Dunlop CX 200 OS Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 82

When hanging out at the baseline and ripping groundstrokes, Chris found this CX 200 OS to be quite versatile, and it felt very comfortable on his arms. His typical racquet is slightly heavier and has a higher swingweight, so this CX 200 OS was a little lacking on the plow through, specifically on his slice backhand. He explained, "The CX 200 OS felt very fast and easy to swing on groundstrokes. I was able to generate some nice spin to keep my shots dipping inside the lines, and I felt confident aiming for aggressive targets. My angle shots were on point, and I had a lot of fun running my opponents side to side while testing this racquet. I also enjoyed the comfortable feel of the CX 200 OS at impact. This racquet felt like it had a generous sweetspot and was easy to use. On fast swings, I liked the way I could whip the racquet through the ball, but I would have liked a little more weight for my slice backhand and on block or chip shots. Still, I thought the racquet was decently stable for its weight and perfect for slicing and dicing when I was pushing forward to approach the net."

Mark was pleasantly surprised by how effective he could be with the CX 200 OS, considering it's lighter than racquets he typically favors. He said, "I was a lot happy and a little surprised that I played so well with this Dunlop CX 200 OS from the baseline. This racquet was easy to swing over long periods of time, and at contact with the ball I experienced far better directional control than I thought possible from a 295-gram frame. Spin-wise, I love the way Dunlop's 16x19 pattern grips and launches the ball off of the stringbed, allowing me to keep my backhand slice low over the net while still being able to shape most of my groundstrokes with lots of topspin."

Sage thought this racquet worked well for his baseline game, but he was left craving a bit more precision. He said, "This racquet felt comfortable and user friendly right out of the gate. I live and die from the baseline, so this area of the court sees the most action during my playtests. The CX 200 OS offered a nice upward trajectory off the stringbed that led to consistent and controlled depth. The additional weight, compared to other options in this class, helped with stability against heavy hitters. The only shortcoming for me was on the forehand side, where I often look to attack. I lost some of that smooth predictability during a full swing when I wanted to put the ball away. I guess this is somewhat of a tradeoff coming from the 97-square-inch head size that I usually play with."

Volleys - Score: 81

Our playtesters all praised the CX 200 OS' maneuverability and feel at net, but some also noted a slight lack of power and stability due to the weight. When it came to volleys, Mark found this CX 200 OS easy to use, but compared to some of the higher swingweight racquets he typically uses, it took more work to hot with depth. He explained, "I felt spot-on volleying with the Dunlop CX 200 OS, but due to its lighter weight and lower swingweight, I sometimes had to apply a timely squeeze to its handle or a slight push forward when hitting both standard and half volleys to get the ball to land deep in the opponent's court. I never felt hindered hitting my volleys inside the service box with this racquet, but I just felt like my volleys lacked a bit of sting or put-away power at times."

The thin beam and low flex of the CX 200 OS inspired Sage to muster up some touch and feel when coming to net. However, the lower weight and swingweight, compared to his usual racquet, made it feel as though this CX 200 OS was getting pushed around by big hitters. He said, "I felt very connected to the ball when hitting my volleys. It provided touch that felt superior to other oversized racquets with similar specs. I don't have the softest hands at net, but this racquet inspired confidence when I was experimenting with angles. That said, stability became an issue when I had to handle increased pace or hit a low half volley. When facing shots with a lot of pace, there were times I felt like the racquet fluttered a bit in my hand, but then again, my racquet of choice has a much beefier spec when it comes to weight and swingweight."

Just like when he was at the baseline, Chris found this racquet to be well rounded, and he thought that it worked especially well for him while playing doubles. He said, "The CX 200 OS was fun to volley with. The racquet felt super maneuverable. I found myself adding a little more swing to my volleys to cut under the ball with some aggressive slice to get my shots to die quickly. Likewise, when hitting angle volleys, I found myself adding more spin to help get the ball away. I had a lot of feel on my touch shots and felt connected to the ball. I played several sets of doubles with this racquet, and the CX 200 OS proved to be a worthy partner. The fast feel was perfect on tricky mid-court volleys and transition shots. The racquet also felt fast and easy to snap through on overheads. I'd likely customize it with a little weight at 3 and 9 and a leather grip for a slightly more solid feel when volleying in a more defensive situation, but all in all, I was impressed at net with the CX 200 OS."

