Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 7.9

Power was the defining trait during baseline exchanges with the VCORE 100 8th Gen, but our testers also all noticed a large spin window and a high launch angle for easy depth. For Tiffani, this updated VCORE 100 offered easy net clearance and wonderful slice capabilities, although she struggled to end points when she went for a flatter shot. She explained, "The 2023 VCORE 100 was my favorite in the series when it came out, so I started hitting my Sand Beige version a couple of weeks prior to this playtest to get used to the higher launch angle I was expecting. I found the update to offer even more depth and height than the 2023 iteration. Still, I drilled well with this racquet and found lots of easy depth and power. My Zenniz data showed I was hitting a deeper ball with more pace off my forehand side. However, my struggles set in when I would try to put a ball away while playing points. I tend to flatten out my shots when going for a winner, and a lot of my shots were flying long. To adjust, I really thought about adding extra topspin to my shots, and at times I overemphasized the topspin brush, leaving the ball much too short or in the net. On the upside, I think my slice shot was improved with this 8th Gen. The racquet felt solid, and I could knife the ball better with this newer version than the previous VCORE 100. I also found this racquet great for digging out shots I was just taking a stab at. As long as I made good contact on the stringbed, no matter how stretched out I felt, the ball had a good chance of going over the net and into play."

This updated VCORE 100 allowed Jason to tap into his natural spin-based mechanics, giving way to even more arc and weight on his topspin drives. He said, "This VCORE 100 8th Gen is a spin monster. Luckily, I do like to hit with a lot of topspin on my forehand, so I could use the spin to control the depth of the ball a bit. However, the VCORE 100 8th Gen has a higher launch angle, and if I wasn't careful about brushing up on the ball, I would launch shots deep. It's easy to get power, depth and net clearance with this racquet, but the standout feature here was the excellent access to spin."

Oak found the VCORE 100 8th Gen extremely powerful, and at times wished for less depth on the trajectory of his shots. He said, "This VCORE 100 8th Gen is extremely powerful, to say the least. The VCORE 100 has always been the least usable option for me within the VCORE family, and this update only confirmed that assessment. This racquet is just such a powerhouse, and it was really hard for me to bring the ball back down in the court. Swinging out often caused the ball to feel like it was slipping out of its trajectory, and the launch angle is just really high to begin with. I had a much better time with this racquet if I really tried to simplify my motion and focused on rolling the ball over slowly and smoothly. If I started to get more of my weight behind the ball I had to pick a much more conservative target to reliably hit through the court. This caused me to both overhit and feel tentative, which is a tough dynamic. The VCORE 100 8th Gen is plenty maneuverable, but I think it needs some weight or a very specific string setup to allow it to do its thing."

Brittany found incredible power from the VCORE 100 8th Gen, which took her back to some of the first VCOREs she playtested. She described, "One of my first loves at Tennis Warehouse was the original VCORE 100S that launched in the early 2010s. I expected easy power, spin and depth from this update, and I got that and more. I didn't think it could be possible, but I felt like the launch angle was even higher on this generation. I loved getting a groove on from the baseline, especially on cross-court rallies. I really just let the racquet do the work for me. However, I was a bit surprised when it came to point play, and I was struggling with consistency. I first found myself overhitting and missing long. Then I overcorrected when I tried to add spin and my shots would dive into the net. It took a while to find a balance, and I was never 100 percent confident. I did love this VCORE 100 8th Gen when I was on defense, though. I was getting balls back into a neutral to offensive position that I would normally either miss or hit short, and I was winning a couple more scrappy points."

Volleys: 8.5

Our team had a much better time at the net using the VCORE 100's inherent power to construct points and hit authoritative volleys. Brittany made good use of this racquet's pop to volley effectively, highlighted by an efficient transition game. She explained, “This VCORE 100 had a nice blend of maneuverability and stability at the net. It still had loads of power, so I found myself ending points simply by punching the ball back deep. It still has the VCORE feel that I love, so I felt very comfortable at net, especially in doubles."

Oak was able to play his net game with confidence, and he moved forward more often due to his baseline concerns with this racquet. He said, "Volleys with the Yonex VCORE 100 are incredibly satisfying. They are a little powerful to be sure, but I was able to effectively stick shots deep, letting me lean into more net-rushing since I wasn't having as much success at the baseline. Once at the net, I felt like I had to go for more of a point-ending volley instead of dropping volleys short like I've grown more accustomed to doing. Overheads were a dream."

