Prince Ripcord 98 XS Racquet Review

The Prince Ripcord 98 XS offered our playtesters tons of control, power and extreme spin from the baseline. Even though Troy loved the maneuverability of the Ripcord 98 XS, he would have liked a bit more mass for plow through on some of his shots. He said, "The weight and maneuverability of this racquet were right in line with many of the 305-gram spin-oriented racquets, like the Babolat Pure Aero 98 and Yonex VCORE 98. I was able to generate plenty of racquet head speed and hit heavy topspin, especially on my forehand; it has that easy whipability for me. I thought the feel of this racquet was really special in that it has a thicker beam design but still feels really solid on contact. The slice felt pretty good with this racquet, but I might prefer a little more mass for the plow-through factor. Overall, I would say that I usually prefer more control out of my racquets, but this Ripcord 98 XS did a pretty good job packing power and spin while maintaining some precision and feel."

One of the biggest highlights for Mark was that this Ripcord 98 XS offered a high level of stability. He said, "Prince's new Ripcord 98 XS felt a little more stable from the baseline compared to some other 98-square-inch, 305-gram frames I have played with. With its slightly longer throat, the Ripcord 98 XS provided a similar level of stability that I get from my favorite extended-length racquets, which was a positive for me. The result was easy power for effective groundstroke depth and good directional control. In terms of spin, the spacing of the 16x18 pattern was a lot like most 16x19 patterns I play with - just tight enough for me to keep my backhand slice low and skidding through the court yet plenty wide enough for safe net clearance and easy access to topspin."

While Oak generally sticks to denser string patterns, the Ripcord 98 XS's 16x18 string pattern really worked for his baseline game by providing great control and even greater spin. He described, "This Ripcord 98 XS was an interesting experience for me from the baseline. I actually really enjoyed the deeper pocketing on this racquet compared to the 100-square-inch Ripcord. The Ripcord 98 XS has a unique pocketing sensation that feels crisp, yet flexible, kind of like a seventh-gen VCORE, but the hoop shapes are vastly different. The 16x18 string pattern worked surprisingly well for me. I get a little wary of these more open string patterns, but this was entirely viable for me. I found good spin, good control, and a very well-rounded hitting experience. I like how the beam tapers from 25 to 23 to 21 mm. I like thinner beams in the throat, and the thicker tip helps the racquet plow through the ball at the end of my motion."

The Prince 98 XS offered Zsofi excellent pocketing, minimal vibration and easy access to both power and spin, which allowed her to confidently dictate points. That said, at times the racquet head felt slow through the air, almost like an extended-length frame. She explained, "On the baseline, this Prince 98 XS is just super comfortable. I truly enjoyed that connected feel and amazing pocketing. I barely felt any vibration, even on off-center shots. I was getting plenty of power, but it still felt controlled. I also loved having easy access to spin as well! I am definitely a player who hits with a lot of topspin, or at least I do like to have that option, and this Ripcord 98 XS allowed to me add some extra pop on my shots. The racquet felt super stable; I never really got pushed around at all. Because of the great response I was getting from the racquet and the amazing stability levels, I could really trust my shots and dictate points. The only aspect of this racquet that I had to get used to a bit was that it didn't feel as maneuverable as I would have liked. Each time I played with the racquet it would take me a few shots to really dial in my timing because I felt like the racquet head didn't travel as fast in the air. Honestly, the Prince 98 XS almost played like an extended racquet for me, which could be a plus as well, depending on your preference."

At net, the Prince Ripcord 98 XS offered a blend of feel and touch alongside its power. Some of our playtesters thought the racquet could use a bit more maneuverability, but the consensus was that the racquet was great for volleys. Mark found that the weight of the Ripcord 98 XS kept the racquet stable, which allowed for soft hands and lots of angled volleys. He said, "The volley is one of my favorite and most reliable shots to hit with any racquet, and I have to say the Ripcord 98 XS made hitting those shots even more enjoyable. The heft of the racquet kept it stable at net and allowed me to keep a light grasp on the handle for good angled half volleys and drop shots. When it came to dealing with heavy passing shots, the Ripcord 98 XS remained stable and comfortable, requiring little more than a slight squeeze of the handle at impact to produce an effective response."

Troy loved the Ripcord 98 XS's feel and precision at net. He said, "I found this racquet to feel firm and solid when hitting my volleys. I also noticed this Ripcord 98 XS gave me easy pop on the ball. I liked serving and volleying with this racquet because it was fast and maneuverable and also gave me enough precision to place the ball well. There is pretty good stability built in, even though this racquet is lighter than my usual spec. I felt like it was point and shoot, and the ball popped off the Ripcord 98 XS with easy pace and depth. I would just add a bit of weight to this frame to give it a bit more plow through, and I think it would be dialed in."

