Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 86

Plow through and stability were evident when hitting from the baseline with the VCORE Pro 97 330. While many players might consider this racquet to be hefty, Mark explained how this update was more user-friendly than previous versions. He said, "I have played quite a bit with all four prior models of the VCORE Pro 97 330, and this update is the least challenging for me to wield from the baseline. Although I typically use racquets with slightly lighter specs, the VCORE Pro 97 330 was just maneuverable enough to keep me feeling effective around the backcourt. Changing the direction of the ball was also relatively easy with this racquet, and its 16x19 pattern allowed me to generate some sharp angles when hitting cross court. Even with the addition of Vibration Dampening Mesh in the handle, the level of feel is what I would consider top shelf among the other player's frames on the market."

Chris appreciated the mass the VCORE Pro 97 330 packed into his shots. He said, "I loved the plow-through power this racquet offered off the ground, even if it came at the expense of some whippiness. I found my best results hitting through the ball and letting the racquet do the work. I struggled to find the needed maneuverability when I tried to whip this racquet to generate a sharp angle, especially when compared to a racquet like the Tecnifibre TFlash 300 PS. When I was driving through the ball with a flatter trajectory I felt like I could hit deep, penetrating cross-court shots all day long. Likewise, I loved driving through my slice backhand, and I found I could hit some deliciously heavy slices with this racquet."

"From the baseline, the solid and stable feel was inherent," added Troy, whose racquet of choice is the previous VCORE Pro 97 330. "I was able to plow through the ball with ease, and the mass of this racquet helped me penetrate the court with my groundstrokes. The feel was slightly more dampened than my racquet, which might be due to the Vibration Dampening Mesh technology Yonex incorporated into the handle. With that being said, the feel on contact was still very responsive and better for me than just about every other player's racquet on the market. The 16x19 pattern provides me easy access to spin and a relatively high launch angle without taking anything away from the racquet's precision. As with most hefty player's racquets, the slice was heavy and penetrating — even 'dirty’, as we like to say around the office!"

Michelle felt right at home from the first time she picked up this racquet. She said, "The specs definitely fit in my wheelhouse. This VCORE Pro 97 330 is heavy, has a great amount of mass and plow through behind the ball, and feels stable on contact. The open string pattern made it easy to generate spin, and there was just enough put-away power. However, I struggled to find a consistent sweetspot on the stringbed. I feel like this update has a bit more of a muted feel than the previous version. Compared to my Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph, I did note a thinner beam and a slightly more flexible feel. I didn't always feel connected to the ball, but that didn't take away from the fun I had blasting balls from the baseline and putting the mass of this racquet to good use."

Volleys - Score: 87

All of our playtesters agreed that the mass of this VCORE Pro 97 330 made it feel very solid and stable on volleys, but there were times when coming to net felt a bit cumbersome for some. Mark described, "With this racquet in hand I had no worries in terms of racquet stability, and overall I volleyed effectively with it. However, when I was caught off guard with a passing shot and robbed of time, it was a challenge for me to get this racquet into position."

Michelle felt similarly when it came to her net play. She said, "Although this racquet felt super stable, it wasn't always the most maneuverable. For the most part, I was able to hit my volleys well, but there were some instances when I felt I didn't get the racquet into the right position, specifically on my backhand side. Sometimes the heft of the racquet made it tough to carve out touch volleys and impart backspin. However, it was easy to hit aggressive volleys deep at my opponent's feet and just let the racquet plow through the ball."

Chris felt right at home at the net with the VCORE Pro 97 330 in his hands. He said, "My favorite place to be with the VCORE Pro 97 330 was at net. The racquet felt rock solid and never seemed to waver even when the pace picked up. I played the best serve-and-volley tennis I'm capable of with this racquet in my hands. I could effortlessly hit deep, penetrating volleys by just letting the racquet plow through the ball. I loved the controlled response on touch shots, and could place my shots very well. This is one of the better volleying racquets I've hit."

