Wilson Ultra——浮名薄利
Wilson Ultra (Original)——Bubble Reputation
This frame was originally out of my racket story plan: first, it was not that famous as the other vintage Wilson frames such as Wilson Pro staff 6.0 85, Wilson Jack Kramer Staff Midsize and its sibling, Wilson Ultra II Midsize; second, it was not that easy to get one with collectible condition for its age and rarity; the last and most significant reason was that I didn』t know it quite well before I finally got one. However since it』s lucky enough for me to get one, I should say something for the very original graphite frame of Wilson——Wilson Ultra (Original).
As the very first graphite frame of Wilson, it came with simple generations.
The first Wilson Ultra (Original) was launched at Chicago factory in 1979, it was namedWilson Ultra/PWS；
Wilson then renewed the technology and renamed it asWilson Ultra/Graphitewith braided technology in circa 1981. It only came with standard head size.
Even not that famous, Wilson Ultra (Original) was actually much more memorable for Wilson. It was not only the first Wilson Graphite frame, but also the first one with original PWS, which was Wilson』s honor forever; here I found an advertisement of Wilson for their Ultra/PWS, as they said,「The Wilson Ultra (Original) with the unique Perimeter Weighting System. It』s not the biggest racket, just the sweetest. The secret to the ultimate in power and control, even on off-center hits, is the four weights strategically placed on the perimeter of our remarkable graphite racket. They expand the size of the sweet spot, giving the Ultra a bigger sweet spot index than even the large-head rackets tested!」
Even not that famous, Wilson Ultra (Original) was more innovative than your imagination. It also originated the classic braided technology of Wilson. Here was another advertisement of Wilson for their Ultra/Graphite,「Wilson developed a patented technology to make the Ultra, the graphite is actually braided-aligning the fibers for ideal stiffness in every direction. The difference in play is remarkable. There』s more power, more control. The feel is sure, precise. The hits stronger, more accurate.」
Even not that famous, Wilson Ultra (Original) was such a pride of Wilson! Even the original PWS was just riveted, it was still riveting! Wilson ever discontinued their Kevlar line, box-beam line, hammer line and nearly all the other lines, but they never stopped their PWS and braided line, it did mean something. It was key era of late 1970s to early 1980s for the whole tennis manufacturers to make choices between wood and graphite, keep and move. The answer of Wilson was——Ultra!
Even not that famous, Ultra (Original) was also selected by many pro players. Wilson not only trumpeted their latest graphite frame, but also introduced it to their signing players, among which Andrea Jaeger was the most representative one. The former American tennis player began her pro career almost at the birth year of Wilson Ultra/PWS; she then won her highest ranking of World No. 2 at the birth year of Wilson Ultra/Graphite. Sadly the genius beauty had to prematurely end her tennis career due to major shoulder injuries in 1985,ithappened to coincide the silent exit of Wilson Ultra (Original).
Even not that famous, Ultra (Original) was a born 「noble」. It was priced at $110 when first came out in 1979, which was astronomical considering that the price of coetaneous high-end Wilson Jack Kramer Pro Staff wood was only $55. What also astronomical in modern view was the combination of 370g unstring weight and standard headsize of circa 65, it suddenly wiped off my mind of trying, but confirmed my mind of collecting.
Even not that famous, who cared! It was just bubble reputation of fame for Wilson Ultra (Original).
