Yonex RDS 001 Racquets Review
Word: Crisp
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After an extensive test of the Yonex RDS 001 Mid and Midplus tennis racquets, we came to the conclusion that these racquets are indeed pleasingly crisp.
While the direct predecessor to the RDS racquets, the RDX line, offered a buttery soft feel, the RDS racquets firm up the hitting experience. Even firmer than the popular Muscle Power Tour-1 racquets? You betcha. The RDS line has turned out to be the firmest and freshest of the bunch.
Without hesitation we'd rate the RDS 001 racquets at the top of the crispness scale in the house of Yonex player's racquets, followed by the Muscle Power Tour-1s, then the far from crisp RDX line.
So excuse us if we get a little firm and fresh as you read our review, but it's not us, it's the racquets...
Yonex RDS 001 Mid:
Groundstrokes
The flashy yellow and black cosmetic of the RDS 001 Mid can most notably be seen in the hands of ATP pro player Lleyton Hewitt. We have to agree that the bright yellow paint is a perfect match for the Aussie's fiery temperament. Hitting the courts of San Luis Obispo with the occasional loud "COME ON!" outburst and the RDS 001 Mid in tow, we were given our introduction to RDS crispness. For our test, we strung the RDS 001 Mid with a 17 gauge multifilament string at 2lbs over mid tension. Finding a consistent response from the RDS 001 Mid was Ryan. "My groundstrokes were very consistent with this racquet. The racquet felt very solid and firm with a ton of control. This was a great racquet from the baseline and it provided me the ultimate control. I came away with the impression that it's probably better suited to someone who doesn't hit with a ton of spin. Someone who hits a little flatter ball will love this racquet from the baseline. The depth of my shots was ok. However, full swings were definitely required to get good depth. Overall, I found it to offer a very consistent response." Granville also really enjoyed the response of the racquet. "This is really a great racquet. From the first few groundies it was apparent that this racquet can deliver the goods. Not too flexible to reduce power, not too stiff that the balls are going to fly. It provides that nice 'thwap' sound that seems to resonate with the performance sticks of merit. It has enough mass at 12+ ounces to really move the ball when you need to and at 10 points head light it is very maneuverable. This racquet really hits the mark for my all-court game."
Impressed by the stability and solid feel from the RDS 001 Mid was Chris. "I found this to be a very solid feeling racquet off the ground. The feel was very different to my old RDX 500 Mids. The RDS replacement offers a much firmer and crisper feel. My overall sense was that this version was not as forgiving as the RDX. The sweetspot felt smaller and I found myself giving away the occasional short ball during longer rallies. The racquet really reminded me of a classic box-beam frame type feel - similar to that of the Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 or the nSix-One Tour 90. I found good spin off both wings with the RDS 001 Mid. There was ample weight for stability and the overall feel was solid." Brad found the RDS 001 to be spin friendly. "In order to take full advantage of what this racquet offers, you need to be able to generate a good amount of racquet head speed and consistently and accurately strike the ball in the middle of the sweetspot. I found very similar playing characteristics with this racquet and the Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid. While offering a good amount of spin on my forehands, I struggled to get pace and depth on my forehands. I found that a majority of my forehands landed well inside the baseline. Although I was lacking pace and depth on my forehands, the Mid offered good control and placement. As for backhands, I found similar results in terms of pace and depth."
Finding a surprising amount of spin on his shots from the baseline with the RDS 001 Mid was Jon. "Groundstrokes had good feel and good spin. The Mid was low powered as expected, but I was surprised at the spin it was able to generate. I had some trouble finding the sweetspot consistently with this racquet - more so than with the HEAD Flexpoint Prestige Mid I've recently been hitting with."
Volleys
We found a crisp and solid response when volleying with the RDS 001 Mid. Finding a high level of control to reward correct stroke mechanics was Brad. "Just like groundstrokes, this racquet offers great control on volleys. However, I had a hard time getting good depth on many of my volleys. I needed to be consistent and accurate with this racquet, otherwise balls were hitting the frame instead of the stringbed." Jon found a comfortable response from the racquet at net. "Volleys were comfortable, but there were several times I wished I had a larger head size to deal with volleys. If I missed the sweetspot at all, the ball had little chance of going over the net."
