Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.7

On paper, the EZONE 98+ 2025 promises power, plow through and precision from the baseline. And from their first hit with this new racquet, our playtesters found just that, plus a forgiving feel at contact. Having called the previous EZONE 98+ his racquet of choice for a few years, Troy was confident right out of the gate with this update. He began, "I first switched to the EZONE 98+ in 2018 (the version that followed the EZONE DR 98+). I have since become familiar with how this extended racquet feels and plays, and I knew I could swing freely and aggressively from the baseline with the EZONE 98+ 2025. When hitting my forehands, I found easy depth and plow through, but I still had control and precision, which let me attack and be aggressive. That same easy depth worked great on my backhand slice, and I could hit the slice deep and low. Although my forehand is my biggest weapon, the extra half inch of length this racquet has improves my two-handed backhand the most; I get a little more leverage for power and depth, and I like the longer handle. Overall, it gives me a little boost on my backhand since I don't generate easy racquet-head speed like I can on my forehand."

This was a seamless update from the previous EZONE 98+ for Michelle, who also knew just what to expect. She said, "I assumed it would be loaded with great access to controlled power in a stable package, and that was exactly what I experienced. Having wrapped up the standard EZONE 98 playtest just before this one, I was excited for a little bit more plow through and that extra half inch of length. The EZONE 98+ 2025 was so solid, yet plush, at contact, and it swung fluidly through the ball. I also appreciated the tighter string spacing near the sweetspot to help control the power. The launch angle was predictable, and definitely not launchy (which I noted from the EZONE 100). The EZONE 98+ 2025 paired well with my longer, flat strokes, and the ball did exactly what I asked of it. Don't get me wrong, spin was available if and when I needed it! Lastly, as with most extended frames, my two-handed backhand was amazing to hit, and I felt really connected and confident striking balls off that side."

The 2025 EZONE 98+ complemented Mark's groundstrokes, but he did struggle at times. He explained, "With its heft, I was challenged in my ability to hit short angles, which had me wishing the swingweight was just a bit lower or the balance was just a little more head light (maybe around a 7-points head-light balance). For me, spin was very easy to access, and combined with that higher 330-ish swingweight, stability was never an issue and shot depth was easy to gauge. One of my favorite aspects of this racquet was how easy it was for me to go back and forth between hitting effective slice and topspin off my backhand wing."

Oak said, "Despite the swingweight being a fairly manageable 334, I found this racquet to be very slow through the air and downright sluggish at times. I couldn't get the usual whip that I've come to expect from my shots, and the feel proved somewhat stiff for me. My adjustment period with this racquet was definitely longer than normal, and I also found the EZONE 98+ 2025 to be string sensitive. A full bed of poly was too stiff, while a lively polyester proved very hard to make viable, so I greatly appreciated testing this frame in a softer hybrid setup, like POLYTOUR DRIVE in the mains and POLYTOUR STRIKE in the crosses. Once I got everything a little more dialed in, I began to really enjoy what this racquet offered in terms of pop and feel. The power access is off the charts. There were stunning amounts of depth and pace from just the tiniest of flicks, which forced me to really slow down my swing. One-handers were incredibly satisfying, and my two-handers had ridiculous spin and net clearance. It was fun to mix up my backhands, but I seemed to hit more one-handers. On the forehand side, I had to be very intentional about keeping the racquet up on the take back, but if I made contact out in front of me and moved through the shot, I saw good results. Slices were dreamy in terms of bite across the ball and through the court."

Volleys: 8.3

While the swingweight was a bit challenging for some of our playtesters in some places on the court, the EZONE 98+ performed nearly flawlessly for everyone at net. Whether it was a clutch half volley that required some soft touch or a more offensive put-away volley, Mark felt connected and in command at the net. He said, "As expected, any volley that I had to deal with at full stretch was virtually foolproof with this racquet in hand. And to my surprise, shots aimed at my body were easily dished back into play so long as I relied more on my backhand volley."

"Volleys were sublime with this racquet!" exclaimed Michelle. "The racquet was super stable, easy to get in position and opened up loads of shot options — even my lefty reach volley, which I find is best executed with racquets 27.5 inches in length. Something about this EZONE just made me want to swing at a lot of balls and be ultra-offensive at net. Plus, with a longer racquet and that controlled power from the start of the point, I hoped to end most points at the net or on my way to the net. I was fairly successful hitting drop volleys for the most part, even with my rock-hard hands." 

Oak enjoyed the extra reach when attempting to defend a passing shot or for getting up to high volleys and overheads. He described, "The great feel of the EZONE 98+ 2025 stayed consistent at the net, and I enjoyed the spin capability for shaping balls as well. I found myself going for touch volleys more often, but slamming one down was more than doable with this racquet (it just might go long). Overall, I was pretty connected to the ball, but some additional comfort would've definitely been appreciated."

