Yonex VCore 98 (2021) review
Rapidly growing in popularity, Yonex are building a reputation for high quality, technically advanced tennis rackets so when they asked us to run the rule over their new Yonex VCORE 98 (2021) we couldn’t say no could we!
Background
Founded by Minoru Yoneyama in Japan in 1946, Yonex started with badminton rackets then moved into tennis in 1969 with the first ever aluminium tennis racket, the legendary T-7000.
Now Yonex rackets are played with by some of the world’s leading tennis stars including Nick Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka.
Their VCORE series is focussed on spin and incorporates a wide range of unique technologies.
“I made a lot of balls with this racket and I was comfortable with my accuracy”
Technology
Obviously the most notable aspect of the Yonex VCORE 98 (2021) is the shape of the frame. This technology was actually introduced into all Yonex rackets 30 years ago but still forms a key aspect of these rackets. Yonex claim this increases the sweet-spot by 7%.
Also in this racket players you will find new ‘Aero Fin’ technology above the throat that “creates a faster, thinner frame for increased ball-pocketing.” Newly engineered straight hole grommets “allow for more string movement to expand the horizontal sweet spot” and the ‘Aero Trench’ “reduces air resistance for easy manoeuvrability.”
Watch as our experienced testers try out the YONEX VCORE 98 (2021)
Buy this racket…
To help you feel confident when purchasing this racket we’ve teamed up with a trusted retail partner, AllThingsTennis.co.uk, to make sure you get the best price combined with free premium tennis balls, next day delivery (UK only) and fantastic advice from tennis equipment experts.
To take advantage of all these benefits simply follow this link to purchase the YONEX VCORE 98 (2021) with an exclusive 5% Tennishead discount.
The play test
Testing rackets can be down to personal opinion so it’s important to remember that not every racket is right for every player and one person’s discomfort can equally be another’s joy. This is why we try to test rackets with a variety of players and for the YONEX VCORE 98 (2021) we have three accomplished testers with very differing game styles.
Our Tennishead play testers for this review are:
Julian – Who is an out and out hacker (in other words he never misses!), has been playing for 45 years and currently plays with the Babolat Pure Drive (an older version).
Sue – A player who sees herself as a ‘baseline grinder with volleying aspirations’, has been playing tennis for 30 years and currently uses a Mantis 300 racket.
Austin – Who ‘likes to win the point at the net’, has been playing for 15 years and currently plays with the Babolat Pure Drive 2020.
Groundstrokes
Austin: “I really like this racket form the baseline. It has a really big sweet-spot which enabled me to generate easy power. The control however was slightly more difficult to find and I had to work hard to find my topspin.”
Julian: “Yes I actually quite liked this Yonex especially for hacking which is what I do! I made a lot of balls with this racket and I was comfortable with my accuracy. I normally play with a Babolat which has more power so on a wider ball I had to make sure I found the sweet-spot with this Yonex.”
Sue: “I really loved this Yonex actually. I found I could put a lot of topspin on the forehand. The racket face feels smaller than I’m used to but that didn’t worry me and the shot felt sweet wherever I contacted on the racket face.”
Volleys and smashes
Julian: “From my perspective there were no problems with using this Yonex to volley. I managed to find the sweet-spot and the control on my volleys. Smashes were equally good. Once you find a nice racket like this then it helps you do what you want to do with the shot.”
Sue: “I was worried the smaller head of this Yonex might make volleys difficult but that wasn’t the case and the shots felt clean and crisp. On my smashes this racket enabled me to get in position nicely and the frame moved well through the air.”
Austin: “I struggled a little bit on my volleys with this Yonex. Because of the easy power it delivers it meant a few of my volleys went long. I had to really focus on controlling my volleys because the power from this frame was maybe a little too much for me. However, the power from this racket helped my smashes feel nice and I was easily able to smash the ball past my opponent.”
Serves
Sue: “It felt easy to get this Yonex into position when serving. The frame is heavier that what I usually play with but actually it felt easy to manoeuvre.”
Austin: “I managed to generate loads of easy power with this Yonex on my flat serve and on my kick serve I could create lots of spin which meant that both my first and second serve were really solid with this racket.”
Julian: “Serving with this Yonex was ok but I couldn’t put as much spin on the ball as I normally would, which could be to do with the strings (not the frame). But as far as hitting my serve in the same way as with my normal Babolat I felt this was fine.”
Would this Yonex suit similar styles of player as yourself?
Austin, who likes to win the point at the net: “I don’t think it suits my style amazingly. From the baseline and approaching the net it’s fine but I’d struggle on the volley to put the ball away and maybe I’d over hit it.”
Julian is a hacker and never misses: “I like it because I can control the ball with this racket which means i’m able to get the ball in more times and then start to hit slightly harder. So it worked.”
What are your thoughts on the design and style of this racket?
Sue: “Quite an unusual colour scheme but actually I quite like it and the frame, which its rounded at the throat, feels comfortable in your hands when hitting two handed backhands.”
Julian: “The design of it is fine with the square head that Yonex always has.”
Austin: “I think it looks really nice. The red colour scheme looks good and the blue compliments it well which makes for an all round nice looking racket.”
Is $240/£230 a fair price for this Yonex?
Julian: “I suppose it is fair. Because that’s the normal price of rackets and I like this racket then that means the price is fair.”
Austin: “I think it’s quite expensive so I’d probably find something else in this price range that I liked more.”
Sue: “It’s fairly expensive but actually if you like it then you would pay that price.”
The specifications
For a detailed explanation of each racket measurement criteria below have a read of our guide.
Yonex VCore 98 (2021)
R.R.P. = $240/£230 (Purchase for £183 at AllThingsTennis.co.uk)
Head size = 98 sq in
Weight = 305g
String pattern = 16/19
Length = 27 inches
In conclusion then…
This racket generated a lot of positive reaction from our testers and seemed to be able to assist a variety of different playing styles.
Our control focussed tester, who normally plays with a racket that adds power, was very positive about the Yonex VCore 98 and our attack minded tester felt he could generate power very easily. Which leads to the conclusion that this is a good all round racket without any glaring faults.
In fact our baseline grinder even used the word ‘love’ to describe her feelings towards this Yonex, which is high praise indeed. Our suggestion is to try it out for yourself.
Buy this racket
To help you feel confident when purchasing this racket we’ve teamed up with a trusted retail partner, AllThingsTennis.co.uk, to make sure you get the best price combined with free premium tennis balls, next day delivery (UK only) and fantastic advice from tennis equipment experts.
To take advantage of all these benefits simply follow this link to purchase the YONEX VCORE 98 (2021) with an exclusive 5% Tennishead discount.
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