YONEX VCORE 98 Review

Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.3

The VCORE 98's power surprised our playtesters. In addition to the racquet's inherent pop, our team noticed a slightly firmer feel and a higher launch angle when hitting forehands and backhands. Michelle explained, "For me, the VCOREs have always offered loads of free power and spin, and I was happy to see this eighth generation of the VCORE 98 did just that. I'm reconstructing my backhand since having several lymph nodes removed from my left side, and it’s been a work in progress, so the free power was more than welcome off my left side. I saw an increase in speed, spin and depth in my shots but noted a drop in consistency. There was no doubt this racquet swings fast and has a higher launch angle than the 16x20 98-square-inch racquet I’ve been using. Because of this, I tried to play more with angles rather than changing directions and redirecting offensive shots. I also thought this VCORE 98 was a bit string sensitive, and I definitely would install a firm poly at 55 pounds to help add some control to the stringbed. Lastly, I was rewarded if I could commit to a big swing and plow all the way through the shot. However, I sometimes stop my finish, which I can get away with when using bulkier racquets with more control, but the ball would fly if I didn't accelerate all the way through my stroke with with the VCORE 98 8th Gen.”

The VCORE 98 Gen 8 offered Brittany more power than she expected. She said, "The VCORE 98 lives up to its reputation with this eighth generation. I found plenty of spin and power from this racquet. It was more power than I was expecting, especially with it being a 98-square-inch head size, and I really liked that for my aggressive game style. Thanks to the higher-than-average launch angle, it was easy to get my groundstrokes deep in the court, and there was still enough control to keep them in the court. I felt I could play my game effectively while producing a little more spin than normal. One thing I did want to note was how well I sliced with this racquet. Normally, my backhand slice isn’t a strength of mine, and I avoid hitting it. However, with the VCORE 98 I was not only able to slice defensively, but I was using it offensively as well. I was able to get my slices to stay low and penetrate the court."

The new VCORE 98's boosted power proved to be a bit of a double-edged sword for Kyla. She explained, “The first thing I noticed was the amount of pop the VCORE 98 Gen 8 had. My ball speed felt higher, and it was easier to generate heavier spin. That said, the racquet also felt less forgiving and harder to control. If I left the racquet face even slightly open or didn't fully commit to my follow through, the ball tended to launch. I found shorter backswings to be more effective. When I made clean contact, though, it felt really solid, and the speed and spin this racquet generates were really fun to experience.”

Oak was excited to find out what the eighth-generation update brought to the table. He described, "The VCORE line has always been near and dear to me, with the seventh-gen 95 being my racquet of choice for a brief moment. I have felt comfortable with the 95, 98 and 98+ variants of the frame in previous generations, so I was extremely curious to see what was different in this new version. Although the throat of the frame has been squared off for a more traditional look and feel, the biggest difference I found with this frame was its uptick in overall power. While the VCORE 98 has always had an excellent blend of power and spin, I felt like the emphasis was on spin-based feel rather than outright power, and this eighth generation seems to skew more heavily toward power. It's not a bad thing per se, but it's definitely a little different than what I've come to expect from the VCORE. This 98 version feels the most wieldable to me, and I find that a stiffer string helps to rein in some of its power. Spin is still plentiful, but the racquet's ability to easily roll balls deep feels greater than ever before. I loved squaring up to backhands with this racquet and taking big hacks at the ball, knowing that my shot would dip down nearer the baseline. I also found good power and reliable depth on my forehands. The amount of dwell time is less than in the previous version, which isn't a bad thing; it just depends on your preferences for a frame. Stability is good, and slices are deadly. The VCORE 98 Gen 8 proved a tad launchy for my play style, but it didn't feel too unwieldy."

Volleys: 8.6

Our playtesters had a much easier time wielding the VCORE 98's power on volleys, and they found plenty of opportunities to end points decisively. Oak appreciated the new VCORE 98's consistent performance at net and reveled in the racquet's feel. He said, "The VCORE 98 has such great feel at net, and I really loved volleying with this racquet. It felt super easy to stick shots deep into the court, and there was great touch and spin for shaping shorter volleys. I found the feel to be neither too firm or too soft overall, but it's definitely firmer than the previous VCORE. I felt connected to the ball for the most part, and shaping anything with spin proved very doable."

Kyla enjoyed how the VCORE 98 played at net, and she moved forward often. She said, "Volleys felt great overall, especially on quick reaction volleys or when I simply needed to punch the ball. The solid feel at contact was very beneficial at the net. Quick reflex shots were where this racquet really shone."

