Yonex Ezone 98+ 2022 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 88

It's no secret that our team loves extended-length frames, and the Yonex EZONE 98+ sits near the top of the list. Troy has put in hundreds of hours of court time with previous editions and was more than happy to string up the 2022 version. He said, "This racquet felt like home sweet home, especially at the baseline where I spend most of my time. The past two generations (2018 and 2020) were both my racquet of choice, and this update of the EZONE 98+ was a pleasant transition. The overall weight is pretty light compared to what I typically play with, but the swingweight feels nice and substantial when hitting my groundstrokes. Forehands felt great, with a boost in power compared to the standard-length racquets I have been testing. There was also pretty good feel on slice backhands and baseline drop shots. I love the added leverage I get on my two-handed backhands, although I don't hit that shot as much as I used to. Even though stiffness is a bit higher, the feel on contact is still pretty plush."

This version was a natural pairing for Chris' groundstrokes. He explained, "I immediately noticed a softer feel to this update of Yonex's impressive EZONE 98+ racquet line. While not as crisp as the outgoing version, this racquet felt more solid and dampened in its response. I may have lost a little liveliness on my shots, but I felt like I had a better connection to the depth of my groundstrokes. The power was still impressive and more than ample. I was able to use the racquet's leverage to pound groundstrokes on a full swing. When blocking the ball back, it was easy for me to find depth. I enjoyed this racquet on my backhand slice and was able to drive the ball with lots of spin and control."

Over the years, Michelle has patented the phrase "guilty pleasure" when referencing extended-length racquets, and this new EZONE lands squarely in that category. She said, "I get excited any time I get to play with extended racquets! This EZONE 98+ lived up to my expectations. It was powerful, spin-friendly and stable. I found easy power from the baseline, and I could penetrate the court well. I playtested it alongside the EZONE 100+, and initially I was gravitating toward the larger head size, but as the playtest progressed I found the 98+ to feel better when I transitioned from practice to match and point play. This racquet offered me a bit more precision and control compared to the raw power of the EZONE 100+. Don't get me wrong, this racquet came loaded with mass and power, but it felt more reliable and controllable. In other words, I trusted this racquet a bit more. The feel was great, the sweetspot was predictable and it was stable against big hitters."

Mark echoed the rest of the team, saying, "The EZONE 98+ is a versatile racquet that has always been a great fit for my game, especially from the baseline. The 2022 update offered an even higher degree of stability and power due to the slight change made to its layup of graphite. The extra frame length provided easy groundstroke depth, with the 98-square-inch head size helping to temper enough of that power to keep a high percentage of my shots landing inside the lines. Topspin was very easy to develop with the open pattern, and that 27.5-inch frame length always makes my backhand slice a little more difficult to deal with."

Volleys - Score: 85

The net is where many players are unsure about extended frames due to an assumed lack of maneuverability, but we'd like to issue a challenge: Try hitting some volleys with the Yonex EZONE 98+. Chris explained, "The EZONE 98+ felt very solid at net, and I really enjoyed moving inside the court with it. I'm not sure if I had more fun punching away a high volley or carving a short angle, as both were very pleasing to hit. Despite being longer than a standard racquet, the EZONE 98+ felt tip light and easy to maneuver. During doubles play, I felt quick and fast to react during heated exchanges. Combined with the power offered on serve, I found this to be a great serve-and-volley racquet."

This category was a high point of the playtest for Mark. He said, "The volley is one of my favorite shots to hit, and I loved using the latest EZONE 98+ at net. Depending on the situation, I can either choke up on the handle for more stability or hang off the end of it for an offensive swinging volley. There's loads of reach, stability and comfort when volleying. This was by far my favorite shot of the playtest!"

It didn't take Michelle long to figure out how to control points from the net. She said, "I found the EZONE 98+ to perform exactly as I expected at net; it was stable and easy to execute volleys. The extra reach was appreciated, and I felt confident moving forward to finish points at the net. I felt pretty invincible at the net with this racquet in hand. Even my lefty switch volley was solid!"

