Tecnifibre TF40 305 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 88

When our playtesters started talking about the TF40 305, two words kept popping up: control and feel. From the baseline, Tiffani found herself right at home with this new racquet. She explained, "Looking at the specs of this TF40 305, I was quite excited to try it out. The specs line up closely with my own Prince Textreme Tour 100P (2015), with some slight differences, including a 98-square-inch head size instead of 100. The move to this TF40 305 felt pretty seamless to me. The swing speed and power levels were just about the same. Although I really enjoyed hitting my slice shots with this Tecnifibre, I did struggle a bit to generate topspin as easily as I do with my own racquet. Both of them have an 18x20 string pattern, but the pattern on the TF40 305 is slightly denser. I really enjoyed the feel of this racquet. It was comfortable, and I felt connected to my shots with the ball sinking into the stringbed."

Jason also found similarities between this Tecnifibre frame and his racquet of choice. He said, "It was such an easy transition to go from my Pure Strike 98 to this TF40 305. I loved the blend of power and control on my groundstrokes. Despite the 18x20 string pattern, I thought it was fairly easy to hit with spin, and the racquet felt maneuverable enough to pick up shots at my feet or attack on the run. I especially loved the feel; I felt really connected to my shots, and I knew where the ball was going as soon as it left the stringbed."

Currently drifting away from easy-powered racquets, Julie was charmed by the TF40 305's feel and control. She noted, "The 18x20 string pattern of the TF40 305 has a big sweetspot with a lightly dampened feel. I was rewarded with an impressive amount of power when I swung fast. The racquet had so much plow through and control, and I had the most fun placing the ball around the court with wonderful precision. Spin generation was a little tricky at the beginning of the playtest, but the more I played with the TF40 the more confident I became. I am transitioning from a Prince O3 Beast 98 and had to get used to the less maneuverable feel of this racquet. After a few hours on court I was able to hit my spinny shots with ideal depth. I felt connected to the ball on each shot, and I always had a feel for what was going on. The TF40 305 put plenty of mass behind the ball, and I never had to work for depth. It also cut through my slices really well, and even though the racquet was a bit demanding at first, it happened to be perfect for my game."

Erik needed some time to adapt to this stick, but he agreed with his teammates about this racquet's outstanding control. He described, "This racquet offers a good amount of control, especially with that 18x20 string pattern. There was definitely a lower launch angle, which took some getting used to. I really had to aim high over the net to produce the result I was looking for. I didn't get a ton of spin from the TF40 305, but I could swing out without fear of my ball sailing long. The TF40 305 has a higher swingweight and offers great stability, which I appreciated up at net and on defensive balls. This racquet was quite hard to maneuver at first, so I tried to tail weight it to make it more maneuverable. The TF40 305 worked well on offense, but I had trouble as soon as I got pressed to the corners because of that lack of maneuverability."

Volleys - Score: 85

The TF40 305 seemed to hold its own when our playtesters moved toward the net. Julie described, "The racquet allowed me to place the ball so well that I often found myself in a position to come up to finish the point at net. When the ball came at me fast this racquet had enough dwell time for me to use the pace and place the ball with tons of control. The lower power level and stability helped me punch volleys and overheads away with a light, dampened feel."

"The TF40 305 was extremely stable up at net," continued Erik. "The feel in this racquet was awesome; I was totally connected to the ball on my volleys. I usually found myself hitting shorter and angled volleys, and this TF40 gave me the precision I needed to be efficient with my shots at net."

While Tiffani is more of a baseline player, the TF40 305 gave her the extra confidence she needed at net. She explained, "The feel at net was excellent. I'm not much of a volleyer, but I did feel comfortable doing more than my usual just-get-it-back routine. The racquet was just maneuverable enough for me. It didn't feel lightning quick in my hands, but it offered good stability."

Jason thought that this racquet felt well-rounded as he moved forward. He said, "The TF40 305 had really nice feel and touch up at net, but there was also enough pop to put away overheads and drive volleys."

Serves - Score: 87

The control of the TF40 305 definitely stood out on serves. Some playtesters loved the power level, while others wanted a tad more from the stringbed. Julie couldn't hide her excitement, saying, "I've seriously never served with such power, spin and control in my life! The TF40 305 has a nice sweetspot that allows me to find an impressive amount of power on my first serve without compromising control. The area I'm the happiest with is my kick serve; I was able to generate power from my racquet speed and the mass I had behind the ball. I can't recall the last time my ball bounced this high. When it came to finding a wide slice serve on the deuce side, I was delighted with the way this frame helped me reach my target. I felt very comfortable, and my motion felt natural."

While Erik wasn't blown away by the TF40 305's spin potential, he appreciated what the racquet added to his flatter serves. He described, "When hitting flat balls and going for my shots, I found really nice pop on my serves. I could hit the ball through the court nicely, especially on first serves. On second serves, the spin wasn't quite there for me, and I had to make sure I hit through the ball. However, this racquet offers tons of control, and I was very confident hitting serves. I thought this racquet was very predictable, so I was pleased with the precision I had. My favorite serve to hit was the slice serve up the T on the ad side and the flat T or body serve on the deuce side."

The TF40 305 seemed a little demanding at times for Tiffani on serves. She explained, "I really liked the TF40 305's power level when I connected with my serve. I am not a power server by any means, but I could hit flat serves with some decent pace with this racquet. I struggled a bit hitting slice serves, though. This racquet is just on the upper edge of what I like in terms of maneuverability, and when I was being a little lazy and not completely snapping through, I didn't get enough action on the ball and missed. However, when I was more disciplined, I liked the spin levels I could achieve."

Jason was missing the dynamism of his racquet of choice. He said, "This is the one stroke where I really wanted an open string pattern. I wasn't just missing the added power, but I depend on my slice and getting spin on my serves to make them effective, which I thought was a bit lacking here. Consistency was great and placement was accurate, but I was just missing a bit of power and spin."

Returns - Score: 89

Our team couldn't find much to dislike on serve returns. The TF40 305 helped our testers feel confident when returning aggressively. Erik said, "I really enjoyed this racquet on returns. It felt extremely solid in my hands, and it came through the ball easily. I also found this racquet to have the perfect amount of power, so I could hit confidently without fearing the ball would drop outside the court. The TF40 305 could block back first serves with no issues at all; it was very stable."

Tiffani was happy with the precision of her shots, but she had to make a few small adjustments to find the perfect timing. She described, "Plush and stable are the first two things that come to mind when I think of returning with the TF40 305. Since this racquet swung with a bit of heft rather than feeling whippy, I was not taking full swings on my returns, but that didn't necessarily mean I was always starting on the defensive. The feel and control of this racquet had me playing with enough confidence to pick my spots on returns. The racquet also felt stable. Together, those attributes let me return with pace and good placement."

To Jason, it seemed like the TF40 305 could do it all on returns. He said, "There wasn't much to dislike here. I found that whatever type of return I tried worked well. Whether taking a full cut at the ball or chipping it back, the racquet provided the power, control and spin necessary to make the return effective."

The TF40 305's well-rounded response gave Julie just what she needed to stay on the attack against both first and second serves. She concluded, "This frame is low powered and stable, but it offered the nice pop I needed on returns to reach my expectations of power and depth. It gave me the chance to put the ball away on my second serve returns, and to hit big, aggressive returns with confidence and control."

Overall - Score: 88