Wilson Ultra Tour Racket Review

It took me a little bit of time, but I loved playing with the Wilson Ultra 100, so I have been looking forward to the slightly heavier Wilson Ultra Tour ever since.

Much like the Babolat Pure Strike 18 x 20 I currently use, this racket has the feel and control of the classic rackets, but the manoeuvrability of a modern player’s racket.

The dense, 18 x 20 string pattern is exactly what I look for in a racket, and the 305g unstrung weight comes in at the bottom end of my range.

What I loved about the Ultra 100CV was the exquisite feel and all-round nature of the racket. It did everything well, without being spectacular at anything, and I really grew to love that about it.

With the Ultra Tour, I was hoping for something very similar to the 100CV, with a little bit of extra stability and plow through from the extra weight.

The setup of the two rackets is slightly different though, with the Tour coming in at 6PTS HL compared to the 100CV’s 4 PTS HL.

The result of this is the lighter weight 100 CV actually has a bigger swingweight of 320 than the Ultra Tour at 319.

Obviously, this is a minute difference, and despite the added weight in the Ultra, the two rackets retain very similar specs.

Both rackets look great in Wilson’s minimalist blue and color scheme, and there’s not much to tell between the two from the looks of it.

Picking the Ultra up, you can barely tell that there’s any extra weight in the frame, but you do notice a slight a difference when you start hitting.

Warming up in the box, you can feel the excellent control levels of this racket, as it grips the ball and gives its user absolute comfort.

It took me a little while to appreciate the 100 CV, but I was immediately dialled in with the Wilson Ultra Tour and was ready to put it through its paces with a few drills and points.

This particular version reminds me a lot of my Babolat Pure Strike 18 x 20.

It’s got the same levels of control and feel, and so I felt very comfortable with it in my hands.

I do feel I get a little bit more power and spin from the Pure Strike, but I certainly couldn’t complain about the Ultra Tour.

Groundstrokes

9out of 10

This is a brilliant all-round racket.

It’s strong all over the court, but in modern-day tennis, the back off the court is where it’s going to earn its stripes.

My first thoughts were that it would be a difficult racket for less advanced players to use.

You have to swing through with a lot of speed, and you really work for all the power and spin that you get with this racket.

The rewards you get for all that hard work is control, and tons of it!

When you get things right with the Ultra, you feel like you can put the ball absolutely wherever you want it.

Whether you’re on the stretch, forced deep behind the baseline, or stepping into the court, you feel completely in control with this racket, and it’s a lovely feeling.

On the backhand side, I found the Ultra a little more difficult than on the forehand side.

While the easy manoeuvrability of the frame meant I was generating good racket head speed, I wasn’t getting huge power, and I sometimes dropped the ball short.

This got better as I played more with the racket, but I had to remember to keep trying to rip through the ball with everything I had.

When I remembered this, everything came together in a perfect blend of power and control, but it did require a lot of effort.

On the forehand side, it was like the Ultra Tour and I were a match made in heaven.

The feel and control of this racket is brilliant, and if you’re able to generate the power and spin yourself, then you are going to benefit from this racket.

The only people I could see not really getting on this racket are those people that love a really involved feel from their racket.

People who are used to something like a Pure Drive, where you get quite a pingy feel may find this racket very different, as it leans towards a more classic feel.

For me, that is exactly what I look for, and the Wilson Ultra Tour’s blend of classic feel and modern manoeuvrability worked a treat for me on the forehand side.

I was able to hit an unbelievably heavy ball, and as soon as I got play onto the forehand side, I took control of the point.

Whereas I thought the Wilson Ultra 100CV was an excellent racket for intermediates and advanced players, I think the Wilson Ultra Tour is more limited to advanced players.

For a beginner or intermediate it doesn’t give you quite enough power and spin if you don’t have very developed strokes, which makes it difficult to play to the best of your abilities.

If you’re good at generating your own spin and power though, the Ultra Tour is excellent.

I have given the Ultra Tour a 9 out of 10 on groundstrokes; a brilliant weapon from the baseline.

Volleys

8.5out of 10

You wouldn’t expect such a lightweight racket to be so good at the net, but the Tour has stability levels that defy its 305g weight.

The Tour maintains the quick manoeuvrability of the Ultra 100CV, so you can get into position quickly, but improves on the crisp feel you get at the net.

When I think of a serve-volleyer, I picture them playing with a much heavier racket than this one, but honestly, I wouldn’t mind spending a lot of time at the net if I was using this racket.

The control I got when I was at full stretch was magnificent, as the racket absorbs all the power and immediately puts it under your control.

I really wasn’t expecting the Wilson Ultra 100CV to be such a good all-round racket when I first tried that one, so the Ultra Tour had quite high standards to live up to.

It reached those high standards at the net, and even improved on them a little.

I gave the Wilson Ultra Tour a very strong 8.5 out of 10 at the net, and really enjoyed this part of the playtest.

Serve

8out of 10

This was the area of the playtest where I struggled the most.

I was just missing a bit of easy power to give my serve a boost, and I felt that put me under a little bit of pressure.

I think this could be solved by adding a little bit of weight at both ends of the racket.

A little bit of weight in the head just to get a bit more weight through the ball, and a leather grip to keep the balance and speed of the racket.

This would probably help me and many others out quite a bit on the serve.

The one thing you do get with the Wilson Ultra Tour though is control, and you feel like the service box is at your mercy when you’re playing with the Ultra.

It’s important to keep the racket head speed up, because if you drop the racket head speed, you’re really not going to get much from this racket, and you might see a lot of serves drop short into the net.

Again, it’s definitely a racket that is better suited to an advanced player than a beginner or intermediate.

You need to know that you can generate a good amount of spin and power on your own, because the racket is so control focused.

If you’re comfortable with that, then you will love the Ultra Tour.

For me on the serve, it left me a little bit short, but that wouldn’t put me off the racket.

I’ve given it a very respectable 8 out of 10 for the serve.

Overall

8.5out of 10

This a brilliant all-round racket for the advanced tennis player.

The Wilson Ultra Tour is a wonderful combination of a classic pro-style racket and a modern player’s racket that blends control and speed.

I got on particularly well with the Tour on my forehand side, where the high levels of control and feel really worked out for me.

I found it a little more difficult on my slightly weaker shots, where it was more difficult to generate power.

However, when I hit through the ball properly and got things right with this racket, it did feel very good.

The main thing with this racket is being comfortable generating your own power and spin.

It doesn’t offer much easy spin and power, so if your strokes aren’t fully developed then you’re not going to get the most out of Ultra Tour.

If you are adept at generating good power, then I would definitely recommend giving the Wilson Ultra Tour a try as it is a great all-round player’s racket.

I gave the Wilson Ultra Tour an overall score of 8.5 out of 10, and it is certainly a racket I would look at buying if I was looking to switch.

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Groundstrokes

9

out of 10

Volleys

8.5

out of 10

Serve

8

out of 10

Overall

8.5

out of 10

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