String
Wilson Champion's Choice Duo (Natural Gut + ALU Power Rough)
The famous gut/ALU Rough hybrid in one $67.50 pack, a convenient one-time trial, but buying the two full sets separately costs about $42 per hybrid job, so it's a sampler, not a habit.
Court Score
3/ 5
Demo this as a primary option in its lane? Not an average of the axes.How we score.
- Powerfree depth
- 4
- Controlaim when swinging out
- 3
- Spinshape / dip
- 3
- Comfortarm-friendly sessions
- 4
- Valueworth street price
- 2
What it is
The Wilson Champion’s Choice Duo is a pre-packaged hybrid set: 20 ft of Wilson Natural Gut 16 (1.30 mm) and 20 ft of Luxilon ALU Power Rough 16L (1.25 mm) in one pack, enough for one racquet. Wilson US lists it as model RZ99790, SKU WRZ997900, at $67.50, and Tennis Warehouse (code WCC16) matches $67.50 with free shipping. Wilson’s copy calls the poly gauge “17/1.25” while the pack and TW say 16L/1.25. It’s the same 1.25 mm string either way.
This is not the same as our single-string listings. Luxilon ALU Power 125 is the smooth version of the poly as a full 40 ft set, and Babolat Touch VS is a full bed of gut. Champion’s Choice is half and half: gut and a textured poly, chosen for you and sold together.
Who it’s for
Serious rec players (4.0+) who swing big enough to justify poly, but whose arm or touch game wants gut. It’s also for anyone curious about a gut/poly hybrid who doesn’t want to commit to a full set of gut (~$67.50) plus a full set of poly.
Set vs. buying separately (TW, Oct 2026): Wilson Natural Gut 16 full set $67.50 + ALU Power Rough 16L full set $16.13 on sale ($21.50 list) = $83.63, which strings two hybrid jobs: about $41.82 per racquet versus $67.50 for the Duo. Skip the pack if you’ll string this more than once, or if you string two racquets alike. A TW reviewer makes the same point.
Standout details
- What’s in the pack: Wilson Natural Gut 16/1.30 (20 ft) + Luxilon ALU Power Rough 16L/1.25 (20 ft) · one hybrid job · natural/grey
- Which goes in the mains: Wilson and TW both explain it. Gut in the mains gives a softer feel and more playability (Federer’s way). ALU Rough in the mains gives more durability and control. Most rec players breaking strings should put the poly in the mains
- Power (4): gut adds free pop and keeps tension better than synthetics (TW’s Wilson Natural Gut copy), so the hybrid plays livelier than full ALU
- Control (3): ALU Rough is a low-powered, control-first co-poly, but half a bed of lively gut means less precision than full poly when you swing hard
- Spin (3): the textured Rough poly helps grip, but a gut/poly hybrid won’t snap back like a full bed of shaped poly
- Comfort (4): the gut half makes it much easier on the arm than full ALU (our live ALU listing scores comfort 2), though not as plush as full gut
- Value (2): $67.50 per racquet when the same strings bought separately cost ~$42 per job. You’re paying for convenience and the name
- Reviews: 4.6 stars on TW
Who’s hitting it
Roger Federer made this hybrid famous. Wilson’s product page calls it “the string choice for Roger Federer,” with gut in the mains and ALU Power Rough in the crosses, and TW’s best-hybrids guide credits it to him too. He retired in 2022, so this is history, not a current tour sighting.
Retail ≠ tour: Federer’s racquets were strung fresh, by tour stringers, at his own tensions, often on match day. Your set will be strung once and played for weeks. Expect the gut to fray and the poly to go dead well before you think about restringing.
Honest verdict
Court List had no hybrid. Champion’s Choice Duo is the best-known gut/poly hybrid, sold in one pack, and it plays the way its reputation says: more comfort and pop than full poly, more bite and durability than full gut. It’s a 3 because of the math: as a one-time trial or a one-racquet treat it’s great, but as a regular setup the two full sets are about $26 cheaper per job. Try it once, and if you like it, buy the gut and the ALU Rough separately.
Updated 2026-10-20