock. This frame has the same set up as my H19 frame. Because I am used to always playing with heavier frames, I made some personal adjustments (static weight 328gr, balance point 31.9cm swingweight 304gr) to this Wilson Ultra Tour. After that I went on court.

Let me explain the ease of playing this racket in 4 game situations: baseline game, approach + net game, serving and returning. 

Baseline game

Both my forehand and backhand spin strokes have enough power and rotation for a classic frame like this. What I did miss is when it came out of the sweet spot to keep control, you will find this with a Blade version have much less. They came out fine with the slice.

Walk-up + net game

At the net this frame really comes into its own. With the balance point at 31.9cm the maneuvering is easy to handle. Control and feeling are optimal with this frame.

Serve

Despite the relatively small blade with 18x20 pattern I was able to give more than enough power and rotation to the ball. Great racket for a possible serve and volley player.

Returns

Here in my eyes the racket falls a little short in control. If you get a hard first serve coming at you it was difficult to get it back to length. The racket does not help you optimally in this, as I already explained with the baseline strokes. For convenience I compare this again with a Blade.

In short 

This Wilson Ultra Tour is a must for a player who likes to be at the net. A beautiful and classic blade for a classic playing style. If you are a player who stays at the baseline 90% of the time then I would recommend you to go for a Blade.