The Wilson Clash 98 – Testing Equipment #10

The Wilson Clash 98 gets the special Seb Proisy treatment in episode 10 of Testing Equipment, an in-depth look at one of the most popular racquets on the market.

On sale for around 180 euros, the Wilson Clash 98 is one of six racquets in the Clash series, all of whom have a 16/19 string pattern.

“You will notice that the handle is almost part of the frame,” Proisy says. “Having that makes it feel like the handle and the grip are even more part of the racquet.

Good for power but less spin than expected

“The groundstrokes felt very good and it felt like I wouldn’t have to add too much extra weight to get it to the way I like it,” Proisy says.

“But it didn’t feel like I was getting quite as much spin as I’d expect from a 16/19 string pattern. This is probably due to the smaller head size which forces the space between the strings to be a little bit smaller. The Clash 100 would offer a bit more spin because of the wider space between the strings.”

The Clash 98 also utilises two new technologies, Freeflex – which adds more bend and creates more control – and StableSmart, which seems to add stability to the frame to increase power.

If you’re the kind of player who likes to hit hard and go for winners, this could be the racquet for you.