Wilson Sporting Goods has introduced Countervail technology in its line of Blade tennis rackets, integrating tech from the aerospace industry into rackets that help professionals and amateur players alike.
Countervail is a one-of-a-kind, layered carbon fiber from Materials Sciences Corportation originally designed to dissipate vibrational energy in airplanes and space vehicles. In tennis rackets, it becomes tennis elbow’s worse nightmare. Wilson LABS strategically placed precise amounts of Countervail into specific areas of each frame to minimize vibration, giving players maximum energy in late sets or long matches and less fatigue.
Wilson collaborated with the University of Minnesota’s School of Kinesiology on a study this year with competitive collegiate players, men and women, that found playing with a Wilson racket with Countervail compared to a standard racket experienced up to 30 percent less vibrational energy in the racket, leading to 10 percent less fatigue when playing.
“For years, we’ve heard from players, including Milos Raonic, about the compounding effects of rigorous training, playing and hitting on the body, specifically the hand, wrist, arm and shoulder,” Wilson Racquet Sports general manager Hans-Martin Reh said in a statement.
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Raonic, the Canadian tennis star who made a Wimbledon finals appearance this year, was the first pro to use the technology on tour.
“When Wilson shared this technology with me at the start of the season, I knew I had to have it,” Raonic said in a statement. “I made the switch just three days before the Australian Open, which was a risk, but it has paid off. I’ve had the best season of my career, and as I train, practice and play nearly every day, I’ve found that my energy, shot placement and late match power have gotten much better. The best part though, is that my Blade feels the same in my hands. I honestly can’t tell Countervail is in there, but I can feel it working.”
Rackets with Countervail include the Blade 98 (18×20), Blade 98 (16×19) and Blade 98S (“S” stands for Spin Effect technology), which SportTechie tested last week at Hudson River Park in New York. The test didn’t result in anything resembling a Raonic-like performance on the court, but the fatigue-reducing results were noticed.
The MRP for the new Blade with Countervail models that became available for purchase worldwide earlier this month are $219.00, and Blade models without Countervail are $199.00.