Yonex VCORE PRO 97D Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 87

Our playtesters relished hitting the Yonex VCORE PRO 97D from the baseline, finding the feel incredibly solid and accurate. Michelle was surprised by the dense string pattern's spin potential. She said, "It's been a while since the original VCORE PRO 97HD launched, but I remember liking that racquet more than I thought I would. I liked this update even more than that! I quickly noticed a bit of a firmer feel, which for me translated into easier power. I swear, at times I thought this was the open pattern model. I found easy access to pace; the swingweight was manageable and made it easy to find depth and acceleration. The VCORE PRO 97D felt stable, and I appreciated the controlled response with good targeting and precision when hitting my spots. I really never felt limited by the 18x20 string pattern. The heavier 330-gram racquet was too much for me, so I gravitated to this model and found it much more realistic for my game. I genuinely felt like Yonex edited this racquet for a player like me. The thicker beam helped with a bit more power while still offering good feel and control. It's weird for me to pick an 18x20 string pattern racquet as my favorite in the family, but this was my top choice out of all the VCORE PROs."

Mark also noted the stable feel and appreciated how well he could hit his backhand slices with this racquet. He said, "Solid was the first word that came to mind after just a few baseline exchanges with Yonex's update to the VCORE PRO 97HD. The next thing I noticed was that the new VCORE PRO 97D felt firmer than its predecessor, and then I remembered that Troy did indicate that its beam is now 1 mm thicker. Overall, groundstroke quality for me was top notch with this racquet. Getting the ball deep was easy with all that mass behind it, and the tight 18-main string pattern provided a typical low launch angle, but with easy access to topspin. In terms of slice, the heavy weight and tight pattern made my backhand slice one of my more reliable shots — a great weapon for my backcourt game, for sure."

Getting accustomed to this racquet was no issue for Sage, who said, "This update gave me exactly what I wanted in a dense-patterned frame. The increased beam width and slightly stiffer layup of graphite resulted in the coveted balance of power and control. The launch angle was lower than what I've become accustomed to over the last five years, but it wasn't an issue as the playtest unfolded. I gravitated toward a shaped polyester string to help with access to spin and to push the ball deeper in the court. The most shocking discovery was how much I enjoyed hitting backhands with this racquet. It came through the ball without any jarring or discomfort. Change of direction from the baseline was predictable and allowed me to dictate points from both wings. Getting into a rhythm with this racquet was nearly effortless."

Chris felt the VCORE PRO 97D worked especially well with his one-handed backhand. He said, "I really enjoyed the controlled response of the dense string pattern on this racquet. It swung with some added beef compared to my Tecnifibre TF40 305, so I found I had to prepare earlier to allow for the added swingweight. I was also able to abbreviate my backswing and still generate lots of pace and depth thanks to the plow through I was getting from the racquet. This latest version was definitely putting more pop on my shots compared to the outgoing racquet. When I had time to set up I was able to hit my one-handed backhand harder than ever; the weight provided the power, while it was just light enough for me to generate good swing speed."

Volleys - Score: 88

The added beam thickness gave the updated Yonex VCORE PRO 97D a firmer feel, and our playtesters found that the racquet's stability and responsiveness aided their volleys. Sage described, "The VCORE PRO 97D had excellent feel and stability at net. I was impressed by how easily it picked up half volleys. Even against big groundstrokes, it stayed steady in punching through the ball with accuracy. It instilled confidence when closing the net, and it proved to be a weapon during doubles play."

"I loved the feel and response of this racquet at net," Chris continued. "The VCORE PRO 97D felt very solid and comfortable. I was able to redirect pace well and enjoyed serving-and-volleying with this racquet. I was missing a little of the 'flickability' I get from my TF40 305 when looking to work an angle or use some wrist to dig out a pickup volley, but otherwise, I found this a very good racquet for volleying."

Michelle found great touch and stability. She said, "I was happy with the touch from this racquet at net. It felt stable and held up to big hitters, but it still allowed me to carve some touch into my shots. I found myself moving forward more with the heaviest version of this racquet, so I had ample opportunities to practice my net game even with the denser patterned racquet in my hands. Slicing and approaching the net was fun and successful as well."

