How Serena Williams & Roger Federer Tested Their Wilson Rackets

[@jpesmar]

"What are trends that you see happening in 2025, both at the pro level, and for all of us chokers on this podcast?" - Andy Roddick, as if he ain't a former number 1 player in the world, grandslam champion, multiple time finalist, and hadn't spent over a decade well inside the top 10. Gotta love this dude.

[@Rorshacked]

Spoken like a man still haunted by that missed volley at Wimbledon 2009

[@Dumballa]

This was unreal. Ron is a unlimited wealth of information. Love it.

[@matiaserp]

Here is an idea: gather many questions from viewers to Ron and have him answer them in a longer video? I am sure he has many other great insights left to share with us! Great guest, great content.

[@brendandaly8164]

Andy is modest given he was a whisker away from beating Rodger in a wimbledon final. One of the best games i have seen.

[@MJTIbes]

Andy, have to say it once more. Seriously, you are really a great presenter. Great talk. Love to watch it. Carry on!

[@aapopispa6810]

Andy you are the best! Fantastic show - keep up the great work!

[@1blindcommissioner]

yup! that was gold ! Andy should just keep going with his questions , if it's interesting for him, it's 10x more for us!

[@pikapool0]

AR reminds us that humility is absolutely essential for success, for us mere mortals to make a significant mark in anything we care for. i love that he is willing to put himself up for comparison with the beyond-generational geniuses, like SW and RF. 💯

[@alex1inferno]

I had that exact same first fan question - so grateful for it to be asked and responded to.

[@exceri0n]

This was SO good! Very enlightening.

[@vinitshah4457]

I am geeking out on this 🙌🏾

[@tcsocialclub1580]

Andy is the most underrated U.S. player of all time. Look at the generation he played in. He’s a GOAT.

[@danbotez1307]

Won only one Slam which, after all, was gifted to him by the USTA😂

[@michaelscoots]

He’d easily have 7-8 slams if it wasn’t for one man who is arguably the greatest player of all time. Was also in one of the most epic Wimbledon finals and went the distance with the best player in history on that surface.

[@danbotez1307]

@@michaelscoots Federer was prevented from being the GOAT by Nadal, in Fed's prime (2004-2009). Anyway, Nadal was 7-3 vs. Roddick over the 2004-2011 time period.

[@IamCravenMoorhead_69]

1 slam wonder is a GOAT? 🤣 Why not hail Michael Chang as a GOAT? Let's just call every player a GOAT at this point. Moron.

[@danielm.m.7654]

Not underrated, everyone loves him

[@d.nakamura9579]

Hey Andy, as soon as someone who’s struggled with shoulder health, I’d like to ask: how did you handle your right shoulder training over the years? Like MLB pitchers, repeated intense, overhead throwing motions eventually can cause shoulder and/or rotator cuff issues. The fact that you didn’t seem to have any issues over the years with a 140mph first serve is pretty remarkable IMHO.

[@chuckfriebe843]

Did you really think he was gonna answer? This is the internet. He doesn't care.

[@profan10]

He did have problems with his shoulders. In fact I think his biggest problem was his shoulders and hips mainly resulted from his serves. No professional tennis players are free from injuries. They all struggle with injuries and almost always have to take painkillers during gameplay. Tennis at a professional level strains the body too much

[@jbruneau84]

Try dropping your string tension to around 45 lbs and playing with a more flexible racquet - especially if you’re playing with babolat. And if you have a lifting motion like Andy’s, change to a throwing motion. Those three things should fix 90% of problem. And Andy did have terrible arm problems. One reason why he retired at 29!

[@emp6167]

Thing that helped me the most with my shoulder is taking a break for several months and working on strengthening my shoulders (OHP, lateral raises and rear delt raises, face pulls and rotator cuff exercises, all with proper form)

[@pontusschroder8361]

@@chuckfriebe843What an attitude you have

[@Tennerd]

Ron might have just realized that he should just give Serena the sledgehammer 😂

[@matthewn99]

Any chance I can get a Wilson Shift if I bury my 2009 Pure Drive Roddick GT+’s that I’ve still been gaming 👀? Willing to send a racquet smash or burial video if needed.

