Yonex EZONE DR 98+ Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 88

On groundstrokes the EZONE DR 98+ was a tale of two racquets. Half our team described it as the Holy Grail, with perfect levels of power, control, spin and feel. The other half voiced a more sober appreciation of its strengths and weaknesses. Chris was in the Holy Grail camp. He said, "It really didn't take long at all for me to fall in love with this racquet. The blend of power, control and feel was just a perfect match for my game. I was able to find the power I love from my Babolat Pure Drive Plus but get more control and feel. My topspin backhand clicked very well with DR 98+. I was driving it better than ever and felt confident taking a full cut at the ball, knowing I'd get enough control and spin from the racquet to keep my shots on target. I had more control and feel on my slice backhand and really enjoyed the flexible feel of the racquet. It felt like it flexed much, much better than the standard length version. The result was a buttery smooth feel, lots of power and great spin. I was also lucky enough to hit a preproduction version of this racquet and I fell in love with it. I had already decided if the production version was just as good I would switch to it. It was, and I've made the switch!"

Although Andy required some minor adjustments, he ultimately fell hard for this racquet. He explained, "Let the love affair begin! This racquet felt amazing from the baseline. It gave me the little boost of power and spin that I've been craving from my standard length DR 98 (my current, well, I guess now my former racquet of choice) without any loss in control or feel. The added leverage from the extended length frame allowed me to pummel groundstrokes off both sides and generate tons of spin on both my slices and topspin shots. It took me a little while to adjust to the added length on the low forehand, where it was a bit challenging to accelerate the racquet quickly enough to give the ball enough spin to clear the net and drop safely in on the other side. However, once I got a feel for that shot I was unloading on my groundstrokes with maximal confidence."

Troy was very impressed by this racquet's power and plow through, but the extended length caused some problems on a few shots. He said, "With the DR 98+ in my hands I was able to hit some heavy and penetrating shots from the baseline. The standard length version is very maneuverable and spin friendly, but the 27.5 inch version has much more plow through, and it hits a better flat ball. In addition to the extra put-away power, I loved the added stability on heavy exchanges. The increase in swingweight let the racquet do most of the work on slice backhands, which felt very solid and dialed in. I had to work a little harder to generate topspin due to the extended length, which made it harder to fling the tip of the racquet. When I had the time to take full rips on my topspin forehand I was able to hit the ball deep with lots of rotation, helping me push my opponent back off the baseline. The biggest downside came when I tried to be aggressive. On approach shots, for example, I found the ball flying long sporadically. This lack of depth control may have been because I was still trying to gauge my contact point with the extra half-inch added to this racquet."

Although Michelle appreciated this racquet's power off the ground, she too had some issues with the length and overall response. Let's just say she is not ready to leave her trusty Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph. She commented, "When I made contact in the sweetspot it was awesome! The ball sank into the stringbed and came out flat with a lots of powerful, and I could consistently push my opponents back. However, because of the extra length I sometimes found the DR 98+ slightly lagging at contact. It still produced a good shot, but the ball wasn't always going where I was aiming. This racquet really accentuated my flatter shots. I was surprised that my PlaySight data showed I was hitting faster balls with the DR 98+ than I was with my RF97.

"I was also surprised to find that this racquet lacked spin potential. This may have to do with maneuverability, but there were many times when I was needing a tiny bit of spin to help my ball get over the net (mainly when I was reaching for a ball in front of me), but it just wasn't there. I also paid a price on slice shots if I didn't really go after the ball. However, when I forcefully sliced the ball it was perfection; the ball stayed low and pushed my opponent back. The longer length seemed to enhance the flexibility, which isn't a bad thing, but I normally prefer stiffer racquets. Also, the sweetspot felt great, but off-center contact felt a bit dead and erratic. There were times when I clearly missed the sweetspot and a ball I would normally expect to go in didn't. I'm being more critical because this was a solid and fun racquet to hit with. I wish it were a magic wand that did everything perfectly, but I guess that's what I have the RF97 for! Overall, I was really happy with the control and power I could generate with the DR 98+ from the baseline."

Volleys - Score: 88

On volleys, our team simply could not argue with the EZONE DR 98+'s combination of stability, power and feel. Granted, some mild complaints over the maneuverability persisted, but this racquet eventually won everyone over, including Troy. He said, "I enjoyed the very stable feel of this racquet at net. I didn't have to do much to get easy depth on my volleys. As long as I had the racquet in the proper position, this racquet provided the needed stability to hit solid penetrating volleys. At first this racquet felt a bit cumbersome, but once I adjusted to the extra length by choking up, I was able to gel with this racquet at the net. I found a good level of responsiveness when hitting drop volleys and sharp angles. My ability to command the ball and find my targets close to the lines made me feel very confident closing out points in the forecourt."

"I did have some maneuverability issues up at net and struggled a little bit with balls hit right at the middle of my body," said Michelle, who eventually warmed up to this stick's charm. "Aside from that, I was impressed by how easily I could hit with depth and get balls moving through the court. This racquet flexed more than I'm used to, but I eventually I came to appreciate it because it made me feel like I could do more with the ball on shorter strokes and touch shots."