Wilson Ultra (Original)——浮名薄利
這把球拍其實原本是不在我的《網球拍故事》計劃之內的：首先，它並不像其他很多Wilson經典老拍，比如Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85，Wilson Jack KramerStaff 85，甚至於他的兄弟球拍Wilson Ultra II Midsize那樣名聲在外；其次，由於年代久遠且產量稀少，想要找到一把收藏成色這種拍子也並非易事；最後，也是最重要的，其實在找到這把球拍之前，我對這把球拍的認識也是不甚了了的。不過既然有幸得到，我覺得似乎就應該為他來說點什麼吧，畢竟我們今天故事的主角，這個看似其貌不揚的Wilson Ultra (Original)，卻是Wilson最早的碳纖維網球拍。
作為Wilson的第一款碳纖維球拍，Wilson Ultra (Original)的版本簡單到可以用「簡陋」來形容。
1979年，第一把Wilson Ultra (Original)誕生於芝加哥工廠,Wilson將其命名為Wilson Ultra/PWS；
大概在1981年，Wilson進行了技術更新，並將其更名為Wilson Ultra/Graphite。自始至終只有一種標準尺寸拍面版本。
雖然並非那樣出名，但是對於Wilson而言，Ultra (Original)卻有著非凡的紀念意義。這不僅僅是Wilson的第一把碳纖維球拍，同時也是Wilson第一把使用PWS技術的球拍，PWS可以說是Wilson永遠的榮耀，Wilson在他們的Ultra (Original)的廣告中這樣描述道：「Wilson Ultra (Original)擁有獨特的周邊加重系統（PWS），這從來不是拍面最大的球拍，卻是甜區最大的球拍。這是力量和控制的終極秘密，就算是偏移中心的擊球，我們的這款碳纖維球拍也能夠將球的衝擊力合理的向四周的擴散。這能夠加大甜區的面積，使Ultra的甜區甚至超過同樣進行測試的大拍面球拍！」
雖然並非那樣出名，Wilson Ultra (Original) 的創新卻讓人印象深刻。他同樣開啟了Wilson經典的碳纖維編製技術。Wilson在其Ultra/Graphite的廣告中宣稱；「Wilson Ultra的誕生運用了一項全新的專利技術，球拍的碳纖維採用了真正意義上的編製排列，從而在所有方向上都能獲得理想的硬度。在使用中，與常規的碳纖維球拍的區別非常顯著。採用這種技術的球拍能產生更多力量和控制。毫無疑問的是，球拍的擊球力量更強，更精準。」
雖然並非那樣出名，Ultra (Original)依然被很多職業球員所接納。Wilson不僅對於他們的新寵大肆宣傳，更將其推薦給了旗下的很多簽約球員，而這其中安德里亞?耶格是最有代表性的一位。這位前美國球員幾乎在Wilson Ultra/PWS誕生的同年開啟了其職業生涯；然後她又在Wilson Ultra/Graphite誕生的同年贏得了自己世界第二的職業生涯最高排名。令人惋惜的是，這位天才美女卻因為肩傷困擾而不得不在1985年過早的結束了自己的職業生涯，這似乎也暗合了Wilson Ultra (Original)的悄然離場。
就算並非那樣出名，Ultra (Original)卻是Wilson的驕傲！雖然最初的PWS只是簡陋的鉚釘，但是能夠擁有如此的吸引力，雖然Wilson曾經一度中斷過他們的Kevlar添加技術，Box-Beam拍框技術，Hyper Carbon技術以及幾乎其他所有技術，但是對於PWS和Braided技術的傳承卻從未終止過，對於Wilson而言，這絕對是非比尋常的。對於所有的球拍生產商而言，19世紀70年代末期到80年代初期，都是非常關鍵的抉擇期，是延續木拍亦或探索碳纖維球拍？是選擇保守還是勇於創新？對此, Wilson的答案則是——Ultra（Ultra有激進的意思）！
就算並非那樣出名，Ultra (Original)卻算得上是天生的「貴」族。1979年初次面市時，市價為110美元，相對於當時流行的高端Wilson Jack Kramer Pro Staff木拍的55美元，這幾乎是天價。以今天的眼光來看，同樣驚人的還有370g的空拍重量與大概65平方英寸拍面的結合，這瞬間打消了我上場一試的念頭，不過卻讓我更加想要收藏一把。
就算並非那樣出名，又有誰會在乎呢？於Wilson Ultra(Original)而言，不過是浮名薄利休而已。
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