Troy noted a solid feel and easy depth on his volleys, but he had some critiques. He said, "I felt like the balance was off in stock form. With my customized 2022 version of the EZONE 98+, I added a lot of weight to the handle to make it about 9 or 10 points head light (strung), and that's how I like the balance to feel, especially when it comes to volleys. Beyond that, I felt in command of the ball in terms of placement, and the EZONE 98+ 2025 felt stable when facing big hitters. The feel of the racquet is something that we often talk about, but not something you can really measure or quantify. With this update, I really enjoyed the plush feel and ball pocketing when hitting touch volleys and drop shots."

Serves: 8.8

Our squad found the EZONE 98+ 2025 to be a real weapon on first and second serves, with plenty of access to power, spin and directional control. Michelle loved the racquet's plow through power here. She said, "I had the ability to hit really strong first serves. I've been working on placement over spin and pace on my second serves, and this racquet allowed me to get specific with my targeting and hit my spots. I liked hitting serves into the body of my opponents; it was a nice way to earn a weaker return or free point. Flat T serves were fun to hit, and I felt rewarded even going wide with a bigger, slicing serve on the deuce side."

The EZONE 98+ 2025 felt like a serving weapon in Troy's hands. He described, "I actually don't mind the balance and the weight in stock form on my serves. The combination of the high swingweight (compared to most racquets on the market) and the low static weight (compared to what I usually play with) gave the EZONE 98+ 2025 a bit of that hammer feel. I could generate easy pace, especially on flat first serves, and I felt like I was maxing out my MPHs if I timed the serve well with my leg drive. I was also able to generate sharp angles with my lefty spin serve out wide on the ad side. This racquet gave me really good precision and placement on my kick serves, but I think spin comes a bit easier with the VCORE 98."

For Oak, the EZONE 98+'s length gave it a natural advantage on serves. He said, "On serves more than anywhere else, it's so hard not to recommend an extended-length racquet, at least for someone to try out. The extra pop I got was just so easy to make practical, and for those of us who are maybe a little more vertically challenged, it is beyond helpful to have some additional downward angle. The EZONES are some of my favorite racquets to serve with, and this 98+ had so much to offer in terms of its easy plow through, great spin and reliability when going after aggressive targets.”

It took Mark a couple of practice sessions to get used to how substantial the EZONE 98+ 2025 felt when swinging it over his head. He explained, "I never got to the point where I could max out my swing speed and aim to the corners, but once I got into a rhythm with the EZONE 98+, consistent serves with some sting on the ball became easy to generate."

Returns: 8.5

Easy plow through and stability were some of our team's favorite features when returning with the EZONE 98+ 2025. Oak described, "Due to the immense access to power and the great feel, I simply loved returning with this racquet. I could line up for a spot and power through the ball with no problems. I've been leaning toward my one-handed backhand on my returns these days, mainly for the extra reach afforded, and this 98+ was wholly obedient on that wing. On the forehand side, it was a little slow to get going, but thankfully, a shorter backswing was helpful here. I did feel late more frequently than I would have liked, especially against first serves, but the racquet was surprisingly stable when I did time the ball well, despite the extra length."

"Even when facing big servers, the EZONE 98+ 2025 felt stable on contact," added Troy. "The ease with which I could block the serve back into the court and get the depth I needed was appreciated. Not only did I find easy plow through power, but I could also hit my returns hard and flat without the ball flying long. I could control the depth of my returns very well and still be aggressive. I felt like my two-handed backhand return was enhanced by this racquet, and I could generate easier power and depth compared to many of the standard-length racquets that I have tested recently. I liked that with the 98-square-inch head size there was enough control and precision to make me feel confident playing doubles. Typically, to be effective in doubles I need to be able to hit my spots with my returns (smaller windows than in singles), and I felt precise and in command of the ball with the EZONE 98+ 2025. To sum it up, I had the power I needed to rip forehand returns, but I was also able to place it when I needed that precision."

Always swinging big as soon as possible in any point, Michelle admired how stable the EZONE 98+ 2025 was when she was returning. She explained, "I could really catch the ball in front of my body and swing with speed to generate deep, attacking returns. The extra half inch helped me reach tricky serves that were running me into the TW wall, or even cut off a high-kicking serve before it got above my shoulders. The swingweight was manageable enough that I could either blast returns down the line or through the middle or change things up with a roller return to pull my opponent off the court."

Maneuverability remained an issue for Mark when returning. He said, "Because of the EZONE 98+'s high swingweight and extra length, I still couldn't find complete synergy here. However, I was pretty comfortable dealing with serves kicked up high, and it was very easy to slice them back into play."

Breakdown Summary