[@ivandean1]

I still love to play doubles with Wilson PS 6.0 MidSize 85 with 4.1/2 grip on grass courts. It is so much fun (for a lset or two). The story about Serena is just phenomenal. I was never a fan of her (don't know how many times I cheered for her opporent), but have huge respect for her and this story even increased the respect even more.

[@sayles7858]

Andy is so humble. For all that he has achieved he talks with an open mind and an attitude that is always willing to learn. This is a guy who has won a grand slam and been #1 in the world. More than 99.99999999% of people will achieve. And then there are keyboard warriors on KZbin who talk like they know it all about tennis 😂

[@adamlarsson3828]

he definitely is. but i also feel that he undersells himself. Serena and RF were obviously intelligent players with a deep understanding of how they can and should play. however, i feel that Andy was definitely up on his specifications and knew clearly about different effects. he was close to the very top of the game for eight years! that ain’t no dumbass talking, despite how he might present himself …. 😉

[@stepaushi]

7:12 He never told us who that only other person is! (That sentence turned into a long parenthesis.)

[@andreasnordin9023]

Awesome video. Thanks.

[@TenisPlayero]

Excellent!!! I was reacting the same as Andy with all this inside information. I’m a former Peter Burwash International pro, who got frames by Wilson, and now I’m involved in Beach Tennis and a little bit of Pickleball. Would love to get Wilson racquets for those sports in Puerto Rico. Hook me up Andy!!!

[@Lonor77]

Great topic and insights!!!!

[@gigspigs]

very interesting. great questions. thanks

[@SantiagojoseChacon]

Man racquet nerds need a part 2. So much pending 😂😂 interesting episode, thanks!

[@darylcastillo1439]

This explains how Serena was dominant for so many years. Adapt or perish.

[@Official.tadiwa]

Couldn't have said it better

[@michaelscoots]

"I need a full funeral service..." LMFAO! I will say, one day at the club I broke strings and borrowed a Wilson Sledgehammer from one of the older regulars there. It blew me away - as if I had super powers. They re-released that racquet but it wasn't the same make-up (that regular club member bought it and hated it). That original Sledgehammer (think it was a 110) had control and power!

[@melkon1an]

its insane hearing people don't use 4 1/2 as much

[@ThorD4602]

Yeah it is a terrible trend which will end in more injuries and that doesn't accomplish what they think it does.

[@BrazilDan1]

Andy, I'm genuinely curious, since you mentioned that your returns and forehands have improved: who do you play recreational tennis with once you've been on the top of the game? Other retired top players? 🤔

[@007FlipScot]

Roddick amazing insight!

[@existinginthegray]

Would love more BTS on Serena from her team! 😊😍😊

[@Zontala]

Supremely good episode. But very curious and wanted to learn more on upcoming trends Ron mentioned like the smaller handles. With majority of players having adult sized hands isnt that counterproductive and players might grip smaller handles tighter than expected?

[@tcrow9599]

Great video!!!

[@Sam-Icy]

omg, I didn't even know this a thing. I subbed

[@SawyerQuinn]

Does anyone else have as many questions about the rackets behind him as I do? Specifically the black and yellow ones, but there seems to be a brown one and an orange one.

[@hannesreinhardt1399]

20 year break, haha, sounds like me, except for me 30 years . Picked up about 6 month ago again. I used to play dunlop 200g and now couldn't relate to lightweight small handle (tested out many). So i settled with head gravity tour, 4 1/2 and added some lead in hoop. Still much lighter and much bigger head than 200g, but in general i stayed true to a dense pattern, softer flex and rather less head light racket. I love it. Maybe what you learned on as a kid is just the way your preferred feeling stays somewhat "forever". P.s. for "wilson" people, that are like me, with a big break inbetween and having played with a soft stick, that would probably the blade nowadays, which i also liked.

