Friday, March 21, 2025

Tennis Racket Demo

As I was getting tired of playing with my Wilson Clash V2 Roland Garros tennis racket, I decided to try various new tennis rackets at my local shop, Tennis Anywhere (in Los Gatos).

Tennis Anywhere has a demo program, where one can try out various rackets for two months, for the price of $30 (which can be later used to purchase any new racket).




According to Tennis Warehouse, the following tennis rackets are recommended for Intermediate players:

Best Racquets for Intermediates

CATEGORYOUR PICKS
Power & spin

Babolat Pure Drive 2025
Babolat Pure Aero
Yonex VCORE 100

Control & feelPrince ATS Textreme Tour 100 290
Head Gravity MP 2025
Tecnifibre TF40 290
Arm-friendly

Yonex EZONE 100 2025
Wilson Clash 100 v3
Dunlop CX 400 Tour

Value

Prince Textreme Warrior 100


I also asked Perplexity AI for tennis racket recommendations and the following were recommended:

For a 3.5 USTA tennis player, here are some recommended tennis rackets based on control, power, and versatility:
RacquetBest ForKey Features
Balanced playA great mix of power and control, arm-friendly, and versatile for singles and doubles1.
Power and spinExplosive power, spin-friendly, stable feel, ideal for aggressive baseline play1.
Precision and controlPinpoint control, dense string pattern for ball feel, ergonomic design.
Forgiving and easy to swingLarge sweet spot, lightweight, and consistent ball trajectory for all-court play.
Control-orientedExceptional feel and precision, suitable for players with strong strokes1.
The Yonex Ezone 100 is a great all-around choice, while the Solinco Blackout 300 offers power and spin. The Wilson Pro Staff 97 V14 is ideal for players seeking control. Consider demoing these options to find the best fit for your playing style.

I started my own list of tennis rackets to review. So far, the two new tennis rackets that I demoed and liked best are:

I also tried the new 2025 Babolat Pure Drive, but I had tremendous difficulty generating spin with the Babolat.

The Yonex Ezone 98 felt very vague and underpowered and I did not enjoy it at all.
The Solinco Blackout is too stiff at 71, so I don't plan to try it.

I plan to try a few more rackets but my current favorite to purchase is the Tecnifibre T-Fight 300.

BrandYearModelOwnCostHead SizeStiffnessPowerSpinSweet-spotGripWeightRatingComments
Babolat2017Pure Strike Team$200980004 3/810.7 ozB
Babolat2017PureAero$2001000004 3/811.3 ozC
Babolat2017PureAero Play$3291000004 3/811.3 ozCPlay electronic monitoring
Babolat2017PureDrive$2001002004 3/811.3 ozC
Babolat2015PureDrive PlayYes$2491002004 3/811.3 ozBPurchased on eBay 4/23/2018
Head2017Speed10000-14 3/811 ozD
Prince2017Warrior 1001000004 3/810.6 ozCVery stiff
Wilson2017Blade 98s980004 3/811 ozD
Wilson2017Burn 100$991002124 3/811 ozA-
Wilson2017Burn 100sYes$991002124 3/811.3 ozAPurchased from Amazon on 5/22/2017
Wilson2017Burn 95950004 3/810.6 ozB
Wilson2017Steam 99s990114 3/810.6 ozB
Wilson2017Steam 105s1052124 3/811 ozB+
Wilson2017Ultra 97970004 3/810.6 ozB
Wilson2020Clash 100$2691001114 3/810.6 ozA-soft
Wilson2022Clash 100 v2 Roland GarrosYes$269100570114 3/8312gA-soft
Yonex2017Vcore SV100+$2091002004 3/810.6 ozB+stiff, nice sweet spot, top-heavy
Yonex2017Vcore SV98+$2091002004 3/810.6 ozB+stiff, top-heavy, extra-long stem
Tecnifibre2025T-Fight 300$249100652124 3/8318 gAstiff
Yonex2025Ezone 98$26998650004 3/8323gClow power
Babolat2025PureDrive 100$269100691014 3/8318gBno spin
Yonex2025Vcore 100$269100651124 3/8320gA-very good

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