Yonex EZONE 98 Tour Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 87

With its impressive playability from the back of the court, the EZONE 98 Tour stood out from its counterparts by offering high levels of plow through and stability while maintaining good maneuverability. Michelle was able to compare this newest offering to others in the line, and she found that this racquet quickly rose to the top of the ranks. She said, "I have been lucky enough to playtest all of the new EZONE racquets and have enjoyed each of them, but this 98 Tour might just be my favorite! With the other models, the whole stringbed felt like a sweetspot (which is a good thing), but I got lost in it at times, and it felt a bit too powerful. This 98 Tour had more of a defined sweetspot, which I appreciated since it made me strike the ball more intentionally, rather than getting away with slapping at it. This racquet had a good amount of plow through and felt like it really loaded the ball with heavy pace. It was stable at impact, and I felt this model offered the best control in the EZONE line. I could choose when to attack, but I could also rely on the racquet to help keep the ball deep until I got the right opportunity. This racquet was more realistic and manageable to swing than the extended version. The Plus version got stuck behind me at times, and I wasn't able to control the pure power of it. I could get the 98 Tour swinging through and time my shots better. Plus, that feeling of making contact in the sweetspot was supreme. It felt amazing!"

It didn't take long for Chris to be wowed by the EZONE 98 Tour. He said, "I fell in love with this racquet pretty darn quickly. The stability and feel at contact were top-notch, and I didn't have to make a compromise in maneuverability. The added mass of this 98 Tour version gave the racquet a buttery feel, and I was reminded of the magic of the EZONE DR 98 and DR 98+ versions. The power level felt perfect, and I liked the way the sweetspot extended up toward the tip of the hoop. I was able to drive through the ball to generate good pace and felt confident enough to swing freely. Getting spin was easy, with the racquet providing ample bite when strung up with a co-poly. Since injuring my right hand and being forced to play two-handed, I have been adding lots of weight to most racquets I'm testing. However, the EZONE 98 Tour felt good to go in stock form. It had both the mass and the power to help me hit deep shots off a more abbreviated swing."

Once he got used to the spec, Mark was impressed with how well the racquet meshed with his game. He explained, "From the first swing at the baseline with Yonex's EZONE 98 Tour, I could tell that it felt heftier than most of the other 315-gram racquets currently available. Its listed 330 swingweight, 4-point tip-light balance combined with its 11.7-ounce strung weight reinforced that notion. The slightly tighter spacing of the EZONE 16x19 pattern was open enough to make access to topspin very easy for me, yet tight enough to help keep my backhand slice low and effective. After two or three sessions, redirecting heavy pace, producing a bit of my own and changing the direction of the ball all came easily. By the fourth session, I did not want to play with other racquets and began to think less about my own EZONE 98+ and more about how effectively I could play with the EZONE 98 Tour."

Well versed in the Yonex lineup, Troy pitted this 98 Tour against others he's tested. He said, "Like the Yonex EZONE 98, this racquet has a nice blend of power and control, but with some extra stability and plow through built in. It has a very similar feel to the EZONE 98, with the thicker beam in the hoop, but the mass and swingweight provided a bit of that rock-solid feel you might find in the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 (330). I did notice that the slight drop in flex, down to 62, gave me a softer feel, but it was still somewhat muted. There was enough maneuverability for me to generate. heavy topspin shots, but enough stability and plow through to hang in there with heavy hitters. This 98 Tour felt solid and stable on my backhand slice, but it didn't have the same level of touch and feel as the VCORE Pro 97 (330). This racquet felt a bit heftier than the EZONE 98+, but it didn't quite give me as much free put-away power or help out my two-handed backhand as much. I did feel a bit more connected to the ball and more in control on my forehand than I do with the EZONE 98+."

Volleys - Score: 85

It was no surprise that the EZONE 98 Tour offered a stable, controlled response on volleys. Although the racquet felt a bit beefier, most of our playtesters found they could still get their timing right. "The EZONE 98 Tour felt very solid at net," said Chris. "I loved the level of feel and precision. I was able to place my volleys very well, and I found some nice angles to finish off points. The solid feel also made it easy to punch volleys deep with good pace and accuracy. During fast exchanges at net in doubles, the EZONE 98 Tour was maneuverable enough to never hinder my strokes."

Troy also appreciated the EZONE 98 Tour's stable nature, but he found that it could drag slightly under pressure. He described, "First and foremost, this racquet felt very solid and stable on my volleys. The sweetspot was nice and plush, but also decently forgiving. I really appreciated the added mass of this racquet when playing against big hitters. I could block my volleys back deep with little effort, and there was enough precision to find the corners of the court reliably. Although not as precise and feel-oriented as the VCORE Pro 97 (330), the control was good, and I found some added pop on the ball. My knock on this racquet when it came to volleys was the balance of weight. At 4 points head light, this racquet felt a bit cumbersome during fast exchanges at net. It wasn't overly hefty, but I would prefer some added mass in the handle to make it somewhere closer to 7 points head light. Maybe my typical leather grip would do the trick!"

