Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F Tour Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 88

From the baseline, it didn't take long for our playtesters to discover the Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 Tour's powerful, spin-friendly response. Sean said, "When I first picked up the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour, I immediately noticed that it had a lot of power potential from the baseline. This seemed to come from the thick beam width, the open string pattern and the 69 RA score, which produced the sort of muted power response I've come to expect from modern racquets such as the Countervail and the Graphene Touch. This was enticing because I felt a certain amount of automatic playability in terms of bailout shot-making and offensive potential. However, it made playing smart and safe tennis a bit of a liability since I had trouble controlling my slice and placement shots. Instead of a dependable response, I often felt unsure about whether I was about to hit a winner or spray the ball. That being said, I thought the CV 3.0 F Tour maintained its stability really well (it never felt pushed around) and had a very manageable swingweight."

The Revo CV 3.0 F Tour seemed to be right up Mark's alley. He said, "I have been bouncing back and forth between different frame types lately, and have also been challenged to make swing path adjustments. I mention this because within the first 10 swings from the baseline with the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour I knew that I was going to love both this playtest and this racquet. I will borrow one of my favorite phrases from fellow playtester Michelle and apply it here: The latest evolution of the 3.0 F Tour is a 'guilty pleasure.' I was extremely consistent with this racquet anywhere near the baseline. It was easy for me to keep my shots close to the backcourt lines and to keep my opponent at bay. The new Revo CV F 3.0 Tour is one of the best baseline swingers I've tested. No matter what racquet I'd been playing with, the transition back to this stick was seamless every time."

Troy also liked the feel of this modern player's racquet, saying, "I really enjoyed the easy access to power and spin that the Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F Tour provided from the baseline. It had a firm and crisp feel on contact during groundstroke exchanges. This feel was similar to many of the modern player's racquets I've tested, such as the Babolat Pure Drive Tour and the Yonex VCORE SV 98, but I was getting a more dampened feel with the Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F Tour. The weight and swingweight of this racquet made for a fast feel compared to my preferred spec, but there was just enough mass to provide ample stability on contact. I was consistently able to generate heavy topspin groundstrokes, which helped me get my opponent moving off the court with cross-court angle shots. The lack of overall mass and feel didn't make me feel quite as warm and fuzzy when it came to my backhand slice. The fast feel of this racquet allowed me to generate a lot of backspin on the slice backhand, but I didn't find the easy plow through when I was driving through the ball. I also found it a bit more difficult to find a consistent trajectory on my slice, which caused me to float the ball over the net too often. Overall, I was pleased with the amount of control the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour provided, considering its modern thick-beam construction."

Building on the positivity of the other playtesters, Michelle remarked, "I really loved hitting with the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour. I picked this one up right after we playtested the Babolat Pure Drive Tour Plus, and I was initially worried it was going to feel low powered compared to the raw power I experienced from the Babolat. However, after a good 10 minutes of drilling from the baseline the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour started working beautifully for me. I was consistently rewarded with power and precision. It was easy to generate good depth into the court, and the racquet worked flawlessly with my flatter groundstrokes. The sweetspot felt big and forgiving, and there were several times when I was convinced I overhit a ball only to have it land right inside the baseline. The 16x19 pattern offered me enough spin when I needed it, and I appreciated the precision I was getting with my targeting. The Revo CV 3.0 F Tour also held up well when I was being pushed back. It was stable enough for me to stick it out against deep, hard-hitting shots and take control of the point again. My only critique is that I felt the power wasn't as heavy or as penetrating as the power I get from beefier player's frames. I had to work harder to hit hard with this racquet compared to the Pure Drive Tour, and the power wasn't as heavy as the power I get out of my Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph."

Volleys - Score: 81

Our playtesters enjoyed the Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F Tour's firm and maneuverable feel at net, especially when they had time to take the ball on their own terms. "I found I was most successful at the net when I had the opportunity to really punch the volley instead of just reacting," Michelle said. "Don't get me wrong, it was good defensively and plenty stable, I just preferred the feel when I could put some of my own power and inertia on the ball. This racquet is solid and maneuverable at the net, so it was simple to get the racquet into position when balls were being blasted at me."

Sean seconded Michelle's remarks, saying, "The stability I enjoyed at the baseline carried over to my net play, and the racquet definitely held its own in terms of handling pace and spin. Firm enough to stick a mid-court half volley, it also had a surprising amount of touch for a stiff, thick-beamed frame. The downside here would be the shots between deep shots and drop shots, where I would have enjoyed more feel and response from the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour."

Mark couldn't find much to complain about here. He said, "Although the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour was a baseliner's delight for me, the fun and effectiveness were not limited to the backcourt. I felt connected to the ball at net and found plenty of stability, even on off-center contact. This racquet's combination of mid-11 oz strung weight, substantial 320-ish swingweight, firm beam and slightly tip-light balance made my favorite shot to hit even more effective."

