Yonex VCORE 95 2023 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 85

There were quite a few changes to the VCORE 95 in this update, and most of our team found a lot to like when playing from the baseline. Chris noted a plush feel at contact. He said, "I could feel the racquet flexing and cupping the ball, and I was very connected to my shots. The sweetspot felt very generous, and I also found it easy to generate depth with this racquet. I liked the way the VCORE 95 cut through the air, and I had lots of fun cranking my backhand with it. I think I was hitting that shot as hard as ever and was hitting more winners than usual. The VCORE 95 was also fast enough to generate angles. I was able to whip the ball with topspin and sidespin to hit angles with pace. My slice backhand was also working very well with this racquet. I liked the weight of shot I was finding, and I was able to get on the offensive with my slice."

"Like the previous version, this updated VCORE 95 felt very fast and maneuverable from the baseline," added Troy. "With a 7-points head-light balance and a swingweight near 320 (strung), this 2023 update made it very easy for me to generate racquet head speed. This translated into a lot of topspin, and I felt like I could shape the ball with easy arc and sharp angles cross court. On the topic of spin, the more widely spaced (open) 16x20 pattern made for easy lift — what we often refer to as a 'high launch angle.' I felt like it was easy to create net clearance and get the ball to dip down into the court. Even with the slight head shape change and a more open stringbed, I still felt confident with my control and precision from the baseline."

After no more than 10 minutes of groundstroke play, Mark could tell this was going to be one of his favorite racquets to use from the baseline. He explained, "With a string pattern a bit tighter than 16x19, the VCORE 95's 16x20 pattern helped make shot depth easy to judge, without inhibiting access to topspin or slice on the ball. In addition, the ball dwell time was outstanding, which benefited my ground game and most every other shot as well."

It's no secret that the VCORE 95 and Michelle haven't always been the best match. As a player who prefers firmer setups, she said, "It was apparent from the very first ball that this update is softer and has more feel and pocketing. Most players would love hearing that news; however, I like my racquets with no feel and tend to prefer anything that feels like a wooden board. The ball pocketed well inside the stringbed, but in my case, it left me feeling a bit disconnected from my shots. As my strokes tend to be a bit longer and more linear than whippy, I struggled at times to get the tip of the racquet plowing through the ball. I shanked my fair share of balls before I figured out that I was more successful when I changed the shape of my stroke slightly. Despite all of this, I did play well with the VCORE 95. I was hoping for a bit more free power, but I know that isn't what this 95-square-inch racquet is all about. Sometimes I felt like I was working too hard to put the ball away."

Volleys - Score: 83

Up at the net, the VCORE 95 felt very fast, maneuverable and precise to our team. Troy thought it was more stable than the weight and swingweight indicated. He said, "It wasn't quite as rock-solid feeling as a racquet like the Yonex VCORE PRO 97D, but it still held up well against most shots hit hard at me. The fast feel made it easy to flick the racquet when I had to react quickly, which really helped my doubles and dingles. I might add a bit of weight around 3 and 9 o'clock just to give this racquet a boost in stability and easier depth on volleys."

For Mark, it was a toss-up whether his favorite strokes of this playtest were his groundstrokes or his volleys. He described, "I tend to hit far more groundstrokes than volleys, so I suppose it makes sense to name the groundstroke as my favorite shot with this frame. But the precision, response and feel at net were as good as it gets for me. The lower 61 RA was an aspect that assisted with how precise and consistent my volleys were with the VCORE 95 in hand."

"I would love to report that this is where the playtest came alive for me, but I still felt a bit disconnected from this racquet at net," said Michelle. "Blocking volleys was easy, and touch was there; however, for my more aggressive style, I like a ball that is in and out of the stringbed faster, and the ball really sunk into that sweetspot. The VCORE 95 just didn't align with my personal preferences, but I can appreciate the feel and touch up at the net."

On the other hand, the net was one of Chris' favorite areas of the court when playing with the VCORE 95. He added, "The VCORE 95 felt easy to maneuver, yet it was just weighty enough to be stable. I liked the feel of the VCORE 95 here. There was a good blend of comfort and touch. My punch volleys had good pace, and I again found the sweetspot to feel generous."

Serves - Score: 83

Our playtesters found easy access to speed, spin and pace when serving with the VCORE 95. This racquet worked well for Michelle when she was starting the point on serve. She said, "I enjoyed serving with this racquet. I felt like it was very precise, and even specific targets were easy to hit. I didn't feel like my first flat serves were damaging, but they helped me start points off offensively. I think the slice serve was my favorite to hit (and I found this to be even more the case when playtesting the VCORE 98)."

This was yet another shot where the VCORE 95 helped Mark's game. He said, "The 11.5-ounce weight, combined with the tip-light balance, semi-tight string pattern and 95-square-inch head size helped make me a little more ambitious in terms of going after some pace on my serve."

"I liked the pace and spin I was getting on my first serves," added Chris. "I thought the VCORE 95 came through the ball very well — so well that I tended to miss my second serves long at first. I purposely went for more spin on my second serves and was able to find my targets again. My favorite slice serve wide on the deuce side of the court was working well with this racquet. I liked the combination of pace and spin I was able to generate on that shot with the VCORE 95."

Troy found he could easily execute his slice and kick serves with the VCORE 95. He said, "Like the previous version, it felt very fast and whippy, and I could easily snap my wrist on spin serves. The more open string spacing was also a factor when it came to generating spin on serves, as it provided a lot of bite on the ball. The 95-square-inch head size gave me a lot of confidence to go for my targets, and the feel was very precise. There wasn't much in terms of cheap, easy power, but I think some added weight up in the hoop might help that. That said, when it came to spin and hitting my spots, the VCORE 95 was top-notch."

Returns - Score: 79

Our whole team agreed that the VCORE 95 felt fast for its weight, which helped with explosive returns. Chris explained, "There was enough mass for me to drive my slice backhand deep or soften my grip and cut the ball low and short to force my opponents to hit up. My topspin returns were also working well, and I was able to take a good crack at the ball when given the opportunity."

The fast, maneuverable feel was once again a standout feature for Troy when returning, but he was left wanting more mass and plow through. He said, "The VCORE 95 could have benefited from a bit more mass up in the hoop, near the contact point, when I was facing big-hitting servers. I didn't think that it was necessarily unstable, but I felt like I had to work harder than usual to get the depth I wanted on my opponent's side of the court. I will say the nice, plush feel helped absorb the pace and shock on impact. When I was able to be aggressive, there was plenty of control for me to swing big and keep the ball in the court."

Mark admitted that his return of serve has never been the shot that makes his opponents nervous, but the VCORE 95 did help with that. He added, "This racquet gave me a chance to compete with a solid return, and I saw my return percentages increase."

Although she struggled at times from the baseline, Michelle felt confident taking big rips and going for small targets when hitting returns. She said, "It was fun to line up my down-the-line return off both wings. I quickly realized that angle returns were very effective with these VCORE racquets as well."

Overall - Score: 83