[@tobias6886]

Hey guys... how long, until we hear back on the funeral services provided? #askink4afriend 😂 ❤lovetheshow❤

[@trysis260]

Come now Andy please don't put yourself down too much. U're a grand slam singles winner and Wimbledon runner up, how many times? The 2009 Wimbledon final hurts I know but still how many of us meer tennis mortals will never contend for such a prize.

[@SantiagojoseChacon]

I stopped playin at 22 and returnet again at 35. chance to use my old pure drive + just because andy used it at that time😅

[@amaraps]

Next time Ron is on the show can you please ask him where someone should start when buying a new racket?? There are so many options in the market, it's daunting and confusing! Thank you.

[@Gocajoca]

The Tennis Off season is after the Australian Open

[@markblake9240]

Good video 👍

[@robg7892]

i have a pete sampras signature prostaff 6.0 95from the early 90s and it is FAR superior to the 6.0 100 i got last December, especially when i took out the synthetic gut and put in poly. I would not bury the pete sampras racket. (i also have a blade SW102 and a blade 98 v9). The 6.0 100 is trash, has a terrible paint job that falls off just by looking at it, and i finally weighed it after being so frustrated with it - it came in about 30 grams under the 305 g weight printed on the neck. oh, and the grip peeled off the first time i changed the wilson overgrip that i put on. Having said that, the sw102 is a canon. no touch, all power and is so dampened, no little rubber damper in the stringbed required, use a fat string with about 54lb tension and you get plenty of spin. PS. i put my racket down in 1997 and did not pick it up until 2022. so that was a retirement that i came out of.

[@RollinLeonard]

Damn I'd love to watch your dinglies games. Can you please post some match play you vs randos?

[@piyapolphetmunee3879]

He can probably still play at itf futures level. Club level players have zero chance.

[@leisurefarm]

7:10 Andy, so who's the other person?

[@MrWafters76]

We were on a break! Who's Ross and who's Rachel?

[@MarkTripple]

was this guy just in his wilson ultra room? Like does he have one room for every racket??

[@squashduos1258]

The reason imo Serena was so different was that she was so dominant that she had the luxury to try anything without feeling threatened even if she had a racquet that was not optimal for her…

[@Official.tadiwa]

Wym threatened? She was just a superior athlete she wasn't stubborn to try new things unlike a lot of pros they're stubborn and don't want to change

[@squashduos1258]

@ what I mean when you are dominant like Serena was it’s easier to be more open to try new things because of here superiority. She could have almost beaten a lot of top player with a wooden racquet!! That is how dominant she was.

[@existinginthegray]

I think it was her upbringing. Playing in Compton on dilapidated courts and simply having to "take what you could get" I think helps keep a player/person humble and adaptable to their circumstances.

[@deke09]

Good stuff!

[@mavrikno13764]

How about a cremation service? Also, any bonus on burying pickleball paddles? lol Cant believe I am so late this POD! The insight is awesome. Love it!

[@aayushmaanrathee9248]

Do u think tennis will ever go back to the faster court era?

[@redfox12341]

Random, and I watch many basketball channels: Andy is like JJ reddick from basketball as a pro-->podcaster

[@tshepolepeli4954]

True. Totally agree.

[@modern_method]

Roddick always puts himself down and seems to be always so surprised with other players approach to this game. I think he is not doing himself justice.

[@Official.tadiwa]

Serena is just different

[@user-qh7rj9wj4p]

Not really

[@Official.tadiwa]

@@user-qh7rj9wj4p go argue with your mama not me.

