About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the tennis racquet, which I tested for 5 days in September of 2022.

My take

The 2022 Yonex EZONE 100 is a fantastic update to an extremely popular modern player's racquet. With improved feel and control compared to the previous version, the EZONE 100 should be at the top of the list for intermediate to advanced players looking for a fast moving racquet with controllable power.

About the gear

• Model: Yonex EZONE 100 2022
• Grip Size: 4 ⅜ / EU 3
• String and Tension: Yonex Rexis Speed 130 (55 lbs)
• Head size: 100
• Racquet Length: 27

About me

• Height: 5’11”
• Weight: 185 lbs
• Previous Racquet Played With: Head Graphene 360+ Gravity MP
• Experience: 28 years of playing tennis
• NTRP/UTA Rating: 5.0

Test conditions

• When I tested this: September 2022
• Days tested: 5 days
• Court Surfaces: Hard
• Match Play/Practice Session/Both: Both
• Where I’ve used it: Public hardcourts around Kingsford, MI

How it performs

What I was looking for

My current racquet of choice is the 2021 Head Graphene 360+ Gravity MP. It has an enticing combination of controllable power and maneuverability, but it can lack stability when playing big serving players. I have been testing many racquets this summer to see if any would give me the features I like about the Gravity MP while adding stability.

Why I chose this gear

The 2022 Yonex EZONE 100 was a great improvement over the previous version in my mind. It has a more connected feel while still being comfortable and also has more control than the last version. However, even though it was a lot of fun to play with, it too struggled with stability, so it wasn’t enough to make me switch from Gravity.

What I love about it

• Power: The EZONE 100 is perfect for the modern attacking player. It offers easy power from all over the court thanks to its thicker 26.5mm beam width and relatively high 67RA stiffness rating.
• Maneuverability: The 2022 version of the EZONE 100 has a lower swingweight at 317RDC versus the 322RDC of the previous version. The old version was a very maneuverable racquet, but the new changes make it even more so. Generating racquet head speed on the run is easy and reacting to volleys is mindless.
• Serves: The added control and feel from the previous version took what was a very nice serving racquet to one that is a favorite of mine. While the stiffer, more powerful frame gave me more pop on serve than my Gravity MP, I was inconsistent with the previous version because of the lack of control. With the 2022 version, the EZONE 100 retains that pop but gives me more confidence to hit my spots because the feel and control are there, making my serve that much more of a weapon.
• Groundstrokes: In my review of the last version, I said that the EZONE 100 was frustrating on the ground. The vague feel and extra power contributed to not being confident in hitting my targets, so I had to play cautiously. With the new version, I was confident in hitting my full strokes because I could feel the ball better on my strings with improved control. This joined the EZONE 98 2022, VCORE 98, and VCORE 100 as really great racquets to rip groundstrokes with.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Stability: I’ve found that Yonex racquets typically are a bit more stable than their swingweight would suggest, but the drop in swingweight from the previous version definitely impacted the stability for 2022. Return of serves was my favorite part of playing with the previous EZONE 100 because it had solid stability while still being maneuverable. The 2022 racquet was still great against average or lower speed serves, but returning big serves led to the racquet fluttering a bit in my hands, leaving weak or floating returns.

Favorite moment with this gear

The 2022 Yonex EZONE 100 is my favorite racquet to serve with that I’ve used all summer. My first serves were bigger with great placement, and I could generate plenty of kick and slice on my second serve to be aggressive with.

Value for the money vs. other options

The 2022 EZONE 100 is a bit more expensive than the Babolat Pure Drive and Dunlop FX500, which are its closest competitors, but it’s still a fair price for a high-performance racquet in 2022.

Final verdict

The 2022 EZONE 100 has moved to the top of my recommendation list for intermediate to advanced players looking for controllable power and speed. It’s a user-friendly racquet that players of any playing style can pick up and take to a match with little to no adjustment.