VCORE Pro 97 (310) Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 88

It's always a positive sign when a racquet starts a playtest on a good note. The baseline performance of the VCORE Pro 97 (310) was exceptional, and our playtesters raved about the versatility of this racquet, from defense to offense and everything in between. Mark filled us in on the rest. He said, "Yonex's latest refinement to the Pro 97 (310) felt very familiar from the baseline with its middle of the road blend of inherent frame power. The Pro 97 (310) features a 16x19 string pattern, as opposed to the prior models' 16x20. Honestly, I could not tell the difference in the way the ball exited the stringbed, and I had to count strings just to verify there was actually a change. I was able to keep the ball low on my backhand slice and hit a tight topspin rotation off either wing. Changes of direction and landing my groundstrokes near the baseline are the closest I come to having a weapon in my game, and the new Yonex VCORE Pro 97 (310) definitely helped enhance those qualities."

Sean may have not had as much experience with the previous iterations of the VCORE Pro 97 (310), but that didn't stop him from feeling right at home with this racquet. He commented, "As someone who likes to hit a relatively flat ball, I was surprised by how much topspin I generated on my groundstrokes. I got much better control with this racquet than with most 16x19 string patterns, and I attributed much of that to the feedback from the straight 20mm beam. That combination of the open pattern and thin straight beam offered a nice balance between power, spin and control. The weight rendered the racquet maneuverable, similar to my Wilson Blade 98 in terms of swingweight, balance and static weight."

Hannah, who plays with a Babolat Pure Strike 98 16x19 and has a modern game style, thought highly of the VCORE Pro 97 (310). She said, "I really have to give it up to Yonex for this racquet, especially on groundstrokes. The feel of this racquet was just really nice. It's always challenging trying to convey how a racquet feels, but this racquet was always solid on contact, and I loved that. It never felt harsh on my arm or too dampened. I could always get a good sense of the ball on the strings, and without trying too hard, my shots just felt clean. It was that feeling you get after grooving and hitting cross courts for an hour, but right from the start. The sweetspot was forgiving and easy to find, but never too powerful. When I was on the run I could scoop balls back, and I was surprised by how deep I could get them when I was way out of position. At 310g, the VCORE Pro 97 (310) is a few grams heavier than what I consider my range, and also a small jump from the majority of racquets I have tested recently. It was a nice change, and that extra bit of substance was appreciated. I would also note that the distribution of weight in this VCORE Pro 97 felt just right. I usually like a higher swingweight, which gives me the ability to whip my racquet around and generate a ton of spin. I have both with this racquet, and my PlaySight data reflects that. Compared to my Pure Strike, I had less free power, but the VCORE Pro 97 (310) gave me impeccable control. Whether I was going head to head with a big hitter or using more of the court with angles and slices, the VCORE Pro 97 (310) felt so versatile. It catered extremely well to so many different aspects of my baseline game."

Often times, when you have extensive experience with a line of successful racquets it can be hard to like the new model because it can be overshadowed by the expectations set forth by its predecessors. The VCORE Pro 97 (310) exceeded Chris' expectations. He elaborated, "I was a big fan of the Duel G 97 310, so I had high hopes for this racquet. The VCORE Pro 97 (310) didn't disappoint. It felt very well weighted for my game. I liked how I could easily accelerate it through contact, yet it also had enough mass to feel pretty solid. Getting spin was easy, and I found it more topspin friendly than its predecessor. The VCORE Pro 97 (310) felt firmer at impact and offered a much crisper feel compared to the Duel G version. As much as I liked the feel of the Duel G, I much preferred the response of this racquet. I liked how quickly the ball got in and out of the stringbed. My shots felt precise as a result. I also felt there was ample room to add a little weight to beef this racquet up and give it a little more punch, like the 330 version."

Volleys - Score: 84

When you throw maneuverability, solid responsiveness and good control into the cauldron, the concoction is sure to please players who like to come to the net. Although Sean isn't necessarily a serve-and-volleyer, he was more than a little satisfied with this racquet's performance at net. He offered, "The VCORE Pro 97 (310) felt surgical up at net and did just about everything I wanted. It was good from the midcourt when I was serving and volleying, and when I was in need of more touch and feel up closer to the net."

"Initially this racquet was really nice at the net because of the extra stability and solid feel I described at the baseline," Hannah expressed. "As the playtest progressed and I started drilling at the net, I was a bit worried that my volleys were consistently landing too short. Compared to a slew of recently tested 100 square-inch racquets that offer a lot of free power and are less focused on control, this was true. My mind was at ease by the end of drilling, and I welcomed the added control this VCORE 97 Pro gave me on my volleys. I could always predict how the ball was going to come off the strings, and by using my legs more I compensated for losing some of that free, more unpredictable power. Shots into my body, at my feet and out of my reach were met with a great balance of maneuverability and stability. It was easy to end points at the net, and the option to use touch was also a major bonus."

