Roger Federer's Racket and Gear

Roger Federer made tennis look effortless, and for most of his career he did it with a racquet that was anything but easy to use. Small head, heavy frame, very little free power: the Wilson Pro Staff family asks you to supply everything yourself. Federer's equipment story is one of loyalty to that tradition, followed by one brave late-career change that helped extend his career by years.

What Racket Does Roger Federer Use?

Federer retired from professional tennis at the Laver Cup in London in September 2022, so he no longer has a match racquet on tour. For his whole career he was a Wilson player, and his frames fall into three clear chapters.

1. The Pro Staff 85 (early career, until 2002). Like his childhood hero Pete Sampras, the young Federer played with the legendary Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85, a tiny 85-square-inch head that demanded perfect timing. It was with this racquet that he beat Sampras at Wimbledon in 2001.

2. The 90-square-inch era (2002–2013). In 2002, before winning his first Grand Slam title, Federer moved up to a 90-square-inch frame. Over the next decade Wilson released it under a series of names and paint jobs, including the nCode Six.One Tour 90, the K Factor Six.One Tour 90 from 2008, the BLX Six.One Tour 90 from 2010 and the BLX Pro Staff Six.One 90 in 2012. The look and marketing changed; the character of the racquet, heavy, compact and precise, stayed essentially the same. He won the vast majority of his 20 Grand Slam titles with a 90-square-inch Wilson.

3. The RF97 (2014–2022). In the summer of 2013, struggling with a back injury and form, Federer tested a black prototype with a bigger head at tournaments in Hamburg and Gstaad. After more testing that off-season, he began 2014 with a Wilson prototype and then switched to the racquet that became the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph, with a 97-square-inch head. It was the biggest equipment change of his career, and he used the RF97 family, with only cosmetic updates, until he retired. It gave him more forgiveness on off-centre hits and more margin on his backhand, and it was with this racquet that he won his last three Grand Slam titles: the 2017 Australian Open, 2017 Wimbledon and the 2018 Australian Open.

Racket Specifications

The retail Pro Staff RF97 Autograph is one of the heaviest mainstream racquets ever sold:

• Head size: 97 square inches
• Length: 27 inches
• Strung weight: about 357 grams (12.6 oz)
• Swingweight: about 335
• String pattern: 16x19
• Construction: braided graphite and Kevlar

Federer's own frames were customised to his specifications by Wilson and his stringing team, as is normal for top professionals. The exact numbers of his personal racquets have never been officially published, so treat any precise figures you see for his match frames as estimates. The retail RF97 is often described as being unusually close to his own frame, which is part of why it is so heavy.

Other details that have been widely reported: he used a 4 3/8-inch grip with white overgrips, and his racquets were prepared by the Priority One stringing team, with stringer Ron Yu travelling with him.

String Setup

Federer's strings are one of the best-known set-ups in tennis. He played a hybrid:

• Mains: Wilson Natural Gut (16 gauge)
• Crosses: Luxilon ALU Power Rough (16L)

The tension was reported at around 27 kg in the mains and 25.5 kg in the crosses, adjusted slightly depending on conditions, balls and surface. The idea was to combine the feel and power of natural gut with the control and durability of polyester, perfect for a player who relied on touch as much as power.

Playing Style & Equipment Connection

Federer's game was built on timing, variety and aggression: an all-court style with a whip-like forehand, a classic one-handed backhand, a superb serve and some of the best hands at the net the sport has seen. A heavy, stable frame suits that game. It keeps the racquet steady on fast balls and volleys and lets a player with his timing redirect pace with small, efficient swings.

The move from 90 to 97 square inches came as the game was changing. Opponents were hitting heavier topspin, particularly to his one-handed backhand, and the bigger head gave him a larger sweet spot and more margin when stretched. His late-career revival in 2017 and 2018, including the famous backhand improvements against Rafael Nadal, is often linked in part to that switch.

What Came Next: The RF 01

Federer's relationship with Wilson did not end when he retired. In 2024 Wilson launched the RF 01 range, which the brand says was developed with Federer after he asked, during his final years on tour, for a frame that offered more speed and spin on his forehand. The range has three models:

• RF 01 Pro: the heaviest, tour-level version
• RF 01: a lighter, more manoeuvrable option aimed at intermediate and advanced players
• RF 01 Future: the lightest version, for developing players

Unlike the RF97, these are modern, more forgiving frames rather than replicas of a pro racquet, so they are a much easier way into the Federer look for most club players.

Similar Setups for Fans

• Want the real thing? The Pro Staff RF97 Autograph is the closest match to what Federer played, but at around 357 grams strung it is only for strong, advanced players with full swings.
• Want a Federer racquet you can actually enjoy? Try the RF 01 or RF 01 Pro, depending on your level.
• Want the classic feel in a friendlier package? Wilson's current Pro Staff 97 models share the heritage with less weight.
• Strings: a gut and polyester hybrid is expensive but lovely to play. If that is out of budget, a multifilament in the mains with a softer polyester in the crosses gives a similar blend of comfort and control.

As always, demo before you buy. Federer's racquet was built for Federer's timing, and very few of us have that.