Serves - Score: 82

While the Dunlop CX 200 OS may not have been a powerhouse, the racquet's easy speed and access to spin worked nicely for our team on serves. Sage was lacking a bit of confidence when going for his targets, coming from his usual 97-square-inch head size into this 105, but he appreciated the ease with which he could generate spin. He said, "This racquet felt fast through my service motion due to the light weight and relatively low swingweight. With the extremely fast feel and the 105-square-inch head size, I found it difficult to trust the placement of the ball when I wanted to flatten out my first serve. I just found the precision to be lacking compared to the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 I typically play with, but as far as second serves are concerned, I had no problem hitting a nice kick or slice out wide. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of spin I could generate and was able to use my slice and kick serves to the best of my ability."

Chris felt that the combination of the generous sweetspot and thin beam gave him an advantage on spin serves. He said, "I served well with this racquet. The large head and thin beam allowed me to take a fine cut at the ball without missing, which gave me great access to spin. My slice serve was working very well, and I was able to get some nice action on the ball. My flatter serves had good pace even though they weren't the heaviest serves I have hit. With that said, I got enough pace to get some service winners as well as force weak returns. I was also able to weather long service games with no fatigue thanks to how easy it was to swing this racquet."

Mark usually favors a heavier racquet for serving, and he has been using an extended-length frame with a higher swingweight for quite a while. Surprisingly, the CX 200 OS' maneuverability and larger head size proved to be a winning recipe for Mark. He described, "Typically, I prefer heavier racquets on serve and lighter racquets from the baseline, so I did not have high expectations for this 295-gram frame. That said, the serve ended up being my favorite shot to hit with the CX 200 OS. Its overall design persuaded me to swing faster and faster, which I could do without having to sacrifice consistency. The easy racquet head speed, combined with the 105-square-inch head size allowed me to generate more power than I was expecting, and my slice serve had plenty of curve to it. I also was surprised that I could find my targets on a consistent basis."

Returns - Score: 79

Our team was very impressed by the CX 200 OS' stellar return performance. This racquet gave Chris the confidence to move inside the court and take serves on the rise. Shall we call it the SABC or Sneak Attack By Chris? He explained, "Moving inside the court and taking returns early was a lot of fun with the Dunlop CX 200 OS. When I carried good swing speed through my shot, the racquet responded with solid pace, comfort and accuracy. Being able to position the racquet quickly allowed me to be creative, and my angle returns were working well. I think I could have gotten a little more out of my block returns with a little weight customization to the racquet, but I still really enjoyed it in stock form."

As with serves and volleys, the CX 200 OS exceeded Mark's expectations when he was hitting serve returns. There was a threshold at which Mark felt like this racquet became a bit unstable compared to his racquet of choice, but other than when he was facing big-hitting servers, it worked well for him. He said, "This was another part of the playtest where the CX 200 OS performed better than I expected. Just like the volley, so long as serve pace wasn't excessive (over 100 mph), my return of serve with the Dunlop CX 200 OS was consistent and reasonably effective. If I had my druthers, I might want a bit more mass added near the contact zone to help me keep my slice or chip returns nice and deep, but other than that, this racquet was rather forgiving on my returns."

For Sage, returning serves was likely his favorite shot to hit with this CX 200 OS. He said, "I found the sweetspot with regularity while returning both first and second serves, making good use of the head size that's larger than I am accustomed to. I was finding easy depth on my returns, which helped me neutralize the point or push my opponents back. The thin, flexible beam felt very smooth on contact and allowed me to guide the ball deep. I felt confident stepping into the court and taking returns early despite the overall lightweight feel of this racquet."

Overall - Score: 83