Tecnifibre TF40 315 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 82

Our team unanimously agreed that the TF40 315 came equipped with loads of feel. Chris loved it on groundstrokes. He began, "I felt very connected to the ball. Comfort was great, and the racquet felt very solid. I really enjoyed hitting through the ball, and I found I could drive my shots well with depth and pace. The TF40 315 was harder to maneuver than the 305 version and my current racquet, so I focused on hitting drives rather than angles or loopy shots. The solid response made it a great racquet for hitting my slice backhand. I was able to let the racquet do the work and focus on depth, placement and spin. If there were areas where I wanted a faster feel from the racquet, it was when I was forced to pick up balls around my feet or when looking to hit a sharp cross-court passing shot."

Troy echoed, "I loved the feel of this racquet from the first strike of the ball. I also really enjoyed the combination of power and control. I was impressed by the performance of the Tecnifibre ATP TFight 305 XTC when we reviewed it, and I thought that this TF40 offered even better feel. I could take big swings at the ball without fear of it flying on me. My backhand slice felt very smooth and precise. Although this racquet primarily offered me a high level of control, it didn't feel too low powered or overly flexible on contact. If I had one knock, this racquet felt a bit too whippy for my taste, and I thought that it lacked some put-away power. With that in mind, I would add some weight to the hoop to help with power. I would also string it with a thin gauge co-poly, like Tecnifibre Black Code 4S 18 (1.20), to help add some spin potential and increase the launch angle. I have been using 16x19 string patterns for the past couple of years and have become accustomed to the higher launch angle and easy lift on my groundstrokes."

The TF40 315's spec and cosmetics instantly appealed to Michelle, and she was excited to give this player's frame a try. She said, "From my very first hit I liked the feel on contact, and I felt connected to the stringbed. We've been testing several dense-patterned racquets lately, and it's nice to have this TF40 315 to compare to some of the others. While I enjoyed hitting with it, my groundstrokes lacked a bit of punch, and my shots weren't penetrating the court as much as I would have liked. In all honesty, my opponents offered me that feedback initially, and I could tell I lost a little sting behind my ball. Drilling was fun, but when I stepped up to play points I noticed I was missing some plow through. This resulted in me trying to swing harder and go for more instead of playing smarter. I think some simple customizing would sort this out. I preferred the TF40 315 off my backhand wing, since it seemed like I could generate a bit more power with both hands on the racquet."

Mark did not need much of a transition period to hit effective groundstrokes. He described, "I got more connected to the racquet as the playtest went on. The strung 11.8-ounce weight of the TF40 315 kept me from being bullied around on the baseline, plus it was easy to generate lots of spin. Lastly, I do slice the ball on the backhand side quite a bit, and this racquet definitely complements that shot."

Volleys - Score: 87

Feel continued to be the standout characteristic of the TF40 315 when our playtesters transitioned to the net. "I felt very connected to the ball, more so than with any other Tecnifibre racquet I have tried," said Troy. "Although this racquet has a lower swingweight than my racquet of choice, it still provided an impressive amount of stability against hard hitters. I placed my volleys precisely within the court. It allowed me to use my touch and feel to keep my opponents playing defense. I loved the blend of control, feel and maneuverability when playing doubles. I could get the racquet in place easily during quick exchanges at the net, and my ability to place shots helped me to be very effective."

"The TF40 315 did great at net," added Michelle, who is an aggressive volleyer. "I found loads of feel and directional control. I could take big cuts or carve out some cheeky touch shots. It felt stable as well and was easy to maneuver, even when big balls were blasted toward me. Swinging volleys were splendid, and I could hit out without fear of overhitting or losing control. I felt confident moving forward and hitting my first volley with this racquet in hand."

Mark also loved volleying with this control-oriented stick. He noted, "The tip-light balance made it easy to get the racquet into position, while the racquet's weight provided all the stability I needed. The energy-absorbing layup of graphite afforded me plenty of feel."

The combination of feel and stability had Chris more than pleased at net. He said, "The level of feel and control was superb. I really enjoyed how stable and comfortable the racquet felt. The response was dampened enough to be smooth and comfortable without muting feedback. My touch volleys were working well, and there was enough power to punch volleys away. I had a lot of fun serving and volleying with this racquet in both singles and doubles. The TF40 315 has a spec similar to a classic player's racquet, and I found it responded very well to a classic serve-and-volley playing style."

Serves - Score: 82

The precise feel of the TF40 315 came to the forefront when serving, and our team found the racquet to be very effective in terms of accuracy. Mark referred to this new Tecnifibre racquet as a "Goldilocks" frame. He explained, "It was heavy enough for me to generate an effective serve without an excessive level of effort on my part, but it was still light enough for me to make a quick transition to the second shot. At first, my best shot with this racquet was the volley; but by the end of this playtest, serving with this stick became my favorite shot to hit."

While Michelle felt pretty dialed in with her targeting, she didn't feel like she had enough mass behind her first serves. She said, "I could muster some power, just not as much as I'm used to with my racquet of choice. I seemed to get very dialed in with the slice serve wide on the deuce side and up the T on the ad side, which became more effective than a flatter first serve. I did find it easy to be consistent while serving with this racquet, and for whatever reason, I didn't hit many double faults."

Chris found plenty of power with the TF40 315 on serves. He noted, "The racquet came through contact nicely. There was ample mass to provide power, stability and comfort, which gave the racquet a very forgiving feel. As I found on groundstrokes, I was able to relax, take a full swing and let the racquet do the work. I liked the amount of bite my slice serves had. I was able to get the ball to cut wide of the returner or add some slice to a body serve to help tie up their return."

"I wouldn't say this racquet gave me a big boost in power on my serves, but I was still able to be very effective," said Troy. "I hit my spots consistently and was able to mix up the pace and spin. The maneuverable, head-light feel of this racquet allowed me to ramp up the head speed and generate some easy pop on my flat first serves. I didn't find spin as easily as I do with more open string patterns, but the maneuverability helped when I was trying to crank some heavy kick serves."

Returns - Score: 80

Once again, the TF40 315’s control impressed our team on returns. The tight string pattern had Michelle feeling confident picking her shots. "However," she added, "I was often looking for a bit more penetration to get the ball deeper and push my opponents farther back. I love pinpointing returns into the corners of the court, and I could execute that consistently with this racquet. Even some sharp angles came fairly easilyy despite the tighter stringbed."

"If a serve has some heat on it I typically rely on chipping my return of serve into play, and racquets that weigh over 11.5 ounces, like this TF40 315, benefit that style," Mark explained. "I found ample plow-through potential, and the energy-absorbing beam type made returns very comfortable."

With the TF40 315 in his hands, Chris felt like he could send back any serve that came his way. He described, "The TF40 315 felt solid and forgiving on returns. I liked the stable feel at contact, and the response was very comfortable. There was a lot of control, so I was comfortable going for the lines and taking a good rip at the ball. Even when blocking faster serves back, I found good stability and could chip the ball deep."

Troy was able to use the control and maneuverability of this racquet to his advantage on returns. He said, "Against big servers I found this racquet easy to flick, so when I was stretched out it allowed me to muster enough movement to get the ball back. I could be very precise with my placement, keeping the ball out of the kill zone of my opponents. The downside was that I lacked some ease of depth on my returns. When I needed to block the ball back my shots were landing a bit short. I think that with a bit more weight in the hoop this racquet could be a real weapon on returns."

Overall - Score: 83