[@minkskoroma5890]

Once in a generation player; Serena

[@rijgrg1]

Perhaps once… ever

[@Official.tadiwa]

@@user-qh7rj9wj4p yeah she is if you played tennis you'd understand how insanely gifted you have to be to pick up any racket and learn to control it. Compared to roger using control orientated frames the frames helps you out wears Serena didn't need or want control she learned to tame the power of each racket

[@Rkz-rv7ys]

Awesome content . Only problem is it's not nearly Long enough 😅

[@minkskoroma5890]

Once in a generation player; Serena

[@agradina]

I am curios if i can beat rodick now , as an amateur

[@jakubslotala2680]

I want to play serve + 1 whenever I can What do I buy From Wilson? xD

[@user1898]

Excellent Wilson insight, all tennis fans were attentive at Rons insights, if people are precision players look at the RF Line, starting at the Future, do not dismiss it ,feels head light and fast(customize it with lead or tungsten if you need aswell), the RF01 300g will be more for people who like even balance, RF01 Pro head light feel and just make sure you can constantly swing the serve with it.

[@quiddy]

Smaller grips mean increase in tennis elbow injuries.

[@krizz7866]

Babolat is the BEST brand😃!

[@craigmorgan1617]

I’m gonna get a Shift, this sealed it.

[@K4R3N]

I also took a 20y "break"

[@SpaceTvRadio1]

Andy, don’t sell out with these. Not having Ron talk about roger or Serena’s actual specs is criminal. Not a mention of swingweight, balance or static weight. Three key metrics that you yourself likely spent years dialing in. What are the trends in those areas? Anyone interested in this topic recognizes that while string pattern and beam thickness certainly play a role in a racquets characteristic, those metrics pale in comparison to the in depth testing a tweaking players go through to find there ideal swingweight and balance.

[@ThorD4602]

The move away from proper sized handles to small ones will end and be looked back on as a big mistake.

[@vuvuzelaasesina7690]

Wilson shift for the win

[@TimTheMusicMan]

What a shame how tennis has nosedived. Tennis players are nutty people. Then add all the artificial strings and giant rackets which are designed to ‘assist’ the player more and more. Tennis is not about touch and volleys and placement and intelligence it’s about power and baseline and 2hbh’ only and using the artificial technology to assist the player. The MLB uses only wood bats as they did 100 years ago. The equipment didn’t change and therefore it forced the talent to come from the player if they didn’t have it then they didn’t make it. Tennis is ruined because it allows players to play by using the artificial means where tennis required the talent to come from the player decades ago. Tennis should never have changed their original equipment it ruined the game. There will never be a McEnroe or Connors etc ever again. Players today could not even play pro tennis if the artificial technology was not handed to them. And this is a fact. There is a reason why MLB never changed their standards. Tennis has not standards. They’ve added everything artificial in the world to make it easier to play and that ruined the game. These rackets companies are given carte blanche to insert anything. Tennis is now robotic and boring players don’t even get off the baseline. Everyone looks and plays the same.

[@Rkz-rv7ys]

Racket Ron Once week atleast cmon

[@damon123jones]

ball specialist

[@aminb]

He is awesome

[@zbighugh9193]

The Wilson Hammer is a far better racket than the Wilson Shift.

[@ThetennisDr]

So much lies to make money .... Im 47 we sll quit eapecially when federer bet u in wimbledon making sampras look like a looser. Terrible imo

[@ThetennisDr]

Raquet Ron ... Out of shape not exciting. Sure tired of the stringers at clubs been so arrogant

[@iceman1125]

shift is a terrible racket in all shape or form

[@28mcavanaugh]

Agreed!!

[@chuckfriebe843]

You've tried it? You do realize that if it's customized that it will play very differently.

[@28mcavanaugh]

@@chuckfriebe843didn’t customize it might have to revisit it!

[@iceman1125]

@@chuckfriebe843 every racket plays differently when customized

[@chuckfriebe843]

@ That was my point

[@dragoncweres6672]

Do you really have to swear? Doesn't bring anything to the conversation other than to turn some people off...

[@jessicavegan]

Andy, stop screaming! You have a mic JFC

[@ThetennisDr]

Poly strings 😂😂😂😂❤ u must be kidding. Only loosers use poly. And thats how they control the ATP by 🤥🤡 🤥 Bla bla bla 👎 controlled bs