Back in Black: Federer's new Wilson racquet

In early 2015, Wilson agreed to let Roger Federer help guide the process on a resdesign of the Pro Staff RF97 Autograph. The result is the Pro Staff RF97, which is predominantly black with touches of silver and red.

“I was pushing [Wilson] to be more confident, and almost put nothing on the racquet,” Federer said. “Wilson is such an established brand, it speaks for itself.”

Hans-Martin Reh, the General Manager of Racquet Sports at Wilson Sporting Goods, says customers are faced with a “sea of sameness” when they enter stores and glance up at the chaotic wall of racquet options.

“If we really want to stand out and cut through this noise, and this clutter, then we have to be really minimalistic,” Reh said about the Pro Staff RF97.

Instead of adding the logo decal on top of the frame’s paint job, as is customary, Wilson used lasers to engrave it in silver underneath the frame. The racquet’s boldest feature, however, is the bright red butt cap.

“When you start a match, you always ask your opponent, ‘M or W?’ It starts with that, and it’s very iconic,” Federer said. “That’s why we settled on a whole red butt cap, so it’s very visible.”

Federer’s own iconic style is seen throughout the frame, accentuated by his signature and silhouetted face looking up from the inside of the racquet throat.

“The story of the racquet is very close to me,” Federer said. “This one was already very personal because it was the first [Wilson] autographed racquet since Jack Kramer. To move now to a racquet that’s never been done before is very special to me."

The new frame comes in three different weights, so players can start with the lighter model as juniors and progress to the heavier, similar-looking frames as they move to higher levels. Federer has been playing with Wilson since he was a junior, and is on a lifetime contract; something that he said is a big honor for him.

The 2017 Pro Staff RF 97 Autograph will be sold at the Wilson US Open tennis store in Flushing Meadows starting August 27. It'll be available for pre-sale through tennis specialty retailers and on *Wilson.com* starting August 18, and on sale in-store and online worldwide on September 1 (with an MRP of $249).