If you’ve been reading Perfect Tennis for a long time, this post might feel like we’ve gone back about ten years.
During Roger Federer’s playing days, his latest racket, shoes and Nike/Uniqlo outfits were a regular fixture on the site.
New gear would appear for pretty much every tournament; I’d try and find leaked photos and then post when and where it would be available.
Those posts naturally disappeared when Federer retired in 2022, and I haven’t written much about him since, partly because there hasn’t been much reason to.
Federer has kept a relatively low profile in retirement, which is probably sensible, and Perfect Tennis moved on with the tour.
Tennis or the site definitely isn’t as much fun in a post-Federer tennis world, but with RF about to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Wilson has provided an excuse to turn the clock back temporarily.
Federer will officially enter the Hall of Fame in Newport on August 29 as part of the Class of 2026, and Wilson has marked the occasion with a limited Hall of Fame version of its RF range.
The collection includes special editions of the RF 01 and RF 01 Pro alongside matching bags, all finished in a cream/taupe colour scheme celebrating Federer’s career.
And the rackets look pretty good.
Wilson RF 01 Pro Hall of Fame
The headline product is the RF 01 Pro Hall of Fame.
This isn’t a new racket underneath the paint. It uses the same specifications as the standard RF 01 Pro, the frame Federer helped Wilson develop late in his career.
What you’re paying for here is the Hall of Fame cosmetic.
The frame references Federer’s career achievements across the paintwork, while the cream, white, and darker detailing gives it a distinctly retro Wilson look.
My first thought when I saw it was the old Wilson nCode range. It’s not an exact recreation, but the colour and graphics immediately reminded me of those mid-2000s frames.
Considering Federer played some of the best tennis of his career with the nSix-One Tour 90 underneath that famous red-and-white nCode paint job, that’s not a bad bit of nostalgia to evoke.
RF 01 Pro Hall of Fame Specifications
Remember, this isn’t the old RF97 Autograph with a new paint job.
The RF 01 Pro is a different proposition. It has a 98-square-inch head, weighs 337g strung and has a thicker, more aerodynamic beam. Wilson developed it to retain some of the precision and solidity associated with Federer’s rackets while making it quicker and more suited to the modern baseline game.
It still isn’t exactly a beginner’s racket. A 331 swingweight and 337g strung weight mean you’ll need reasonable technique and preparation to get the best from it.
Tennis Warehouse has the Hall of Fame edition listed at $349, which is serious money for a tennis racket.
But limited-edition Federer rackets aren’t really being sold purely on a pounds-per-square-inch-of-graphite calculation. Some will be bought to play with, others will probably never have a ball hit with them.
If you’re a Federer collector, I can certainly understand the appeal.
Wilson RF 01 Hall of Fame
Wilson has also given the standard RF 01 the Hall of Fame treatment.
Visually, it’s essentially the same idea, but the underlying racket is considerably more manageable.
RF 01 Hall of Fame Specifications
At 318g strung with a 319 swingweight, this is the version that will make more sense for the majority of club players.
You still get the 98-square-inch head and 16×19 pattern, but there’s noticeably less mass to move around than with the Pro.
It should be easier to accelerate on serve, easier to manoeuvre when you’re rushed and generally less demanding over a couple of hours.
Tennis Warehouse has this one at $329.
Again, racket prices have become pretty ridiculous. I can remember when £150-ish bought you a flagship player’s frame and even that didn’t exactly feel cheap.
More than $300 for a racket is difficult to call good value in purely practical terms, particularly when the regular RF 01 will ultimately play the same.
But nobody is buying this version because they desperately need a cream racket with Federer’s achievements written on it to improve their backhand.
It’s a commemorative edition. If you’re a big Federer fan, collect his rackets or love the cosmetics, you’ll probably already know whether you want one.
RF Hall of Fame Practice Duffel Bag
Wilson has carried the same design over to the RF Hall of Fame Practice Duffel.
The cream and taupe colours work particularly well here, with subtle references to Switzerland in the design, including side panels inspired by the Swiss Alps.
It’s also a genuinely substantial tennis bag, not just a piece of Federer merchandise.
The main compartment can carry up to six rackets and includes padded dividers, mesh accessory storage and elasticated sections for bottles or ball cans.
It also has an external shoe compartment, accessory pockets on either side, and adjustable handles that extend for shoulder carry.
Dimensions are 89 x 36.8 x 27.9cm.
RF Hall of Fame Backpack
If you don’t need to turn up for a Tuesday-night club session carrying six rackets like you’re playing the Wimbledon final, there’s also a backpack.
This uses the same cream/taupe colour scheme and Swiss-inspired detailing but in a much more practical everyday format.
It has a dedicated compartment for two rackets, a main storage area with a padded laptop sleeve, mesh accessory pockets, a separate shoe tunnel, and a fleece-lined valuables pocket.
Wilson has also included a luggage strap on the back so it can slide over a suitcase handle, making it potentially more useful as a travel bag than a conventional tennis backpack.
Dimensions are 34.3 x 25.4 x 47cm, and Tennis Warehouse lists it at $159.
Again, premium pricing, but it’s probably the item here you could use most away from the tennis court.
A Nice Federer Collectable, If You Can Stomach the Price
There was never much doubt that Federer’s commercial appeal would continue long after he stopped playing.
Wilson launched the RF 01 project after his retirement, and a Hall of Fame edition was an obvious opportunity.
Federer is being inducted alongside Mary Carillo in Newport this August, and demand surrounding the ceremony has been enormous – the Hall of Fame’s ticket allocation for the induction weekend reportedly sold out within two minutes.
So yes, Wilson knows exactly what it’s doing here.
Take an existing RF 01, give it an attractive limited-edition cosmetic, attach it to one of the biggest milestones of Federer’s post-playing career and wait for Federer fans to reach for their wallets.
But I can’t complain too much because the end result looks good. Would I pay $349 for one when the performance underneath the paint is unchanged? Probably not.
Would I have been tempted ten years ago when half this website consisted of Federer match reports, outfit posts and discussions about whether he’d changed his string tension by half a kilo? Probably.
I was also more into gear back then, but these days I’ve realised outside of racket weight most of it’s just marketing BS and makes virtually zero difference to the club player.
What do you think of the Federer Hall of Fame collection? Great-looking commemorative gear, or has Wilson pushed the Federer tax a little too far?