Transitioning to net came easily for Mark. He said, "That stable, predictable and confident feel I had from the baseline with this EZONE 98 Tour continued as I moved toward the net. The balance and swingweight are at the upper reaches of what I can handle at net, but not to the point where I couldn't get the strings behind the ball on time. Stability was top-notch whether volley contact was close to my body or at full stretch."

"This EZONE 98 Tour volleyed practically perfectly!" Michelle exclaimed. "It was stable and easy to wield. The racquet maneuvered into position easily and stood up to big hitters, but it also held up when stretched. I found I could hit consistent balls deep into the court and was able to access touch for some droppers. Swinging volleys were fun to hit and penetrated the court."

Serves - Score: 84

The exceptional plow through and feel of the EZONE 98 Tour paved the way for some lethal serves. While some playtesters needed time to adjust to the feel overhead, others felt dialed in right away. "I loved serving with this racquet," said Michelle. "I've been trying to dial in my first serve lately, and it was coming together here. Going big and flat proved to be very effective. I could also pull back and focus more on getting spin or slice on my serves, and I found few issues doing that. It was rewarding to pick targets and go after the ball. This racquet had no issues or weaknesses when I was serving with it.”

The specs aligned nicely for Chris, who added, "I served well with the EZONE 98 Tour. The weight, balance and swingweight seemed to complement my swing, and the racquet felt very natural in my hands. I was happy with the amount of pace I could generate. Both my first and second serves were pretty aggressive with this racquet. While I'm not the biggest server, I felt I could get enough on the ball with the EZONE 98 Tour to start points offensively."

After getting used to the weight overhead, Mark started to reap the benefits of serving with this beefier frame. He said, "I was a bit challenged at first, but I eventually benefited from serving with this EZONE 98 Tour. I typically prefer heavier racquets on serve, and I was surprised that the heft of this racquet was tiring me out after serving 50 in a row. Once I had several hours of playtime with this racquet, I actually felt it helped improve my serve, and it became my favorite shot to hit."

Although Troy tapped into many positives when serving with the EZONE 98 Tour, he felt that it didn't quite match up to his current racquet of choice. He explained, "I was able to serve well with this racquet and found a good blend of power, control and maneuverability. That said, I just find the EZONE 98+ better on serves overall. I liked the increase in mass compared to the standard EZONE 98, and I felt like I got more plow through and could hit a heavier first serve. There was enough maneuverability for me to attack my kick serves and get the ball jumping off the court without feeling overly exerted. Overall, serves were good with this racquet, but it isn't quite the deadly weapon that the EZONE 98+ is for me, where I feel like I get a turbo boost of power and spin."

Returns - Score: 85

The weight of the EZONE 98 Tour provided the stability needed to counteract heavier serves, and when the timing was right, the racquet also offered enough power and depth to start points offensively. Troy described, "The combination of weight and swingweight was enough to provide a very solid and stable feel. I often find lighter racquets getting pushed around against bigger servers, which is what I noticed when playing with the standard EZONE 98. However, this beefed-up 98 Tour version stood its ground, and I found that I could get easy depth on my returns. Whenever I was stretched out and needed to chip the ball back, this racquet allowed me to get enough depth to keep the server from coming forward and putting the next shot away. When I wanted to take a big cut at the return, power came with ease, and the swingweight really helped to plow through the ball. I didn't quite get the reach that I do from the EZONE 98+, especially on my two-hander, but all in all, it was a good racquet for returns."

Mark found the most success when taking a more compact swing. He said, "If the serve was heavy or ball contact was above chest height, the Yonex EZONE 98 Tour's weight and balance complemented my compact backhand nicely. However, on my forehand, I needed to chip returns. The heft of th EZONE 98 Tour made it hard for me to take a longer swing on that wing."

Chris felt that he could return with confidence with the EZONE 98 Tour in his hands. He explained, "One of my favorite shots to hit with the EZONE 98 Tour was the return of serve. The comfortable and stable response felt great. I was encouraged to take the ball early and go for aggressive targets because I always felt confident with this racquet. Obviously, I can't always make perfect contact, and it was when I didn't that the comfort and stability of this racquet were really appreciated. Again, I very much enjoyed the power in the upper hoop of the racquet and found the stringbed to generally feel very forgiving."

Compared to other EZONE models, the EZONE 98 Tour had the perfect balance of power and control for Michelle's return game. She said, "I loved that I could take big cuts off returns with this racquet. With other versions of the EZONE I had the tendency to slap and go for too much, but this version felt a bit more controlled, which allowed me to tap into the right returns when needed. The 330 swingweight wasn't too hefty, and I could still maneuver some angles and get the ball moving off the court with aggressive spin rather than pace. I also felt dialed in with my targeting. Using short backswings against big servers was a simple way to start the point off in a good position."

Overall - Score: 85