Short answer: Stan Wawrinka plays a Yonex pro stock frame in the Percept 97 family, strung with Babolat RPM Blast in the 1.25 gauge at 27 to 27.5 kg in the mains and 25 to 26 kg in the crosses. That is roughly 60 to 61 lbs mains and 55 to 57 crosses.
The frame
Wawrinka has played a heavy, dense-patterned Yonex frame for essentially his whole career, in the 97 sq in family that is now sold as the Percept line. His actual frames are pro stock and customized well above retail weight, which is what you would expect from a player whose one-handed backhand is built on mass and timing rather than racquet head speed.
That backhand is the reason to care about this setup. It is one of the heaviest single shots in the history of the sport, and it comes from a frame configured to deliver weight through the ball rather than whip around it.
Published specs
- Head size: 97 sq in
- String pattern: dense, in the 18x20 family
- Weight: customized well above retail spec
The interesting part: he uses a competitor's string
Wawrinka is a Yonex racquet player who strings with Babolat RPM Blast. That happens more often than most people realise. Racquet sponsorships and string sponsorships are separate contracts, and plenty of players keep a string they trust regardless of the logo on the frame.
Hubert Hurkacz is another example, and Andy Murray played Head frames with Luxilon and natural gut for years. If you have ever assumed a pro's string matches their racquet brand, this is the page that should break that habit.
On tension, he is one of the tightest stringers in the game at 60 to 61 lbs in the mains, with a meaningful drop in the crosses. Big hitters like Wawrinka and Sinner need that to control the pace they generate.
What the setup link loads, and why
The link loads the Percept 97 in Midnight Navy, which is the colorway we have in stock, with RPM Blast 1.25 at 60 lbs already selected. Yes, that is a Babolat string on a Yonex racquet, and it is deliberate. It is what he actually plays.
His tension carries across at his mains figure, since the config takes one number and the mains is the higher of the two. Read the tension advice below before you order it that way.
What you can actually buy
The retail Percept 97 is the closest frame, a dense-patterned control racquet in the same family, currently available in the 4 1/4 and 4 3/8 grips. RPM Blast is one of the most widely played polyesters in the world and we keep it well stocked in the 1.25 gauge.
Should you play this setup?
The string, absolutely. RPM Blast is a proven, spin-friendly poly that suits a wide range of players and is not remotely exotic.
The tension, no. 60 lbs in a full poly bed is punishing without tour-level racquet speed, and it is one of the faster routes to an elbow problem. Take the string, run it in the high 40s or low 50s, and you have a genuinely good setup. Change the tension field before you add to cart.
The frame is for advanced players who hit heavy and flat, particularly one-handers.
Sources
Frame and string details reported by Tennisnerd and European gear publications, with tension figures corroborated across stringer discussion. Tour setups change through a season, so treat this as current rather than fixed.