Ryan "I found this racquet a bit difficult to volley with. Especially compared with the Midplus version. This racquet is not quite as well suited at the net as the Midplus for me. I would attribute my difficulties mainly to maneuverability issues. Also, as would be expected, on reaction volleys, where time is something that is not there, the headsize was not an advantage. But to be fair to this racquet, compared with the RDX-500 Mid, it's predecessor, I liked the solid feel at net better. The RDX-500 Mid is a little more mushy feeling at net, whereas this racquet felt crisper."
Granville found the RDS 001 to feel like a precision instrument at net. "Noting the specs of this racquet, it has that 'scalpel' feel at net. Solid at impact and very maneuverable with mass to back it up. It really had a nice feel to it - it felt like I could put the ball anywhere." Chris found the RDS 001 Mid well suited to attacking the net. "The racquet offered a crisp and solid feel at net. I found plenty of mass to help me handle hard struck shots. Even when my opponents really laid into a passing attempt, the racquet felt solid at impact. Again, the racquet didn't feel as forgiving or as comfortable as the RDX 500 Mid, but I thought the level of control was excellent. No doubt players who like to attack the net will like this one."
Serves
Our team found the RDS 001 Mid to offer a consistent and spin friendly response on serve. Granville "This racquet felt a bit more flexible than my Wilson Hyper Pro Staff 6.1 racquets. I found it very comfortable to serve with and I still could generate the power needed to win some points on serve." Really finding his targets with the RDS 001 was Jon. "Serving with the 001 Mid was a pleasure. I enjoyed the accuracy and control I could get with this stick. I would have liked more power, but the accuracy was not a bad trade off."
Finding the best results with the RDS 001 Mid when hitting first serves was Brad. "I found good control and a decent amount of pace on my first serves. I found that I was able to place my first serve out wide on the ad side when I wanted, as well as place the ball up the T. With second serves I had trouble generating enough pace and spin. I found that my opponents had a pretty easy time returning my second serve as the ball tended to sit up a bit due to the lack of pace."
Ryan found the weight of the RDS 001 Mid a little taxing on serve. "The serve was probably the most difficult aspect of this racquet for me to manage. Spin was a little difficult to come by on kick serves. The power was just not there. So, if you are like me, only about 5'8", unless you are giving it everything on every swing, this racquet gets difficult to handle. After long points it was a bit of a challenge to really come over the ball on my kickers." Having better results was Chris. "I served pretty well with this racquet. I wasn't going to win any serving speed contests, but pace was impressive and consistent. I found my targets about as consistently as possible given my skill set and found good feedback from the racquet. I found some good bite from the stringbed and was able to generate ample spin on both slice and topspin serves."
Returns
The RDS 001 Mid proved to be a stable and solid feeling racquet for our team when returning serve. Finding some excellent feedback from the racquet was Granville "If you are looking for good excuses why you didn't play well, this racquet won't be one of them. If you have the fundamentals in place, this racquet will provide the tools from any area on the court - with the serve return no different. Solid off the return and quick enough to get around to take advantage of an early opportunity on a weak serve." Also finding the racquet to be a good match for his return game was Ryan. "The return of serve is one of this racquet's strengths in my opinion. I felt super confident swinging freely with this racquet on the return. Even against big first serves, I didn't have to just block, I was able to take a decent cut at them and control the serve. On the big kick serves, given I was not swinging at my head level, I was able to control the heavy spins. Even though returning serve isn't the most consistent aspect of my game, this racquet really improved that part and gave me a lot of confidence."
Hitting his returns with good pace was Brad. "I found the RDS 001 Mid to be very stable on service returns. As long as I was able to find the middle of the stringbed, I was able to return most serves with good pace and control. I did have a hard time getting pace returning serves out wide to my backhand that took me off balance." Having mixed results returning with the RDS 001 Mid was Jon. "Returning serve was a mixed bag for me. The racquet had plenty of control, spin potential, and good balance/weight, but my consistency suffered. Having played a lot with the Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid with good results, I had expected similar play going into this playtest, but it was not the case with the RDS mid. I really lacked confidence returning serve and noticed my returns consisted of lots of slice returns with an occasional topspin forehand." Chris was attacking the ball with the RDS 001 Mid. "I was able to be aggressive with my return game thanks to the control oriented response of the racquet. While this one didn't have the maneuverability of the Midplus version, it did provide more stability when blocking the ball back."
