Yonex VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen Racquet Review

As expected, the VCORE 98 Tour offered our testers plenty of power and spin potential. Although all the testers welcomed this, they did notice a slight drop in consistency. Michelle tested all of the 98-square-inch VCOREs in 2026, and she compared this version to the standard VCORE 98, saying, "After the VCORE 98 playtest, I was really interested to see what the Tour version had to offer. I respected the added weight and built-in control, but I struggled a bit as the playtest went on. I'm working on rebuilding my game after surgery on my left side and a little time off, and this racquet initially felt fairly chunky. The hefty swingweight and thick beam felt more demanding than I would have liked. I acknowledge I sound like I have a Goldilocks complex saying the standard 98 didn't have enough plow through and this VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen had too much, but when I was pulled off the court and tried to slap a ball back in, I often experienced a sporadic shot that was closer to the back fence than the baseline. This Tour was more consistent than the standard 98 but still too erratic for my style of play. It became taxing to swing as an hour on the court went by. Yes, I was rewarded with penetrating, heavy shots, but I was hoping not to have to work so hard. My Zenniz data is a bit perplexing because I am showing very low RPMs, and I think this is because I was trying to mash through the ball rather than enhance the spin. It's hard to imagine that this VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen has a beefier swingweight than my Wilson Pro Staff RF 97! While it did feel demanding at times, I was delighted to find that I could pull some very effective angles with the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen when I was on time for my shots.”

Even though he struggled with the launch angle of the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen, Munish was able to adjust and take advantage of the big spin window. He described, "I have used the previous versions of the VCORE 98 Tour, so I expected the extra weight and swingweight. Early preparation and compact groundstrokes were my saving grace. I struggled with was the launch angle, and I found it difficult to control the amount of RPMs I was adding to the ball. Either it was too little and the ball would drop on the service line or it was too much and the ball would just fly. I did get the hang of it eventually and found ways to use the extra spin to create sharper angles from the baseline. I loved it on my slices because I could add variety, and I think that added to my ability to disguise my drop shot."

Zsofi loved the controllable power the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen provided, which allowed her to hit all her spots with high spin and power. She said, "I was super excited to pick up this super red racquet and to test something a bit heftier than what I have been hitting with lately, and I am honestly in love with this racquet! Power levels are amazing on the baseline, but at the same time, it’s that controllable power that I love, where I’m able to pick very precise targets and trust my racquet. Stability is top-notch; I think this is one of the most stable racquets I have hit in a while. Spin levels are great, but because of the balance point of the racquet and how hefty it is, I did have to consciously add a bit of extra pop with my wrist to generate the extra spin I like. I kind of have the feeling that to really control this VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen and bring out the most from it, you really have to know how to work it and its heftier weight, but once you do, it will truly reward you!"

"From the baseline, this VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen was all about premium levels of plow through stability, directional control and spin," Mark added. "The spacing of its 16x19 pattern is more open than the EZONE patterns, so the net clearance of my groundstrokes was never an issue, and spin was easy to develop without ever feeling disconnected from the ball. As there are two sides to every coin, it did take a while for me to figure out how to keep my backhand slice low due to how wide the 16x19 pattern is, but my drop shots were better than ever without any adjustment."

The VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen’s stability shone through the most on volleys, and our playtesters raved about how well the racquet stayed put, even on off-center shots. As much as Munish loved the stability, he wouldn't mind forgoing a little bit of it for some maneuverability. He said, "The weight of this VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen definitely helped at the net. I didn't have to do much because the racquet took care of the pace and stability; I only had to direct the ball and not add too much sauce to the shot, otherwise it would fly out. The VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen felt soft at the yoke, with a bit more give, while the head of the frame felt crisp and extremely responsive. It was an odd feeling, but I loved it. However, I would exchange some of the stability for a bit more maneuverability. The maneuverability wasn't too bad, but my ability to add some underspin to certain volleys felt reduced, and I think a bit more maneuverability would've helped."

Michelle again noted the more demanding nature of this VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen compared to the standard VCORE 98. She explained, "Similar to the standard version, I liked volleying with the heavier VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen. It was super stable, but a tad more demanding than the standard 98 when it came to placing my racquet to meet the ball, and I sometimes needed to generate more push from my end rather than just meeting the ball. Swinging volleys and overheads were nasty in the best way, though, and did not come back!"

Similarly, Mark got tons of stability from the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen, which allowed for easy shot making from the net. He said, "At net is where I was most comfortable with the hefty feel of the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen. This racquet felt unflinchingly stable against heavy passing shots and required nothing more than the proper racquet angle and a soft grasp on the handle to hit commanding drop shots and half volleys."

