Yonex VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

Once they adjusted to the weight of the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) our TW testers loved how connected they felt to their shots, and how well this racquet plowed through the ball at impact. Typically a fan of heavier racquets, Troy was comfortable with the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) as soon as he picked it up, and he noticed improvements over the previous version. He said, "I felt right at home when I was swinging away from the baseline with this racquet in my hand. Its specs are nearly identical to the Wilson Six.One 95 that I have been using for years. I was feeling more connected and dialed into my groundstrokes with this Duel G 97 compared to the previous Tour G version. The stability and plow through were excellent with this racquet. Just like many of the heavier racquets I prefer, it allowed me to get easy depth on my groundstrokes. My backhand slice was heavy and penetrated through the court well. It was a little tougher to generate topspin, but I loved how I could flatten out my groundstrokes to get them moving through the court."

Michelle was also dialed in from the baseline with this racquet in hand, and she raved, "I was really excited about this playtest because the specs of the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) are pretty similar to my Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph. I have been loving racquets with beefier swingweights, and that was exactly what I got with this one -- a racquet that offered me similar power, control and plow through compared to my current racquet of choice. Even with an extra cross string, I found great access to power and spin and could really crank the ball. I felt like I gained power effortlessly, but the control alIowed me to attack balls. I even had a hitting session where I was overhitting with a few different racquets and settled into the Duel G 330g because I knew I wouldn't be missing long as much. The PlaySight data I recorded showed that this racquet provided me with faster balls off both wings, as well as more spin. It was just effortless to get this racquet to perform how I wanted it to, and I had a blast playing with it throughout the playtest."

Mark appreciated the heavy, solid feel that the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) offered as well. He said, "Given the success of the previous versions, I was not surprised by how well the Duel G 97 (330g) played! I got all the stability I could ever want (and handle) in this racquet. My shots were noticeably heavier with the 330g model than they were with the 310g model, and with less racquet head speed required to achieve it. If I am playing for an hour or less, this may be my favorite racquet to swing from the baseline. That said, I did tire a bit after the 90-minute mark, which made generating lots of racquet speed a challenge for me."

Like Troy, Andy also noticed some subtle improvements over the previous version, but he ultimately had trouble getting comfortable with the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) from the baseline. He explained, "I loved how connected to the ball I felt with this racquet at the baseline. The 'feel' was excellent! The heft of this racquet gave it a very solid and stable feel at impact as well. It felt more maneuverable and slightly stiffer/crisper than its predecessor, which contributed to the solid feel and made it a little easier to wield. However, like the previous version, it possesses a bit too much power for me and not enough spin for my liking. I had trouble getting enough rotation on the ball to help me control some of my harder hit shots. I loved the feel, but I had a hard time getting totally dialed in on my groundstrokes."

Volleys - Score: 88

Our playtesters were raving about how well the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) played around the net. They all appreciated the feel, control, power and heft this racquet offered. "The overall stability and feel on any shot hit near the net was stellar," Mark raved. "Even shots hit out toward the tip of the hoop were effective as long as I got the racquet into position. That's hard to get from a sub 12-ounce racquet."

"My favorite place to be with this racquet was up at net," Andy said. "The feel was improved over the previous version and had me feeling totally connected to the ball. It was easy to punch the volley back deep in the court as well as use a little finesse for some softer shots. Maneuverability was better than the Tour G, and I never found it difficult to get into position during quick exchanges. The heft and crisper feel made it feel rock solid against harder hit shots. All in all, this racquet was awesome up at net!"

Michelle felt great moving up to the net after blasting groundstrokes with this racquet. She praised, "At net, the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) felt solid and stable to me, making it easy for me to make my first volley and remain confident at net. It was more maneuverable than I expected, and power and touch were both available. I found myself attacking short balls or coming in on swinging volleys to win points."

Like the others, Troy could hit almost any volley he could dream of. He said, "This racquet provided plenty of stability when I went to the net. As long as I had good preparation the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) was doing a lot of the work on volleys. The mass of the frame made it easy to hit deep and penetrating volleys, while the exceptional feel allowed me to volley close to the lines and feather some drop volleys. There were times when I was hitting quick reaction volleys in doubles that this racquet felt a little cumbersome. The test racquet that I was using had a swingweight just shy of 340, and there were times when I wanted just a bit more maneuverability."

Serves - Score: 79

There were some mixed feelings among our playtesters when it came to serving with the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g). Michelle's love affair with this racquet continued during this part of the test. She offered, "I'm probably starting to sound like a broken record, but the power and accuracy I found when serving were awesome. I've really been working on getting more power on my serve, and it might just be that it all started coming together during this playtest, but I was consistently hitting 118 and 119 mph serves that were going in (which only made me enjoy this playtest even more)! I really found great slice when going after my second serve, and I could get the ball to kick decently well when I needed to."

"I really liked this portion of the playtest. The racquet's high static weight and firm beam worked well for my service game," Mark added.

Troy thought the racquet's weight allowed him to get decent pace on his first serves, but he struggled to generate the racquet head speed and spin that he needed for hitting his second serves. He critiqued, "This racquet provided plenty of mass to hit big, flat first serves. When I was hitting kick serves I found that I wasn't quite getting as much spin as I would've liked. With all the mass/swingweight, I found it difficult to get as much racquet head speed as I usually do, and thus I wasn't getting as many RPMs on my spin serves. The control that it provided, though, helped me locate my spots with ease. I was able to serve effectively during this playtest, but I was wanting just a bit more maneuverability to help me with my spin serves."

Andy also had issues getting this part of his game to work well during the test. He explained, "Like with the previous version, I struggled to get my serve dialed in. I had a hard time hitting my intended targets, and the heft of the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) made it difficult for me to generate the racquet head speed that I needed to serve with pace and spin. Needless to say, I did not serve well throughout this playtest."

Returns - Score: 80

The solid, hefty feel of the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) was great for hitting returns with shorter swings, but the lack of maneuverability came into play when we tried to take bigger cuts at the ball. "When I was returning serve with a compact swing the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) offered good control and a nice solid feel that allowed me to redirect hard hit serves to my intended targets," Andy explained. "Chipping back defensive returns was easy, too, due to the heft of this racquet, and it easy for me to get the ball back deep in the court. However, when I tried to take a bigger, more aggressive swing, it was difficult to get the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) around my body and find my targets consistently. This was another area where I had a hard time getting completely dialed in, and I never felt totally comfortable."

Troy had a similar experience. He shared, "I found that I could redirect big serves with ease with this racquet. A short, compact swing allowed me to get easy depth in the court, push my opponents back and be offensive. I had a more difficult time maneuvering the racquet anytime I was stretched out and off balance, though. If serves were in my wheelhouse and I was able to get my weight behind the returns, I was successful. On the other hand, I had a hard time getting any sort of depth on my returns when I could not get into position. My favorite return to hit with this racquet was the backhand slice/chip. I found that my backhand slice return felt smooth as butter with this racquet in hand."

"This was the one area of the test that was more challenging," Mark admitted. "My slice/chip return was pretty effective, but I was often a bit late if I tried to hit with topspin or take a bigger swing."

Michelle had no issues with her returns, and she felt completely comfortable. She said, "Returning is always where I like to take charge of the point, and this racquet really allowed me to do just that. I found good stability, and I could take good cuts and accurately place my returns to get myself in command of the point. I also loved blocking back big serves. My defensive returns were effective and landed deep in the court, disarming my opponents after their first serve."

Overall - Score: 85