The best evidence for a racket isn't the marketing — it's who stakes their ranking on it. The Wilson Defyer spent over a year on tour in blacked-out prototype paint before launch, and by the time it reached shops, several pros had already switched.
The switchers
- Karen Khachanov — the big-hitting Russian was one of the earliest adopters, taking the prototype straight into competition. In Wilson's launch campaign he reveals: "Wilson only had one prototype, so I played my first match in Halle with it. Luckily it was on grass where strings don't break as often." He goes on to call it his secret weapon.
- Sebastian Korda — the American's clean, flat-hitting game might seem an odd fit for a spin frame, which tells you something about how much control the Defyer retains. He was spotted with it in practice from early 2026 and has made the switch.
- Moise Kouame — the teenage French star is the face of the new generation on the frame: "I'm a hard hitter, so I was looking for more control on my ball. Precision is really important in tennis. And that's what I found here." He also calls it "the best feeling I've ever had in a racket."
- Peyton Stearns — the American brings serious WTA firepower to the Defyer, and Anastasia Potapova has also been reported on it.
The testers
Beyond the switchers, the prototype passed through a lot of famous hands during pre-season testing — Stefanos Tsitsipas, Grigor Dimitrov, David Goffin, Thiago Seyboth Wild and Lorenzo Sonego were all seen with it, and Holger Rune features in Wilson's launch campaign for the franchise. As one Wilson athlete puts it in the campaign: "It has everything."
Why pros are moving to spin frames
The Defyer was developed over 18 months alongside these players — Wilson's stated goal was to make it the racket they wanted on tour. Modern conditions are slower, points are longer, and heavy topspin is how you create attacking opportunities without giving away errors. That's as true at your club as it is at a Masters 1000.
Play what they play
The pros are largely on the Defyer 98 Pro and Defyer 100 platforms — and our first-run Concept Edition stock is identical to the frames they helped develop, right down to the Redline development name on the hoop.