Even though Oak's net game is more touch and feel oriented, he found himself hitting more aggressively through the court than ever before. He described, "The Ripcord 98 XS has great touch on volleys, and I really enjoyed running up to the net with this racquet. It's one of those racquets that works really well on transition volleys too, letting me approach with confidence. I thought the feel was very connected and responsive, and I liked how much pocketing the stringbed seemed to facilitate at net since I prefer to 'hold' my volleys a little as opposed to having them jump out of the strings. I was going for more aggressive volleys with this Ripcord 98 XS, although I also felt comfortable hitting drop volleys and going for little pickups."

Zsofi felt connected to her volleys but wanted more maneuverability from the Ripcord 98 XS for the faster exchanges. She said, "I did enjoy the Ripcord 98 XS on volleys, and I thought I had a good sense for where my shots were going. However, maneuverability played a bit of a role here as well, and I felt like I was occasionally struggling to get the racquet into position on time."

While maneuverability and control weren't perfect for all the testers, they found serves with the Ripcord 98 XS to be effective and dependable overall. Mark struggled a bit with his motion, but that didn't stop him from hitting effective serves. He explained, "I was a little challenged with snapping my wrist through contact with the Ripcord 98 XS when I tried to get the ball out wide. However, that didn't really hinder the effectiveness of my serve. What I lost in maneuverability out wide, I gained in pace down the middle of the service court."

Oak found a solid feel through contact, along with great control and easy access to spin when serving with the Ripcord 98 XS. He said, "I honestly thought serves were excellent with this racquet. I was getting a really solid sensation through the ball and creating more arc and shape than I was expecting. The Ripcord 98 XS has good movement and excellent control, making it a very reliable racquet for serving. I liked going for serves up the T on either side and leaning more into spin-based serves rather than hitting them flat. This Ripcord 98 XS worked especially well on serves when strung with a string that has plenty of snapback."

With the Ripcord 98 XS in her hand, Zsofi found plenty of power and the confidence to hit her targets and quickly take control of points. She said, "I really enjoyed serving with this Ripcord 98 XS. I was able to tap into that extra power, and the racquet allowed me to take control of rallies early on with a strong first serve. I felt confident serving and picking targets."

While serve control wasn't the best for Troy, he still found it solid enough to set up his next shot. He said, "On serve, the Ripcord 98 XS provides easy power, easy access to spin and easy maneuverability. I was getting some impressive power when I really wanted to crank it up on a first serve, especially on my flat serve up the T. There was also plenty of maneuverability, so when I was using spin and kick serves, like I often do, I could get the ball spinning and moving off the court with heavy pace.The control and precision weren't the best I ever had on serves, but I found it to be sufficient when going for my spots."

Our testers found the Ripcord 98 XS to be solid and predictable on returns, but some wanted more mass or easier depth to improve plow through and net clearance. Zsofi found the racquet quite stable, and she was able to trust it even when facing faster serves. She said, "The Ripcord 98 XS felt really stable to me, and it especially shone on returns. I could block back heavier serves with ease and trust that the Ripcord 98 XS would not get pushed around much."

Mark felt confident returning off both wings, but he particularly liked this Ripcord 98 XS on forehands. He described, "As with most every other shot I hit with the Ripcord 98 XS, it felt very solid on the return, which was pretty consistent and predictable off both wings. The heft of it worked better on my forehand return in terms of hitting with topspin, whereas it was a bit easier for me to flatten out or carve under the return on my backhand side."

The Ripcord 98 XS's maneuverability was key for Troy when stretched out on either side, although he fully intends to customize the frame for added plow through. He explained, "The solid feel and easy power helped me hit my returns effectively. Would I add some weight to this Ripcord 98 XS to give me that spec and plow through that I like in a racquet? Uh, yeah! However, I could maneuver this racquet easily with the stock specs. When I was stretched out on the forehand side I could flick the racquet to hit a squash type of shot or pop up a lob to keep me in the point. Same with the backhand side, I could flick the ball or use my wrist to get the ball back in the court thanks to the easy maneuverability. While playing doubles, I found enough control to place the ball away from my opponents' strike zone. I just wanted a bit more mass to help me plow through the ball easier on my two-handed backhand and slice returns."

On the other hand, Oak had some trouble getting his returns over the net reliably, and he wanted easier depth and net clearance. He said, "I was struggling just a tad on returns, and I dumped more of them into the net than I'm accustomed to. That said, I thought the Ripcord 98 XS did a really good job at absorbing and redirecting pace off serves. I would've appreciated perhaps just a little more easy depth and net clearance, but for the most part I had success on return."