Wilson Sporting Goods Co. Debuts Next Generation BLADE Racket For The Aggressive, Big-Hitter

CHICAGO, Jan. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Sporting Goods Co., announced today the introduction of four new rackets to its BLADE performance tennis franchise:  BLADE 98 16x19, BLADE 98 18x20, BLADE 98S and BLADE 104. The rackets join one of Wilson's best-selling lines globally, and are designed specifically for big- hitting, attacking-style players seeking aggressive control. Current top-ranked players and Wilson Advisory Staff members Serena Williams, Milos Raonic, Gael Monfils, David Goffin and Madison Keys will play with the BLADE during the upcoming 2015 season.

The BLADE is the second attacker-focused product to emerge from Wilson's new PlayerID system. For this system, Wilson categorized three core playing styles in today's game: Baseliner, Attacker and All Courter. The PlayerID system helps players better select products that speak to their playing style and enhance their overall performance on the court. The introduction of the next generation BLADE rackets follows Wilson's highly successful re-invention of its attacker-style Pro Staff franchise, which launched in 2014. 

"BLADE is an incredible story of how to take performance tennis engineering and design to the next level," said Hans-Martin Reh, General Manager, Racquet Sports. "We really dug into the playing style of attacker athletes and what they need to optimize their game. Then we looked at materials, construction, string pattern, weight, head size and feel, to design a racket that gives these powerful players greater control, feel and a bigger sweet spot."

The new 2015 BLADE features a bold, new design with lime green accents on a sleek, black base, and is technology-packed. Evolutionary Braided Graphite and Basalt construction allows the BLADE to be more elastic and reactive at the point of contact for enhanced feel and greater control. The racket also includes Wilson's Parallel Drilling, a technology that ensures the racket's grommet holes are parallel with the string bed. This expands the sweet spot size by up to 26 percent, resulting in more power and a forgiving feel.

Further, the BLADE 98S delivers precision spin through Wilson's patented Spin Effect Technology, which creates 200+ more RPM's on every shot and enables players to get more balls in the court.  And the BLADE 104, Serena William's racket of choice, has a larger head size and bigger sweet sport. 

The BLADE is available for pre-order now at select retailers and will be in retail stores and on Wilson.com in mid-January.   The MSRP for the Blade is $230.

ABOUT WILSON'S PLAYERID SYSTEM

Wilson's innovative PlayerID system allows tennis players to easily identify the appropriate Wilson racket model based on their individual style of play.

Through extensive player research, Wilson identified three core playing styles in relation to the modern tennis game:

• Baseliner – the player who battles from the baseline with consistency and speed
• Attacker – the player who attacks the ball early to dictate play inside the  baseline
• All-Courter – a versatile player, who hits from all corners of the court

After identifying which playing style they belong to, athletes can quickly narrow their racket search by model type and weight. Every racket for Wilson will correspond with one of the three playing style segments, streamlining the racket selection process and ensuring a player's equipment is best suited for his or her style of play.

"The powerful relationship between an athlete and their equipment is often underplayed, yet at the crux of performance tennis," added Reh. "We want every player to play at their personal best and achieve their goals and aspirations. We believe PlayerID will help athletes determine which racket will be their best tool for their best game."

ABOUT WILSON:

Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods Co., a division of Amer Sports, is the world's leading manufacturer of sports equipment, apparel and accessories. Wilson is the global leader in performance tennis and uses player insights to develop products that push tennis equipment innovation into new territories. Through its dedication to creating products that enable athletes at every level to perform at their best, Wilson has earned its place as a leader in sporting goods for over a century.

*Spin Effect Technology

SOURCE Wilson Sporting Goods Co.