Yonex VCORE Pro 97 (310) Racket Review
| Groundstrokes | 88 |
| Volleys | 84 |
| Serves | 82 |
| Returns | 83 |
| Power | 85 |
| Control | 87 |
| Maneuverability | 85 |
| Stability | 86 |
| Comfort | 86 |
| Touch/Feel | 85 |
| Topspin | 88 |
| Slice | 86 |
If to err is to be human, we are lucky the VCORE Pro 97 (310) is a tennis racket. To create this exceptional offering Yonex dropped a cross string and crisped up its Duel G predecessor, sparking some magic with our playtesters. Although this updated Pro 97's swingweight comes in at 317, it was more than stable enough to hold up against groundstroke bashers and serve crushers alike. The more open 16x19 string pattern increased the ball's trajectory and added some rotation, letting our playtesters swing away comfortably with an assured sense of confidence. Like an extension of your arm, the 20mm straight beam, reinforced with Namd, produced a solid and responsive feel that dissolved boundaries between racket and body, leaving our playtesters feeling totally connected to the ball. Although this lighter version doesn't pack the same punch as the VCORE Pro 97 (330), there is room aplenty to customize it for the player who likes to experiment with different setups. Ultimately, our playtesters agreed that the VCORE Pro 97 (310) is one of the stronger all-around rackets they have tested in recent memory.
Upsides
- Control
- Maneuverable
- Responsiveness
Downsides
- Nothing we could agree on
Bottom Line
The Yonex VCORE Pro 97 (310) is a solid all-around player's frame that has the potential to suit a variety of playing styles.
Ability
Intermediate to advanced
Groundstrokes - Score: 88 / 100
It's always a positive sign when a racket starts a playtest on a good note. The baseline performance of the VCORE Pro 97 (310) was exceptional, and our playtesters raved about the versatility of this racket, from defense to offense and everything in between. The racket felt solid on contact giving the playtesters accurate feedback and enhanced precision. The sweetspot was forgiving and consistent. It even exceeded Chris’s expectations who had playtested the previous model. He elaborated, "I was a big fan of the Duel G 97 310, so I had high hopes for this racket. The VCORE Pro 97 (310) didn't disappoint. It felt very well weighted for my game. I liked how I could easily accelerate it through contact, yet it also had enough mass to feel pretty solid. Getting spin was easy, and I found it more topspin friendly than its predecessor. The VCORE Pro 97 (310) felt firmer at impact and offered a much crisper feel compared to the Duel G version. As much as I liked the feel of the Duel G, I much preferred the response of this racket. I liked how quickly the ball got in and out of the stringbed. My shots felt precise as a result. I also felt there was ample room to add a little weight to beef this racket up and give it a little more punch, like the 330 version."
Volleys - Score: 84 / 100
When you throw manoeuvrability, solid responsiveness and good control into the cauldron, the concoction is sure to please players who like to come to the net. The crisp feel combined with the quick handling of the racket allowed the TW playtesters to transition to the net and end the point with ease no matter their playing style. Sean was more than a little satisfied with this racket's performance at net. He offered, "The VCORE Pro 97 (310) felt surgical up at net and did just about everything I wanted. It was good from the midcourt when I was serving and volleying, and when I was in need of more touch and feel up closer to the net."
Serves - Score: 82 / 100
If you were looking for a chink in the VCORE Pro 97 (310)'s armour, this is going to be as close as you get. However, we might add that we had mixed results on serve; some of our playtesters enjoyed the ease of upward mobility, and some found it to be a little underpowered. Regardless, they all found access to spin allowing them to hit both slice and kick serves with ease.
Mark was still able to find success. He explained, "My serve, like the rest of my game, was at least slightly enhanced playing with the VCORE Pro 97 (310), and again, I have to point to its combination of specs as to why it benefited me so well. I wasn’t getting that guilty pleasure level of cheap power on my serves that you can get from a modern player's frame; this racket leans more toward a precise and control-oriented form of power. That said, I did get away with plenty of cheap points when serving with this stick."
