Volkl Super G 10 Mid 330 Racquet Review Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 78

Two of our playtesters felt really comfortable with the Super G 10 Mid 330g when hitting groundstrokes and enjoyed the easy power and plush feel. "I loved the silky smooth response of this racquet from the baseline," Chris raved. "I felt completely connected to my shots. My backhand slice was working exceptionally well. I felt like I could place the ball on a dime thanks to the controlled response and excellent feel. This racquet had enough mass to drive through the ball, and that allowed me to relax my grip and let my swing flow. It took a tad more effort to generate as much topspin compared to the lighter version, but this racquet definitely pocketed the ball better. The more flexible frame response added more feel and control to lobs and angles. I also liked the way I could drive through the ball on passing shots and let the racquet do the work."

Michelle also really enjoyed the explosive power from the baseline, but she struggled to control her aggressive groundstrokes at times. She remarked, "I remember playtesting some initial samples of this racquet and was excited to see the final production. I instantly connected with this racquet and had an awesome playtest. The 96 square inches felt generous, and I appreciated the larger midsize frame. I instantly found the racquet to be pretty maneuverable and loaded with power. It was easy to swing, and it was apparent from the first ball I hit that the specs fall into what I like in a racquet. I was, however, looking for just a little more control and a little more mass in the hoop to get around the ball. I felt like I got slappy at times, which led to me overhitting. This racquet had more raw power than my Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph so I had to adjust accordingly. It was a fun racquet to go out and drill with from the baseline. I could hit out all day long, and I loved the depth I was getting."

While a lot of the racquet's attributes felt very similar to what he typically plays with, Troy had some issues with precision from the baseline. He critiqued, "The weight and balance of this racquet felt right at home for me, as many of the specs of this racquet were nearly identical to my Wilson Six.One 95 (16x18). This racquet had good plow through and stability when I was exchanging heavy shots from the baseline. The 16x19 string pattern made it easy to create topspin, and my slice backhand penetrated the court with ease. The only knock I had on this racquet was that it lacked in response at times. My groundstrokes were misfiring more than usual when I would attempt to hit near the lines. I find that the Volkl BioSensor handle dampening system is great for eliminating shock, but at the same time it reduces the feel. I felt that this Volkl Super G 10 Mid 330 just wasn't quite as precise as my Six.One 95, so I wasn't as comfortable playing attacking tennis."

Andy grew more and more comfortable with the Super G 10 Mid 330 as the test wore on. He explained, "It took me a little while to adjust to the weight and power of this racquet from the baseline. It possesses a ton of pop for a midsize racquet, making it easy to hit the ball with pace and depth. With so much power in my hands I found myself wanting to swing bigger, but that only resulted in mis-hit shots or balls sailing far past the baseline. Once I reeled it in a bit and used more compact swings the racquet provided the power while I provided the control, producing some effective groundstrokes. Slices felt awesome because of the heft of the racquet, and they were the highlight of the test off the ground. It was easy to knife backhand slices through the air and keep them low and penetrating."

Volleys - Score: 80

Our playtesters' experience seemed to only get better as they moved forward in the court. The Super G 10 Mid 330g continued to provide a solid, silky smooth feel around the net. Michelle's net game was firing on all cylinders. She said, "This racquet performed well at the net for me. It had ample power for putting balls away, but it also had decent precision and maneuverability. Blocking back balls that were hit hard at me was easy, and there was a decent amount of touch, so I could get creative and carve out some short drop volleys."

The creativity and variety in Chris' game was on full display throughout this playtest, and he once again raved, "A great racquet to volley with; this one just felt completely dialed in. I was getting a ton of feel to help me find my targets on drop and angle volleys. I also liked the mass of this racquet when I was punching volleys because it offered great plow through. Even when I was digging out a tough low volley or half-volley, I always felt like I had options and was in control of the point."

Troy liked this racquet a little more when he came to the net. He said, "I was enjoying the control and solid feel this racquet provided when I went to net. The mass in this racquet made it easy to get good depth on my volleys with little effort. The control made me to feel comfortable hitting my volleys close to the lines, and I didn't necessarily have the same control issues that I had when hitting groundstrokes. I enjoyed the firm and crisp feel, unlike other Volkl racquets I have tested which have been very flexible. Even though this racquet has a lot of mass, there was enough maneuverability for quick exchanges at net. This racquet performed very well when I came in to volley."