Overall
There's no doubt that the RDS 001 Mid offers plenty of performance for advanced level players. With a crisp and clean feel at impact, the RDS 001 Mid provides an excellent level of communication between player and ball. The racquet proved to be stable and comfortable from all areas of the court. At 12.2 ounces (strung), we found plenty of mass to take the bite out of hard struck serves and passing attempts. Advanced, all court players seeking a racquet that's all about precision should definitely take this one for a demo. If you've not shaken things up with a midsized racquet in awhile, the RDS 001 Mid is the stick to show you what you've been missing.
Last Shots from our playtesters
Chris "A solid playing racquet, but not as sweet as the RDX 500 Mid for this playtester.
Brad "I found the RDS 001 Mid to be a very demanding racquet compared to the RDS 001 Midplus. The Mid was a lot less powerful compared to the Midplus. This one definitely falls into the advanced player's racquet category."
Ryan "Overall for me, this racquet is that racquet that you love for the first hour of play. Then, after an hour, you start to get tired and all of a sudden the racquet seems to be not playing as well! Just a little too much racquet if not playing top competition tennis everyday."
Jon "The RDS 001 Mid would be great for a player looking for low power and good spin potential in a 12 ounce racquet. For me, the RDS 001 Midplus was much more suitable to my playing style."
Granville "This was a nice stick. It offered a good feel with a crisp response. I used my usual Pete Sampras vibe damp during the playtest. Grip seemed a bit smaller than advertised. I'd recommend paying close attention during demoing to ensure you find the right grip size."
Yonex RDS 001 Combined Scores
(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)
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Yonex RDS 001 Midplus:
Groundstrokes
Pro tour glory isn't just reserved for the Mid sized RDS 001. Both David Nalbandian and Elena Dementieva have succumbed to the fresh yellow of the RDS line. Attempting to strike the ball as cleanly and aggressively as Nalbandian and Dementieva, we found the RDS 001 Midplus to be a very maneuverable and spin friendly racquet. For our test, we strung the RDS 001 Midplus with a 17 gauge multifilament string at 2lbs over mid tension. Finding a more comparable match to his usual RDX 500 Midplus with the RDS 001 Midplus was Brad. "I felt a lot more comfortable playing with the RDS 001 Midplus compared to the Mid. Due to its lighter weight as well as the lower swingweight, I was able to generate more racquet head speed. Off the bat, this lead to more power and spin on my groundstrokes. The Midplus did offer less control compared to the Mid, but not to the point where I felt like I was spraying the ball or couldn't place it where I wanted to. I did find that my slice backhand floated a bit and I wasn't able to keep my slices as low as I wanted." Impressed by the response of the RDS 001 Midplus was Jon. "The RDS 001 Midplus was solid from the baseline. I enjoyed the power spin potential most of all. Control was also good, I felt I could place the ball well."
Chris found the RDS 001 Midplus to offer a very different response compared to the Mid version. "This racquet felt completely different to its Midsize brother. The difference in sweetspot size and maneuverability was so great that it was almost as if it was from a different model range. I was able to generate loads of spin with this racquet. Topspin groundstrokes would take a good hop off the bounce and I was able to hit aggressively while still maintaining a healthy height over the net, allowing for plenty of room for error. The result was consistent, yet aggressive play with this Midplus racquet. The racquet offered some nice pop for a control oriented stick and this was by far my favorite out of the two for hitting groundstrokes." Finding a lighter, more maneuverable response from the larger of the two RDS 001 racquets was Granville. "A very comfortable and maneuverable racquet. The lighter weight was the primary difference from the Mid version. The good news is the balance is still very head-light, which maintains the maneuverability. This opens the racquet to a wider audience looking for a lighter weight, performance style racquet. I could hit out without concerns for hitting the ball long. The trade-off, though, is that to really get some heat on the ball you are going to swing faster than with the RDS 001 Mid."
