Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 87

The Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 offered the TW playtesters power, spin and maneuverability. Chris was able to hit a variety of groundstrokes to keep his opponents guessing on the court. He started, "I really enjoyed hitting with this racquet from the baseline. I liked the level of power it offered. My access to depth was very solid, yet I still had ample control. It couldn't quite bail me out of trouble like my Tecnifibre TFlash 300 PS, but there was ample power for aggressive hitting. Both my topspin and slice shots were working well; I was getting enough spin to hit aggressively and keep shots inside the lines. The feel of the Revolution CV 3.0 was also top notch. It felt surprisingly solid, with a slightly dampened response. I liked the level of feedback; it was comfortable without disconnecting me from what was going on. My drop shots were also working well. I could judge the depth and placement of my drop shots and get enough spin to make them die quickly."

Hannah compared this racquet to her current racquet of choice, the Babolat Pure Strike 98 16x19. She offered, "We are always talking about what modern player tendencies and preferences are, and although it's very much up to interpretation, I think this racquet falls right into the aggressive, spin-friendly baseliner category. The specs are extremely similar to the Babolat Pure Strike 98, and sure enough, my PlaySight data for the Revo CV 3.0 and my Pure Strike 98 are within a few points of each other. This racquet offers easy power and a lively response; it was like hitting with a Pure Strike and Pure Drive hybrid. The feel is more similar to the stiffness of a Pure Drive, and it boasts the excellent maneuverability of a Pure Strike. With these attributes, and a 16x19 string pattern, there is potential to really shape the ball and work the court. What was really impressive was the mixture of maneuverability and stability. It felt especially stable and stiff in the throat, which gave me that extra impression of power when defending bigger shots and hitting from inside the baseline. The feel is comfortable and less muted than other recently released frames around this spec range."

"I got to hit with this racquet a couple months before the playtest, and I instantly fell in love with it," continued Brittany. "This is another racquet in that ideal 'tweener spec, which made it easy to use right from the start. It is more of a power-oriented racquet, but there is still enough control to keep the ball from flying. I liked how easy it was to generate racquet head speed, and it felt quick in my hands. What I liked about the Revo CV 3.0 versus the F version was that it was easier to get the ball deep in the court, and my PlaySight data definitely backed that up. I found this to be extremely important when I was in a defensive position, as the Revo CV 3.0 was able to keep me in a neutral to offensive position, similar to a Babolat Pure Drive."

Jason had ups and downs when it came to hitting groundstrokes with the Revo CV 3.0. He described, "I felt like I was rewarded with really good ball pocketing, spin and power when I did hit the ball in the sweetspot. I found easy depth on my groundstrokes, and because of the maneuverability, easy angles as well. It wasn't as forgiving on off center shots as other racquets of similar specs, which I didn't like. I had issues with the torsional stability and the harshness of the feedback."

Volleys - Score: 84

The TW playtesters continued to be impressed with the Revo CV 3.0 when they went to the net, and they were able to put away volleys with ease. Brittany felt very confident transitioning to the net and putting away her volleys. She commented, "Whether I was playing doubles or singles, the Revo CV 3.0 was quick in my hands. I loved that I had the option to hit a variety of volleys, including a shorter angled volley if needed. I was getting a consistent response from the stringbed even if I hit off center."

"The CV 3.0 continued to be an easy racquet to use when I ventured to net," added Chris. "I liked that I could get it into position so quickly. I could punch volleys deep with ease, or find the touch needed to drop them short. The Revo CV 3.0 offered enough power to help me dig out tough volleys. I also found it to be stable enough during heavier exchanges that it didn't twist in my hand. Again, I was impressed by the comfort. The racquet offered enough dampening to mute any unwanted vibrations while leaving enough feedback for touch shots."

Although Hannah enjoyed finishing points off at the net with the Revo CV 3.0, she was looking for a little more precision at times. She noted, "The combination of stability and maneuverability translated well to net. I could punch my volleys and get the racquet head on shots without losing a lot of power, whether they were close to my body or if I was poaching in doubles. With that said, I wasn't having the easiest time hitting my targets when I was at the net. There was a difference when the ball hit inside or outside of the sweetspot, and I lost some control on off-center hits."

Jason found the Revo CV 3.0 maneuverable and powerful, but he thought there was room for improvement. He mentioned, "It was easy enough to quickly get the racquet into position to hit a volley, even on balls that were hit right at my body. Putting away floaters wasn't a problem due to the easy access to spin and power, but I also had success with touch volleys. I would've liked more weight in the hoop to help with torsional stably on off-center shots."

Serves - Score: 86

The Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 performed similarly to groundstrokes when it came to starting the point off with a serve. It was a joy for Jason to serve with this racquet. He raved, "This was one of my favorite shots to hit during the playtest, which is rare for me to say. I just found it really easy to swing and to accelerate the racquet through contact, which really upped my consistency. With the open string pattern, I could put enough spin on the ball to make it an effective serve without relying solely on power."

Brittany described serving with two words: power and spin. She praised, "I loved the ability to consistently rip first serves with pace. I also loved I had the ability to add different spins to the serve to keep my opponent guessing. My kick second serve was just as effective. It could be and had enough mass and spin to bounce over and through my opponent's strike zone. This allowed me to stay neutral in the point."

Chris needed to make a small adjustment on his serve before he was dialed in. He explained, "I find a livelier response from my racquet on serves and felt like I had to aim a tad higher over the net to compensate with the CV 3.0. Once adjusted I felt like I served well. I was generating enough power and spin to be aggressive on both first and second serves. My second serves tend to have more movement with my racquet. I hit a loopier ball with it, but I liked the precision I got with the CV 3.0."

While Hannah was able to find some success when serving, the Revo CV 3.0. She said, "I experienced good results on serves, but the stiffness left me wanting more feel in the upper hoop. Besides this minor negative, I was serving well and could hit most of my targets. Still, I preferred hitting returns over serves with the Revo CV 3.0. I felt that the pace on my serves wasn't as controllable as it was on returns."

Returns - Score: 87

The TW playtesters slightly favored hitting returns over serves with the Revo CV 3.0. Hannah loved the control she was getting on serve returns. She stated, "I think, in part, that the 16x19 string pattern made this shot versatile and dependable. Adjusting my shots with spin, adding different amounts of pace and shortening my swing gave me massive amounts of options on my returns. The feeling of stability I mentioned above really played into this as well, and I felt confident on every return."

Jason struggled with the stiffer feel. He critiqued, "Much like my groundstrokes, if I made contact in the sweetspot, my return was excellent. The racquet was so maneuverable that I felt comfortable and confident taking aggressive cuts at the ball on first and second serves. Now, when I made contact outside the sweetspot? That's where I felt the high stiffness rating and shock reverberate through my arm, and I noticed the instability."

Brittany was able to take the offensive by hitting aggressive returns with the Revo CV 3.0. She reported, "I liked the combination of maneuverability and stability. I had complete control on my returns. I could step in, block a first serve back deep into the court and start the point on the offensive. I could take another step in and go after a second serve to really take control of the point."

Chris returned well with the Revo CV 3.0, saying, "I found enough stability to block serves back, yet the racquet felt fast and was easy to swing when I returned aggressively. I was able to generate enough spin and found enough control to drive returns with confidence. I also liked the feel and control I had on my slice and chip returns."

Overall - Score: 85