Yonex VCORE 98 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

Designed to be even more spin-friendly than before, the VCORE 98 definitely delivered on the spin potential, according to all of our playtesters. The Tennis Warehouse testers in California also noted changes in feel and stability. For Michelle, the spin potential was enough to have her changing up her tactics. She said, "From the baseline, I felt like I could flirt with my net clearance, and I found loads of spin, which made me want to pull opponents off the court and mix up the height of the ball rather than just hit through them. My favorite part of this playtest was the feel at impact. It was definitely a bit more muted than previous versions, which I liked. The sweetspot felt big and forgiving, and the VCORE had good mass behind the ball while still being maneuverable." Jason added, "This racquet provided really easy depth and power on my groundstrokes. I was also able to get plenty of spin on my shots to help with control. These characteristics were very much in line with the previous model, but I thought the stability was improved in this version. The slightly thicker beam and the high-320s swingweight were great for off-center hits and absorbing pace. I would've preferred a slightly whippier response, but the heft in the hoop made my slices knife more than usual."

The Tennis Warehouse Europe playtesters couldn't agree more about the VCORE 98's stellar spin potential. Safwane said, "How can we talk about the VCORE line without mentioning the spin potential? This racquet is really a spin machine, and I enjoyed taking full advantage of it, whether it was to dial in my net clearance or just to push my opponent back. Although this is a 98-square-inch racquet, it feels super easy to play with, probably because the sweetspot is a little wider than a regular racquet thanks to the Isometric technology. At the same time, you have the benefits of a smaller head size when it comes to stability. In simple terms, it's the best of both worlds." The stability did waver a bit for Julie, but her baseline experience was mostly positive. She said, “Because this Yonex VCORE 98 moves through the air so quickly, it grants me better access to spin than any other racquet I've played with. I found a nice launch angle with impressive ball rotation on each shot. I also noted an update to the feel of the racquet. It felt slightly more dampened without taking away its super responsive nature. I was surprised by the efficiency of my backhand slices; my ball sat low, and I felt extra grab on the ball since I could move the racquet quickly. If I'm being picky, I'd say I was lacking a tiny bit of stability on my most aggressive shots to finish the point."

Down in Australia, the Tennis Only playtesters had varying opinions. For Jaye, the feel at impact was a challenge. He explained, "I thought the spin and power potential were extremely high, and when I was playing with confidence I could really utilize these for my game. However, the muted feel kept me from staying on the gas 100 percent of the time. I found my forehand was spraying since I couldn't find the sweetspot as easily." On the other hand, Hayden had no issues. He said, "This was a very fun racquet to use from the baseline! I haven't had the chance to hit with many Yonex racquets, and this VCORE 98 felt very user-friendly from all areas of the court. I had zero issues with spin or stability, especially on my forehand."

Volleys - Score: 84

When it came to finishing points at the net, the playtesters all found the VCORE 98 to be reliable. A few of the playtesters hit upon the power as the highlight on volleys. For Hayden, that meant coming to net more often. He said, "There was plenty of pop and put-away power up at net, and the control and stability were there, so I even serve-and-volleyed some points, which I don't normally do with my current racquet." Jason had similar thoughts, adding, "This racquet had great spin and plenty of power to put away sitter volleys, along with stability when I made less-than-clean contact. The lack of maneuverability I felt on my groundstrokes wasn't too big a deal on my volleys. Great for point-and-shoot volleys." Jaye also picked up on that straightforward playability. He said, "I loved this VCORE 98 at the net. I don't hit drop shots as often as I would like, so blocking the ball back was a treat for me with this frame."

It was a similar story for everyone, but the rest of the team also highlighted the racquet's all-around performance at net. Michelle said, "The VCORE 98 felt solid at the net. Volleys were simple, and the racquet maneuvered into position easily while holding up to big hitters. I had no issues with stability. I felt like I had a good command of the ball at the net and could execute droppers and some nice backspin. Because I was trying to craft some fun angles, I found myself ending points at the net often." Julie also felt confident coming to net. She added, "I felt very connected to the ball up at net. The racquet was responsive, and I could find good depth and place the ball where I wanted. I could quickly get the racquet into position when a ball came fast at me, and the sweetspot was easy to find. I thought stability could have been an issue with such a manueverable racquet, but that wasn't the case at all. The Yonex VCORE 98 felt solid on every volley."

