Yonex VCORE 98+ Review

Our playtesters were seriously impressed by the level of performance they found during baseline exchanges with the Yonex VCORE 98+ 8th Gen. For Mark, the VCORE 98+ offered easy depth and pace, which made his counterpunching game even harder for his opponents to find holes in. He explained, “Easy power, spin and top-tier comfort were the dominant themes from the baseline with this update to the Yonex VCORE 98+. I play quite a bit with a 27.5-inch racquet that is pretty lively. However, after hitting groundstrokes for a few minutes, I could tell this VCORE 98+ 8th Gen was even more power oriented. As a result, I was able to award opponents with heavy topspin forehands that were often outside of their comfort zone, along with point-neutralizing cross-court and down-the-line backhand slice shots. Overall, I felt like I was in control of my ground game with this racquet, but there were a few instances when I produced some attackable sitters with my topspin backhand, which made me rely a little more on my slice backhand."

The VCORE 98+ let Michelle easily tap into her aggressive playing style to create devastating pace. She said, "This is the third VCORE I had a chance to playtest from the 2026 family of VCOREs, and it was my favorite. All three of the VCOREs I tested were 98-square-inch frames with 16x19 string patterns. The standard 98 was a bit too erratic for me, and the heavier 98 Tour felt a bit too hefty and bulky for me; enter the extended VCORE 98+ 8th Gen! Something about this racquet feels perfectly balanced for my game, and I found good plow through, great stability, solid maneuverability and easy access to spin. It was a really fun racquet to use from the baseline, and it fell right in between the standard 98 and the heavier Tour version. I had more than enough mass behind the ball to put shots away, but it was still easy to swing."

As a bit of an extended-length expert, Troy felt comfortable with the VCORE 98+, and he appreciated the net clearance he consistently found. He described, "Having used the Yonex EZONE 98+ for my racquet of choice for quite some time, this racquet feels very familiar in the way it swings and maneuvers. I found a pretty good amount of plow through, which allowed for easy depth on my shots, especially my two-handed backhand. I was really appreciative of how easy the net clearance was; this racquet had that effortless launch angle that allowed me to swing with ease and not have to think about lifting the ball over the net. Usually, a more openly spaced string pattern like this can spray the ball at times, especially on my flatter strokes. With the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen, I felt pretty dialed in and didn't have too many control issues. I felt like there was plenty of plow through when I hit my slice backhand, but I think I find a little more precision when using the EZONE 98+ or the Solinco Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20 v2."

Oak quickly found a groove with the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen and he reveled in its easy power and stable nature, despite it weighing only 305 grams in stock form. He said, "The VCORE 98+ 8th Gen is such a rewarding hitting experience for me; it's one of those frames that keeps surprising me. I love how this racquet encouraged me to slow down on my groundstrokes, and I was able to easily take advantage of the racquet's inherent power to just roll the ball over, or swing out if need be. I actually found myself having an easier time with this 98+ compared to the standard 98. For some reason, the higher swingweight seemed to reel in the frame a little bit, letting me trust my shots more and go after them with more confidence. On my backhand, I could effectively target spots and change directions easily, and on my forehand I found the racquet conducive for topspin drives. I found a good blend of power and feel, although not always a huge amount of control. Despite the higher swingweight and extra length, I didn't find the racquet to be too cumbersome. Extended-length frames are a natural pairing with my counterpunching game, and this VCORE 98+ 8th Gen was a delight to play points with."

Our team continued to have lots of success with the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen when they transitioned to the net. For Oak said, "The new VCORE 98+ 8th Gen is a great frame for volleying. All of these 8th-generation VCOREs feel great at net. I found this VCORE 98+ 8th Gen a little slower than the other models at net, but it didn't feel too unwieldy, thankfully. The feel was responsive for me, and I liked shaping shots both deep and short. I felt pretty connected to my shots at net, and anything shoulder height or above was really fun to hammer down into the court."

Troy had a good time at net but would have liked a more head light balance. He said, "I found my volleys to feel relatively smooth with the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen. It wasn't the most maneuverable racquet in stock form, having a beefy swingweight. I noticed the same thing with my EZONE 98+, which is why I add quite a bit of handle weight to make it more head light and to give it more of that player’s spec. I had pretty good control on my volleys. I'm not going to say it feels as precise on volleys as the Yonex Percept 97D, but it was decent in terms of shot placement. The feel on contact was nice, sort of borderline firm yet still a little plush. I don't have a whole lot of complaints in terms of the feel, but I might give a slight edge in plushness to my EZONE 98+."

