Yonex VCORE 100+ Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 81

Boasting impressive power, the VCORE 100+ helped our playtesters hit huge groundstrokes. Jason put it best, saying, "This racquet brings the power!" He continued, "The standard-length VCORE 100 already has a decent amount of pop, but the added half inch kicks it up a notch. I was hitting shots with nice depth and power without altering my strokes. That hefty 341 swingweight definitely takes some getting used to, and I struggled hitting angles. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I still got plenty of spin on my shots, which I attribute to the open string pattern. I thought the spin was necessary to help keep the ball from flying long. Flatter shots tended to launch a bit with this racquet."

Tiffani enjoyed tapping into some of her favorite characteristics of extended-length frames. She commented, "There are a lot of things I like about extended-length racquets, and the VCORE 100+ certainly delivered on those fronts. There was noticeably more plow-through power and stability compared to the standard-length version. I also loved hitting my cross-court backhands. With its extra weight, this VCORE 100+ felt more comfortable at contact than the regular VCORE 100. I could hit some bigger shots and some winners, which is not typically my playing style. However, as with other extended-length racquets, I did struggle to get the racquet around on time. It was almost guaranteed I would be late on quick pick-ups at my feet or shots high out of my strike zone. Also, I never felt like I got as much spin as I did with the regular VCORE 100. Still, this VCORE 100+ was fun to pick up and play games with, but I couldn't sustain playing with a racquet with such a hefty swingweight for multiple sets."

Kristen wound up playing a more defensive game due to the VCORE 100+'s higher swingweight. She commented, "Typical of all extended racquets that I've hit with, I loved tapping into the extra power I could generate with this VCORE 100+. The downside to extended-length frames, however, is having more mass to swing through the air, and with this racquet's 341 swingweight and close-to-even balance, it became quite taxing for me to keep this racquet moving over a long hitting session. Since the racquet dragged through the air a bit for me on groundstrokes, I found it hard to stay on the offensive. Therefore, I got the best performance out of this racquet when I shortened my stroke and played more defensively. This extended version didn't feel as brassy on contact as the standard version, but it still felt plenty stiff. Although I could tap into spin fairly easily, its access to topspin wasn't as generous as the standard version."

Mark had no issues with the swingweight, finding that he could swing freely from the baseline. He noted, "I really enjoyed playing with the previous version of this racquet, and luckily I had a chance to bring both along for a direct baseline comparison. For me, the new VCORE 100+ was easier to maneuver from the backcourt than its 341 swingweight and extended length would indicate. I was able to swing confidently from the backhand side and a little more aggressively on my forehand. The VCORE 100+ provided me with an impressive level of power from the baseline, albeit a very predictable level of it, allowing me to consistently redirect someone else's pace or develop a bit of my own. Lastly, I notice that longer frames often compliment my backhand (slice and topspin), and this stick did nothing less for the entire playtest."

Volleys - Score: 79

The VCORE 100+'s extended length allowed for great reach on volleys, and our testers were pleased to find exceptional stability as well. Tiffani appreciated the additional leverage, but she found the racquet lacking a bit of maneuverability. She said, "There is the benefit of extra reach with the VCORE 100+, but I just wish I could have taken advantage of that more often at net. The 27.5" length felt sluggish to me, so for the best results I had to choke up on the racquet more than I typically would. I preferred trying to get the point taken care of from the baseline rather than venturing to the net with this racquet."

Mark was impressed with the VCORE 100+'s feel up at net. He elaborated, "Contacting a volley at full stretch is one way you can discover how stable a racquet feels, and the VCORE 100+ definitely offers a high degree of stability when reaching for a wide passing shot. I was able to keep my half-volleys low over the net and land my punch volleys in the vicinity of where I was aiming. I only struggled when hitting a forehand volley if the passing shot was aimed at my body. As a result, I found myself hitting more backhand volleys than forehands."

Although she enjoyed the racquet's performance on volleys, Kristen wasn't the biggest fan of its feel. She said, "This racquet performed well at net, and that extra reach was great when on the stretch. However, if I didn't catch the ball right in the sweetspot I could really feel it in my arm."

