A Look Back at Tennis in 2022

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Top 5 Racquet Reviews of 2022

1. Prince ATS Textreme Tour 98

New to the Prince Tour line for 2022, the ATS Textreme Tour 98 drew big praise from our TW playtesters. The Tour 98 checks all the boxes you could want in a modern 98-square-inch racquet. It has precision, it has easy depth, it is easy to swing, it's fast and feels solid — and of course, it can generate all kinds of spin. Check our full review here.

Endorsed by Novak Djokovic, this Speed Pro is designed for advanced ball strikers. Our team loved the blend of features and how those aspects fit a variety of playing styles. Spin from a closed pattern? Easy depth through the court? Touch and feel? Maneuverability? Put-away power? Our team found it all. Check out our full review here.

Head offered an impressive Speed lineup in 2022, with both the Pro and MP versions earning top scores from our team. The Speed MP is the more maneuverable, easier-to-use racquet of the two. Check out our Speed MP review here. The Prince Twistpower X100 Tour pleased our team with an ideal blend of controllable power, comfort and stability. The Twistpower line has a unique twisted shaft, making them easy to spot on court and delivering impressive feel. Find our full Twistpower X100 Tour review here.

The EZONE family has long been a favorite of the TW playtest team, and the 2022 editions continued to impress. Our favorites with this update were the EZONE 100 2020 and EZONE 98 Tour 2022. For the EZONE 100, our team found all-around easy playability, good feel and improved control over the outgoing model. There's a reason some players it call it the "EASY ONE," and our team found plenty to like about this update. Read our EZONE 100 2022 review here. The EZONE 98 Tour 2022 is a heavier hitting option than its 100-square-inch counterpart. Our team found this racquet to be a powerful combination of stability and control, making it easy to play offensively when possible and defensively when required. Read our EZONE 98 Tour 2022 review here.

Top 5 Tennis Shoe Reviews of 2022

Lotto made a big splash in 2022 with the Raptor 100 SPD. The Raptor 100 seemed to do it all and do it all well on the court. If there were one minor complaint, one playtester wished for improved toe durability, but otherwise this model checked all the boxes. Read our full review here.

New for 2022, the Avacourt was designed especially for women. adidas researched the preferences, movements and wear patterns of female players to develop this model. These shoes earned an impressive comfort score and impressed our team with their overall performance. Read our full review here.

When our playtesters think of Diadora tennis shoes, comfort is top of mind. For the B.Icon, both our men's and women's playtest teams found loads of cushioned comfort. There was also a good balance of stability and weight. There was an issue with the upper tearing in the toe box, but it didn't affect overall performance on court. Read our men's review and women's review.

When it comes to lightweight speed, the Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 5 certainly delivers. What our team found impressive is that there was still good durability. Most of the playtesters found a good level of support, but note that you're not getting tank-like protection from this model. The way these shoes flex and move, though, delivers a smooth feel on court. Read our full review here.

Top 3 String Reviews of 2022

Babolat RPM Blast is not new. It's been a favorite for years. However, the Orange edition is new, and our TW playtesters found that it does play differently than the original black color. The biggest game changer with the Orange version was it holds tension longer. Read our full review here.

2. Head Lynx Touch

Head continues to grow its popular line of Lynx strings. The Touch version comes in with a softer feel than most co-polys. The best part is players don't have to give up the control they get from stiffer poly counterparts. Read our full review here.

3. Head Lynx Spin2 Hybrid

As we said earlier, the TW team favored strings of the poly variety in 2022. This Lynx Spin2 Hybrid is a new breed, combining two different co-poly strings. This TW exclusive hybrid combines a smooth co-poly with a grippy five-sided string. The result is a predictable response that our team loved. Read our full review here.

These were just some of our favorite reviews of 2022. We're already gearing up for the next year of reviews to see what 2023 holds for the tennis world! Be sure to follow our latest reviews on our Improve page.

Playtester Picks: Memorable Moments & Outfits from the Pros in 2022

If you ask the TW playtesters, there's always something to talk about when it comes to pro tennis, but in 2022, that's especially so. In March, Ash Barty announced she was stepping away from the game. She was sitting atop the WTA rankings at the time, and in the past, she played pro cricket. She's now set her sights on competing as a pro golfer.

Serena Williams also announced that she was walking away from pro tennis. We didn't expect to see her play professionally again after this year's US Open, but she's since hinted that she could return to the game.

Then in September, Roger Federer let the world know he would be hanging up his racquet as a professional tennis player. For his last match, he teamed up at the Laver Cup to play doubles with Rafael Nadal. Unbelievable and so memorable to watch the two champions play together.

Rafa also secured his 14th French Open this year for a record 22nd slam title.

^{Photo by Mike Frey}

As we watched established champions calling it a career, we also saw some firsts. Carlos Alcaraz made his presence known in 2022, winning two Masters titles and his first slam at the US Open. He also earned the No. 1 ranking. Did we mention he's only 19?!

All we can say is 2022 didn't disappoint, and 2023 professional tennis is just around the corner. Before you know it, the Australian Open will kick off the year as the first slam.

What We Saw on Court

From Tommy Paul's New Balance attire to Casper Ruud's Yonex apparel at the French Open, the year was full of bright colors and patterns on the men's tour. On the WTA Tour, Ajla Tomjanovic was the victor in what could have been Serena Williams' last match at the US Open. She scored the win while wearing a stylish print dress by Original Penguin. We also watched Jessica Pegula cap a great 2022 wearing a print dress by adidas at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth.