Dunlop CX 200 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 82

With its control-oriented response and comfortable feel, the Dunlop CX 200 instantly clicked with our playtesters at the baseline. Brittany, who is no stranger to the CX 200, started off the playtest, saying, "I have tested the previous two iterations (2019 and 2017), so I had a fairly good idea of what to expect out of this update. Right from the start, I found the updated response to be more controlled and low powered. I enjoyed rallying with this racquet from the baseline; it was easy to swing and offered plenty of access to spin. The stringbed provided a consistent response and allowed me to be confident in where I was aiming, so I could go for riskier targets. I was missing a little extra put-away power, especially when I was trying to be aggressive on an approach shot. I have been slicing a little bit more these days, and the CX 200 was knifing through the air nicely, allowing me to stay neutral on defensive balls."

"I've been a fan of this line since the CX 2.0 for its control," Tiffani continued. "With this newest CX 200, I found a groove right away, whereas it took me quite a while to settle in with the previous version. I have also liked the CX racquets for their more traditional feel, and this update offered a connected, comfortable response off the stringbed. This racquet was very fast through the air, but it didn't offer tons of free power. I didn't find it underpowered, but it's not like the more modern frames that give you the sense you're crushing the ball. The lower powered response, along with the easy maneuverability, let me play my counterpunching game and move the ball around the court. Although I hit a pretty flat ball, I like to tap into my slice backhand. Here I was wishing for a bit more weight to help keep the ball from flying."

Jason was also a fan of the previous version, and he was looking forward to this update. He described, "I have to say, there wasn't much difference in terms of playability, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's still a very user-friendly intermediate player's racquet that offers a whippy response. Because I could generate racquet head speed so easily, I was able to hit with plenty of spin and find sharper angles. Like with the previous model, there wasn't a lot of free power, and I had to swing out more to win points. The main change came in the feel department. This version feels slightly softer and more dampened, but not too muted."

Volleys - Score: 82

While all the playtesters agreed that the CX 200 felt quick up at net, some thought there was room to add weight to increase the stability. Tiffani enjoyed the maneuverable yet stable response. She said, "I was testing the CX 400 Tour at the same time, and although different, I liked both of these racquets off the ground. When I moved forward to net, the CX 200 really won me over. It felt much more nimble on volleys, so I didn't feel late and it still felt stable. Maneuverability is key to get my confidence up, and with this racquet in hand I wouldn't hesitate to move forward if given the opportunity."

"I thought Dunlop created a nice balance of maneuverability and stability within the frame," added Brittany. "This was apparent up at net. The racquet was easy to get into position, but I never felt like it was getting pushed around even when I was volleying a hard-hit passing shot. The CX 200 has a more traditional feel, which I really appreciated up at net. I could hit a variety of volleys with ease and had enough feel to hit some great touch and half volleys."

On the other hand, Jason didn't quite find the stability he was looking for. He said, "The CX 200 felt quick and agile, but it did get pushed around. I felt like I could easily get the racquet into place to make solid contact, but when I was trying to send back a harder hit passing shot, I was left wanting a little more weight and stability."

Serves - Score: 79

The Dunlop CX 200 offered accuracy and spin potential on serves, and our playtesters appreciated the ease in generating racquet head speed. Jason thought that this was a very easy racquet to serve with. He said, "It felt effortless to get the CX 200 up and through contact. The excellent maneuverability allowed me to hit with lots of spin on my serves, and the control was solid as well. The only downside was the lack of power."

Brittany had a similar experience when serving as she did when hitting groundstrokes. She said, "Without repeating myself too much, I focused more on the placement of my serve versus the pace. My favorite serves to hit were slice serves out wide on the deuce side and up the T on the ad side. I could get some nice action on the ball and have it bounce away from my opponent. On second serves, I appreciated the ease of getting the racquet up and over my head since I can get a little tentative sometimes. However, I did have to remind myself to keep the racquet speed up, or I would dump the serve short. My only knock is that I wanted a little bit of extra free power on both first and second serves."

Like Brittany, Tiffani focused more on precision than power when it came to serving. She described, "Mobility was again a highlight for me. I am never able to hit big serves, and the CX 200 definitely wasn't helping me in that department. It was about placement for me, and I enjoyed hitting my slice serves."

Returns - Score: 83

The CX 200 provided our team a winning combination of maneuverability and control on returns. As Brittany anticipated, she preferred to return with this racquet rather than serve. She explained, "The CX 200 was easy to get around my body, but I never felt out of control on my returns. I was able to swing freely without any worries of overhitting. I took big cuts at second serves and could aim for smaller targets. I was impressed with the stability when returning first serves, and I never felt the racquet flutter in my hands."

Tiffani was in a similar boat. She said, "As is generally the case, I much preferred returning with the CX 200 than serving. It felt stable and quick through the air. This, combined with a controlled response, helped me feel confident going after my returns. I could mix it up by going right back at the server or moving the ball around to start the point on the attack, which I found harder to manage on my serves."

Jason wrapped up the playtest on a positive note. He said, "What the CX 200 lacked in power, it made up for with its whippy response. I could take big cuts at the ball and get tons of spin on my forehand returns. I wanted a bit more depth on my shots when blocking the ball back was my only option, but they weren't landing terribly short."

Overall - Score: 81