Yonex VCORE 100 2023 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 86

The Yonex VCORE 100 supplied our playtesters with no shortage of power and spin on their groundstrokes. Brittany started off the playtest excited to try this new edition of one of her favorite racquets. She said, "The VCORE family will always hold a special place in my heart. My love for Yonex racquets (especially 100-square-inch head sizes) started 12 years ago with the VCORE 100 S. While I have moved on to the EZONE 100 since then and haven't looked back, I am always interested to see what Yonex will come out with next for the VCORE. To my delight, this 2023 update feels the closest to the VCORE 100 S. Starting off, the 2023 VCORE 100 was very easy to use, and I had no adjustment period. I was able to go straight to the court and into point play without issues. As expected, there was easy power and spin from the baseline. It was also very easy to get depth on my shots. The thing I loved the most was how I could mix up my groundstrokes by driving a couple deep and then adding spin to hit some shorter, angled shots to keep my opponent out of a rhythm. The same was true when I was on the defensive; I could send a ball high and deep in the court to give myself more time or slice the ball low to get my opponent reaching."

"For the most recent versions, I've favored the EZONE line over the VCORE because I've preferred its feel and control," continued Tiffani. "However, this latest VCORE 100 is probably my favorite version to date, and I like this racquet as much as the EZONE 100 from 2022. There are still differences between the two lines, and I found more power from the VCORE 100 and greater net clearance than I did with the EZONE. However, this time around I didn't struggle with control as much as I did with the previous VCORE 100. I immediately felt relaxed with this VCORE 100 and found easy depth, and I could also get the ball dipping when I went for cross court angles. This racquet is a bit more powerful than the racquets I'm usually drawn to, and because I wasn't struggling to control my shots, I was able to harness the power and be more aggressive than I usually am. Now, this doesn't mean I was transformed into a big shot hitter, but I could end points a couple of strokes earlier because I was getting extra depth and extra pace, which helped me either draw an error from my opponent or put away a short ball earlier in the rally."

Chris compared this update to the previous model, saying, "From the first hit, I noticed a softer and more forgiving feel to this VCORE 100 update. The feel was very plush — almost like the ball was sitting on the strings longer. My shots had more arc to them, with better height over the net and easier access to depth. I also loved the amount of spin I could get on the ball with this racquet. I found I had several options for where I wanted to direct my shots, and I was playing very creatively. I thought the racquet paired very well with Yonex POLYTOUR AIR string. The string's soft response accentuated the plushness and high launch angle of the racquet. The blue color of the string also looked very eye-catching with the new VCORE cosmetic."

Jason found everything he needed to be successful from the baseline with the 2023 VCORE 100 in his hands. He said, "This racquet features a great combination of power, depth and spin. Plus, being so maneuverable, I was able to generate lots of racquet head speed with ease. I found the launch angle to be higher than normal, resulting in effortless depth. It was great for hitting angles or playing defense, but I did find the racquet a bit launchy if I was taking full swings without being conscious about adding topspin. Plus, with the racquet being so maneuverable, I was able to generate lots of racquet head speed with ease."

Volleys - Score: 85

Our playtesters thought the VCORE 100 offered a nice blend of stability and maneuverability while still providing power for put-away shots up at net. Tiffani volleyed well with this VCORE 100. She said, "I felt confident moving forward to close out points. This racquet felt maneuverable, yet still plenty stable. I liked the power level, and I even threw in a few swinging volleys, which is not my usual game style."

"I really enjoyed this racquet up at net," added Jason. "The slightly larger face in the upper portion of the head helped me out with mis-hits. There's definitely enough power to put the ball away and enough spin to hit drop volleys. I thought the stability was above average for a 300-gram racquet, even on off-center hits."

Brittany found that the responsive and forgiving feel of the 2023 VCORE 100 made volleying easy. She said, "The sweetspot was nice and generous, so even on off-center shots I had decently comfortable feedback. I mostly ended points by punching my volleys deep, which suits my game. There was a nice blend of stability and maneuverability, making this racquet extremely fun to play doubles with. I loved getting into quick volley exchanges and ending up on top."

The VCORE 100 had the right balance of control, stability and power for Chris' volleys. He described, "I loved the feel and control I found. The response was very comfortable and soft, yet I still felt very connected to the ball. My touch volleys were working well, and I was able to find some nice, sharp angles on my volley winners. The response also offered enough pop to help me punch volleys away with pace."

Serves - Score: 85

Like with groundstrokes, power and spin were the standout features of the Yonex VCORE 100 on serves, and the playtesters used that to their advantage. Chris was able to hit a variety of serves to keep his opponents on their toes. He said, "I was very happy with the pace and spin my serves had with the VCORE 100. My slice serve was working well, and I found I could give the ball plenty of net clearance and still get the ball to drop way inside the lines. On first serves, I had fun mixing pace and spin. My flatter serves had good accuracy, and my spin serves had good weight to them."

"I am a fan of any racquet that gives me some extra pace with less effort, and this VCORE 100 definitely fits the bill," added Brittany. "Not only did it give me power, but I also got plenty of spin. I found myself mixing up first serves with confidence, drilling one flat down the T and then slicing the next out wide to keep my opponent guessing. On second serves, I was able to get into a nice rhythm consistently over a set and never had any arm fatigue. My second serve was kicking nicely out of my opponent's strike zone."

Jason thought his serve was more effective with this racquet than with his own Prince Twistpower X100 Tour. He explained, "I got plenty of pop and spin on my serves because it was so easy to accelerate the VCORE 100 through contact. The one negative for me here was the depth control. I noticed that most of my faults were balls that missed long."

Like Jason, Tiffani took time to adjust the depth of her serves. She said, "Here's where the higher launch angle did take some getting used to. I was hitting my flat serves long more often than I would like, but I did like the sensation that I was hitting with more power. I added slice to my serves to up my consistency. My favorite serve to hit was out wide on the deuce side. If I really went after the ball, I could get it moving off the court."

Returns - Score: 85

Our playtesters were able to return effectively with the VCORE 100 thanks to the easy power and maneuverability. However, like with other strokes, they had to utilize the spin potential to keep the ball in the court. The VCORE 100 allowed Jason to be offensive with his returns. He said, "I was finding lots of easy depth and power on my returns. With the great access to spin, I was able to get shots to drop into play that I didn't think would."

"I was able to react quickly with the VCORE 100, which allowed me to take the ball early and be aggressive," Chris said. "I enjoyed going down the line from either side of the court because I was able to hit high enough to clear the net easily while still getting the ball to dip inside the lines, all while returning with lots of pace. There was enough mass for block returns, and I was also knifing my slice backhand well."

Tiffani was able to get her returns deep in the court — sometimes a little too deep. She explained, "Easy power and depth meant I needed to keep my ambitions in check. At times I got too excited when going for returns and sent them past the baseline. However, with the spin I was finding, there were times those returns were closer to being in than I thought they would be! I still had enough confidence to direct the ball toward targets, but they needed to be larger areas of the court. As long as I could start the point on neutral ground, I felt like I was in a good position. Like I said with groundstrokes, I was able to be more offensive with the VCORE 100 once the point got started."

Brittany also had to make an effort to keep her returns inside the lines. She said, "While I noticed the higher launch angle on groundstrokes, it was returns where I had to reel in the power a little bit because if I wasn't careful, I could overhit. After adding a little flick of the wrist, my returns were landing offensively deep in the court right in front of the baseline, and I was starting the point off on offense. I loved how quickly the VCORE 100 came around my body. My swing never felt late, but the frame still had enough weight to keep it from getting pushed around."

Overall - Score: 86