Volkl V-Sense V1 Pro Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

Our team really enjoyed the fast, forgiving, spin-friendly response of the V-Sense V1 Pro when they were hitting their groundstrokes. Brittany thought it offered a happy medium between the two versions that preceded it. She explained, "Having playtested the two previous version of the V1 Pro, I was interested to see what this update would offer. I was excited to see that it had the control I loved from the Organix version but the power that I craved from the Super G. I loved how easy it was to swing out on my groundstrokes. I never had to worry about overhitting due to the spin potential, and I felt comfortable going for riskier shots because I was confident in where the ball was going to land. It was also a good reminder to not be tentative because as soon as I slowed down my racquet head speed my groundstrokes were dropping short. Additionally, I could execute my defensive slices with precision, which was helpful to keep myself neutral in points."

Jason liked how fast and easy to swing the racquet felt. He said, "I thought this was a really easy racquet to swing and to generate racquet head speed with. The open string pattern helped me get a ton of spin on my forehand, and I found plenty of power when I made contact in the sweetspot. It was the times that I hit outside the sweetspot that I was wishing for more forgiveness. Not in terms of the response or feedback, but in playability. The response felt dampened and arm-friendly, which I've come to expect from any Volkl racquet."

Hannah was very impressed with the V-Sense V1 Pro as she swung it from the baseline, and she really enjoyed the spin potential for her topspin groundstrokes. She said, "This racquet really stood out on groundstrokes. The ability to generate spin felt unlimited. I was dialed in after a couple of hits from the baseline, and I was having a lot of success with rolling my forehand and really whipping the racquet around the ball. The stringbed felt crisp, forgiving and super responsive. The 16x19 string pattern complemented this setup perfectly. The result was a consistent, effective shot from the baseline. I could work the court and get my opponent on the run with fast swings by mixing in angles and depth. I did have to adjust slightly because I didn't have as much success when it came to flattening out my groundstrokes. The instability of the frame came into play when I tried to hit flatter, so I mostly stayed away from this and stuck to controlling the middle of the court with aggressive spin."

Andy found the V-Sense V1 Pro easy to swing, but unlike the others, he struggled with generating the amount of topspin he wanted on his shots. He shared, "I found this racquet to be pretty easy to hit with from the baseline. It felt fast and easy to swing and offered a good blend of power and control, along with plenty of forgiveness. I could swing freely without fear of the ball missing the sweetspot or flying off the frame uncontrollably. It offered a soft, comfortable feel, yet I felt a lot more connected to the ball (like the other V-Sense racquets I've tried) than I have with past generations of Volkl racquets. I found the string pattern to be pretty dense in the center of the racquet, which provided good control but inhibited my spin potential a bit. No matter how hard I swung I never felt like I could generate tons of topspin like I can with some other similar racquets."

Volleys - Score: 81

The maneuverability and feel of the V-Sense V1 Pro were the standout features of the racquet for our playtesters up at net. "I liked this racquet around the net," Andy admitted. "The large sweetspot and scalpel-like precision made it feel very 'point-and-shoot' for my volleys. The feel was soft, yet responsive, allowing the ball to pocket nicely and keeping me feeling connected to the ball as it left the strings. It was simple to punch volleys back deep in the court consistently or go for drop volleys with a bit more finesse. Lastly, the racquet's maneuverability made it easy to get it into position during quick exchanges. This was certainly a nice racquet to play the net with."

"The feel of the V1 Pro was a standout feature up at net," Brittany reiterated. "I felt very connected to the stringbed and in complete control of my volleys. The maneuverability was great, and I never felt late or unprepared for a volley. I appreciated the comfort this racquet offered, especially on off-center contact."

Jason appreciated how easy it was to wield the V-Sense V1 Pro at net, saying, "It felt fast in my hand, which was very helpful at net. I was able to get it into position even when I was jammed up. It's not the most powerful racquet, but I thought both spin and control were really good. And surprisingly, even with the more dampened, muted response, I felt like I was hitting with nice touch around the net."

