A multiple-time Grand Slam winner, Stan Wawrinka has done well to shrug off the shadows of the Big Three and carve out a niche of his own. In the following sections of this page, we describe his game and Stan Wawrinka’s tennis racquet he’s been using for a while.
It’s interesting Wawrinka has won three Grand Slam titles in his career at the time of writing and yet, never ranked better than number three in the world. Some attribute it to Wawrinka’s inconsistency but it also speaks volumes about his ability to surprise top opponents including the Big Three at big events.
Wawrinka has won about a dozen matches against the Big Three and a further eight more against close friend Andy Murray, which is another indicator of the genius of the man.
The Swiss-man kick-started his career with a couple of Challenger title wins on clay in 2003 and 2004 and later that year went on to play at his first Grand Slam competitions. Wawrinka first reached the fourth round at a major in the 2007 US Open and continued with that showing by reaching the last 16 at one of the Grand Slams over the next couple of seasons too.
The breakthrough came at the 2010 US Open when Wawrinka made it to the quarterfinal, following which he made the semifinal of the same event in 2013. And 10 years after having played in his first Grand Slam, Wawrinka clinched his first major by winning the 2014 Australian Open, beating Rafael Nadal in the final.
A late bloomer, Wawrinka then went on to add two more Grand Slam titles to his kitty as he won the 2015 French Open with a win over Novak Djokovic and the 2016 US Open where he defeated Djokovic yet again in the final. At both, the 2014 and 2015 major wins, he also defeated fellow Swiss Roger Federer.
Wawrinka uses a heavy racquet and yet, possesses a single-handed backhand which is quite powerful. His rather aggressive baseline play makes him an opponent to reckon on clay courts but he also has a solid hard court record. In his own words, Wawrinka considers his backhand and his serving as two of the best components of his game.
At one stage of his career, Wawrinka didn’t have a very strong forehand, but that’s improved drastically over the years; so much so it’s now a major strength in his game. His game has also changed in that he’s now begun to approach the net more fearlessly than earlier and improved his serve-and-volley factor.
So, Which is Stan Wawrinka’s Racquet?
Stan Wawrinka uses a customised version of the Yonex VCORE Pro 97, a racquet he endorses too, and it’s more likely the heavier Yonex VCORE 95D which he is using. He strings his tennis racquet with Babolat RPM Blast 16 in both, the mains and crosses
Wawrinka also uses a lot of lead tape on the racquet head to increase its weight.
The reason why Yonex might not be making a racquet of that kind any more for tennis players around the world is the excessive weight it carries, making it tough to play with it regularly. As a result we have the specifications of the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 below.
Get the exact technical specifications of Yonex VCORE Pro 97 racquet below.
- Length: 27 in./69 cm
- Head Size: 97 sq.in/626 sq.cm
- Weight: 11.5 oz/326 gm
- Balance Point: 12.59 in/32 cm/7pts Head Light
- Construction: 20mm/20mm/20mm
- Composition: HM Graphite Black Micro Core/NAMD
- String Pattern: 16 Mains / 19 Crosses
Watch the below video reviewing the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 Racquet:
The Yonex VCORE Pro 97 racquet can be bought from a range of stores with Amazon being our most preferred option given the typically lower costs involved. Also if you are looking to buy this or other tennis racquets in the USA, here’s our comprehensive guide on the same.