Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.4

The main storyline with this EZONE 100+ from the baseline was its plentiful power. The EZONE 100+ isn’t as whippy and speedy as the racquets our team generally prefers, it makes up for it with surprising feel and stability. A huge fan of the standard EZONE 100, Brittany found plenty of easy depth and pace after getting used to the longer frame. She explained, "I always have a small adjustment period with every extended-length racquet to adapt to the extra half inch. With the EZONE 100+, I needed a couple of hours to get the timing down, especially on my backhand. I also had to adjust to the launch angle and a lot of my groundstrokes were landing deep initially, and when I attempted to make corrections I was hitting shorter than anticipated. I was able to dial in both issues after about three hours, and I found that the racquet was loaded with heavy power. I was able to hit groundstrokes with a lot of pace and spin, and the smoother my strokes the better the results. However, when I tried to hit my shorter, angled groundstrokes, I had trouble rotating my wrist and executing them to the degree I am used to. However, I executed the slice extremely well with this racquet. I was able to keep it low and penetrating, and I found myself confident enough to hit it more than usual, both defensively and offensively."

Chris fell for the inherent power that the EZONE 100+ seemed to offer on every shot. He said, "I was hitting the ball about as hard as I can when I had time to set up, and I was hitting the ball about as hard as I can. Both my forehand and backhand had extra pace. Fortunately, I was able to get ample spin to give the ball some height over the net and still get it to drop inside the lines. My backhand slice was working exceptionally well with this racquet. I was able to hit a knifing slice, and I could hold the shot till the last instance before going down the line or cross court. My topspin shots also worked very well, and I felt like they were penetrating the court nicely. I focused on getting plenty of spin on my approach shots because this was where I could get into trouble with all of the power on tap. I also had issues digging out shots hit near my feet when I was caught on or just inside the baseline. If I sliced those shots back I was OK, but if I tried to hit with topspin it was tough to get the ball to clear the net compared to using a standard-length racquet."

Jason was impressed by the ball speed he was getting off the strings, and he enjoyed the playable nature of the racquet despite it not being in his particular wheelhouse spec-wise. He described, "The EZONE 100+ provided plenty of pop and depth from the baseline. It was easy to overhit if I wasn't careful about adding topspin to my shots, but I was also hitting more winners and being more offensive than I normally am. I would've liked the racquet to be a bit more maneuverable, but I think it's to be expected with an extended-length racquet."

Appreciative of the racquet's natural pop, Tiffani found herself doing more damage than she's accustomed to from the baseline. She said, "I do love a good extended-length racquet for its power, and this EZONE 100+ definitely delivers on that front. My first shots from the baseline just seemed to fly, and I needed some time to dial them back. With some added topspin, I could get my shots to land deep and push my opponent back off the baseline. That's not typically something I would see because I'm not a power hitter. I did need to prep early to give myself enough time to get the racquet around my body because it's not as easy to whip around as the standard EZONE 100. The shots I had the most trouble with were when my opponent hit heavy slices hit deep into the court. I was hitting those shots consistently late, and blocking the ball back became my go-to in those situations."

Volleys: 8.4

Up at the net, the EZONE 100+ offered phenomenal reach and put-away power, but the drop-off in maneuverability was perhaps most noticed when volleying. Despite this, the great feel and touch helped to make this part of the playtest a good experience for our team. For Jason, the stability went a long way, just like the racquet's length. He said, "I thought this racquet was really stable on my volleys. Whether I was hitting in or outside the sweetspot, the torsional stability was rock solid. It has that nice Yonex EZONE feel to it, so I felt well connected to my shots and could judge drop volleys well with it."

Tiffani found herself going for more aggressive volleys more often because she couldn't keep up in higher paced volley exchanges. She explained, "There was good feel, stability and pop on my volleys. However, it was not a walk in the park for me at the net. I liked volleying when I had time to set up because of the power level and stability. However, if a ball came at my body I had trouble getting the racquet into position. If I didn't put the ball away on the first or second volley I would go into panic mode because I wasn't confident I could stay in fast exchanges at net."

For Brittany, the racquet's performance at net offered more options than she would've expected, particularly in doubles. She said, “The standout features at net with the EZONE 100+ were the feel, stability and extra reach. I think the EZONE line of racquets has one of the best modern feels on the market, and the extended-length models are no exception. I felt very connected to the stringbed. I also loved how I could use the reach and the stability to get a couple extra shots back that I normally don't get. The EZONE 100+ was extremely fun in doubles because I could cover the court well and be aggressive. The only downside is that the EZONE 100+ is a little less maneuverable than the standard-length version, so I had to put extra effort into getting the racquet into place early." 