Troy is one of our best at making extended racquets work for whatever volley he needs. He described, "There's easy power from this racquet, and I like the slight bit of added reach the EZONE 98+ offers me when hitting volleys. It's not necessarily the most maneuverable when reacting to the ball at the net, but I am pretty used to volleying with a 27.5-inch racquet. I also find that if I am not at the top of my game or if my reaction times are a bit slow, I can choke up on the grip and feel like I'm hitting with a normal-length racquet. Touch and feel were good; there's not quite as much feel as the VCORE PRO 97D, but I felt connected to the ball when going for drop volleys. Put away power and depth on my volleys came with ease, even a bit easier than with the EZONE 98 Tour."

Serves - Score: 91

The Yonex EZONE 98+'s big-time boost in power was most evident on serve. Michelle said, "If you read the EZONE 100+ review, this will sound similar. The serve was by far the highlight of my hitting experience with this racquet! There was loads of mass and power on flat first serves, and it was simple enough to get the ball jumping or moving with kick or slice."

Mark felt that this update's swing was smoother and more user-friendly than the outgoing model. He explained, "Although the volley was my favorite shot to hit with the EZONE 98+, I enjoyed serving with it almost as much. With the butt cap in my palm (pinky off the end), I was getting more racquet whip than usual and thus noticeably better action on the ball. Ultimately, it led to easier power on my serve."

"As I have referenced lately, this EZONE 98+ is a 'rocket launcher' on serve," Troy added. "Along with the Yonex 100+ racquets and the Babolat Pure Drive+, this is one of the racquets where I can really max out my MPHs on flat first serves. Power, combined with better-than-average precision, makes this a legit weapon for me when serving. It usually takes me a bit of a warm-up to dial in my kick serve with an extended-length racquet, but once in rhythm I can get a lot of spin and kick on the ball. In stock form, this racquet feels pretty light compared to my usual spec, so even though the swingweight is relatively high, it is easy to crank up the racquet head speed."

With a good deal of EZONE 98+ experience under his belt, Chris was not surprised by the success he found with this update on serve. He said, "Every version of the EZONE 98+ I have used has been impressive on serves, and this version continues that trend. I loved the easy power on both first and second serves. I was able to hit more service winners as well as force weak returns. My favorite serves were down the T on either side followed up by a volley."

Returns - Score: 84

Our team relied on the natural power of the Yonex EZONE 98+ to provide great depth on returns, but there were times when the maneuverability caused some trouble. That said, everything fell into place for Troy. He described, "I felt like I was returning to the best of my ability with this EZONE 98+. I am used to that slight bit of added reach with my 2020 version, so I feel like I can get a little more depth and overall effectiveness on my returns whenever I am stretched out. I can get a lot of easy power when taking a big rip on my forehand returns, and there's also enough feel and plow through to hit some dirty slice returns. This racquet helps me stay aggressive against weaker servers while maximizing my defensive returns against big servers."

Michelle couldn't quite settle into a consistent return; it was very much a hot or cold affair. She said, "I felt comfortable keeping this racquet out in front and taking shorter backswings on my returns. Because I found the 100+ version of this racquet to be more demanding on returns, I really made a point to shorten my backswing. I will admit, there were times when I still got jammed and wasn't effective swinging through the ball. As a result, I got stuck just blocking balls back. This isn't ideal for my style of play, and I would prefer having time to get around the ball, but it was a small price to pay for loads of power when I timed it just right. When I could rip a return down the line, it often led to a quick point in my favor. The EZONE 98+ was also great defensively; it blocked balls back easily, allowing me to stay in the point against a tough server."

Mark agreed with Michelle. He explained, "I could feel the extra length of the EZONE 98+ from anywhere in the court, which for me is a benefit. However, the return of serve was the one shot where it did not hide its length well. The extra frame length allowed for some chip returns that were almost offensive, but I never felt I had enough time for topspin returns."

"The length of this racquet gave me solid leverage to return with pace using a compact backswing," added Chris. "I found ample swingweight for a solid feel through contact. I also found it easier to whip this racquet around the ball compared to the EZONE 98 Tour, so hitting angled returns was fun. As with groundstrokes, this racquet was a good fit for my backhand slice return. I was able to drive my slice cross court or down the line with a flick of the wrist."

Overall - Score: 86