About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the tennis racquet, which I tested for one week in October of 2022.

My take

The Yonex VCore 98+ Racquet has a great all-around play, especially the serve. This is geared for the all-around player who likes to grind out points and hit big serves.

About the racquet I tested

• Model: 2021 Vcore 98+
• Grip Size: 4 3/8
• String and Tension: 52 lbs, Yonex Polytour
• Head size: 98 sq in
• Racquet Length: 27.5 in
• Any Customizations: None

About me

• Height: 5’11”
• Weight: 210lbs
• Previous Racquet Played With: Babolat Pure Aero
• Experience: 23 years of tennis
• NTRP/UTA Rating: 8/9

Test conditions

• When I tested these: October 2022
• Days tested: One week
• Court Surfaces: Hard court
• Match Play/Practice Session/Both: Both
• Where I’ve used it: South Jordan City Park Courts

How they perform

What I was looking for

I’ve been wanting to try a Yonex racquet. I've heard great things about them. I specifically wanted to try the Vcore to see how it fared with my groundstrokes and serves.

Why I chose to test this racquet

The Vcore 98+ is slightly longer (.5 inches) than most racquets. This is a benefit for serves, so I wanted to test that out and see how it felt. The Vcore has the standard length and the 100-square-inch frame as well that I considered. Though I prefer the slightly smaller size.

What I love about it

• Power: The extra length helped leverage more of the racquet, providing pretty excellent power in the shots.
• Feel: With the new Vibration Dampening Mesh in the handle, the shots felt pretty smooth and clean when on impact with the ball.
• Stability: The Racquet has a new grommet system called String Sync, which provides the ball to snap back more when hitting. This helped add spin, which was really nice for control.
• Maneuverability: The strung weight comes in at a 11.4, which I would say leans more on the heavy side. When compared to other heavy racquets like the prostaff, it didn’t feel that heavy. I felt like I could maneuver it well.
• Versatility: I attempted groundstrokes mostly, but it fared pretty well with volleys and serves too. It’s definitely geared towards the baseliner.
• Features: It felt very clean with the volleys. They came off the racquet very well and came back low and hard.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Control: The biggest issue was control. As smooth as everything felt, it took awhile to adapt to the racquet. I felt like most of my forehands were going long for the first 10 or so balls. This could be partly due to strings as well, but this was the impression I got.

Favorite moment with this gear

When it came to hitting serves, specifically flat serves, I really enjoyed it. I had a flat serve that had excellent pop, probably came in at 110–115 mph, which felt great!

Value for the money vs. other options

Yonex racquets were priced pretty steep when initially released; this particular vcore 98+ comes in around $265. Yonex does drop their prices significantly after a while, especially when coming out with new gear. If one is a ride-or-die Yonex fan, then go for it. If the price is too high, then I would either wait until a new model comes out or buy something similar that is lower in price, like the plus versions of the Babolat Pure Drive or Babolat Pure Aero, or the Solinco Whiteout 305 XTD.

Final verdict

For the intermediate to advanced player with a firm handle on control who loves to dictate from the baseline and hit huge serves, this racquet will be a serious threat to any opponent.