Finding an impressive level of spin on his groundstrokes with the RDS 001 Midplus was Ryan. "Groundstrokes were very solid as well with this version of the racquet. One of the best ways to compare this racquet is against the RDX 500 Midplus. I hinted at this in my thoughts on volleys with the Mid, but this racquet, despite being very close spec wise, offers a very big difference in feel compared to the RDX. This racquet feels more firm and crisp compared to the mushier, softer feel of the RDX. his made a big difference on my groundstrokes. I personally like the crisp feel. Also, the spin I could create with this racquet was really, really impressive. There was a ton of spin on my shots with this racquet. Depth and control were also very strong. However, with spin there was a slight decrease in control."
Volleys
Our team continued to enjoy the response of the RDS 001 Midplus when attacking the net. Enjoying the larger headsize and more maneuverable feel was Ryan. "My volleys were very good with this racquet. That extra 8 square inches made a big difference at the net. Maneuverability was also very good. I was very confident with this racquet when charging the net. Contact was very crisp and precision was excellent. With the RDX, volleys were just not crisp to me. I love racquets that give you that firm feel at net, and the RDS 001 Midplus delivered." Finding good depth with his volleys was Brad. "Volleys were easier to hit with the Midplus. I found better depth and pace on my volleys with this racquet compared to the Mid. On the flip side, the Midplus did not feel as stable when hitting fast paced shots at the net, and I had a harder time controlling angled touch volleys."
Jon found good consistency in his net game with the RDS 001 Midplus. "The RDS 001 Midplus performed well at the net. I found a good level of control and excellent maneuverability. These two traits helped me hit consistent and accurate volleys." Granville was another playtester pleased with the response of the racquet at net. "This one was nice on the volleys - good balance and very maneuverable. Due to the slightly decreased mass I didn't get that precise feel expected of heavier sticks, but I did get a stable and consistent stringbed with a good response." Enjoying the feel and response of the racquet at net was Chris. "This racquet proved to be very maneuverable at net. I really enjoyed closing the net and finishing off the point with this one. The racquet responded well, both when hitting touch volleys as well as when I punched the volley away. It felt like the stringbed was offering very good ball pocketing and I really had a good sense of both the depth and direction of my volleys."
Serves
Our team found the RDS 001 Midplus to cut through the air well on serve, allowing lots of racquet head speed to be generated. The key result of this proved to be very impressive spin production with several playtesters also finding some added pace to their serves. Ryan found the RDS 001 a pleasure to use every time he stepped up to serve. "For me, this racquet was much better than the Mid version on the serve. The easy access to spin made all the difference. Kick serves were awesome. The spin I generated with this racquet was just really, really good. Power was also better with this racquet. I really enjoyed using this racquet when serving." Enjoying both the spin and control he found with the RDS 001 Midplus was Chris. "I enjoyed moving the ball around the service box with a variety of spins and angles with the RDS 001 Midplus. I was finding decent pace on my serves, but the real plus was the amount of spin I was getting on the ball. I was able to kick the ball out wide as well as hit some nice sliders into the receiver's body. While I didn't hit many aces or service winners, I was able to set up some nice one-two combos by forcing a weak return."
Finding some pleasing pace and spin on serve was Brad. "I found more power with the Midplus on my serves, but had a harder time placing the ball out wide on the ad side compared to the Mid. The Midplus was definitely easier to generate racquet head speed with, resulting in more spin and pace on my second serves." Jon hit some massive kickers while serving with the RDS 001 Midplus. "My kick serve was noticeably stronger, the spin friendly string pattern and larger headsize definitely made my serves tougher to return. Control was good as well. I really did not have much to complain about when serving!" Also finding impressive racquet head speed with the RDS 001 Midplus was Granville. "I was serving very well with this racquet - perhaps due to the lighter weight. It felt as though I was getting better racquet speed with this compared to the Mid, and getting good power too. My targeting was also good. I was so quickly comfortable with this racquet that I decided to really 'air-it-out'. I was comfortably hitting powerful and well placed serves."
