Yonex Ezone 100+ 2022 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

Our playtesters are all well acquainted with the EZONE line of racquets and have tested the previous extended 100-square-inch EZONE, so they were excited to see what the 2022 update had to offer. Brittany is always eager to hit a 100-square-inch head size Yonex racquet, seeing as she calls the standard EZONE 100 her racquet of choice. She began, "I had no issues picking this racquet up and heading straight down to the court. After my usual small adjustment period due to the extra length, I found my groundstrokes had some extra power and depth, and they were really penetrating the court. I found more success when keeping my swing speed up because I lost a little bit of control and depth if I slowed it down. This encouraged me to stay aggressive and step into my shots. When I did have to transition to defense, I was pleasantly surprised with my low slices, and the extra reach helped me get a couple more balls back in the court."

Tiffani definitely wouldn't classify herself as a power hitter, but when she had the EZONE 100+ in her hands, she felt transformed. She described, "I feel like I play more aggressively and hit a bigger ball with this EZONE 100+ 2022, and I didn't feel that I had to sacrifice the improved control I found with the standard EZONE 100. When I missed, it was typically because I was late to the ball. The swingweight is above my comfort zone, and coming back from a recent ankle injury, I feel a half step slow. Those two factors together led to some errant shots due to me hitting the ball late. Of course that's a 'me thing' and not the racquet's problem. I did prefer the standard version when it came to creating easy topspin, but this extended-length option drove through shots better, and with improved plow through and stability. My main issue was that the swingweight is a bit much for me to feel comfortable with for an entire match."

The extended length added more power and depth to Jason's groundstrokes, which made an immediate impact during point play. He said, "The high swingweight was immediately apparent. It definitely took an adjustment period. I had to start my swing just a split second earlier, and I was still catching balls late. However, when given the opportunity, I was able to really bring the hammer down on the ball for winners or unreturnable shots."

"This racquet is packed with power," added Michelle. "I instantly noticed the large, plush sweetspot and felt balls pocketing well. I was then able to spit them back out with loads of plow through. Drilling with this racquet was simply awesome! During this playtest I also hit with the EZONE 98+, and I initially favored this 100-square-inch version of the EZONE because it was so fun and more forgiving to hit big with. I could get the ball to penetrate the court and keep shots super deep, which often afforded me a shorter ball in return. However, the racquet became a bit more demanding when I was put in a pressure situation, and anything that got above my strike zone became a bit trickier to execute. I realized that when I was relaxed, all was good and I could focus on getting in the right position with my feet, but with points it was more of a challenge. I do feel like this version of the racquet felt a bit softer than the previous one. If all the stars aligned, even under pressure, this racquet was very rewarding on a big swing when I made contact within the sweetspot!"

Volleys - Score: 80

At net, our team appreciated the extra reach and stable feel of the EZONE 100+. Jason found that this racquet forced him to have better technique on his volleys. He said, "I typically have a bigger backswing than I should, and I was catching the ball very late when I did that with this racquet. I quickly learned to just get the racquet out in front and let it do the work. Access to spin was pretty good, as was the torsional stability."

With her hands out in front, Brittany could hit a variety of shots. She said, "Punching the ball back deep was my favorite, but I could also soften my hands and hit some nice touch shots. The extra length made the racquet a little harder to maneuver, so I had to be more conscious of getting the racquet into position early or risk being late, especially on reflex volley exchanges. On the other hand, I had a little bit more reach and a ton of stability. I never felt like the EZONE 100+ was twisting in my hands."

Michelle thought the EZONE 100+ felt solid and stable at net. She said, "I blocked volleys back easily and found a point-and-shoot response, which made it simple to execute deep volleys. I didn't have a ton of touch with this racquet, and I sometimes found it to maneuver slower when trying to carve out a volley, but that's OK because swinging volleys were awesome and not coming back if timed right!"

"Not being the strongest volleyer, I didn't want to get into quick volley exchanges with this racquet. I got caught out of position and was late in those situations," added Tiffani. "I enjoyed the stability and easy power I got when given sufficient time to hit a volley. I could put the ball where I wanted with enough power to hope that it wasn't coming back, or if it did that it would be easy to put away."

Serves - Score: 88

Our team was in agreement when it came to serving with the EZONE 100+; this racquet was simply awesome. "This was my favorite spot to use the EZONE 100+," said Michelle. "I could generate big first serves. I looked forward to serving with this racquet and found myself practicing my serves more than usual through this playtest. My kickers and slices were enhanced as well. I have no complaints when it came to serving!"

Serving was also Tiffani's favorite shot to hit with the EZONE 100+. She said, "It didn't feel like it lagged overhead too much, and I could load my first serves with more power than normal. I wasn't as consistent hitting slice, and I had to really emphasizing my swing to get it because I couldn't always generate the racquet head speed needed to be successful. I was hitting good flat serves and was able to start points on my serve in a more offensive position than usual."

While Brittany very much appreciated the power this racquet brought to the court, she found it a bit lacking in the spin department. She explained, "Pure power was the name of the game when it came to serves. I ultimately hit mostly flat first serves, and I loved how deep they were landing in the box. I definitely had a bump in MPHs and enjoyed getting some extra free points. However, I had a bit more trouble hitting serves with spin, whether it be topspin or slice. This was because I wasn't able to really whip my wrist and couldn't carve around the ball as effectively as I normally do. The other issue was that I wasn't able to maintain racquet head speed throughout a singles match; about an hour in I started noticing some arm fatigue."

"I could bring the heat with this racquet!" added Jason. "The swingweight, combined with the extra length, allowed me to hit more unreturned serves than I have in a while. The flip side was that I was also missing more than I normally do, usually long."

Returns - Score: 83

Although our playtesters found success on serves, some noted maneuverability issues with the EZONE 100+ when returning. Jason was able to block or chip returns back deep with success, at least for the most part. He continued, "When I had time to attack a serve, there was plenty of pop, but as it was with my groundstrokes, depth control was a slight issue here."

Brittany thought the EZONE 100+ felt solid on returns. She said, "I didn't have to do much to hit an offensive return back deep in the court. With the beefy swingweight, I took more compact backswings to ensure I wasn't late, and then I just picked a target and went after the first serve. On second serves I could swing a little more freely because I had more time. Like most racquets, I preferred returning over serving with the EZONE 100+."

Even with a shortened take back, this EZONE 100+ could still pack power on returns for Tiffani. She said, "I didn't struggle as much with being late on returns as I did on groundstrokes because I shortened my swing. I really liked the feel and comfort on returns, and it felt stable to me as well. I don't have many complaints in this category."

Timing was everything for Michelle's returns. She explained, "This is where the EZONE 100+ proved to be a little demanding for me. If I was jammed or timed my return a bit incorrectly, I got stuck and couldn't get the racquet all the way around. I noticed it happened more than I would have liked, and I would make contact and push the ball through the court without being able to accelerate with the tip of the racquet leading (how I prefer to swing). When the stars aligned, though, the return was amazing and big; for my game, I need those moments to happen at least 51 percent of the time, and I just didn't feel as confident returning consistently with this racquet. However, another positive was that the racquet was very stable and held up when I was stabbing at returns that pulled me off the court."

Overall - Score: 85