Dunlop FX 500 2023 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 82

Power was always on tap with the FX 500 for our playtesters. Brittany found that all that power could be beneficial on both offense and defense. She explained, "I had a good idea of what the standout feature would be within a couple minutes of playtesting the FX 500, and that was power. On the baseline, my groundstrokes were instantly landing deep in the court thanks to a higher launch angle. I really enjoyed tapping into the extra power potential on two shots. The first was my attacking approach shot, where the racquet added a little something extra behind the ball and put me in a good position when heading up to net. The second was when I was on the defensive and really reaching for a ball. I was able to get it back with some height and depth, which kept me in the point in a neutral position. However, at times that power was not necessarily a good thing. I found the racquet launchy on my regular rally ball, and sometimes my shots landed well past the baseline. I had no complaints when it came to slice; The FX 500 did everything I needed it to do."

"With just one swing, the Dunlop FX 500 let me know it packed plenty of free power," Tiffani added. "I immediately noticed a higher launch angle as well, and it was easy to hit groundstrokes deep into the court. Since I hit a flatter ball and have been playing a lot with my 18x20 Prince racquet lately, it took a bit of an adjustment to get used to the net clearance this FX 500 offered me. The higher launch angle was great when I was pushed back into the court in a defensive position. The open string spacing also lent itself to some great topspin. I could really get the ball to dip and jump off the court, especially on my short cross-court backhands. The issue for me was tapping into this consistently. The ball would launch on me during point play, most likely because I tend to hit flatter and wasn't hitting the spin necessary to keep the ball within the lines. I did find the sweetspot to be pretty generous and the stringbed to play evenly, and although the FX 500 was really comfortable, the feel was a bit too dampened for me."

As a player who loves anything that helps with spin generation, Zsofi took advantage of the FX 500's spin potential. She said, "Right after a few shots on the baseline, it was apparent that I would be able to generate very easy power with the new Dunlop FX 500. I especially enjoyed that power on my forehands, where it made it easy to keep my opponents behind the baseline. I could generate easy depth on my shots. Spin was another standout feature of this racquet, which I appreciated. I grew up playing on the red clay courts in Europe, so I am very happy with any racquet that aids me with that extra spin that I like to add to my shots. The new Dunlop FX 500 felt easy to maneuver, the racquet head came around fast and the frame felt stable. I was missing a bit of control since I like to go for those riskier crazy angle shots, and the open string pattern of this racquet makes those a bit more challenging, but that is just a personal preference."

Austin typically prefers heavier frames, and he found this racquet to swing fast. He said, "The FX 500 was an interesting take on the usual 100-square-inch 'power racquet.' Like many other power frames, its emphasis is on launching more driving and penetrating groundstrokes. The FX 500 also has a similar explosive and forgiving 16x19 stringbed. This racquet feels much lighter and whippier than its specifications would lead you to believe, and although this helps promote faster racquet head speed, it falls a bit short in the stability department. The launch angle can be a little unwieldy and lacking in control at times, which does take some getting used to, but once you do find a groove with this stick, smooth and controlled hitting becomes very easy to accomplish."

Volleys - Score: 78

The Dunlop FX 500 was easy for our team to use at the net. Austin thought the racquet's quick feel during volley exchanges was a high point of the playtest. He said, "As I mentioned previously, maneuverability is a strength of this racquet, and that shone through even more up at the net. Most 100-square-inch frames tend to walk the line of feeling a bit too hefty and sluggish at net, but with the FX 500's head-light balance and overall faster design, timing was never compromised. The one gripe I have in this space was the same as with groundstrokes; the twist-weight and stability of the frame is a little low for my personal liking, and I did find the frame shifting a bit when I was blocking back heavier balls."

For Zsofi, though, stability wasn't an issue. She described, "Because of the launch angle, I found myself picking safer volleys and going for safer targets on the court instead of riskier ones. Otherwise, the racquet felt pretty stable; I was confident at the net and did not get pushed around easily."

