For 2004, Volkl has added the distinctive 'V' throat design to its V-Engine racquet series. While Volkl has used an angular throat bridge in the past, the V-Engine design is a more extreme 'V' shape. The idea behind the 'V' is that it lengthens the center main strings, providing a little more pop. Volkl claims the V-Engine design also provides more control and stability than a traditional hoop design as it allows for a deeper string pocket. The racquet tested here, the Tour 9 V-Engine, also features a 'V' shaped stabilizing bar near the mid point of the throat. With the inclusion of fiberglass in the frame construction, the Tour 9 V-Engine looks to add some classic feel to its distinctive frame design.

We hit the courts for a three-week playtest of the Tour 9 V-Engine to see if this latest offering from Volkl could rev up our games. Here's what we found.

We strung two Tour 9 V-Engines for our playtest using a 17 gauge multifilament string. We strung one racquet two pounds above mid tension, and one, two pounds below mid tension.

Groundstrokes

While the Tour 9 V-Engine drew mixed results from our team when it came to control and power from the baseline, all agreed that there was a lot of comfort to be had. Don found the weight of the Tour 9 V-Engine fit his style of play nicely. "The Tour 9 V-Engine has just the right weight and balance for my game. It's light enough to be maneuverable, yet still hefty enough for a solid, comfortable feel. I might add just a bit more weight to raise the swingweight 5-10 units. However, it played nicely as is. Despite the denser string pattern, I was able to generate decent spin. Still, I'd prefer a more open pattern for added spin potential and a livelier feel. Of the two playtest racquets, I found the more loosely strung version much more to my liking. The tighter strung racquet felt too stiff and dead. On routine forehands and backhands, I found the Tour 9 V-Engine reliable in delivering a nice combination of power and control for my medium-fast swing. Moreover, it had a somewhat flexy feel in the upper hoop, without feeling flimsy. This provided just the right amount of 'feedback' without a big drop-off in power when balls were mis-hit high in the stringbed. It's got that 'Volkl Feel'... My only real complaint was that I didn't care for the handle shape. It's more rectangular than I like, and different from previous Volkl racquets I've used. Adding an overgrip lessened this somewhat." Wendi also found some solid hitting with the Tour 9 V-Engine, saying, "consistency is the first thing that comes to mind after playing with this racquet. I had great control. It was a little lacking in the power, but it just forced me to work a little harder at getting my shots deep. My cross-court shots really shined, and I was able to work the points nicely. My topspin also seemed to be effective with this racquet."

Chris found the Tour 9 V-Engine to be a solid racquet off the ground. "This racquet felt remarkably stable for being so light and maneuverable. The feel from the stringbed was very consistent even on off-center hits. I felt no sudden drop-off in power or hot spots in the stringbed when hitting groundstrokes. I found plenty of pop from this racquet and feel that 4.0+ level players will have no problems keeping the ball deep. Faster swings gave access to spin, but I felt like I had to hold back slightly to avoid hitting long. With this racquet, I would either have to max out the recommended tension or switch to polyester based string so I could get more control. Due to this, I hit mostly with the tightly strung racquet as it was better suited to my game. All in all, I preferred hitting with the Tour 9 V-Engine when playing doubles. The power came in useful for passing shots and on the more compact swings often required during fast exchanges. In singles play, my favorite groundstroke was the slice backhand. I was able to find effortless pace and depth, allowing me to concentrate on placement." Josh found the Tour 9 V-Engine to be a bit too powerful. "My baseline game was a bit sloppy with this racquet. I had trouble finding consistent depth and accuracy when hitting down the line, though hitting cross-court didn't seem to be a problem. I also found myself playing safer with this racquet. Typically, I will go for a crowd-pleasing winner any chance I get. I didn't have the same confidence to take such risks with the Tour 9 V-Engine. Despite control and power being an issue, the racquet is comfortable and offers a soft feel." Mark also found a good level of comfort when hitting groundstrokes. "The Tour 9 V-Engine was very comfortable from the baseline. I felt it had a moderate to low power level that let me take a full swing at the ball. I was also able to create a lot of spin, which gave me even more control."

Volleys

Our team really enjoyed charging the net with the Tour 9 V-Engine, finding good control and maneuverability. Josh said, "this racquet is easy to maneuver and is responsive in quick rallies at net. The Tour 9 V-Engine performed well in mixed situations. If I needed to punch a volley deep towards the baseline, the racquet did the work. If I was in a situation that called for a touch volley to just clear the net, I found the needed feel with this racquet." Mark also had good results at net. "I had good control at the net with the Tour 9 V-Engine. There was a little less power on my volleys than I'm used to, but I was able to adjust quickly. The Tour 9 V-Engine was very stable, even on mis-hits. I never felt like I was going to be overpowered by a hard passing shot." Chris agreed, saying, "at net, the Tour 9 V-Engine felt great. I was able to control the power, and found the racquet to be very stable. It was very easy to find my targets with this racquet especially when going deep to the corners. I also found it easy to catch-up to wide passing shots and really enjoyed the maneuverability of this racquet during doubles play."