As one of our net specialists, Chris was delighted by the versatility and efficacy of the EZONE 100+ when he was volleying with it. He noted, "I volleyed very well with this racquet. I played a lot of serve-and-volley tennis during this playtest because this racquet was so fun at net. Unlike when I was hitting from the baseline, I felt like the EZONE 100+ really helped me when balls were hit at my feet. I hit some crazy half volleys I felt I had no business making, but make them I did. Thank you, EZONE 100+! The racquet felt very comfortable at contact, the power was easy to generate and I could quickly finish off points."

Serves: 8.7

When you combine an extended-length frame with the serving prowess of the EZONE family, the result is usually going to be a devastating first serve. With the EZONE 100+ in hand, each of our playtesters powered through their serves with more intensity than usual. Chris had a blast serving with this racquet, and he consistently upped the ante. He described, "I found the EZONE 100+ to be a superb racquet for serving, and it gave me tons of confidence. I absolutely loved the power I was able to generate with this racquet, and I was getting lots of spin. My first serve percentage was higher than usual, which gave me the confidence to hit two first serves if I was up in a game instead of going for a safe second serve." 

Brittany powered through most of her firsts and was getting good depth. She said, "First serves with extended-length racquets are always so fun to hit, and I was hitting some pretty heavy and powerful first serves that were landing deep in the service box when I connected to the ball. This translated to some easy free points during matches as well as some weak returns in doubles that my partner could put away. Second serves were a slightly different story, and I had to really make sure to go after my shots and rotate my wrist. When I started to get tentative or fatigued I would hit either a weak second serve or double fault."

For Jason, the serving experience was defined by the massive spin and pace he could generate effortlessly. He explained, "I was definitely getting more pop on my serves with this racquet. The added length and mass had me hitting some big serves. Additionally, the open string pattern was great for adding spin so I could be effective even when I hit a slow second serve." 

Tiffani also enjoyed the massive power afforded to her by this racquet's extended length. She said, “I loved the powerful feel of my serves when I was able to execute my swing properly, and I could get more speed and court penetration. I did struggle to maintain it, though, because I felt like I needed to emphasize my motion to get the racquet moving. On the flip side, hitting those big serves is addicting, so I guess it's time to serve more baskets of balls until I can build up my strength!"

Returns: 8.4

Returns with the EZONE 100+ offered plenty of easy power (as expected), and the racquet was great for blocking back serves or using a chip return style. Our team primarily employed a more compact stroke with the EZONE 100+ when returning. The racquet would send the ball long at times for Tiffani, but she still found ways to employ the stability. She described, "I used a more compact stroke and still fire off effective, deep returns. There were times when I needed to remind myself to complete my swing by coming over the top to add topspin because I had a tendency to send returns long. The returns, though, reminded me how stable and powerful the EZONE 100+ can be." 

Similarly, Jason found himself swinging freely from the get-go. He said, "Go big or go home! I liked taking big cuts at the ball with this racquet. Did that result in more errors? Definitely. But it also resulted in more winners and forced errors from my opponents. I did have to stand back a bit farther than I normally do to account for the higher swingweight — not quite Daniil Medvedev like, but back a foot or two. Blocking defensive shots back also resulted in easy depth, which allowed me time to get back into the middle of the court for the next ball."  

Brittany found herself having to be a little more intentional in terms of the style of return she was able to employ. She explained, "I had to make an effort to control all the power I received once I got the racquet around my body on the return. Because the EZONE 100+ was a little tough to maneuver at times, I found that keeping my swing really compact and blocking the ball back gave me the most success. I had a little more freedom to go after the ball on my second serve returns, but I made sure I added a little extra spin and went for larger targets to avoid overhitting." 

The EZONE 100+'s returning performance felt very solid and dependable to Chris. He said, "I liked the solid feel of the EZONE 100+ on returns. The racquet felt very comfortable and forgiving. As on groundstrokes, my backhand was working well. I was able to knife slice returns and drive topspin returns. I hit some very powerful down-the-line forehand returns off wide slice serves. I loved the blend of power and control I had when going for that aggressive shot."

Breakdown Summary