Picking the right tennis racket is usually an emotionally driven decision. You hardly find a quality difference between Babolat Pure Aero and Wilson ProStaff. Different types of players need different types of rackets, but for recreational players, the decision usually depends on what they like in terms of design or brand awareness. We looked at Babolat and Wilson tennis rackets trying to find out which one is better. This is not an exhausting comparative review based on hours of playing with different types of Babolat and Wilson rackets. I think that for beginners the choice is pure emotion. Do I like more Babolat or Wilson? Babolat versus Wilson Tennis Racket Comparison written by me.
For the record: This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links.
My Wilson racket choice
WILSON CLASH
Wilson Clash is the latest model from Wilson. Version 1 was introduced in February 2019, and Version 2 in March 2022. Clash offers a unique combination of power, control, and spin for all intermediate and advanced players.
My Babolat racket choice
BABOLAT PURE STRIKE
Babolat Pure Strike offers new sharp control combining the exceptional feel and dynamic control.
Wilson versus Babolat comparison
[companies, design, product range]
Product Range
Generally, both companies have rackets for all types of players. You can pick either racket more oriented on the spin, control, or power depending on your preferences. It is impossible to say which racket is better or best as it depends on your real needs. I like Wilson Clash [Version 2 is available here] as it responds to all my needs. As a middle-aged lazy moving player who needs an optimal combination of power without effort and maximum control, the Clash is the racket that maximizes my potential.
Babolat
PURE AERO | PURE DRIVE | PURE STRIKE | EVO |
|---|---|---|---|
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Spin | Power | Control | Transition |
Wilson
CLASH | SHIFT | ULTRA | BLADE | BURN | PRO STAFF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Power and Control and Spin | Power and Spin | Power and Spin | Spin and Control | Power | Control |
Read our review of WILSON BURN 100 Countervail tennis racket | |||||
SHOP WILSON CLASH v2 at official Wilson store HERE | SHOP WILSON SHIFT at official Wilson store HERE | Shop WILSON ULTRA at official Wilson Shop HERE | Shop WILSON BLADE at official Wilson store HERE | Shop WILSON BURN at official Wilson Store HERE | Shop WILSON PRO STAFF at official Wilson Shop HERE |
Companies background
Babolat
Babolat VS S.A. is a French company owned by the family Babolat with headquarters in Lyon, France. Babolat was established in 1875 by Pierre Babolat, who invented natural gut tennis strings. Babolat produces rackets, apparel, shoes, and other equipment for tennis, badminton, and padel. The company is still run by the Babolat family and CEO is Eric Babolat. Babolat is the leader in connected sports technology and in 2015 it introduced the first connected tennis racket.
Wilson
Wilson Sporting Goods Company has headquarters in Chicago, IL. It is a fully owned subsidiary of Finish Amer Group Ltd. from 1989. Wilson was established in 1913 as part of the meat producer Ashland Manufacturing Company. Wilson focused on the special use of slaughterhouse byproducts. In 1914 it produced e.g. tennis strings. The name Wilson Sporting Goods Company was adopted after a series of acquisitions and mergers in 1931.
Currently, Wilson family brands consist of Wilson itself, Louisville, DeMarini, Atec, Evoshield, and Luxilon (tennis strings – check our guide on how to choose the best tennis strings). Wilson produces sportswear and equipment for Baseball, Tennis, Golf, Football, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Softball, Badminton, Racquetball, and Squash.
Check the full range of Wilson products at the official Wilson store.
Design
Babolat
The Blue and white combination is characteristic of Babolat tennis rackets. But you can fairly often see also yellow and black color combination, or red and white. Blue and white, or white and black, or blue and black combination is less common but you can still recognize the usual double stripe.
Wilson
We can say that Babolat rackets are nice. But Wilson rackets are just spectacular. The current design with the black frame is stunning. I like the simple but modern look of Wilson rackets. I prefer the full black frame version, but rackets with a colored stripe on the racket head (green, orange, or red) are beautiful too.
In my eyes, the design trophy belongs definitely to Wilson, but I know that this is an absolutely subjective evaluation.
Players
Many recreational players make a decision about tennis rackets due to sympathy for some pro players. To have a racket of the same brand (and even type) as your favorite player makes you feel irrationally fine on the tennis court. Babolat and Wilson both have one trademark player everybody knows. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Nadal plays with Babolat Pure Aero and Federer with Wilson Pro Staff. But there are many more players using Babolat and Wilson rackets. Check just a few well-known names below or click on the full list of players.
| RAFA NADAL | STEPHANOS TSITSIPAS | GARBINE MUGURUZA | SIMONE HALEP |
|---|---|---|---|
Racket: BABOLAT Play AeroPro Drive  Buy on Amazon Dress: Nike Shoes: Nike Zoom Vapor Cage 4   Buy on Amazon | Racket: WILSON Blade 98 CV  Buy on Amazon Dress: Adidas Shoes: Adidas SoleCourt Boost   Buy on Amazon | Racket: BABOLAT Pure Drive  Buy on Amazon Dress: Adidas Shoes: Adidas SoleCourt Boost   Buy on Amazon | Racket: WILSON Blade 98 CV Buy on Amazon Dress: Nike Shoes: Nike Air Zoom Vapor X   Buy on Amazon |
The full list of players using Babolat rackets
The full list of players using Wilson rackets
Generally, Wilson is the most used racket brand on ATP and WTA tours, and Babolat is the second most used racket brand.
My subjective pick is …
I like the Babolat family’s history of inventing and producing a narrow scale of products for racket sports. I like Babolat for keeping the company in private hands and doing what they have done for the past 150 years. They have my sympathy.
I like Wilson’s plain black design of tennis rackets. It is just simple but beautiful.
I respect Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. They both are synonymous with sportsmanship, great tennis, and humility. But I like Roger a little bit more.
So Wilson slightly prevails over Babolat in general not playing characteristics.
But when it comes to the court I tried a lot of Babolat and Wilson rackets and all of them have their positives and cons. Some of them are for aggressive players, and some of them are for players who play it defensively. For my age and performance (senior, eager but still intermediate player trying to look like a pro but still making too many mistakes) Wilson Clash seems like the top choice. It is the racket that can hide and smooth your shortcomings. The racket offers ultimate control of the ball but still enough power. A full review of Wilson Clash is here. Detailed comparison with Babolat Pure Aero here.
My subjective pick would be: Wilson Clash – you can buy it here
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