Troy backed up Chris's findings, saying, "This VCORE Pro 97 330 felt solid, stable and precise when crashing the net. As with the previous version, I felt like I could place the ball on a dime when hitting my volleys. Because it is so stable, little work is needed to hit effective, deep volleys. Besides having easy put-away power, the racquet's touch and feel were superb, allowing me to hit drop volleys with confidence."

Serves - Score: 86

The mass and high swingweight of this VCORE Pro 97 330 proved to be both a gift and a curse on serves. Michelle elaborated, "At times, I noted a bit of a sluggish response when getting the racquet up and around on my serves, which was frustrating since I don't seem to have the same issues with my racquet of choice, which has similar specs. However, I just needed to make sure my timing was dialed in. Once that was under control, I loved serving with this racquet! I could hit big first serves and push my opponents back. I also could be aggressive on second serves, whether generating some kick or pulling the slice off effectively."

Chris also had a bit of an adjustment period due to the racquet's weight. He said, "Initially this racquet felt a but sluggish overhead. Once I got it moving the racquet went through contact very well. I did my best to get out of the racquet's way and let it do its thing. The result was smooth power without much effort on my part. I couldn't whip up the back of the ball quite as aggressively as I can with my racquet, but I was still able to get decent spin with this VCORE Pro 97 330."

Being accustomed to this racquet's specs, Troy felt very confident when stepping up to the service line. He explained, "I felt like I could really pancake the ball and get a lot of plow through on first serves, which correlated to some added power. This VCORE Pro 97 330 doesn't have that extra boost in power like the Yonex VCORE 98+, but I could still go big when I needed to. On topspin and kick serves I could generate enough racquet speed to create sharp angles and make my opponents stretch out on returns."

Although a bit heavier than Mark's racquet of choice, the VCORE Pro 97 330 gave him few worries on serves. He said, "The serve turned out to be my favorite shot to hit with this racquet. Compared to most heavy, high-swingweight player's racquets that I've tried over the years that can stress out my shoulder, I never got tired serving with this VCORE Pro 97 330. If anything, I was able to shorten up a lot of my points with some added heat on my first serves!"

Returns - Score: 83

The stability and plow through of the VCORE Pro 97 330 helped our playtesters go on the attack with their returns. Michelle described, "This racquet was great to step in and assert dominance with against weak second serves. When I was pulled off the court the racquet's stability let me stab at the ball and get depth with my return. It wasn't always super maneuverable when I tried to hit angles off the court, but I felt comfortable picking spots and going after them in every other way. I felt really consistent and confident returning with this racquet. I had no issues here."

Troy was on the same page as Michelle. He added, "One of my biggest knocks on most racquets when it comes to returning is the lack of stability against high speed serves. That is not a worry with this VCORE Pro 97 330 in my hands. When facing big first serve bombs I could block the ball back deep without worrying about the racquet twisting in my hands. When I had the time to take a swing on my returns I could mash the ball hard and flat, putting my opponent is a defensive position. There is just enough maneuverability that I never felt like I was lagging to get the racquet in place."

Chris also appreciated the plow through of this racquet on returns. He explained, "As I found on groundstrokes, I had my best results when driving through the ball on my returns. Hitting angles was a little tougher, but man, could I pound some straight-line drives with this stick! I also liked hitting my slice backhand return. The racquet felt very stable and comfortable, allowing me to focus on where I wanted to place the ball."

Although Mark loved this racquet on serves, he didn't gel with it quite as much when it came to returns. He said, "As with my volleys, the maneuverability of this VCORE Pro 97 330 was a bit of a struggle on my return of serve. As long as serve speeds weren't too excessive, my chip return was working well, but beyond a certain velocity it was hard for me to properly time that shot. This resulted in my returns frequently landing short on the opponent's side of the net and putting me in a bad position from the start of the point."

Overall - Score: 86