Comments: I usually play with heavy player's racquets like the Tour 90. I like to drive the ball and I tried the Xi98 briefly. I was pretty impressed, as it was probably the best Yonex racquet I've tried yet. The string pattern is just right; not too open, not too dense. It has a solid and consistent feel throughout the stringbed with medium power and solid pop, but the ball stayed in the lines even as I swung out. The swingweight and balance are well sorted out in stock form: stable, doesn't feel sluggish and comes through the stroke nicely. The only thing I'd probably change is add a leather grip for a little more heft down low.
From: Anton, 12/12
String type and tension: multi/poly hybrid @ 56 lbs

Comments: Misprint of original comment. To clarify, I replaced the EZone with a Head Youtek IG Instinct. The Youtek is more versatile and maneuverable. Sorry.
From: RL, 8/12

Comments: Replaced Head Youtek IG Instinct which is an all court performer. This provides better feel & touch. V Core appears to be worth a try.
From: RL, 5/12
Headsize: 100
NTRP Rating:4

Comments: Recently switched to this racket after years on a Prince Tour Diablo Mid that I loved and could find no racket better no matter how many rackets I've tried. I finally gave in and decided I needed to switch to something with a larger headsize though as my reaction time and eyesight just weren't as good as they used to be. I tested this out on recommendation from my local pro shop. At first, I liked it, but I didn't love it. The static weight was too light and the balance not head light enough for my tastes. However, the feel and touch on the string bed grew on me and I decided to take a chance and buy one. I had the weight upped and balance tipped a bit and this thing is awesome. I agree with other comments that you need to prep for you shot a bit earlier on the groundstroke. The ground strokes do have a lot of depth and pace once you find them though. I found no issue with this at the net (in either it's stock form or my modified). In fact, my net game has never been as strong before since I can really just drive every volley as deep and fast as I want it (drops feel great too). I found the increased power to also help significantly with the serve and I haven't lost any of my placement. the only issue I seem to be having on serve is finding my spin serves again. I just don't feel I get as much spin on my kick as I used to. I do suggest anyone interested to take this racket out for a spin to see how they like it.
From: Sai, 5/12

Comments: Nice stick. Bought one for an extended demo. Stock specs unstrung 11.1, 12.25 balance, 66 flex. Strung, with vibration dampener and a bit of lead tape at 3-9 I have it at 11.8 oz and about 6.5 points head light. Strung with 16 ga Babolat XCEL at 58lbs, I get a great control/power mix on groundies, may actually drop the tension a bit. Very stable, great spin and feel, excellent slice. It is lacking in easy power on serves for me; have to hit it very clean and hard to get the serve power that I want; otherwise no real negatives.
From: Anon, 5/12
String type and tension: Babolat Xcel Black 16, 58lbs
Headsize: 98
NTRP Rating: 4.

Comments: Fast, spin friendly, good control but very stiff frame.
From: Hedo, 4/12

Comments: This is a pretty powerful racket and its not light feeling but still swings fairly fast once you prepare early for a shot. Prior to this I bought and sold a Wilson Juice BLX 100 so I can compare it to the Juice. The Wilson had a bit more power but was certainly not as flickable as this one. In fact I thought the Juice was a pretty bad racket. This 98 Xi feels heavy in the handle. My only real concern is swing speed on my serves which I know will take time to get use. Control is excellent on this racquet. I also have a Wilson Pro Staff six one 100 and control is on par with that excellent control racquet. I would highly suggest this racket for the stronger player because its feels heavier than its stated weight. It does reward with great control thou. I give it a 7.5 or 8 out of 10. If it was maybe .3 to .5 ounce light It would be perfect.
From: Jon, 3/12
String type and tension: Wilson Sensation Control, 53lbs
Headsize: 98

Comments: I had the chance to demo this racquet a couple of weeks ago and boy was I surprised by this stick! When I got it out of the box I wasn't impressed by the cosmetics or the weight of the racquet, I guess I'm used to heavier frames but once I got on the court and started hitting with it, the racquet outperformed on every level. With its 11.5oz weight this racquet is so maneuverable that it allowed me to swing away with so much control on my shots, that I was hitting forehand and backhand winners from the baseline. At net it gave me very nice feel and all the confidence to put away my volleys with ease. My first serve percentage was above 70% which rarely happens to me when trying out a new racquet, so all in all this is a great racquet from YONEX and I can hardly wait to buy my new E-zone Xi 98 next week at the BNP Paribas Open.
From: Gabriel, 3/12

