Wilson K Pro Staff 88:
It’s Baaack!! Yes the return of king. If you were one of the few people on the planet who was able to handle the original Pro Staff 6.0 85 and still have the strength to wield on you will love this racquet. Mere mortals will probably want to just pass this one by. But if you are a tennis god, or if you just want to see what it was like to swing Pete Sampras’ racquet, this stick is worth the test drive.
Let me first qualify my review by pointing out that I am a 4.5 singles/5.0 doubles player, I play with a 13 oz. racquet, and am a serve and volleyer. That being said I had some difficulty handling this monster. If you aren’t at least a 4.5+ you will most likely find this racquet to be too heavy with too small a sweet spot and not enough power. The K Pro Staff 88 requires a long, fast swing and fine upper body strength. As with the its predecessor it is ideally suited for those with flatter swings (Easter, Hybrid, Semi-Western grips) players with Full-Western grips will mostly find that the frame is just a bit too small for their swings. Players of all styles can find attractive benefits to this frame, but the benefits will be most valuable to the serve and volleyer.
The K Pro Staff weighs in at a staggering (by modern day standards) 12.8 ounces (strung) making it a the heaviest racquet on the market, the 17mm width of the frame belies its stability and head light balance (6pts. HL) makes surprisingly maneuverable for such a weighty stick. The benefit of such a heavy frame is that there is very little vibration even on off center hits. The downside of off center hits however, is that the head is so small that you’ll probably frame the ball if hit it off center! The classic leather grip is a throwback to the golden days of tennis where racquet control and sturdy grip superseded grip comfort and perspiration absorbency. If you like a firm grip and have solid calluses the grip won’t bother you, and if you don’t, you can always re-grip it!

Along with the tiny head (88 sq. in.) it has an equally small sweetspot. The return of the PWS (Perimeter Weighting System) helps keep the racquet head stable and firm. In the event that you are able to find the sweetspot with this baby watch out! You will see exactly why the greats such as Sampras, Edberg, and Federer swore by this frame. Precision control with surprising power! Flat serves jump from the strings with explosive power, returns and ground strokes land with great depth and pinpoint accuracy, and volleys land with superior depth and speed in the exact place you intended. That being said, I only found the sweetspot about 20-25% of the time!

The string pattern is 16×19 and due to the small head size seems relatively tight. Since most players who actually use this racquet will have flatter swings, string life should be on the higher end. Because of the weight and response of the racquet I would caution even top level players in using a hybrid stringing and absolutely advise against using polyester in both mains and crosses and I would advise for all players to use a softer synthetic gut or natural gut. I personally suggest:

Elite players:
If you must use a Hybrid:

Technifibre Pro Red Code 17 or Klip K-Boom 17 in the mains & Wilson Sensation, Prince Syn. Gut w/Duraflex, Prince Softflex 16/17, or Gamma Syn. w/Wearguard. (or for those of you Natural gut people, the gut of your choice) in the crosses.
If you take my advice and go softer:
Gamma TNT 16 or Fat Core, Wilson Sensation, Prince Premier Softflex 16, PrinceLighting XX 16, Babolat Excel Premium 16, or Babolat VS Natural Gut
USTA League Players:
Just Don’t Bother!!
Comparisons:
The original Pro Staff 6.0 and other racquets of the early 80’s. KSix-One Tour 90.
Final Analysis:
Serve and volleyers will appreciate the pinpoint accuracy of serves, net maneuverability, and solid response on volleys. Exceptional baseliners will appreciate the solid feel and accuracy. Basically if you aren’t elite, or a precision racquet snob this racquet isn’t for you! But if you are the ATP tour may await!
Frame Statistics
Weight: 12.3 (unstrung)
Head Size: 88 sq. in.
Swing Weight: 345
Length: 27 in.
Balance: 6 pts Head Light
Beam Width: 17mm Straight Beam
Construction: 100% K-arophite Black
The K Factor Pro Staff 88 retails for $199.00 and can be found at most online retailers or your local Wilson authorized dealer.
Jay Wiseman is a certified Master Racquet Technician (MRT) by the United States Racquet Stringers Association (USRSA), a certification that is bestowed upon only the elite racquet and equipment service professionals. Additionally Jay is a certified P-1 Professional by the USPTA and has served as the Head Professional and Pro Shop manager at multiple clubs on the East Coast and Midwest. Jay has previously spent 3 years coaching Division I collegiate women’s tennis and currently serves as a teaching professional at the largest tennis club in Toledo, Oh and is the Head Boy’s & Girl’s Tennis Coach at Sylvania Southview High School.