Troy appreciated the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour's intuitive control. "I found this racquet to be point-and-shoot when coming to the net," said Troy. "The ball was in and out of the stringbed rapidly. This had me feeling as if I had direct targeting and precise placement on my volleys. The easy maneuverability of this racquet allowed me to feel very reactive at net. On reaction volleys, there was ample power for me to get the ball back with a flick of the wrist. Against big hitters, I was craving some added mass to help me block the ball back with ease. There were times when I was facing heavy shots and this racquet fluttered in my hand a bit while volleying. If I connected in the sweetspot my volleys were crisp and I was finding my targets with good consistency, but If I was slightly off in my timing the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour felt a bit harsh and stiff. Overall, the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour was user friendly when it came to volleys, but I would have liked a bit more weight for a more solid and stable feel."

Serves - Score: 83

With all the makings of a dangerous serving racquet, the Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F Tour proved to be a potent weapon in the hands of our playtesters, who found that the generous amounts of spin and power translated into plenty of free points. Troy said, "On serves I was enjoying a good blend of power and precision. This racquet gave me a boost in power compared to my current racquet of choice, but better precision than the Pure Drive Tour Plus, which I recently playtested. The fast feel of this Revo CV 3.0 F Tour allowed me to ramp up the racquet-head speed, which made it easy to pop flat serves with good pace and to generate heavy spin on kick and slice serves. The control that I was able to muster on my serves helped me find the corners of the service box and keep my serves out of the returner's wheelhouse. I didn't quite have the precision that I do with my Dunlop Srixon Revo CX 2.0 Tour 18x20, but I still felt dialed in enough to go for serves near the lines. I think that with just a bit more overall mass, this racquet would be packing a high level of power with the built-in control that comes along with its 98 square-inch head size."

The blend of power and control seemed to work well with Michelle's offensive game. She said, "I found I could generate some decent head speed with this racquet and get my first serves popping into the court consistently. I found easy access to spin and slice on second serves as well, which boosted my confidence when starting points. I didn't find the same raw power on first serves that I do with Pure Drive racquets, but that wasn't too much of an issue since I can generate some speed of my own."

Sean also enjoyed this racquet's consistent power, although the thickness of the beam caused him trouble occasionally. He said, "I was impressed by the power and spin I was able to generate on my serve with the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour. I had to figure out where to aim in the box to rein in some of that natural power, but once I got dialed in I really liked the number of free points I was getting on serve. Occasionally I caught some frame on my kick serves, which was probably due to the thick beam, and that caused me to doubt the reliability of my second serve a bit."

The Revo CV 3.0 F Tour could do no wrong for Mark, who said, "This was another part of the playtest where the Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F Tour shone for me. Again, its specs complemented my serve. I cannot say that the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour added more velocity to my serve, but in terms of predictability and control, I give it a 9 out of 10."

Returns - Score: 80

Although our playtesters lacked consensus on the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour's defining feature for returns, they generally noticed a lot of raw power and stability. Mark was one of the playtesters who really seemed to enjoy returning with the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour. He stated, "The serve return is not exactly my most polished shot, but even so, the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour complemented my chip style return. It was also light enough for me take a proper topspin swing through the serve from time to time."

Troy had a nuanced perspective, finding both positives and negatives when returning. He elaborated, "The fast feel of this racquet and the easy pop that it provided allowed me to get offensive on returns. The Revo CV 3.0 F Tour was a guilty pleasure for my return game. I found it unique in the sense that it had the stiff and powerful feel of racquets like the Babolat Pure Drive or Head Extreme MP, but it had built-in control due to its smaller head-size. Every time my opponent hit a serve that was in my strike zone I felt the need to take a big crack at the ball. The fact that most of these hard hit returns were landing in made me feel confident in this racquet's consistency. The control was also beneficial when I had to use placement on my returns in doubles. I could work the ball around the court on returns, which made it easy keep the ball away from the net player. As with my groundstrokes, I didn't enjoy the response of my backhand slice returns. The Revo CV 3.0 F Tour felt a little less stable than my current racquet of choice when I was hitting my backhand slice and chip returns. Against hard hit serves, the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour was getting pushed around anytime I slowed down my swing. It would flutter a bit in my hand If I tried to chip the ball back off my backhand, and I would have liked more plow through."

Michelle continued to appreciate the solid and powerful response. She said, "Similar to my groundstroke experience, returning with this racquet was fun because it felt more controlled than most 16x19 97 square-inch racquets. I love taking big cracks at the ball, and I really felt effective when doing so with this racquet. Also, the stability was there when I needed to block the ball back."

Of all the playtesters, Sean struggled the most returning with the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour. "The return is my favorite part of my game," said Sean, "so I was disappointed to find the Revo CV 3.0 Tour really unreliable in producing a consistent feel on returns. I expected the stability and firmness to handle the pace of big serves well, but what I got was an erratic and overpowered response that was just too hard to control dependably."

Overall - Score: 84