Jason added, "This VCORE 100+ feels more stable than the static 11.2-ounce weight would suggest. I was still able to get off-center hits over the net with decent pace and directional control. As expected, there was more than enough power to easily put away overheads and sitter volleys."

Serves - Score: 80

Having that bit of extra leverage gave our playtesters a boost in power when serving, but some struggled with the VCORE 100+'s higher swingweight. Mark relished the heavier feel of this frame on serves, saying, "I know I cannot expect a racquet to perform perfectly from every part of the court, and it is no secret that I prefer lighter frames from the baseline and heavier ones on serve. That said, I feel that the extra length is somewhat of a substitute for extra weight, and with the way the VCORE 100+ is balanced, I did get a bit of that 'heavier racquet' effect on my serve. I was able to apply a little more spin, speed and consistency to my serve with the VCORE 100+, making it my favorite shot for this playtest."

"This was the shot that required the longest acclimation period," said Jason. "Because of the added length and high swingweight, I tended to hit the ball long. Once I adjusted to it, I thought the VCORE 100+ was quite the weapon on serves. I wasn't just hitting a bigger ball, but it was heavy as well. I was definitely getting more easy points while serving with this racquet than with my own or with the standard-length version."

Kristen also needed some time to adapt to the heavier swingweight on serves. She said, "This is typically where extended racquets shine for me, but I found it hard to get into a groove on serves with the VCORE 100+. It really dragged through the air for me, and I think that was affecting my timing and service motion. I had to adjust my toss a bit to give myself more time (as well as expend more effort) to get around the ball. After a bit of an adjustment period I was able to crank out some pretty powerful serves with this racquet, but I never felt truly dialed in. My second serve struggled since I wasn't getting around the ball well enough to generate sufficient spin."

"I just grew a half-inch!" exclaimed Tiffani, who took advantage of the extra reach on serves. "Jokes aside, I love serving with longer racquets like this. I'll take any bit of extra leverage I can get to amp up the power level of my serves. This racquet didn't feel whippy overhead, though, so adding spin was a bit of a challenge. That didn't really bother me since I don't hit lots of spin on my serve anyway. I liked how the racquet pulled down through the hitting zone for added power."

Returns - Score: 76

Timing was key on returns, and those who could get the VCORE 100+ around quickly enough to drive through the ball were rewarded with powerful, aggressive shots. Those who struggled with timing found that sticking to a shorter swing worked best. In terms of optimizing precision, Kristen was most successful when shortening her return motion. She noted, "I thought this racquet performed great on defensive returns, where a shorter swing was beneficial. Also, when I was pulled wide the extended reach helped me get my returns back in the court. When I was going for an aggressive return, however, it was hard for me to control my shot and rein in the power. This racquet also came around slowly, so my timing was probably off when attempting to go for a fuller swing, leading to more errors."

Tiffani also struggled to bring the VCORE 100+ around quickly enough. She elaborated, "Here's where I was challenged the most. I typically prefer returning to start off points, but this racquet is a lot to get around with limited time. An abbreviated stroke was a must for me on returns. I could really feel the racquet lag when I tried to take a longer swing, and it sometimes felt like the racquet was never going to make it around. I did enjoy the added stability over the standard version when I was blocking back serves, though."

While Mark had an easier time returning with the VCORE 100+ than Tiffani did, he also found racquet's mobility somewhat limiting. He added, "I was effective at redirecting the pace of a hard serve using my chip return with the Yonex VCORE 100+, but I will admit that it was not easy for me to prepare early enough to hit topspin off of a hard serve."

"I felt like it was boom or bust on my returns," said Jason, who battled with similar timing issues. "When I had time to set up I could rocket returns back for easy winners, or at least put myself in position to get a ball to put away. When I went up against the bigger servers, where I couldn't set up as much, I found myself spraying the ball wide because I was late, or long because I couldn't put enough spin on it to keep it down. An abbreviated stroke was definitely necessary in those instances."

Overall - Score: 81