Zsofi felt connected to her volleys and was able to finish off points at the net with little to no effort. She described, "The amazing stability levels of this racquet really showed at the net. I was able to be aggressive and finish points with ease, but the racquet didn't feel sluggish in my hand. The response from the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen was amazing, and I felt nicely connected to my volleys, which encouraged me to hit plenty of touch volleys as well."

The hefty weight and free power paired with the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen’s spin window to make it an absolute beast on serves. Most of our testers loved hitting kick serves, which was one of the most effective serves to hit with this frame. However, Mark pointed out how the weight of the racquet made it difficult to pronate on certain serves. He explained, "Interestingly enough, I had a tougher time hitting overheads than I did serving with the latest update to the VCORE 98 Tour. The hefty weight and swingweight made it tough for me to snap my wrist through the overhead from a set position, compared to having the longer service motion to generate racquet head speed. In fact, I loved serving with the new VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen, and this is one part of the playtest where the wide open pattern really helped me get good spin and movement on my serve without having to snap my wrist much. On both my first and second serves, I was most effective aiming toward my opponent’s body on either court and out wide on the ad side."

Munish very rarely hit anything but kick serves with this VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen because he found that to be his most effective serve without losing any control. He said, "I loved this VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen on serves -- especially kick serves. I was able to hit with a ton of racquet head speed and generate a lot of spin. I was confident hitting flatter serves, but I found that I started losing control drastically every time I wanted to crank up the serve."

As she makes a comeback to her game, Michelle appreciated the added power and spin the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen gave her. She described, "While this Tour version of the VCORE was demanding for me from the baseline, this racquet felt really rewarding on serves. I liked the mass I could generate on my first serves, which are coming in a bit slower now but are still effective. I could also access good amounts of spin, slice and kick. I loved slicing to the T on the ad side."

Zsofi found that the power on her serve improved drastically with the VCORE 98 Tour, which then allowed her to be a lot more aggressive with this shot. She said, "Serves were amazing; I felt like this VCORE 98 Tour improved my serve a lot. I was able to add a lot more power to my serves and create some really spinny, aggressive angles."

Some of our playtesters struggled to get the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen dialed in on returns, while others were able to use the racquet's power and spin to their advantage. Munish found that he had to rely on slices and chip returns. He said, "It was hard to be aggressive with my returns, even when dealing with weaker or slower paced serves. It felt like this racquet's launch angle and power were playing against me when it came to certain returns, and I found it difficult to keep the ball in. Blocking faster serves would make the ball sit up high at the service line for my opponent, and adding topspin and depth was too inconsistent with this racquet. I had to depend on my slice returns to get the ball back, but the good thing was that the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen works well with my slices. The adjustment period was substantial, but I eventually got the hang of driving through my ball a little to prevent giving my opponent easy sitters on the service line and to keep them back."

Mark resorted to slices and chips when facing bigger serves. He said, "I had good directional control of my return of serve overall, but if the pace of serve was extreme and I was pinched for time, I relied more on slicing or chipping it back into play because it was not easy for me to get the racquet around my body with a full swing. However, I was getting enough maneuverability out of the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen for me hit my returns with topspin and decent pace when the serves were a little slower.”

Michelle found that the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen worked against certain parts of her return game. She explained, "I was excited to hit returns with the heavier VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen. I hoped for a bit more control and mass to help out with some of the erratic returns I hit with the standard 98. I enjoyed returning with this Tour version, but I'll admit I still noted some wild returns. I would feel so confident returning, and then I would miss a return by 20 feet. Granted, this is on me and I can't completely blame the racquet; this almost certainly meant I was a bit late or early (probably late) and didn't make contact in the right spot. However, I was missing big when I missed. On the positive side of things, I felt confident stepping up on weaker serves, and I knew if I could hit my target I was either winning the point with that ball or was setting myself up to attack a shorter ball off my return. As I mentioned in the standard VCORE 98 review: deader, tighter strings would work well on returns for my game."

Zsofi was grateful for the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen's stability, and she could return her shots deep into the court even against bigger servers. She said, "Thanks to the stability of the VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen, I was able to take control of rallies early on with aggressive returns deep into the court. Some of the players I tested this racquet against were really big hitters, but even their fast serves were not causing instability for this frame. The VCORE 98 Tour 8th Gen never felt sluggish, but I could see that the heavier swingweight of this racquet could cause some players to prepare late for returns."