The VCORE 100 8th Gen rewarded Tiffani’s simpler mechanics,and it let her trust her net game. She described, "This version of the VCORE 100 feels solid at net. This racquet never felt cumbersome either, so there was a nice combination of stability, power and maneuverability when hitting straightforward punch volleys. I do think the temptation is there to take a big swing at the ball because the VCORE 100 8th Gen can really load up the power. The test was to resist that temptation and stick to better mechanics. It's easy to get a bit carried away, but with good discipline, this VCORE 100 8th Gen is a weapon at net."

Jason's net game felt more within his reach with the new VCORE 100 8th Gen in his hands. He noted, "My volleys felt pretty solid all around. I wasn't struggling nearly as much with depth control up at net as I did on my groundies. I was still able to hit with lots of spin, specifically underspin, when trying to cut under the ball and make it spin back toward the net. Overheads were easily executed because the VCORE 100 Gen 8 is pretty whippy."

Serves: 8.7

The VCORE 100 8th Gen helped our team hit some successful serves, with every hitter noting easy, reliable power and good variety. Jason was generating more pop with the updated VCORE 100 than usual on his serves, and it added more spin to shape his ball back down. He said, "I was finding plenty of power on my first serves and great access to spin on my second serves. Like with my groundstrokes, I needed lots of spin to get more serves to land in. Luckily, accelerating through contact was pretty easy with this racquet, so I could generate the spin I needed reliably."

Tiffani's serves with the VCORE 100 8th Gen also had noticeably more shape to them, and she was making a higher percentage as well. She described, "I really noticed an improvement in the net clearance on my serves with this VCORE 100 8th Gen. I was missing fewer of my serves into the net, and I could see the ball clear the net with greater margin before dipping into the service box. I'm used to having much less room for error, so I enjoyed my improved consistency on serves."

The serve ended up being one of Oak's favorite shots to hit with the VCORE 100 8th Gen. He explained, "Serving was a much more consistent avenue for me to utilize the VCORE 100 8th Gen’s inherent power. Driving the ball flat through firsts and loading up seconds with heavy slice or kick felt entirely feasible, and it was great to see the resulting action and shape on my serves when I really got hold of the ball. The deuce side had me going for more slices wide, and on the ad side I was loving a flat smack down the T."

Brittany also loved serving with the new VCORE 100 8th Gen. She said, "Serves were my favorite shot to hit with the VCORE 100 8th Gen due to the variety of serves I could hit. There was easy power to tap into on first flat serves, and when I wanted to be a little more consistent, I loved adding slice to pull my opponent off the court. I tapped into the spin on second serves and was getting nice kick as well as good net clearance. I have nothing negative to say here!"

Returns: 8.1

Returns with the VCORE 100 8th Gen proved to be a bit of a mixed bag for our team. Although there was consistent power freely offered, going after smaller targets wasn't always a reliable tactic. Despite it being her favorite shot to hit in general, Brittany was left wanting a little bit more on the VCORE 100's return. She described, "As much as I love to return, I definitely found myself holding back a little. I had to consciously add spin to my shots and aim for bigger targets. I was a little more conservative overall with both first and second serve returns. However, my returns were landing deep with pace when they went in, allowing me to be offensive from the very first swing."

Oak also felt somewhat restricted when returning with the VCORE 100 8th Gen, but he did appreciate its maneuverability. He said, "Returning serves with this VCORE 100 8th Gen was tough. I never felt super connected to my returns with this racquet, and I felt pretty limited in terms of my target selection. I found more success by prioritizing depth through the middle, but that too was tough to land at times. Thankfully, the VCORE 100 felt quick to get in position despite the slightly higher swingweight compared to its predecessor."

Similar to her baseline experience, Tiffani found herself having to be a little more conservative in terms of her spot-targeting, but she found good stability and comfort. She said, "After my experiences on groundstrokes, I knew what to expect as soon as I began to do return drills. I was happy to find that the VCORE 100 8th Gen felt stable and comfortable in nearly all return situations. I didn’t feel like I could aim at smaller targets with the VCORE 100 8th Gen; instead, I divided the court into three basic zones (left, center, right), and I would aim in one of those general directions."

Jason seemed to have the best experience when returning with the VCORE 100 8th Gen. He felt that he could be aggressive from the get-go or block shots back deep with ease. He noted, "This VCORE 100 8th Gen really let me bring the firepower on my returns. I liked the fact that I could block a shot back and have it land deep in the court, giving me time to recover for the next shot. There were times when I could hit a very aggressive return winner, but there were also times when my returns hit the back wall."

Breakdown Summary