Meet Our First WLABS Concept Racket: The Wilson Shift

Read on to learn how Shift allows players to hit the ball consistently deep in the court with increased confidence and spin.

Spin. Is. In.

The future of modern tennis is disrupted thanks to the revolutionary creation of Wilson’s Shift v1 tennis racket.

The first concept racket from W|Labs, the Shift was specifically crafted to provide players with spin, controllable power, and confidence. Built around the notion of maximum lateral bending and best in class torsional stability, Shift allows players to hit the ball consistently deep in the court with increased confidence and spin on each shot.

We gathered feedback from players worldwide to refine the final specifications of the Shift, with feedback collected via a QR code embedded on the throat of the racket on W|Labs phase 1 and phase 2 rackets.

Oftentimes control-oriented players gravitate toward Pro Staff and Blade frames because they are more flexible and tailored for control and accuracy. These control-oriented rackets require players to generate their own power based on how fast they swing the racket. In today's game, many players seek rackets that can provide more controllable power. The Shift delivers on both power and spin due to its innovative bending profile and unique technologies incorporated within the frame.

Check Out W|LABS PROJECT SHIFT

And that’s where Shift comes into play. We sat down with Michael Schaeffer, Global Product Director, Racquet Sports to talk all things innovation with our W|Labs Project Shift racket.

What makes the Project Shift racket stand out in terms of marketing, design, and technology?

Shift is a continuation of our learnings on the innovation side of how a tennis racket bends. With Shift, we were able to figure out ways to control all the different bending moments of a tennis racket: how much the racket bends both horizontally and vertically, as well as how much it twists. When we figured out how to make a racket bend in all these different directions, we then spent the next few years creating rackets with all these unique characteristics and bending profiles that we could test and get consumer feedback on. This resulted in a racket that was very flexible laterally and very firm horizontally. This combination of this bending profile together allows you to hit the ball with a lot of power through the court, but also with a lot of spin. We called it "Shift Spin" technology, and it's really the secret to simplifying the way that the racket bends, and helps propel the ball with way more spin. This is something that had never been done before, and we were excited about this new technology.

Why did the team decide to develop a new franchise and call it Shift?

We knew we had a technology that could help athletes add more spin in their game without changing their stroke. Spin continues to be one of the most important benefits within tennis because it allows you to hit the ball harder and keep it within the boundaries of the court. Our belief is that this technology is a shift in the way tennis rackets can be made, and that's where the name came from.

Without Risk, Innovation is Impossible – what risks would you say were taken in order to make this innovation a reality?

A few things: number one, the innovation team. I think the team has done a fantastic job of pushing the boundaries on really owning this idea of exploring all the different ways a racket can bend, but I think another great innovation here was using feedback from players worldwide to build and refine its specifications.

What was your favorite part of this innovation process and your favorite thing about the Shift racket itself?

W|Labs Project Shift is a textbook picture of how insights from the product team go to the innovation team. The product team led the idea around what the players are seeking, and then the innovation team came up with solutions to the problem we set out to solve. That synchronicity between our teams was one of the best parts of this process. We were a well-oiled machine. It was a huge team effort, especially considering much of this innovation process was done during the pandemic when the collaboration of work was challenging. I give a ton of credit to all the teams that worked on this project.

Personally, my favorite part of the racket is the satisfying experience of hitting a ball that your opponent thinks is going to go out, so they kind of stop running for it. Then, due to the technology and the spin, the ball drops into the court. We're helping athletes all over the world have a better playing experience, and that’s an empowering, exciting feeling.

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Updated July 28, 2023