Prince Synergy 98 Racquets Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 83

The Synergy 98 felt very solid to our team off the ground. Chris found the racquet to drive through the strike zone very well, providing a sense of good plow-through power. He said, "I enjoyed this racquet the most on flatter swings where I was looking to get the ball away with pace. I also found the Synergy 98 to work very well on my slice backhand. I was able to float or drive the ball deep as well as carve angles with lots of control."

Michelle found a connection from her first hit. She also noted some similarities to the CTS Synergy DB26, but she thought this Synergy 98 offered a more modern feel. She explained, "While these two racquets might have nothing to do with each other, I know the CTS Beam is a technology I enjoy from Prince, and I was happy to see it in the Synergy 98. I really had no complaints on groundstrokes. I went most of the playtest without knowing the specs of the Synergy 98. It swings swiftly, but I still felt like it had good mass behind the ball. I was intrigued by the 18x18 string pattern; it offered more control than a 16x19 but more power than an 18x20, which is exactly what I am always searching for. It felt more maneuverable than I thought it would considering the RDC swingweight, and it was fairly stable. I could ramp up power, but I was never concerned about overhitting. However, there were times when I felt like I got a little lost in the stringbed and sweetspot, which was not as generous as I was hoping. I would hit a great return but then chase that feeling for the following two or three returns. I spent most of the playtest trying to put my finger on it, but I can only attribute it to bad timing and a slightly unforgiving sweetspot."

Mark can usually get a good feel for a racquet just by starting his sessions with some mini-tennis. He said, "Even hitting short court, I can always tell if a racquet has a high swingweight because I have trouble getting the tip all the way through contact without sailing the ball past the service line. Directional control is my main weapon, and once I got used to this racquet's swingweight, I became confident changing the direction of the ball and aiming my shots toward the corners. The Synergy 98's unique and semi-tight 18x18 string pattern was very spin friendly and exhibited a lower launch angle (similar to Yonex's 16x20 patterns). Overall, this was a great racquet to swing from the baseline. I could comfortably shape my groundstrokes with spin for safety over a long period of time, yet it was still hefty enough for me to put away shots. The 18x18 string pattern definitely complemented my backhand slice too."

Volleys - Score: 82

The overall feel of the Prince Synergy 98 was firm, solid and comfortable on volleys. Michelle found it to be quite stable as well. She said, "I have nothing major to report and no real complaints. It wasn't the most powerful racquet, but it was predictable; I felt like I had a good grasp on all my shots at net. I may have had to put a bit more behind the ball to feel effective on put-away volleys, but I did find some nice touch and feel, and I enjoyed drilling volleys with this racquet in my hands."

With a full bed of a polyester strung at mid tension, the Prince Synergy 98 felt very obedient in Mark's hands. He said, "The racquet felt crisp, and my volley was consistent and precise. The only knock I can give to the Synergy 98 at net was that its control bordered on low power, and some volleys landed shorter than expected, requiring me to add a little more of a punch at contact."

At net, Chris had a very good sense of where his shots were going. He explained, "The overall feel of the Synergy 98 was solid and comfortable on volleys. I liked how stable the racquet felt, which allowed me to relax and place my volley without having to worry about the racquet twisting in my hand."

Serves - Score: 80

This Synergy 98 was a true all-court racquet for Mark's game, but he loved serving with it the most. He said, "Everyone has a favorite shot to hit with a racquet, right? For the Synergy 98, my favorite was the serve. The 11.4-ounce strung weight was light enough for me to get wristy on my serve, and its higher swingweight helped with pace and accuracy."

While Chris loved hitting first serves with this racquet, he struggled with his second serves. He described, "When hitting fast flat serves, I found pretty good accuracy and was happy with the results. On my second serves, I wasn't able to generate my usual spin and had issues hitting serves long. I found my best results hitting a slice second serve, but I never really found the groove throughout the test."

"I wasn't overly wowed by one thing or the other, but I did enjoy the feel at contact, and I felt I could command my serve," added Michelle. "This was not a powerful racquet to serve with. I know some of the other playtesters noted a lack of spin from the 18x18 pattern, but I thought it did the job fairly well."

Returns - Score: 83

The Prince Synergy 98's impressive stability and control made it a star on returns for our playtesters. Chris particularly appreciated the racquet's solid response in this category. He said, "Taking the ball early with a compact backswing resulted in good depth because I could rely on the racquet to provide the stability needed to redirect pace. I liked hitting both drive and chip returns with this racquet, and it was easy to find my targets on both shots. The stringbed felt very predictable, and the racquet had enough mass to stay comfortable even when up against heavy serves."

The return of serve is where the Synergy 98 shone the brightest for Michelle. She said, "I think the return was my favorite shot to hit with the Synergy 98. The controlled power, stability, feel and denser string pattern all allowed me to hit out and be aggressive. The swingweight was just enough to put good mass behind the ball, but I could still get around the ball for angles and dippers. It allowed me to block big serves back, and I could keep the ball deep to set myself up for success or dig myself back into the point. As I mentioned earlier on groundstrokes, the sweetspot felt a little small, and I was chasing that 'perfect' feel at times. Luckily, the stringbed was still forgiving, and even the returns that didn't feel perfect still went in more often than not."

Mark found the Synergy 98's combination of maneuverability and stability ideal for his return game. He explained, "The overall spec of this racquet had a similar effect on my return as it did on my serve. The racquet was light enough for me to get it over the top of the ball, and with a mid-330 swingweight, I found it added stability to every return attempt."

Overall - Score: 82