Serve Returns - Score: 83 / 100
Due to the high marks it received on groundstrokes, it should not come as a shock that the VCORE Pro 97 (310) continued to live up to the high expectations on returns. The TW playtesters found a solid combination of power and control allowing them to feel confident on their returns. The racket was easy to get around the body and into position providing the playtesters with the ability to start off the point on the offensive and go after their targets. Hannah reinforced the group's sentiments, saying, "It wasn't too much of a surprise that everything I loved about this racket on groundstrokes remained true for returns. When balls were out of my reach I could still get a good stab at the ball. When I stepped into serves, especially second serves, I could really drive the ball with nice pace and control, either up the middle or with some direction. My returns never felt out of control, and I could add as much spin as I wanted to hit a desired target. The solid feel gave me extra confidence on returns, and just like on groundstrokes, it was so easy to find the sweetspot. This frame did a good job of absorbing incoming pace without being too firm or harsh."
Overall - Score: 87 / 100
Dislikes:
Sean - "Not much to dislike here."
Mark - "None at all."
Hannah - "It's not my favourite racket to serve with. I wanted a little more pop."
Chris - "None."
Comparing it to other rackets they've used, our testers said:
Sean - "Seeing as I haven't played with the previous model, I'll compare it to my 2015 Wilson Blade 98 18x20. I think they are similar in terms of manoeuvrability, but I think the VCORE Pro 97 (310) has more pop and a little less control. It had similar levels of power as the Blade 2015 16x19, which I also played with, but it definitely felt less sluggish. I think the Blade 2015 was a little more stable up in the hoop, but I'm thinking about adding a smidgen of weight to the VCORE Pro 97 (310) to fix that. Overall, they are very similar rackets, but I'm excited to add a little more power and spin to my game and see how that fares."
Mark - "I have to mention the original VCORE 97 (310), along with the successors, the Tour G 97 (310) and the Duel G 97 (310). The Wilson Ultra Tour, ProKennex Ki Q+5 Pro (310), and the Prince Textreme Tour 100P also are physically similar and provide a similar level of inherent frame power."
Hannah - "I was not on the playtest for the previous iteration of this racket, so I cannot speak to how it has changed. Compared to other Yonex rackets I have tested that are similar to my racket of choice, like the EZONE 98 and the VCORE SV 98, the VCORE Pro 97 (310) has a more solid and connected feel. I think this VCORE Pro 97 offers more control in a lot of ways. While both the EZONE 98 and the SV 98 are easy to use and provide a lot of power and spin, I like the way the VCORE Pro 97 (310) is adaptable throughout the court and can be used for adding pace or for implementing a more creative game plan. I have to admit that without many hours serving on this VCORE Pro, the other Yonex choices are simply more user-friendly on serves."
Chris - "Firmer and crisper compared to the Duel G 97 310, this VCORE Pro 97 (310) also felt more spin friendly. If I were in the market for this kind of racket I would also be demoing the Volkl V-Sense 10 Tour, Wilson Pro Staff 97 Black and Tecnifibre TFight 315 Ltd 16x19."
Playtester Profiles:
Sean: A semi-western forehand with a two handed backhand with a counter-punching playing style.
Mark Semi-western forehand, one handed backhand, grinding all-court player.
Hannah: Semi-western forehand and two-handed backhand. Agressive baseliner.
Chris: Semi-western Forehand and one-handed backhand. All court player
Likes:
Sean - "The manoeuvrability, the pop, the feel and the cosmetic."
Mark - "I didn’t have to re-read old playtest editorials to remember that the cherry-red VCORE 97 (310) was the first frame from Yonex that I could play effectively with. Since the playtest of the first generation VCORE 97 (310), I have gravitated toward more tightly patterned frames because of how they play/feel once the tension begins to drop on a full bed of a monofilament. I cut strings out of more open patterned frames once the strings start to drop tension because I don’t like the change in performance. Due to how a tighter pattern holds the strings in place, I feel that I get better and longer stringbed performance. I mention this because the new VCORE Pro 97 (310) features the 16x19 pattern, but its spacing is pretty much the same as the 16x20 patterns, and I couldn’t feel the difference. I really like how the new cosmetic pops with colour, albeit in a pretty low-key manner."
Hannah - "I love the sweetspot, the feel and the control."
Chris - "I loved the blend of power and control, the manoeuvrability, the spin and the crisp feel."