Brittany found a lot of success volleying with the VCORE 98 8th Gen. She said, “When I approached the net I appreciated how easy it was to get the VCORE 98 into position, and it still felt stable enough to not get pushed around. I could hit a variety of volleys, but I preferred to simply punch volleys deep in the court to end points. The VCORE 98 has the Yonex feel I have grown to love, so I felt very comfortable coming up to the net in both singles and doubles."

Michelle thoroughly enjoyed the VCORE 98's performance at net, and she felt very connected to the ball. She said, "I genuinely loved volleying with the VCORE 98 8th Gen. It was super stable, I could punch balls really deep, and it was maneuverable. Although I had some issues with consistency at the baseline, I was dialed in at the net and made very few errors. Overheads were also awesome, and I could definitely end points that way. Compared to the more muted previous model, I felt much more connected to my shots at net with this update."

Serves: 8.6

Our team found it easy to take advantage of the VCORE 98 8th Gen’s inherent power on serves. Additionally, the spin factor was fantastic for shaping serves with emphasis. For Michelle, the VCORE 98 8th Gen offered excellent power and reliability when she was starting a point. She explained, "I had a feeling I would appreciate everything the VCORE 98 offered on serves because of the free power and spin it provides. I loved how easy it was to generate spin on kicks and slices, and the racquet was smooth and easy to swing at any speed. Pace was also there for first serves. Again, I'm working on a bit of a comeback to tennis and not feeling as strong or confident as I was a year or two ago, so being able to generate some pace on first serves was a welcome feature of the VCORE 98 8th Gen.”

Brittany's experience on serve emphasized spin over power, allowing her to shape serves with heavy arcs and devastating movement. She said, "I really appreciated the VCORE 98's spin potential when it came to serves. While I could tap into some of the power when hitting first serves, I opted to utilize the spin more. I could hit slice serves out wide on the deuce side and into the body on the ad side effectively and consistently. On second serves, I could really get the ball to kick up and out of my opponent's strike zone, and I noticed I was getting higher-than-normal net clearance."

Oak's serve confidence was up with this VCORE 98 8th Gen. He said, "The feel on serve is excellent, making for one of the better aspects of the frame, in my opinion. The feedback during contact was really good, and this is an area where I felt like the power of the frame was wholly obedient, instead of me wrestling with it. As the beam is now slightly wider in the midsection and throat, the VCORE 98 8th Gen feels a little more stable and powerful on serves, and it moves smoothly through the air with its flatter profile."

Although she struggled somewhat on second serves, Kyla was able to hit heavy first serves into the body of her opponent. She said, "My first serve felt great with this racquet; there was plenty of spin and easy access to power. Second serves were a bit trickier. If I didn't come up and over the ball fast enough, similar to my follow through on groundstrokes, I tended to send the ball long. However, I really enjoyed hitting body serves on both sides of the court with this racquet."

Returns: 8.2

Returning with the VCORE 98 8th Gen was all about controlling the power. Oak's return game was characterized by pace and redirection, letting him power through the court, even if his targets weren't as dialed in as he would have liked. He said, "Returns with this racquet are super satisfying. Depth was really great through the court, and the racquet does a great job at both absorbing and redirecting pace. I would've appreciated a little more control to go after some more aggressive spots on return, but I felt OK going for targets for the most part."

Kyla ended up taking some pace off her returns against first serves, but she felt more confident attacking seconds. She explained, "I felt as though I had to be more conservative on my returns. When the incoming ball had a lot of pace, especially on first serves, it felt as though I ended up spraying the ball either long or wide more often. Returning second serves was better for me."

Brittany's returns were even more powerful than usual, which let her go on the offensive from the get-go. She described, "The VCORE 98 8th Gen felt quick moving around my body, and I was able to get it into position even against some of the faster first serves I faced. My returns were definitely on the offensive side thanks to the power and launch angle. There were just a couple of times at the beginning when I found myself overhitting (especially first serve returns) and had to consciously add a little more spin. On first serve returns, I loved placing the ball deep in the middle to push my opponent off the baseline. However, I was still aiming for slightly larger targets than normal because I didn't feel as precise as I would have liked."

When everything lined up perfectly, Michelle's aggressive return game was blowing her opponents off the court, but she did have to be cognizant about overhitting. She said, "I tend to swing big and fast and don't always go for safe returns, so this VCORE 98 was a lot at times. However, when the stars aligned my return was not coming back! I loved the access to spin, especially when trying to angle the ball off the court. However, for my style of game, this racquet just had too much raw power. I think I could rein some of the power in with some tighter, less lively strings and maybe even add weight to slow it down. On a positive note, The VCORE 98 8th Gen swings explosively fast and would be great for any players looking to add depth and spin to their return game."

Breakdown Summary