Andy enjoyed the easy depth and pace, but once again, he struggled to control his shots. He shared, "The Super G 10 Mid 330g forced me to keep my volleys simple and compact, and when I did that I was volleying effectively. When I took a bigger swing or tried to do too much with my volleys it was tough to get the racquet in position and the ball was flying long on me. This racquet offered good precision when I kept things simple and some decent feel on shots that required more finesse. The Super G 10 Mid 330g did flutter a bit on balls hit off-center, which was a bit strange for such a hefty racquet."

Serves - Score: 86

Everyone was finding colossal power for their first serves and that made serving our favorite part of the Super G 10 Mid 330g playtest. "Serves were my favorite shot to hit with this racquet!" said Andy. "The explosive power and nice precision allowed me to hit some pretty heavy serves and keep my opponents on their heels. A lack of forgiveness didn't really come into play. I was able to hit flat serves with plenty of pace to the location I wanted and spin serves with plenty of action."

Troy also enjoyed the blend of power, control and spin on his serves. He praised, "I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of pop this racquet provided on serves. My flat first serves were coming off the racquet with good speed, and my spin serves had lots of action on them. The control was good, too, and I was finding my targets consistently."

Chris was using the extra power the Super G 10 Mid 330 provided to get more free points than usual during his service games. He shared, "I was getting noticeably more pace and weight on my serves with this racquet. I found the combination of weight, balance and headsize brought mass to the impact without hampering the fast and maneuverable feel. This racquet cut through the air very well. I was able to turn a fast swing into impressive pace and spin. I was enjoying more free points on serve with this racquet, and that's always a nice thing."

Michelle really liked how she was serving with the Super G 10 MID 330, even when she compared it to her racquet of choice. She explained, "I took this racquet out for a few serving sessions and served it side by side with my RF97. I found it generated a little more power than my RF97. I enjoyed the precision as well. I have been really focusing on getting more movement on my second serves, and I was able to really brush up and get some heavy kick going. Also, I was getting big first serves in easily. Serving with this racquet might have been my favorite part of the playtest."

Returns - Score: 76

There were some mixed feelings when it came to returning with the Super G 10 Mid 330g. Troy liked how the heft of the racquet aided him against tough serves, but he wished for a bit more control and forgiveness. He explained, "I was enjoying the stability this racquet provided when returning serves. The mass of this racquet helped provide stability against big serves (100+ mph). I loved that it didn't require much effort to block returns back with good depth. The weight of the racquet was doing most of the work for me. When I made contact in the sweetspot the control helped me direct the ball away from the net player during doubles play. My favorite return was the backhand slice, which I was able to hit with good depth and court penetration. The downside to me, though, was that there were times when I felt the sweetspot was smaller than I would have liked. If I didn't make contact cleanly the response was somewhat erratic."

Like Troy, Andy was able to use his simple block returns effectively, but he had a little trouble with bigger swings. He shared, "It took a little while to adjust to this racquet when returning serves, but once I made the corrections I was having some nice results. With a compact swing I could use the heft of the racquet to deflect the ball back deep and use my opponents' pace against them. Chip returns also felt great since the weight of the racquet allowed me to push my returns back deep with ease. However, I started losing some consistency as soon as I started taking bigger cuts. Either balls were flying or I wasn't getting the racquet around my body in time."

Chris had no problems returning serves with the Super G 10 Mid 330g. He said, "The way this racquet came around on my swing made it a good fit for my return game. There was enough mass to encourage me to hit through the ball and not flick at it (which I sometimes have the bad habit of doing on my forehand), yet it was easy enough to maneuver. I loved the feel and control I had. Everything was working well for me, and I returned very well with this racquet."

On the other hand, Michelle never really got comfortable returning with this racquet. She critiqued, "Returning serves was a slightly different experience than hitting groundstrokes. When I was jammed or had big first serves coming at me I was struggling with a bit of instability. I felt like there was a lack of forgiveness on those returns, and I struggled just to block the ball back."

Overall - Score: 79