Mark immediately felt comfortable volleying with the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen. He said, "Hitting shots from anywhere inside the service court was another part of this playtest where the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen really shone. As with every extended-length frame I play with, I found myself relying more on my backhand volley, especially if the incoming shot was aimed toward my body. Whether I was feather-dusting a half volley to stay in a point or trying to end one with an offensive volley, the power of the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen was easy to manage at net."

Michelle had an entirely favorable experience with the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen when up at the net. She said, "I loved volleying with this racquet! It was so solid and stable, and I really didn't have to do much but get it up and in the right position — point and shoot simplicity here. It felt easier to maneuver compared to the heavier VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen. I've been working on adding some variety, and this was such a fun racquet to hit big, deep volleys with and then throw in a dropper or little short shot. Swinging volleys were also amazing and left me feeling rewarded."

As our playtesters expected, the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen proved to be an authoritative instrument for serving up powerful first serves and spin-heavy seconds. Michelle noticed an uptick in both power and consistency, and she had no qualms with how the racquet performed on her serve. She said, "I haven't been hitting the biggest serves the past few months, but I did notice a boost in power when serving with the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen. I tend to enjoy serving with extended frames, and this was a seamless racquet for first and second serves. I felt really consistent as well, and I wasn't serving too many faults."

Mark also noticed a high level of reliability when serving with the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen. He explained, "I played several sets of doubles with the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen, and I am happy to report that I did not drop many of my service games. Most often my serve toss is a little low, but after adjusting to a higher toss, I was getting good rotation and pace on the ball. It wasn't enough to hit clean aces, but it was plenty to draw quite a few unforced errors out wide on the ad court and near the T on either side."

Similarly, Oak thought serving with the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen was satisfying across the board. He described, "The VCORE 98+ 8th Gen's serve is one of its best areas of performance. It's just really a delight to swing through serves with heavy pace and action. I found great shape, great spin and great reliability, especially on second serves. I loved hitting up the T on either side with this racquet, either with spin or more pace."

The VCORE 98+ 8th Gen provided effortless power and plenty of spin, so Troy could shape his serves however he pleased. He said, "I found easy power and spin when it came to serves, and I felt like I could really pancake the ball on flat first serves. The ball was coming off with easy pace, and I felt like I didn't have to work as hard to get the power I was looking for. In terms of spin, there was plenty of bite on the ball, I just had to work a bit harder to get the maneuverability and flick my wrist. I was able to hit my spots well, although I noticed I was more precise and accurate with the VCORE 95 8th Gen. Overall, cranking up the power and spin made the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen a fun racquet to serve with."

The VCORE 98+ 8th Gen offered easy depth, power and reach on returns, letting our team comfortably catch up to heavier first serves or go after seconds with confidence. Troy liked to go big on his returns because he trusted the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen to hit through the court with both good pace and spin. He noted, "When hitting returns, I found easy depth and net clearance. I was especially appreciative of how the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen helped me to be more aggressive and offensive on my two-handed backhand returns. On my forehand, I could go deep and heavy on my returns and push my opponents back. When I had the chance, it was really fun to rip it big with a lot of pace and spin! I could hit with slice effectively and keep it deep, but I didn't feel like the ball was staying as low as it stays with my Yonex EZONE 98+. Overall, the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen was good for playing aggressively and ripping returns, but there were times I wished for a tad more control. I think that mostly had to do with the swingweight and the openly spaced string pattern giving me a little too much launch at times." 

Despite being keenly aware of the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen's heft through the air, Oak still had a pretty good time returning. He said, "Returns were probably the most difficult aspect of the playtest for me, but they were still plenty viable. This VCORE 98+ 8th Gen felt just a tad slower through the air at times, but overall it was really good for going after my spots and absorbing pace against heavier serves. The extra reach was definitely practical, and I liked how much depth I could easily generate. This is a great racquet for returns, despite it being a little slower."

With the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen in her hands, Michelle felt comfortable hammering away against trickier serves. She explained, "I focused on short backswings when returning with the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen and found that to be the key to starting points strong. The extra half inch is always appreciated on serves that pull me a bit off the court. I was happy to find there was a good amount of control when striking my returns, and I felt pretty dialed in and wasn't over hitting as much as I did with the standard VCORE 98 8th Gen.”

Once Mark adjusted to the extra reach, he could reliably block, strike and slice his returns back. He said, "With the VCORE 98+ 8th Gen, it was definitely easier to hit the return of serve if I abbreviated my swing a little or sliced it back into play. However, if the serve was medium pace, I was able to get the racquet over the top of the ball and around my body off both wings, which produced some very solid returns. The directional control of my backhand return was excellent, but I did have a harder time effectively returning serve down the line off of my forehand."