The VCORE PRO 97D provided Mark effortless success at the net. He explained, "I have to say, the new Yonex VCORE PRO 97D was one of the most obedient racquets I have played with in terms of hitting most any shot inside the service box. The balance of its 325-gram frame weight, combined with the firmer beam and tight strong pattern, helped me end a lot of points on my terms."

Serves - Score: 87

Our team really clicked with the Yonex VCORE PRO 97D on serves, with some testers finding this to be the highlight of the playtest. Chris said, "My favorite shot to hit with this racquet was the serve. I loved the blend of power and control I had on my serves. The weight of the racquet offered excellent plow-through power, and the dense stringbed provided lots of control. I was able to get many weak returns by hitting a slice kicker into the body. With the VCORE PRO 97D, I was able to go for aggressive targets without feeling like I was taking a lot of risk."

Mark also found the serve to be his favorite shot to hit with the VCORE PRO 97D. He said, "I felt confident from almost any position on the court, but particularly on serve. I will lay blame on the VCORE PRO 97D's weight, balance, stiffness and dense string pattern as to why I was able to crank a little more speed, accuracy and consistency from my serve. The serve was definitely my favorite shot to hit with the new VCORE PRO 97D!"

While she wasn't exactly blown away, Michelle was pleased with the serving output from the VCORE PRO 97D. She described, "I wouldn't say this racquet stood out on serves in particular, but it also didn't lack in any way. I have been working on some new mechanics to get myself to extend into the court rather than straight up, and I was able to execute timing and explosiveness when serving with this racquet. I was happy with the amount of spin I could generate, and again, didn't feel like I had a denser string pattern in my hands. I could hit flatter serves, but I could also access spin, whether it was a slice or kick."

For Sage, the VCORE PRO 97D's dense pattern was not lacking in the spin department, especially when strung with a shaped polyester. He explained, "This racquet offers a great blend of specs to produce a consistently good serve. Similar to hitting groundstrokes, a shaped polyester helped with ball bite, so I didn't feel a massive discrepancy in the spin department. It had enough mass to keep power on tap without being too demanding once the racquet was overhead. Briefly returning to the trajectory of my serve, I did have to focus on net clearance. Most of my faults were in the net, and I think this was at least in part due to the string pattern and my comfort zone being with a 16x19 string pattern."

Returns - Score: 84

With its precision, added stability and comfort, the Yonex VCORE PRO 97D produced consistently solid serve returns for our playtesters. When it came to hitting returns, this racquet was Michelle's favorite from the VCORE PRO 97 line. She said, "It checked all my boxes: stable, controlled, enough mass to put returns away, maneuverable enough to hit dippers and angles. I felt in command with what I wanted to do with my returns. No complaints here!"

"The racquet remained firm in hand without ever feeling unstable," Sage added. "The response was comfortable, and I found success with my backhand slice staying low if I had to be defensive. Stepping into a second serve return, especially on the forehand side, was almost too much fun at times. The control off the stringbed was a green light to time my return and tee off on the ball. I didn't have any trouble maneuvering it into position, but I always like to note that I prefer racquets on the heavier side in general."

Although the VCORE PRO 97D has a higher swingweight than his racquet of choice, Chris was able to dial in his returns and had great shot selection. He said, "I returned well with this VCORE PRO 97D. Because it has some beef to it, compared to my racquet, I kept my backswing more compact and focused on driving through the ball. Getting my angle returns working took longer, but by the end of the test, I had adjusted to the higher swingweight and was able to return with more variety."

Mark used the racquet's mass and precision to add more pace to his returns. He said, "I regard the new VCORE PRO 97D as a mass-based power racquet, otherwise known as a control-oriented racquet. Most often, heavy racquets complement all of my shots with the exception of my return of serve, but during this playtest I found myself going for a more offensive topspin return instead of relying so much on my chip and half volley return style."

Overall - Score: 88