Prince Twistpower X97 Tour Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 89

Built with the specs of a modern player's racquet, the Twistpower X97 Tour sets itself apart with its twisted shaft, which aims to increase feel. Although Michelle has reviewed several player's racquets, this is her first with the twist feature. She said, "I did not spend much time with the lighter Twistpower racquet last year, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this X97 Tour, and I was slightly concerned it wouldn't be my sort of racquet. Luckily, I was proven wrong and quickly felt comfortable swinging it. I instantly had the sensation that the ball was sinking into the stringbed, and it reminded me a bit of the Wilson Clash. The feel was a little muted, but that didn't bother me one bit. However, I didn't always feel super connected to the ball, and at times I felt like I wasn't 100-percent sure the ball would end up where I was aiming. I also noticed a higher launch angle from the stringbed compared to my racquet of choice (the Wilson Pro Staff RF97) and saw much more arch coming off the ball as I hit deep into the court. I could ramp up the power easily, and the racquet swung explosively fast for me, which was fun when dictating play from the baseline. With a swingweight a little lower than what I typically play with, I took advantage of the maneuverability and really had fun playing with angles. I was also highly impressed with how stable this racquet was when slicing and how it cut through the ball even on backhand slices."

Unlike Michelle, Jason is quite familiar with this line. He uses the Twistpower X100 as his racquet of choice. He compared the two models, saying, "So solid! My racquet, the Twistpower X100 already felt solid, but this version kicks it up a couple notches. I loved it from the ground, whether I was trying to hit heavy topspin or a dirty slice. I found it really easy to attack and stay on the offensive with this racquet due to its easy access to power and depth. The combination of the weight, balance and swingweight was right in my wheelhouse."

The Twistpower X97 Tour's lightweight maneuverability allowed Kendal to play exactly how she wanted, when she wanted. She described, "I really enjoyed this racquet from the baseline. With the racquet being so maneuverable, I felt like I could do whatever I wanted. I could hit a heavy ball, or if I wanted to step in and rip it, I could do that. I could place the ball anywhere, hitting it with spin or flat with a lot of control. I had as much acceleration as I needed whenever I needed it. The flexibility on this racquet was nice as well. If I was on the run, I was still able to get the ball over the net consistently. When slicing, the ball stayed nice and low, just how I like it. I felt as if it really took off with nice under-spin."

Erik also tapped into the racquet's spin potential. He said, "I really enjoyed the amount of spin I got from this Twistpower X97 Tour. I could really knife my slices low and hit a heavy ball. I had a nice blend of power and control, although the launch angle took a little bit of an adjustment period, but I found I could hit with some serious pace. This racquet was quite maneuverable, and it was easy to whip it around the court. The stability was pretty solid. I might want to add a little weight to 3 and 9 o'clock, but overall it is very good, and it worked well for my game style. It felt almost natural for my groundstrokes, and I really enjoyed how this racquet came through the air."

Volleys - Score: 84

As the TW playtesters ventured forward with the Twistpower X97 Tour, they again pointed to the feel as a highlight. Erik, who is never shy about approaching the net, felt at home playing his game with the Twistpower X97 Tour. He said, "This racquet had great feel on volleys. I really noticed the flex of the frame; it felt more flexible than the stiffness rating indicates. I felt very connected to the ball and liked hitting drop volleys with this racquet."

Like Erik, Kendal likes to finish points at the net. She said, "I was able to stick my volley whenever I needed to. With the racquet being so head-light, it was tough on softer volleys. If you want to hit touch volleys, you have to make sure to swing the racquet."

This racquet continued to surprise Michelle, who said, "Because it felt a bit muted, I assumed this racquet wouldn't give me too much to work with at the net, but I was wrong. I loved playing doubles with this Twistpower X97 Tour because I could do so much with it, and I loved hitting touch shots, angles or even droppers. Because the ball really sat in the stringbed, I could almost spit it out exactly how I wanted. I felt like I had a magic wand at the net! I really loved volleying with it."

Jason thought the Twistpower X97 Tour felt both speedy and stable at net, which is a winning combination. He explained, "I loved the feel of this racquet, and it was helpful up at net. It feels responsive, but not too stiff, so I felt well connected to my shots. With the exception of just a couple of really hard-hit shots, this racquet felt stable on my volleys. Overheads were easy to execute because it's so head light, with a low 320 swingweight."

Serves - Score: 80

Our team was split when it came to serving with the Twistpower X97 Tour. Kendal had some issues with this racquet's weight, which didn't give her serves the pop she was looking for. She explained, "I found serving a little on the difficult side. Like I said before, with the racquet being so head light, I felt as if I had to really focus on making sure my racquet was in the correct spot before I was ready to hit a serve. I didn't get as much pop on the serve as I normally do, but I was able to hit a good slice serve that took the ball off the court."

Erik had similar sentiments, but he did find some success serving with the Twistpower X97 Tour. He added, "I liked this racquet on serves. I couldn't get a ton of pop, but I found I could really hit my spots and hit them with a lot of spin. I would've preferred some more weight in the head."

On the other hand, the Twistpower X97 Tour fit right into Jason's serve game. He described, "I really enjoyed serving with this racquet. It allowed me to hit bigger serves than with my own racquet and maintain similar consistency. My second serves were effective as well thanks to the easy access to spin."

Michelle also thought this racquet worked well with her serving style. She said, "I enjoyed serving with this racquet and found it to do what I wanted it to. If I was looking for power, I found it. If I was looking for spin, I found it. If I wanted to slide the ball out with slice, I found it. The Twistpower X97 Tour was versatile and gave me everything I needed to serve well."

Returns - Score: 84

Our playtesters found the Twistpower X97 Tour to be well rounded when they were hitting serve returns. That performance translated into confident returning for Jason, who said, "I don't want to sound like a broken record, but returning with this racquet was just so solid. I felt like I could return well, whether it was an aggressive return or one where I was on the defensive. I could shape my shots well and find sharp angles because of the spin and maneuverability."

Michelle also focused on finding the angles when returning. She said, "The biggest features I need when returning are stability and some control when I'm taking big swipes. This racquet was stable enough that I was comfortable returning with it. There were a few times when it felt a bit too powerful, and I lost a little control on a return, but this made me hone in more on angles rather than trying for more power. This racquet was awesome when I was returning in doubles because I could get the ball deep and low, dipping it at my opponent's feet or running them into the wall with an angle."

For Erik, there was a bit of an adjustment period. He explained, "I enjoyed the maneuverability that this racquet provided on returns. I was also able to hit my returns deep and with nice margin. The launch angle was a little harder for me to rein in when I was going for it, but once I dialed my returns in, I could hit a really heavy ball."

Kendal would rather return serves with the Twistpower X97 than serve with it. She said, "Serve returns were good. I was able to step in and give every return a good swing. I could place my returns wherever I needed to with complete control of what I was doing. I was able to get my racquet in position for whatever shot I was attempting, whether stepping in or slicing the return back."

Overall - Score: 89