The crisp and quick handling of this racquet seemed to suit Chris' forward inclined game quite well. He said, "The VCORE Pro 97 (310) felt quick and easy to maneuver at net. I liked the response of the racquet: crisp and with a point and shoot kind of response. I played several sets of doubles during the test of this racquet and thought it made a great doubles stick. There was enough mass to punch the ball away as well and enough stability during heavy hitting. I liked the feel and control."

Although it may have been difficult to measure up to its baseline performance, the VCORE Pro 97 (310) still impressed Mark at net. He explained, "Hitting from the baseline with the VCORE Pro 97 (310) may have been my favorite part of this playtest, but the volley was a very tight second in terms of being confident with a particular shot. The blend of the weight, balance, beam width, beam firmness and string pattern made my punch volleys almost offensive and kept defensive lunge volleys effective."

Serves - Score: 82

If you were looking for a chink in the VCORE Pro 97 (310)'s armor, this is going to be as close as you get. However, we might add that we had mixed results on serve; some of our playtesters enjoyed the ease of upward mobility, and some found it to be a little underpowered. Our primary dissenter was Hannah, who elaborated, "This was probably my least favorite part of the playtest. The consistency on my serves was about average, and the pace I was getting was about average, too. I just never felt like this was a weapon, and I didn't get many free points on my serve. I wanted more free power. I also felt like the trajectory was lower than what I'm used to, so I had to make some adjustments. I started to hit a majority of slice serves because my flat serve with this racquet wasn't setting me up very well."

Chris, however, tipped his hat to the VCORE Pro 97 (310)'s serving performance and was impressed with the amount of pop he was getting. He said, "Serving with the VCORE Pro 97 (310) was fun. I was reminded of how much I enjoyed serving with the previous version. I was also reminded of serving with the old Babolat Pure Control Tour, in that I got surprising power from a control-oriented racquet. Getting spin was easy thanks to the maneuverable feel of this racquet. I was able to swing fast and get the ball rotating quickly on my second serves."

Mark continued to feel this racquet's positive impact in every aspect of his play. He explained, "My serve, like the rest of my game, was at least slightly enhanced playing with the VCORE Pro 97 (310), and again, I have to point to its combination of specs as to why it benefited me so well. I wasn't getting that guilty pleasure level of cheap power on my serves that you can get from a modern player's frame; this racquet leans more toward a precise and control-oriented form of power. That said, I did get away with plenty of cheap points when serving with this stick."

When comparing the VCORE Pro 97 (310) to his current racquet, Sean was balancing the scale in terms of power and control. He said, "I felt the VCORE Pro 97 (310) wasn't as accurate as my Blade, but I had easier access to spin and pace, so I just aimed for bigger targets. I love how much kick I could get with the VCORE Pro 97 (310), especially on the ad side. I didn't feel comfortable going for bombs consistently, by that's not really my forte anyway."

Returns - Score: 83

Due to the high marks it received on groundies, it should not come as a shock that the VCORE Pro 97 (310) continued to live up to its high expectations on returns. Chris happily explained, "The VCORE Pro 97 (310) felt very user-friendly on returns. It offered easy maneuverability, solid spin, great control and adequate power. Not much to complain about! I could take a good rip at the ball when given the opportunity. When doing so, I could add control to aggressive returns by hitting with lots of spin. I couldn't drive my slice returns with quite the authority of the 330 version, but I wasn't far off."

Mark, who generally doesn't have the brightest optimism in this area in his game, came out of the playtest with his head held high. He said, "This is usually the part of a playtest that challenges me the most. This was also the part of the playtest where I realized how solid/stable the Yonex VCORE 97 Pro (310) is. Even on off-center contact of the ball, I could hardly coax an undesirable sound out of it."

"The only thing that was holding me back initially from making the switch to the VCORE Pro 97 (310) was the accuracy of my returns," said Sean. "I had difficulty adjusting to the open string pattern. I'm confident that once I become more accustomed to the open pattern my returns will fully come back, and I'll be able to feel more confident going for more ambitious targets."

Hannah sent us off with some positive words that reinforced the group's sentiments regarding the VCORE Pro 97 (310). She remarked, "It wasn't too much of a surprise that everything I loved about this racquet on groundstrokes remained true for returns. When balls were out of my reach I could still get a good stab at the ball. When I stepped into serves, especially second serves, I could really drive the ball with nice pace and control, either up the middle or with some direction. My returns never felt out of control, and I could add as much spin as I wanted to hit a desired target. The solid feel gave me extra confidence on returns, and just like on groundstrokes, it was so easy to find the sweetspot. This frame did a good job of absorbing incoming pace without being too firm or harsh."

Overall - Score: 87