Volkl C10 Evo 2022 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 80

The Volkl C10 EVO is an easy-to-use player's racquet with a classic Volkl feel; what's not to like? Chris found this racquet to work well for all parts of his game, especially from the baseline. He said, "I had a great time trading groundstrokes with the C10 EVO. This was the best feeling Volkl racquet I've hit since the Super G 10 series. With its plush and connected feel, this racquet has the Volkl mojo I've been missing. I was able to take a good crack at the ball off both wings and be confident I'd find my targets. I played the racquet mostly with Volkl Cyclone 16 at 52 pounds and found solid access to spin, tons of control and just the right amount of power."

For Troy, the standout features were easy maneuverability and a lot of precision. He explained, "The feel on contact was comfortable, which is what I expected from a thin-beamed Volkl racquet, and there was a good amount of feel for the ball when making contact. The 16x19 pattern allowed for easy access to spin and a user-friendly launch angle, but it wasn't so open that I had any control issues; I still felt very connected when hitting flat shots and slice. The stability was pretty good for being a 310-gram frame and having a lower swingweight than I'm used to. That said, it played more to my liking after trying it with a bit of added weight at 3 and 9 o'clock on the hoop, or dare I say it was more in my wheelhouse. If I had to knock this racquet, I would say that the sweetspot wasn't all that forgiving in stock form. Having recently playtested the Yonex EZONE 98 Tour and the Tecnifibre TF40 305 16x19, this C10 EVO had a more noticeable drop-off in power if I wasn't striking the ball cleanly in the center of the stringbed."

"This racquet has a classic feel that is more approachable and easier to use than the more demanding racquets of the past," added Michelle. "The first thing I noted was the thin 20-mm beam and the flexy feel. While I prefer less feel and a more boardy response from my frame, I did my best to do this review justice and appreciated the precision and soft response off the stringbed. The racquet was speedy and fast, but it never had the put-away power that I crave. It felt lower powered, and I also thought the sweetspot felt a little low compared to where I like to make contact. I found myself overhitting and missing long, which led me to realize the racquet could use a smidge of weight at the tip to help. This was a versatile racquet, though, and I enjoyed teaching with it because I could be consistent without much effort and hit well no matter the level of player I was working with. Once I started playing points with players my level, the racquet just didn't completely gel with my game, and I was hoping for a little more mass behind the ball. This is 100 percent my personal preference, though, and I think this would be super for players who love a classic feel."

Mark noted how the specs lined up for his counterpunching baseline game. He said, "Racquets weighing 310 grams unstrung seem to suit me well. One of the several positives I noticed when hitting groundstrokes was a deep ball pocket and lots of dwell time. That translated to me being able to gauge shot depth, change direction of the ball and shape my shots with lots of spin (topspin or slice)."

Volleys - Score: 85

The C10 EVO was quick to maneuver and offered versatility when it came to volleying. Michelle liked this racquet best at the net. She described, "I enjoyed the soft response but also felt like it was forgiving. I could drop balls or get them deep in the court, or better yet, I could swing away and attack to the open court. The C10 EVO was fairly stable, and even if I was lunging and stabbing at a ball, the racquet didn't crumble and offered a decent shot."

The dwell time and ball pocketing that Mark enjoyed from the baseline also benefited his game at net. He explained, "The punch, touch or half volley has always been a strong point of my game, and wielding the new C10 EVO anywhere inside the service line allowed me to capitalize on that strength even more. It felt like I was able to hold the ball on the stringbed until I decided what to do with the volley."

Chris also really enjoyed the feel of this racquet at net. He explained, "The C10 EVO felt fast in my hands yet solid at impact, so the weight, balance and swingweight all seemed to be gelling for me. I played some great doubles with this racquet and had fun both knifing volleys and hitting delicate drop shots. I liked the level of comfort. The response felt smooth and plush but not so dampened as to disconnect me from my targets."

Troy rounded out the positive feedback, adding, "I loved the scalpel-like precision this C10 EVO provided when coming to the net. The thin 20-mm beam supplied a high level of feel for the ball; I could execute touch shots, drop volleys and short angles with little thought or effort. Stability was good considering the weight and swingweight, although I liked it a bit better with some added weight in the hoop. As mentioned previously, it is not the most forgiving sweetspot, but I think the overall feel and comfort from the Twin Absorber Handle System makes this a great feeling racquet on volleys."

Serves - Score: 81

While the C10 EVO's serve was a highlight of the playtest for some, others had a tough time finding a groove with it. From the start of the playtest to the end, this was Mark's favorite shot to hit with the C10 EVO. He said, "I actually hit several aces with it! Admittedly, I so seldomly blow a serve past my opponent that I forgot how good it feels to hit one."

When practicing serves with this racquet, Troy was reminded of older versions of the Head Prestige Pro, Prince Textreme Tour 95 and Wilson Pro Staff 97. He described, "None of those racquets possesses a ton of free power. However, these racquets are very effective at enhancing the spin and precision, and make for easy racquet head speed when serving. I loved hitting topspin and kick serves with the C10 EVO. The 16x19 string pattern paired with a poly string helped grip the ball and shoot it out with a lot of rotation. That combined with a very maneuverable, fast feel made it easy to get my kick serve to jump high off the court. I wasn't necessarily getting a big boost on my flatter serves, but I felt very precise finding my spots and mixing it up on my opponents."

"A well-timed first serve with the C10 EVO generated a nice 'thwack' sound at impact and resulted in ample pace," said Chris. "I was really happy with how my serves were pushing through the court, making it tough for the returner to be aggressive. It felt like the sweetspot was giving me the power I needed, which was perfect for cracking a good serve. The stringbed also offered lots of grip to help me generate spin. With plenty of spin, I was able to keep pace on both first and second serves without sacrificing consistency."

On the other hand, Michelle struggled a little when serving with this racquet. She explained, "It was a little disappointing because I saw how some of the other playtesters were serving well with the C10 Evo, and finding not only good power, but also good targeting! For me, net clearance was a little sketchy, and at times I was frustrated with kick serves that were getting decent height but weren't getting deep enough in the court. I leaned on slice serves with this racquet because I found those to be the most successful to execute."

Returns - Score: 75

The C10 EVO felt fast and offered good targeting when it came to returns. Chris explained, "Racquets like this often work well for me and my return. It felt like I was able to control the tip of the racquet well, which enabled me to play with angles, depth and spin. My slice backhand felt good, and I was able to use the incoming pace and knife that return cross court with good accuracy."

For Troy, the C10 EVO worked best when he was in attack mode on his returns. He said, "I wouldn't say it felt the most forgiving when I was in a defensive position on returns; the sweetspot wasn't the biggest for a 98-square-inch head size, so I figured I'd better step in a take a big rip to get the best results. I felt confident taking an aggressive swing on the forehand side and found a couple return winners, hitting them deep in the corners of the baseline. I didn't feel as confident or effective with this racquet on the backhand side, and more often than not found myself hitting the backhand slice return and trying to keep the ball deep and low. This is another instance where I really felt the need for some added head weight to enhance the stability, plow through and ease of depth."

"As usual, I tend to take bigger swings than I probably should on my return," added Michelle. "Most of the time I was rewarded with the C10 EVO in hand; the targeting felt spot on, but there were instances when I was overhitting and craving a bit more control. I loved keeping the return low and using an angle to pull my opponent off the court, then taking the next shot to the open court."

While results were a bit mixed for Mark, he did find some success chipping back returns. He said, "I was able to peel off some very effective chip returns of serve. Like the 310-gram frames I most often play with, I did have difficulty hitting consistent topspin returns off either wing."

Overall - Score: 83