As with groundstrokes, Andy needed a short adjustment period before he was able to tap into this racquet's considerable magic. He said, "The racquet felt very solid and stable up at net. It was easy to punch volleys back deep in the court with lots of pace, while at the same time the racquet's exceptional feel kept me totally connected to the ball as I went for shots that required more finesse. I loved the extra reach I got when trying to cover the lines, but the added heft was a bit of an adjustment when trying to get it into position during quick exchanges. All in all, though, after a quick adjustment the racquet was a dream up at net."

Speed. Stability. Power. Touch. Control. What else does a person need at net? Let's just say Chris was satisfied. He said, "I continued to love the response of this racquet at net. The feel from the way the racquet flexed and cupped the ball was sweet. I had all the touch and control I could want on drop volleys and angles. This was one of those rare instances where I could have my cake and eat it too because I also found plenty of power to punch volleys away. The racquet felt fast and maneuverable, which helped me add some zip and react quickly. I also found enough mass from the DR 98+ for it to feel solid. The weight did a good job of complementing the flexible feel, and I felt very connected to my volleys."

Serves - Score: 92

There is no denying it. Extended length racquets increase your power potential on serves. This fact helps explain why the highest score for this playtest was awarded for serves. But it's not just power; the EZONE DR 98+ also gave our crew the needed spin and precision to hit their targets. Andy had zero complaints. He said, "Serving was where I really felt the difference and benefits from the extra half-inch of length. It gave me more leverage to reach up high and snap down on my serves, unlocking some extra power I didn't know I had. I also found a boost in margin for error when I was making contact just that little bit higher off the ground, allowing me to go for my serves and hit my spots with confidence. Don't try to muscle this racquet on the serve - let it do the work for you and get ready for some extra free points!"

For Michelle, this racquet's extra length came with zero downsides on serves. She said, "I loved serving with this racquet. I could generate some good power and placement. I've been working on my serve, and this racquet complemented everything I've been working on. I definitely found myself hitting more aces when I had this racquet in hand. I also found it was really easy to generate good kick and slice on second serves without a whole lot of effort."

Chris discovered the perfect balance of power, precision and spin for his serves. He said, "I was worried that the magic might end when it came to serving. I have to admit that I'm addicted to the power I get from my Pure Drive Plus, and it's one of the reasons I really had no desire to switch from it. However, I served just as big with the DR 98+. I found lots of pace (for me) when hitting flatter serves. Since I'm sub 6-feet tall I hit most of my serves with some spin, and that was where the DR 98+ came into its own. I had more feel and control for the spin I was getting from the racquet. I felt like I could be more aggressive with my targets. There were many instances when I was basically just hitting every serve like a first serve -- confident I would find my mark on the second go if I missed on the first attempt."

Troy discovered that higher net clearance, a common downside of extended length racquets on serves, can cause the ball to sail long. Fortunately, this problem was easily corrected, after which Troy was on cloud 9. He explained, "As with volleys, I had to adjust to this racquet's extra length on serves. I was hitting a lot of balls long because of the higher net clearance. Eventually I was able to harness the power from the extra half-inch. I was finding serious pop on my flat serves, and my kickers and slices had extra action, making it easy to get the ball jumping above my opponent's shoulders. By the end of the playtest I was finding the service box more often with the DR 98+ than with my racquet of choice, and I had more power to boot."

Returns - Score: 89

Our team loved hitting returns with the EZONE DR 98+. The combination of power and precision allowed them to attack the ball with total confidence, and the meaty swingweight provided the heft to redirect big pace deep into opposing territory. Michelle was impressed. She said, "This was a fun racquet to return with because I could hit big, powerful returns, but I could also take advantage of the control aspect of the racquet. Also, the extended length was really effective when my opponent's hit wide serves or pulled me off the court. I was effectively reaching a lot of balls and blocking them back in a pretty good fashion instead of just popping balls up for my opponent to attack. I could also tee off on second serves with good accuracy."

For Chris, the EZONE DR 98+ was a perfectly calibrated weapon on service returns. He said, "The comfortable response and great feel from this racquet worked well on returns. When I was playing against some bigger servers I felt like I could attack the ball and not have to worry too much if my contact wasn't 100 percent clean because the racquet was forgiving enough to help me out. The blend of control and power felt perfect. I could hit big when given the opportunity, yet the racquet also offered up enough pop to help me return with depth from a defensive position. My slice felt dialed in. Both my deep floating slice and my more driving slice returns were working well. I felt like I could get the racquet through contact faster on my topspin backhand, which resulted in more pace and spin off that wing."

"With the added leverage and plow through I could hit deep returns without a whole lot of effort," said Troy, who cracked some powerful returns with this racquet. "My two-handed backhand returns felt great. The added reach meant I didn't have to rely on chipping and slicing as often. Anytime the server allowed me to take a full cut on my forehand return I was hitting the ball hard and flat, which often times didn't allow the server to get the ball back. I was also impressed with how easy it was to keep defensive shots deep. If I was able to get the strings on the ball the DR 98+ allowed me to be very aggressive on my returns."

"Even though I had to sacrifice a bit of maneuverability because of the added length, the benefits from the extra power and reach were well worth it," said Andy. "The racquet still offered enough precision to allow me to go for my targets with confidence, while the extra heft made it easy to get the ball deep and through the court."

Overall - Score: 90