Volkl V8 Pro 2023 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 80

From the baseline, the V8 Pro 2023 proved to play differently on court than the specs on paper would imply. Even with a tighter string pattern, this racquet's spin potential was plentiful, and power and depth were easy to achieve. The playability caught Tiffani by surprise. She said, "I think it would have been wise if I hadn't checked the specs of this racquet before I started playing. I was quite intrigued by the idea of an 18x20 Volkl 8 series racquet, and I had some preconceived notions of what I would get out of the tighter string pattern. There were no surprises during my first short-court warm-up, but once I hit my first forehand from the baseline, I knew my predictions were way off base. The launch angle was surprisingly high for an 18x20 string pattern. That first forehand flew well past the baseline since I had thought I would get something more similar to my Prince Textreme Tour 100P, another 18x20, 100-square-inch racquet. This V8 Pro plays more like a racquet with 16 mains. Topspin is ample, but I could also get the stringbed to grip the ball well for a slice shot. The racquet felt comfortable in the sweetspot, but it drops off rather quickly and feels deader outside the zone where the Speed Grommets are located. Overall, I was more surprised than anything by this racquet since it was more power and spin-oriented than I expected."

Chris was also caught off guard when he stepped onto the court. He explained, "I expected a more controlled response and a lower launch angle from the V8 Pro 2023. The fact that I found it perfect for blasting away from the baseline surprised me. Getting pace and depth on my shots was a snap. I could whip it through contact to put a little extra pace and spin on my shots at will. The stringbed felt very forgiving, and I enjoyed rallying and drilling with the V8 Pro 2023. When it came time to close out points, I would have liked a little more precision and feel to allow me to go for the corners. Instead, I went for bigger targets and used the spin-friendly response to help keep my shots inside the lines."

Although Brittany prefers more open string patterns, she found this 18x20 model to be a bit more forgiving in nature. She said, "My favorite racquet in the Volkl lineup right now is the V-Feel 8 300, so I was curious to see how an 18x20 version would play. The first thing I noticed was the sound. For some reason, the racquet sounded a little hollow even though it didn't feel that way. This took some time to get used to, and by the end of the playtest I didn't even notice it. I normally don't gravitate to tighter string patterns, but it never hurts to add a little more control to my game. As expected, I did have an adjustment period, but the more I hit with the racquet, the more I adapted. I used this racquet mostly for practice. I loved to get a groove on my groundstrokes, whether I was hitting up the middle, drilling cross court or even moving around in an isolation drill. The racquet had more power than I expected, and I could get depth with ease. I ran into trouble when it came to playing points. I was left wanting a little more precision, and I was missing my more aggressive, higher-risk shots, so I ended up erring on the side of caution. This caused longer points and a slight drop in confidence for my aggressive baseline game."

Jason had a similar experience. He said, "What stood out to me right away was the pop I was getting. The power reminds me of the Pure Drive, but what's unique is the 18x20 string pattern. That dense pattern didn't seem to affect the spin generation, and I was still able to hit a heavy ball with my forehand. The downside for me was the lack of depth control. Due to the lower launch angle, I was overcompensating and launching balls long."

Volleys - Score: 82

Maneuverability was a strong point when closing the net, but opinions were mixed on the V8 Pro's stability and feel when volleying. Brittany found that the feel suffered outside the sweetspot. She said, "I had some ups and downs at net when I was finishing points. On one hand, the V8 Pro is very maneuverable and easy to get into position. This helped on quick reflex volleys and when a passing shot was drilled right at my body. While I found great feel in the sweetspot, I noticed a drop in power outside of it as well as some extra vibration. This was a little surprising, since I have always found Volkl racquets to do an excellent job absorbing shock. As a positive, the racquet gave me plenty of feedback to let me know where on the stringbed I hit my volley, and I could adjust for the next one."

Jason's experience at net was mostly positive, but he felt he could have used a bit more stability in the hoop. He described, "Up at net, the racquet provided me plenty of punch to put shots away with ease. Another positive was the excellent maneuverability and whippiness, which was great for reaction volleys. I would've liked a bit more stability with off-center shots, so I'd add some weight at 3 and 9 o'clock to help with that."

Chris found more precision at net than from the baseline. He said, "The V8 Pro 2023 felt crisp and clean at net. The racquet felt very maneuverable, yet it had enough stiffness in its response to punch above its weight and feel stable during heavy hitting. I felt more accurate with the racquet when volleying, and as a result was confident enough to go for the lines. I also liked hitting drop volleys with this racquet. It was easy to cup under the ball and get enough spin to drop it short and out of my opponent's reach."

Blocking back volleys came effortlessly for Tiffani, but she was missing a bit of touch. She said, “This racquet played solidly for me at net. I preferred to keep it simple and just try to hit my volleys with good depth and power. Admittedly, I have hands like bricks, but my touch shots were not great with this racquet. I could have used a bit more flex or weight to help me absorb the incoming pace."

Serves - Score: 83

Once again surprising our playtesters, this V8 Pro 2023 was a powerhouse on serves. Easy maneuverability made for fast racquet head speed, and there was a decent window for spin generation considering the 18x20 pattern. Chris used those characteristics to his advantage when serving. He said, "I had a lot of fun serving with the V8 Pro 2023. I liked the pace I had, and I was also able to tap into lots of spin. I hit some cracking slice serves wide on the deuce side and had fun blasting flat serves down the T from both sides. I found myself being very aggressive on my second serves and was able to get enough spin to get them to drop well inside the lines."

Jason added, "I enjoyed serving with the V8 Pro because it was easy to generate racquet head speed and hit a consistent ball. I was getting slightly more power with this racquet than I'm used to, which was nice. I felt that the spin I was generating was about average, but considering it is an 18x20, I was happy with the results."

Brittany also tapped into the high power potential when serving. She said, "I was impressed with the amount of pace I could produce on my serve. The racquet was easy to get up and over my head, and I could generate plenty of racquet head speed. This translated to easy power and never dealing with arm fatigue during a match. There was just enough spin potential to feel confident hitting slice serves and kick second serves. I didn't have to think too much about my serve, which was a good thing!"

Consistency and power came easily for Tiffani as well. she said, "I thought this racquet felt quick to swing over my head. It gave me the confidence to pick my targets and hit them fairly consistently. The racquet delivered easy spin for serves, and power was decent as well."

Returns - Score: 80

Our playtesters raved about the V8 Pro 2023's easy maneuverability, and they found they could crank up the power when returning serves. However, like on their groundstrokes, they were left craving a bit more precision. Jason explained, "The V8 Pro certainly provides enough power to hit winners from behind the baseline. Maybe a bit too much. My misses tended to go long due to a combination of a few factors: less spin due to the 18x20 pattern, aiming higher to compensate for a lower launch angle, and the high power the racquet naturally provides. However, I enjoyed being aggressive with the V8 Pro 2023 because it was very whippy and fast."

Brittany felt she had to stick to a more conservative return strategy. She said, "Returns are an important part of my game, and I really need to feel connected with the racquet to have success. The V8 Pro had potential because it offered great maneuverability, allowing me to get in position early. As with groundstrokes, the lack of precision caused me to dial back and aim for safer targets up the middle of the court. I opted to hit a lot of returns deep and down the middle, especially on first serves, to stay in a neutral position. However, I lacked the confidence to go for aggressive returns to be offensive."

Tiffani added, "On serve returns, I was most impressed by how stable the racquet felt. With most racquets close to 11 ounces strung I expect some element of instability. The V8 Pro felt solid against most serves, and I just noticed the firmer response outside the sweetspot. Like with groundstrokes, there was some adjusting to the exit angle of the ball. I felt most comfortable aiming for larger targets or going right back toward the server in an attempt to take away time."

While the feel remained consistent for Chris on returns, so did the need to go for bigger targets. He explained, "I continued to find a crisp and clean feel from the V8 Pro 2023 when it came to returns. The racquet felt stable for its weight. I had some solid success driving through returns and was able to tap into enough spin to maintain control. On flatter returns, I had to be cognizant of the launch angle from the stringbed since it was high enough for me to accidentally hit longer than intended. My best returns were heavy topspin and driving slice shots, and I liked the results of both when I carried lots of racquet head speed."

Overall - Score: 81