Sabalenka’s new racquet

Sabalenka completed the Sunshine double, winning both Indian Wells and Miami Masters. And she has done so with a blacked-out racquet. What is Sabalenka’s new racquet?

Introduction

Aryna Sabalenka is one of the few players using a Wilson Blade 98 18/20. It is a low-powered racquet that requires you to generate all the power. But if there is one thing Sabalenka has, it is power. She goes for her targets over and over again and needs the confidence of the dense-pattern Blade to trust her game.

The Wilson Blade is one of the most popular racquets on tour and among club players. It will be released in its 10th generation in a couple of weeks. Check our review of the Wilson Blade 98 18/20 V9 or visit the Wilson website here to see more about the gear.

What is Sabalenka’s new racquet?

Switching to a new racquet is not a small thing for a pro player. You need to sacrifice thousands of hours of muscle memory and start building a new connection with the new racquet. But it is becoming increasingly common to try new strings and racquets on the pro tour, and players seem to develop ways to adapt quickly. The more similar the racquet, the easier it is to adjust, obviously.

If we talk Sabalenka, specifically, not long ago, she had her own lion Blade cosmetic called the Fighter edition. Now, she is using a blacked-out racquet, which means it is something new.

But it is not a huge switch, because we have heard from reliable sources that she is testing the Wilson Blade V10 98 18/20, a racquet we have been testing for a while. It should be a pretty seamless transition from her old one. The new Blade V10 racquets offer a bit more power, but maintain that iconic Blade-like feel. Compared to the V9 Blades, I would describe the new Blades as more connected, and the thicker beam profile makes them a tad more powerful. Even Sabalenka, with her powerful strokes, might need a bit more power to stay on top of the game.

Sabalenka’s racquet specs

We don’t know if Sabalenka has changed her racquet specs for her new blacked-out Blades. I would predict that she hasn’t and is just playing the V10 with the same specifications. Below you have her previous strung specs:

Strung weight: 324 grams
Balance: 32.7 cm
Swing weight: 326

She strings her racquets with Luxilon Alu Power mains and Luxilon Ace cross. Ace is not an easy string to find these days. It was made as a thin cross string for hybrids, as far as I know, but I don’t know any other players that uses it other than Sabalenka.

What can we learn from this?

Let’s summarize what we can learn from this article.

Pros do switch gear, more frequently these days, but it can be risky, especially in the middle of a season. Most testing happens in the pre-season training in december (when there are no ATP/WTA tournaments).

The new Blade V10 racquets are coming in April and will be a hyped-up release, since so many players love these racquets from the professional to the amateur level. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter, YouTube channel, and/or follow us on Instagram for our review and more information soon!

Sabalenka’s racquet specifications are another reminder that pro players also play with club-level specs (not always, but there are many examples). Sure, WTA racquets are lighter overall on average, but if you buy a Blade 98 18/20 in the shop today, you will most likely end up around Saba’s specifications. The days when you have to add lots of lead tape to achieve pro player specifications are gone (in most cases).

If you are a Sabalenka fan, you might want to check out Sabalenka’s current gear page at Tennis Warehouse, Tennis Warehouse Europe or Tennis Only (AUS).

Or check out the Blade and other racquets at Wilson.com (any purchase through my links will send a small commission to Tennisnerd at no cost to you).