Brittany once again tapped into the power of the FX 500. She said, "When approaching the net I found myself ending points by punching my volleys deep or hitting swinging volleys. There was a nice combination of maneuverability and stability; I never felt out of position or pushed around. The FX 500 update has a more dampened feel, so I didn't feel as fully connected to my stringbed and kept my volleys on the basic side."

Unlike Brittany, Tiffani thought the feel helped her volleys. She said, "The FX 500 performed well at net. While I thought it was a bit too soft from the baseline, I found the dampened feel to be a benefit at net. I liked how it masked mis-hits and kept me comfortable when I missed the sweetspot, and that in turn kept my confidence up. This racquet was also stable for me, and it offered good put-away power. I didn't have any control issues, and the ball went where I expected on volleys."

Serves - Score: 79

Our playtesters were surprised to find that the FX 500 didn't feel as powerful on their serves. Still, Zsofi thought this racquet got the job done. She said, "Generally speaking, my serves are not really my strength, so I just tend to go for safer shots and slice serves. I felt confident with the FX 500 on those shots and felt like I could mix it up easily if I wanted to. I did not feel, however, that the FX 500 added extra power to my serves."

Tiffani thought there was power to be found from this racquet, but it didn't come as easily as she had expected. She said, "I was really anticipating a big jump in power and spin on my serve. I definitely found both were available from this FX 500, but they were more difficult to unlock than I expected. I couldn't be lazy on this shot to get the benefits this racquet offered. I liked the power on my flat serves and the spin on my slices when I was swinging up and being aggressive, but when I missed, I tended to send my serves long."

It was a similar experience for Brittany, who added, "I thought the FX 500 offered a nice blend of power and spin potential when starting off the point with a serve. However, I did not get as much free power as I expected. I did have to work a little harder to get the racquet up and over my head and to generate racquet head speed. I liked mixing up my first serves between flat and slice, but I was more reserved on my placement, aiming mostly body or body/T. Second serves landed deep in the service box with spin consistently, allowing me to start points off in a neutral position."

Austin didn't feel a boost in his serves, but he could be consistent with this racquet in his hand. He said, "Serving was the one area I thought the FX 500 struggled the most. Usually, tweener racquets tend to fall on one side of the power/control spectrum, and a player can lean into that side with their service placement. The FX 500 didn't have the plow through to allow me to consistently drive through with heavier first serves, and I didn't feel dialed in enough with its control to really go after my second serve. If nothing else, because it is such a fast racquet, building up to a dependable service routine is possible."

Returns - Score: 79

Because the FX 500 packs a lot of power, our reviewers could immediately go on the offensive with their returns. For Tiffani, strategy was key to success. She said, "Because I found power and depth to come easily with this FX 500, I tried to be conservative with my targets. I didn't feel like I had enough control to go for placement shots; instead I liked to go up the middle right back at the server. I could sometimes catch the server off guard, which put me in an offensive position."

Brittany took some time to adjust, but once she did, returns were once again one of her strengths. She said, "I did have a little bit of an adjustment period on the return of serve. Like groundstrokes, I found myself overhitting my returns and having them land significantly past the baseline. I had to reel in that power and aim more conservatively on both first and second serve returns. This did allow me to hit one of the most underrated returns — deep up the middle."

It was more of a mixed bag on returns for Austin. He explained, "The same presiding gripe of lackluster stability is difficult to avoid here, and blocking back heavier, more penetrating serves was noticeably more difficult. On the other hand, the FX 500's easy power lends itself to aggressive returning; the only thing to overcome is the racquet's light feel."

Zsofi, however, was pleased with the variety of returns she could hit. She said, "I felt very confident with my returns, and I could trust the FX 500 with aggressive returns off fast serves too. I do tend to slice my returns a lot, and even with the open string pattern, I felt great about keeping my shots low to the ground with this frame. I didn't really notice any negatives when returning serve."

Overall - Score: 82