PRICE: $180
BALANCE: 2/5 in. head light
HEAD SIZE: 98 sq. in.
FLEXIBILITY: Flexible
LENGTH: 27.3 in.
IDEAL SWING: Long
WEIGHT: 11.2 oz.
NTRP: 3.5–7.0

FIRST TAKE:
Karolina Sprem of Croatia upset Venus Williams at this year’s Wimbledon with a little help from this Fischer racquet, which is on the lighter side of the typical advanced-player’s frame.

COMPARE TO:
Fischer Pro Extreme FT

HOW IT TESTED:
While many advanced-player’s racquets weigh between 11.5 and 12 ounces, the Pro Tour FT is just a tick over 11 ounces. Not a huge difference, but with the head-light balance the racquet is extremely easy to swing. You’ll have no trouble reacting to volleys, getting the frame through the contact point on the run, or creating sharp angles by whipping through the ball. But you may find, as our playtesters did, that the exceptional maneuverability can seduce you into trying to whip your ground strokes instead of driving through them, which can lead to inconsistency. Consider yourself warned. The Pro Tour FT has fair stability, and features Frequency Tuning, metal powder that is placed at precise locations on the frame to optimize its weight and dampen vibration without deadening feedback. It appears to work—–there’s no shock, but lots of feel, which good players typically demand.

BOTTOM LINE:
This frame’s impressive maneuverability will raise the game of strong all-courters and serve-and-volleyers.