Wendi also had "great results at the net with the Tour 9 V-Engine." She said, "the racquet felt very natural in my hand, with good maneuverability and stability. I was hitting all sorts of volleys with success, good deep volleys as well as some great touch shots. My reaction time was quick with the Tour 9 V-Engine." When moving up to the net, Don continued to find the same success he had at the baseline with the Tour 9 V-Engine. "It seemed that all the attributes displayed by the Tour 9 V-Engine from the baseline pretty much applied at net. I enjoyed hitting volleys and overheads, finding a nice blend of maneuverability and stability. During one playtest session, I had some pretty hard-hitting exchanges. I was able to get to almost every passing shot, and I didn't find the racquet getting pushed around by my opponent's pace."

Serves and Overheads

As on other strokes, the Tour 9 V-Engine's proved easy to maneuver on the serve, allowing for plenty of racquet head speed. Each member of our team had a different opinion on what they liked and disliked about serving with the Tour 9 V-Engine. Finding good consistency was Wendi. "I loved that this racquet was so consistent for me. I had good control in placing my serves wherever I wanted. At first, my serves seemed to lack pace, but the longer I served the harder my serves became." Mark found better placement on his serves with the Tour 9 V-Engine as the playtest progressed. "I served poorly the first time I used the Tour 9 V-Engine, but I got the hang of it the next time out. I never reached the power level that some racquets provide, but I started hitting the corners with regularity. If you can create the power, the Tour 9 V-Engine will help you get the ball in the court."

Chris said, "if there was one shot that was an issue with the V-Engine 9, it was the serve. Most of my problems came on the second serve, where I struggled to get enough grip on the ball. I tended to err by hitting my second serve too deep. I had to take a little pace off my second serves to keep from double faulting. Towards the end of the playtest I was having better results, but it took me about two-weeks with this racquet before I had my usual confidence on the second serve. When hitting overheads I found it easy to get the racquet around the ball. Reaching back for a deep lob, I could still get enough power to finish the point with a solid wrist snap." Josh also struggled slightly on serve with the Tour 9 V-Engine. "The combination of a lighter weight and tight string pattern offered mixed results. The tighter string pattern was helpful when hitting flat first-serves, but it seemed to work against me on second serves. I wasn't able to generate much spin and my opponents definitely took advantage. I found more success hitting a flatter second and focusing on placement." Like Mark, Don found better results on serve as the playtesting progressed. "At first, I didn't serve well the Tour 9 V-Engine. By the final playtest session, though, I found my groove and was hitting very effective serves. I think it was the lower swingweight that required some adjustment. Here again, a little added weight would work wonders for me. I found better slice and topspin than expected, and rarely double-faulted. I also enjoyed the directional control."

Returns

On the return of serve our team was more unanimous in their praise for the Tour 9 V-Engine. Chris said, "this is a great racquet to return with. It is very maneuverable, but a big swing is not needed as the response is quite lively. I found I could come over the ball when given time, but really liked the power I was finding for blocked returns. The racquet's light weight and lively response definitely helped keep me in the point when returning strong serves. Even at full stretch, I was able to keep my returns deep and neutralize a big serve as long as my opponent stayed back. Returning against serve and volley players, I had to be carefully aggressive. I had the best success when knifing slice backhand returns to the feet of the incoming volleyer." Wendi found the best results hitting off her two-handed wing. "My backhand returns were very nice with the Tour 9 V-Engine. I was hitting really solid returns with decent power. I struggled with my forehand returns, especially on the deuce side. It just seemed that too many returns were either off-center or hit the frame." Mark found the Tour 9 V-Engine offered enough control to be aggressive on the return. "I returned very aggressively with the Tour 9 V-Engine. I could hit hard topspin or slice returns without worrying about keeping the ball in the court."

Josh found the Tour 9 V-Engine a good fit for his return game. "The lighter weight and balance were a definite positive for my return game. I was able to take fuller swings without being late, which gave my return-game on the backhand side a little boost. I found the most success returning cross-court forehands and backhands. I felt I was getting ahead of the ball, which made for some interesting angles on returns." Also having success on the return was Don. "The Tour 9 V-Engine was a good return racquet for me; mobile enough to take a swing against most serves, but still stable enough to block back the heater. It didn't 'plow' through the ball like heavier racquets, but still provided enough pace and depth in most situations."

Overall

The Tour 9 V-Engine offers the maneuverability of a lighter player's racquet, while offering the solid and stable feel usually associated with heavier racquets. Our team found such attributes to be a huge pay-off, especially when volleying and returning serve, making this a solid choice for aggressive players who like to quickly finish off the point. From the baseline, players with medium to medium-fast swing styles will find plenty of power in the Tour 9 V-Engine. We also found that faster swings opened up the racquet's spin potential.

Review date: April 2004. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

All content copyright 2004 Tennis Warehouse.