Comments: New purchase & seldom used. Seems to lack power and isn't anything to write home about. Still have and ocassionlly play w/an R22. It's weight provides more power as well as control. Appears that I've paid too much for a very ordinary stick.
From: RL, 2/12

Comments: I'm confused. Strange racket, I felt like I was not playing with a Yonex racket. Maybe I'm wrong but it seems like a Babolat frame with Yonex paint job. It is so much powerful that it can not be a player's frame because of an obvious lack of control, and it is not a tweener frame because it plays quite heavier thant the specs suggest... It is between two worlds but will not satisfy neither the ones nor the others. The racket has no feel and sorely lacks character. Multifilaments have to be banished otherwise the ball will fly on the moon to create a new Meteor Crater over there :-) Yes, it is solid, comfortable, good on serve return and for counter punchers, and those staying... five meters behind the line. In this category the Yonex rqis 1 tour xl 95 (heavy one) was much, much better in all aspects (except stability). I also miss the elongated grip for two backhanders. I'm currently playing with a Yonex rd ti 80 lite racket with Luxilon Timo and vs team at around 57-58 lbs.
From: Anon, 2/12

Comments: Oh behave...Very solid feeling stick with just enough flex/power. I added 5g of lead tape(total) on the hoop at 8 and 4 o'clock. Total weight with string, over grip, dampener, and lead was 338 grams. The racquet is as beautiful as Ana Ivanovic. Much better flex/feel than the Donney Pro One, and better control too!
From: Zorn, 2/12

Comments: Awesome! Felt like there was a nice synergistic effect between the NEOFADE in the hoop and the O.P.S. shaft, giving an optimal level of power, control, and stability. The technology used here is definitely not a gimmick. I had to work harder with this racquet in terms of swing preparation/technique to produce a controlled shot. This stick has more than enough power, but what surprised me the most was how I could really feel the ball coming off the string bed. Volleys were smooth and effortless. The expanded sweet spot helped somewhat on serve when I was slightly off center, however as with all players racquets the serve is usually only as good as the player's skill level. I really could not find anything wrong with this racquet.
From: Chris, 2/12

Comments: I hit with this racquet for no more than 10 15 minutes and it was a heavy hitting. Felt very stable although the string was stock some multifilament. Nice touch and nice feel. I think I would have preferred it strung with some co- poly string maybe because I usually play with Wilson k.six one tour 90 with full co-poly. It also felt a little bit lighter and if you don't mind the square shape it is a must try. One of the nicest cosmetics available in my opinion and a great quality from Yonex (don't forget it's made in Japan).
From: Enyu, 2/12

Comments: I just finished a demo session with this frame. Coming from being an E-Zone 100 owner, this was definitely more of a player stick. It is significantly more balanced towards the head which makes the swing weight a bit heavier than I'm used to. It is also quite a bit more dampened in terms of sound and feel. You can hit a pretty heavy ball if you make clean contact. When it came to serving, the impact was quiet, but the serves came down extremely heavy with a lot of power. One game of doubles I cranked 2 aces and 2 service winners. The weight of the head adds incredible anvil like power. With the weight though I wasn't as comfortable at the net. This frame demands early preparation on volleys and groundstrokes, but it can handle absorbing and firing back balls from heavy hitters. A solid player stick for players of probably 4.0 or higher.
From: Curtis, 2/12

Comments: I bought this stick from TW-Europe a few weeks ago. I don't change racquets very often but I like to try various sticks, though I always end up with Yonex. This one is a real winner. It is the new "Ezone" line but the feel of it is VERY different, for the 98 at least (I didn't try the 100 so maybe that is similar). It feels crisp and soft at the same time, in my opinion it is the perfect balance. I was playing with the RQis 2 tour until now (with 18 grams of lead throughout the racquet to keep the same balance) and before that: RQis 1 tour lite, RDIS 100 and RDX500. It is as if the Xi98 brought the best of all these frames. I am a good player but don't know much about racquet tech stuff so I can't say if it is a powerful stick... What I can say is that I can generate lots of power (more than with the other sticks) with outstanding control. My 1hbh has really improved with this stick and it added more precision and juice on my forehand. Not much of a net player but it seems to do the job well. As for the serve, my powerful flat serve is around the same level as before but I have trouble adjusting my kick serve compared to the RQis2 tour. I have to work on that but I think it is a good frame for serve and it is only a matter of adjustment. All in all it is such a great stick from Yonex, it improved my game the first time I played it so ...wow. Usually I don't buy this marketing rubbish about new technology for racquet but I must admit that this time they nailed it. I love the feeling, the power, the control and the playability. This frame was made for me.
From: Chris, Switzerland, 12/11