Hannah also liked how fast the V-Sense V1 Pro felt at net, but she would have liked a bit more stability on off-center contact. She explained, "The maneuverability of this racquet was a huge upside at net. In fact, it was my favorite thing about this racquet when volleying. However, I was missing the stability I'm used to, which prevented me from going for volleys and approach shots with confidence. I didn't have the directional control to finish points or hit my intended targets on flatter volleys."

Serves - Score: 83

The spin and control that the V-Sense V1 Pro provided allowed our testers to be effective with their serves throughout the test. "The whippy, maneuverable qualities complemented my serve well," Hannah remarked. "The V-Sense V1 Pro didn't necessarily offer the amount of power I'm used to getting on my serve, but I didn't mind this. My serves weren't any less effective and I was able to produce a variety of serves by manipulating the racquet head speed and amping up my swing speed."

Like her experience at the baseline, Brittany thought the V-Sense V1 Pro rewarded her serve when she took bigger cuts at the ball. She explained, "The serve was a weapon for me when I was swinging aggressively. I could generate some pace on my first serve if needed, but I had to work hard to create it. I was more successful focusing on placement, and I enjoyed slicing my first serve out wide to start points off. If I let up at all on my second serve the racquet wasn't as forgiving. I really needed to generate racquet head speed to hit an effective second serve that didn't get attacked by my opponent."

"I thought the V-Sense V1 Pro offered great control and spin for my service game," Andy praised. "The racquet's maneuverability played the biggest role here in helping me generate kick and slice. My flat serves didn't quite have the same kind of juice on them as they do with some other comparable racquets, but the spin and control the V1 Pro offered allowed me to serve quite effectively throughout the test."

Echoing the other's sentiments was Jason, who said, "I didn't feel like I was getting nearly as much power on my serves as I was getting on my groundstrokes and returns. Maybe it was because, unlike those other shots, I had to generate all the pace myself, but the power level was just ok for me here. However, I did like the spin I was able to generate on both first and second serves."

Returns - Score: 82

The V-Sense V1 Pro's maneuverability once again proved to be an asset to our playtesters when they were returning serve. "A racquet that offers both control and maneuverability is usually a recipe for success when returning serve, and this one was no exception," Andy praised. "I really liked it for returning, and I felt like I had access to my full array of shots. I could take the ball early, re-direct pace and easily place the ball to the corners while still being able to chip back defensive returns deep in the court with ease. It's fast feel also made it easy to whip it around my body when trying to catch up to big first serves. A little more heft through the hoop could've given my returns a bit more zip off the racquet, but I felt very confident in my return games during this playtest."

Jason liked the V-Sense V1 Pro when he was hitting his more aggressive returns, but he struggled at times when hitting a neutral or defensive return. He explained, "I felt like I could be aggressive on my returns with the V-Sense V1 Pro in hand. It was really whippy, so even when I was returning faster serves I felt like I could still get the racquet around fast enough to hit an offensive return. The spin I could generate gave me the confidence to take a full cut at the ball, knowing that the spin would help bring the ball down into the court. I did get into a bit of trouble when I had to block a serve back, as I couldn't get the ball deep enough and I'd immediately be on the defensive."

The V-Sense V1 Pro complemented Brittany's aggressive return style. She raved, "I've been working on improving my serve returns since coming back from an ankle injury, and this racquet was definitely a helpful aide. I could be aggressive and not worry about over-hitting. I loved being really aggressive and aiming deep up the middle. Not only was this a higher percentage shot, but it also yielded a weaker return from my opponent."

Hannah had mixed feelings about returning during this playtest. "Returning was bittersweet," she said, "Against a challenging serve I was always able to get my racquet in place on time, but I found the frame getting pushed back from the power of the serve. It was difficult for me to use the server's power in my favor. I was a little inconsistent when I was attacking a softer serve and trying to hit a flatter return. It was similar to the instability problem I was having from the baseline."

Overall - Score: 84