The specs were perfect for Safwane, who said, "I like to have a racquet that is maneuverable when I’m at net, and at 6 points head light (strung), this VCORE 98 was perfect for me! Not only was it maneuverable, but it was also very comfortable and stable. The result is that I felt connected to the ball and in control to play either a touch volley or a finisher."

Serves - Score: 83

The Yonex VCORE 98 offered impressive access to spin on every shot, and serves were no exception. A few of the playtesters, including Jason, found plenty of power on tap as well. He said, "I could feel the power! I was definitely noticing an uptick in power on my serves, which meant more free points. When I missed, I was missing long, which was expected because of the higher swingweight. The open string pattern was excellent at providing spin on both first and second serves."

Michelle found all her serves working well with the VCORE 98. She said, "I found easy power and movement on my serves. I could really target my spots, and I enjoyed both first and second serves with this racquet. Again, knowing how much spin potential I could find with this in hand, I tried to carve slice serves and get my opponent off the court to set myself up for a solid one-two punch. I could also kick serves up and out of the strike zone or just jam opponents with flatter first serves into their body."

Julie concurred, but she thought that spin was the standout feature. She said, "I found good power on my first serve thanks to the maneuverability and stability of the VCORE 98, but my flat first serves weren't my favorites with this racquet; the wide serve on the deuce side was! On my second serve, I got to hit nice kick serves. The aerodynamic character of the racquet helped me get a higher launch angle and more efficient serves."

For Safwane and Hayden, it was all about the RPMs they could generate. Safwane attributed the spin to the easy maneuverability and beam shape, saying, "On serves, it was exactly the same feeling as at the net: super easy maneuverability allowing me to control my motion to find the angles I was aiming for. Another advantage is the racquet's aerodynamic shape, which helped me get a bit more spin when I needed to go for a kick or a slice serve." If you were facing Hayden while he was testing this racquet, you could expect spin-loaded serves coming at you. He said, "I think I was genuinely hitting the best second serves I have hit in a long time. I could achieve lots of kicking spin up to the backhand, which helped me start points off strong."

Although Jaye agreed with the rest of the team on spin, he did have some issues. He explained, "While my kick and slice serves worked very well, and generating spin was a breeze, my flat first serve took me some time to dial in."

Returns - Score: 82

While the team largely agreed on the VCORE 98's performance from most areas of the court, there were varying experiences on returns. Some of the playtesters found this racquet to be a versatile weapon when returning. Julie explained, "On serve returns, the VCORE 98 was solid enough for me to find the power and control I needed to return aggressive first serves. It was also very responsive right at impact. On second serve returns, it was easy to accelerate this racquet to find the spin, power and depth necessary to control the point right from the first hit." Michelle liked to mix it up with her returns. She said, "This was a fun racquet to return with, mainly because it felt great at contact and I could play around a bit more with my angles. The swingweight was just right for me to whip around the ball, but I could still drive through and line up that return down the line to the open court."

While Jason enjoyed the VCORE 98's power, he didn't find the racquet as easy to use. He said, "Both offensively and defensively, this racquet performed well on my returns. When trying to attack a slower serve, I found the firepower needed to push my opponents back. However, I did find that my inside-out forehand was landing wide more frequently since I felt like I was just a split second late on contact."

On the other side, two playtesters found they had to make some adjustments to get the VCORE 98 working for their returns. Jaye described, "I struggled with overhitting when I first picked up this racquet, but when I shortened my swing and blocked the ball back, I found I was making most shots and starting points off well." Hayden agreed, adding, "I slightly overhit some returns, especially on my backhand. There was a small break-in period for me where I dialed back my shots."

Rounding out the review, Safwane was pleased with the VCORE 98 on returns, but for a different reason. He said, "When we talk about serve returns, the only thing that matters to me is stability. I play against players with heavy serves quite often, and I hate feeling that my racquet is getting pushed back. The 98-square-inch head size and the isometric shape of the VCORE 98 made it quite stable during impact without sacrificing the size of the sweetspot. I couldn't be happier!"

Overall - Score: 85