Returns
The maneuverable feel and generous sweetspot made the RDS 001 Midplus a very effective tool on the return. Taking some solid cuts at the ball when returning with the RDS 001 Midplus was Ryan. "Again, returns with this racquet were its shining point for me. However, I had a little more trouble with this one than the Mid. I like the spin on the groundies and the serve, but on the return, it seemed to make me more inconsistent, and I had trouble getting the right combination of depth, spin, and velocity. But still, I loved that I could take big cuts at the ball with this racquet and not have to feel like all I could do was block big serves."
Jon found the confidence needed to return aggressively with the RDS 001 Midplus. "The RDS 001 Midplus was very comfortable returning serve. I felt comfortable and found myself trying to hit more winners, rather than just playing the ball back safely. I had a lot of options with the RDS 001 Midplus, good power and control allowed me to go for that winner. The excellent spin potential provided confidence to also go for those tough angles." Granville found the best results when he kept the pedal to the metal returning with the RDS 001 Midplus. "Here is probably where a bit more mass would have been a benefit. The racquet was maneuverable, so getting into position was not an issue. To really take the offensive, though, I had to hit out or play defensive, no in between." Finding a more stable response from the racquet was Chris. "I really enjoyed returning serve with this racquet. I was able to generate good racquet head speed off a very short backswing. Just as with the Mid, I was hitting aggressively whenever given the opportunity. Despite being lighter, this racquet never felt pushed around by heavy serves and remained solid and comfortable."
Overall
With impressive spin potential from the baseline and on serve, combined with maneuverability and feel at net, the RDS 001 Midplus truly has broad player appeal. While this racquet will also find its strongest following among advanced players, its larger and more forgiving sweetspot makes it well suited to improving intermediate players, too. The more forgiving stringbed provided a slightly softer feel compared to the Mid version, and our testers were impressed by the comfort of this racquet. Players looking to add some racquet head speed to the their strokes, for some added spin and pace, should definitely take the RDS 001 Midplus for a hit.
Last Shots from our playtesters
Chris "My favorite of the two by far. A very different racquet compared to the Mid and I could feel more Yonex heritage in this one. I was very pleasantly surprised by the performance of this racquet, most notably in the spin department."
Brad "I didn't find anything significant about the RDS 001 Midplus that would make me want to switch from my RDX 500 Midplus. I found that the weight and swingweight of the RDX 500 Midplus, although very slightly different, were better suited to my game. The RDS 001 Midplus just doesn't have that unique feel that the RDX 500 Midplus has when I strike the ball on the sweetspot."
Ryan "Overall, this is a racquet that I could use for prolonged periods of play. However, I liked the Mid better. The spin on this frame is great for serving, but can be a little troubling on returns. Slice will sometimes float too. All in all, a great racquet for players looking to be able to hit more spin on their strokes. For me, I already hit with a lot of spin, so this was a little much."
Jon "The RDS 001 Midplus was night and day different from the mid. I really enjoyed the Midplus and would consider making it my primary racquet."
Granville "Another nice racquet, and could be a stand alone as it is very different than its Mid counterpart."
Yonex RDS 001 Midplus Combined Scores
(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)
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Playtester Profiles
Chris: 4.5 all-court player currently using the Wilson Six.One 95S. Chris uses a full-western forehand grip, has a fast swing style and hits a one-handed backhand.
Brad: 4.0 baseline player currently using a Yonex RDX 500 Midplus. Brad uses a semi-western forehand grip, has a medium-fast swing style and hits a two-handed backhand.
Jon: 4.5 baseline basher with a big kick serve currently using a Dunlop Muscle Weave 200G. Jon uses a semi-western forehand grip, has a full fast swing style and hits a two-handed backhand.
Granville: 5.5 all-court player currently using a Wilson Hyper ProStaff 6.1. Granville is an aggressive player who uses an eastern forehand grip and goes continental on everything else, hits with a flat swing and a one-handed backhand.
Ryan: 4.5 all court player currently using a Slazenger Pro Braided Henman racquet. Ryan uses a semi-western forehand grip, a one-handed backhand and has a long swing style.
Review date: October, 2006. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.
All content copyright 2006 Tennis Warehouse.
