Wilson and Yonex are the brands we all love. Both brands are represented by so many young and fresh players. The popularity of Yonex between rising stars of tennis is incredible. Naomi Osaka and Denis Shapovalov, just to name at least two of them. Is the Yonex new Wilson? Or should we stay with the old good equipment of loved Roger Federer? Wilson did a lot to refresh its product line in the past years. Can Yonex beat it in the near future with heavy investments leading mainly to ladies’ tennis?
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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 2022. Clash offers a unique combination of power, control, and spin for all intermediate and advanced players.
Wilson versus Yonex comparison
[companies, design, product range]
Companies background
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 their store here.
Yonex
Japan Company Yonex was established in 1946 as Yoneyama Company Ltd. The original producer of wooden components started to produce badminton rackets first in 1957. In 1969 Yoneyama started producing also tennis rackets. It adopted the name Yonex back in 1974, the year after it started used the famous double Y logo.
Yonex is known for its unusual oval “isometric” racket frame from 1981. Currently, it produces badminton, tennis, and golf equipment.
Design
Wilson
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.
Yonex
Yonex is using mainly black-colored frames mixed with white, red, orange, or blue elements. However, the main eye-catcher is definitely the frame shape. The isometric head was introduced in 1981 and is still the symbol of Yonex. The oval-shaped frame is not just a design symbol but also increases the sweet spot of the racket head.
Product Range
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 |
Yonex
The full list of Tennis Racquet Reviews we made
Players
Wilson
Roger Federer. You do not need to say anything more. The brand name of the most respected brand in the tennis industry. Or we can add Emma Raducanu as well. There is a lot of other exceptional players (see table below) too. Wilson is the most popular tennis racket brand among tennis professionals. No matter ATP or WTA, Wilson definitely has the biggest share in professional tennis and recreational tennis as well.
| Men | Roger Federer | Grigor Dimitrov | Juan Martin Del Potro | Milos Raonic | David Goffin | Tennys Sandgren |
| Ladies | Simona Halep | Elena Svitolina | Jelena Ostapenko | Serena Williams | Venus Williams | Petra Kvitova |
The full list of players using Wilson rackets can be found here
Yonex
Yonex is the leading manufacturer of badminton rackets, but recently it started to gain a strong position in tennis too. It holds a firm fourth position among men professional players and is the second most popular racket brand among ladies professionals. Denis Shapovalov, Naomi Osaka, or Marketa Vondrousova are prime examples of a new generation of star players. There is no doubt, that Yonex will play a major role in tennis in the near future.
| Men | Nick Kyrgios | Denis Shapovalov | Steve Johnson | Frances Tiafoe | Hyeon Chung | Stan Wawrinka |
| Ladies | Angelique Kerber | Naomi Osaka | Coco Vandeweghe | Caroline Garcia | Belinda Bencic | Marketa Vondrousova |
The full list of players using Yonex rackets can be found here
Check latest numbers of players from ATP and WTA TOP 100 using respective racket brands here
Wilson vs Yonex, my subjective pick is …
I have a long history with Yonex rackets. I was impressed by the Isometric head shape that helps me to improve my play a lot. I liked the VCORE Duel G, Stan Wawrinka racket very much, as is clearly seen in my review.
However, the first play with Wilson Clash did change all I thought. The clash was and still is a real revolution. A great mix of control, power, and spin. I would not hesitate to pick the Clash anytime. The only thing that favors Yonex in my eyes is the price. VCORE Duel G is cheaper than the price of the brand new Wilson Clash.
All Wilson rackets can be bought at the Wilson Official Store
All Yonex rackets can be bought at Amazon here
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