Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.7

With a strung weight of just under 12 ounces and a swingweight a tad over 330, this Yonex EZONE 98 Tour 2025 had our playtesters questioning whether they could swing this racquet as effectively as they would like. However, they were able to unlock the power and plow through with just a little adjustment required. Initially, Chris was worried that the heft of this racquet was going to be too much for him from the baseline. He said, "Once I started playing points, I found this racquet really cleaned up my game and had me hitting through the ball with sound technique. Since I couldn't get away with being lazy, flicking at the ball or trying to muscle it, I focused on being smooth and clean with my strokes. I had excellent results and was very, very happy with my level of play with the EZONE 98 Tour 2025. My topspin backhand had lots of pace and penetration. I was driving other strokes well and loved the response of the racquet when I was looking for pace and depth. I did find it harder to hit angles, and the mass of this racquet hindered my ability to whip the ball with spin."

From his first ball hit, Mark could tell the EZONE 98 Tour would deliver a lot of power and stability. He said, "After a few dozen baseline exchanges I realized it was pretty agile for its substantial static weight and swingweight. My backhand slice stayed low, and I had plenty of arc over the net with easy access to topspin. In particular, my cross-court forehand and backhand shots were easy to hit effectively and consistently."

Having playtested the standard EZONE 98 and the extended EZONE 98+ prior to the heavier EZONE 98 Tour, Michelle was glad to be able to report positive results from each test. She found that each racquet possessed characteristics that truly set it apart, although all shared the same great feel. She described, "This racquet came fully loaded with all the plow through and stability I needed! The added mass was quite welcome for my preferences, and I found it easier to win points because I could get a bit more behind the ball. On the flip side, it was a tiny bit sluggish in tighter point play situations. I think the extended EZONE 98+ was my favorite all-around option between these three 98-square-inch models because the swingweight was right in between the 98 and Tour. I found good directional control, and I could pull the trigger up the line when attacking and looking to win points."

Unlike the rest of the team, Munish found a few negatives to go with the EZONE 98 Tour's many positive qualities from the baseline. He explained, "I was able to hit my targets most of the time, and I got a ton of winners from my forehand. Creating spin wasn't the easiest task, but once I was able to get the racquet head speed going, the topspin was great. I struggled with getting the racquet around and creating the whip effect for spin, especially on my backhand. I had to shorten my take back and make my groundstrokes a lot more compact, but a racquet like this one doesn't really need to be used with full swings. It has so much pop!"

Volleys: 8.7

At net, the feel of the EZONE 98 Tour 2025 was plush and responsive, with enough maneuverability to punch volleys away. "I had great touch and feel up at the net with this racquet," noted Michelle. "I did feel like it was a little less maneuverable when someone was blasting balls at me, mainly if they were targeting the middle of my body. When I was in the right place and had the time to execute the correct shot, there were no issues. Overheads also felt extremely rewarding with the EZONE 98 Tour 2025.”

Munish felt like a racquet in this weight class should have a less muted feel. He said, "I had a very hard time with the feel and feedback on my volleys. A lot of my volleys were either sitting a bit too high or landing a bit too deep, and that got me into some trouble during points. It's a very stable frame. I missed the sweetspot on some volleys and was still able to get the ball where I wanted it to go. I hit some really nice angled drop shots with this racquet, and I was pretty happy about that."

This shot was the highlight of the playtest for Chris. He said, "My favorite place to be with the EZONE 98 Tour 2025 was at net. I loved how rock-solid this racquet felt at contact. I was able to use a light grip on the handle, get maximum feel and let the racquet do the work. Comfort was excellent thanks to the soft feel and the racquet's mass providing excellent stability. I felt like I had a lot of options with my volleys because I had both touch and power with the EZONE 98 Tour 2025.”

Serves: 8.6

Our testers leaned into all the power they could generate when serving with the EZONE 98 Tour 2025. Munish explained, "I hit some really big serves with the EZONE 98 Tour 2025. The racquet is filled with power and has great placement. I struggled at first to get the racquet up and over kick serves, but that worked out as well. I wasn't hitting the biggest kickers, but they were effective enough to take advantage of the return coming back.”

Michelle already knew she would love serving with this racquet because she felt so good serving with the standard EZONE 98 and the EZONE 98+. She described, "I could hit big first serves, and the controlled stringbed allowed me to feel pretty precise. Kick serves were a positive experience as well, and I could hit some high-jumping second serves if I really brushed up and took advantage of what the racquet had to offer me."

Another shot that worked well for Chris with the EZONE 98 Tour 2025 was his serve. He said, "My favorite serve was a hard serve with a little bit of slice to give it some margin of error. I used that as both a first serve and second serve if needed. I was able to move the ball away from my opponent or slide it into the body to tie them up on the return. My flat serves had decent accuracy and plenty of pace."

Mark noticed the heft out of this EZONE 98 Tour the most on his serves. He said, "Even after playing sets, the weight of the EZONE 98 Tour 2025 was still more of a benefit than a hindrance. I hit my most effective serves to the middle of the service court and near the T on the ad side. As much as I enjoyed playing with the EZONE 98 Tour 2025, the serve was the only shot I slightly preferred to hit with the EZONE 98+.”

Returns: 8.7

The EZONE 98 Tour 2025 proved to be stable for our team when returning. "Returns just felt solid," said Michelle. "I wasn't able to flick angle returns the same way I can with the standard 98, but the racquet was so stable that it held up against many different types of serves and servers. I liked to sneak in and attack against anyone kicking serves up to me to begin my point aggressively."

"It only required a compact backswing to redirect the pace of an incoming serve due to its solid response," added Chris. "I was able to drive the ball with either topspin or slice. Rolling an angle took more focus and was a bit of an adjustment for me, but it came around eventually."

Munish could block most serves and get them back deep, even the slower ones. He said, "I struggled with maneuvering the EZONE 98 Tour 2025 quick enough to go for any angles."

Mark's chip style of return was pretty effective with the EZONE 98 Tour 2025 in hand. He explained, "I am focusing on an earlier and shorter backswing to get over and through the ball more often on my return, and this racquet definitely complemented the changes I am making."

Breakdown Summary