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Donnay X-Dual 99 Silver Racquet Review

by TN
Donnay X-Dual 99 Silver Racquet Review

You might be asking yourselves: “Why another Donnay racquet review?” Well, I had a bunch of Donnays to review and so far I really like them. There will be other racquets on Tennisnerd soon, but first, here is the Donnay X-Dual Silver 99 Racquet Review.

The Donnay X-Dual Silver 99 is not a new racquet. There is a Penta edition called the Donnay Penta Silver 99 and has similar specs, but an even lower stiffness rating. Also, the color is black on that one and not the nice, shiny silver of the X-Dual 99.

What stands out most about the Donnay X-Dual 99 Silver besides the sharp design, is the thin beam. This racquet line is for people who want to slice and dice their opponents and move in towards the net to finish the point. It is a touch racquet with a good comfort that invites you to hit droppers on a whim and my favorite shot with it is the backhand slice as this racquet really carves through the air like a knife.

Donnay X-Dual 99 Silver Racquet Review – Specs and performance

Donnay X-Dual 99 Silver Racquet Review

Head size: 99 sq in
Unstrung weight: 300g
Unstrung balance: 320mm
String pattern: 16×19
Racquet stiffness (RA): 64
Recommended tension: 20 kg (+/- 10%)
Beam width: 15/18/17mm[1]
Length: 68.6 cm
Technology: Dual XeneCore™

The specs of the Donnay X-Dual Silver 99 are quite interesting. The head size gives you a forgiving response and offers you decent spin, but it is far from a power racquet. It does play more stable than its weight, but Donnay also offers a customization kit where you can easily add weight to the butt cap or the sides of the racquet (you need to buy this separately though). I thought the racquet played well in stock form, but there is ample room for customization.

This racquet definitely performs best in the hands of a crafty player who likes to move his opponents around, not through pace but through placing the ball. The racquet, like most other Donnay racquets, is rather flexible which is great for arm comfort, but not so great to inject easy pace into your shots. If you have the game to create your own power, this can be a really fun racquet to use, because it moves fast through the air and has a quite intoxicating feel in the string bed.

I used the Donnay X-Dual 99 Silver with MSV Focus Hex 1.23 strung at 22 kg. I think this racquet performs best at low tensions and I would recommend using a dampener because otherwise, you get a pingy sound, kind of like hitting with a spoon :)

Donnay X-Dual 99 Silver Racquet Review – Who is it for?

Donnay X-Dual 99 Silver Racquet Review

If you are a baseliner who want to put loads of spin on your ball to push your opponents back into the court, the Donnay X-Dual 99 Silver is not your best friend. But if you are a smart player who has good hands and can read the game of your opponent, I think you will really like this racquet. It really encourages you to put the ball where you want to and to play clever tennis. So serve-and-volley players and doubles player would probably like this racquet.

To summarize this is another good racquet from Donnay. It is not new so I am late with my review here, but since I heard Mats Wilander liked this racquet so much he bought three of them a year ago, I just had to try it. And it really does play nice, I would only have liked a bit more power on serves and ground-strokes to be completely satisfied.

Donnay X-Dual 99 Silver Racquet Review – Video review

Have you tried the Donnay X-Dual Silver 99 and what did you think about it?

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4 comments

Kostadinos Vrotsos January 30, 2019 - 13:46 - 13:46

Have you played with the x-99 black? I purchased one on ebay for $65 american and it is my favorite racquet of all time! I weighted it up with lead tape at 12,3, and 9. Very comfortable and like you said, it makes you more creative….like using a paintbrush!

Reply
Tennisnerd January 31, 2019 - 09:27 - 09:27

I have not! But I can imagine it is similar in the way it encourages you to play smart tennis!

Reply
Leo February 15, 2019 - 16:00 - 16:00

Hi mate,
I’m currently playing with an Ultra Tour and would like to know your take on something that plays similar in terms of power and control but is even softer. Doesn’t have to be 18×20 either. I’m struggling with wrist issues and although tennis is not the biggest culprit (using a mouse is) it sure helps to have a softer racket. I’ve not tried the Phantoms as I’m a bit skeptical with their string pattern and how low powered they sound in reviews.

Thanks
L

Reply
Tennisnerd February 19, 2019 - 14:09 - 14:09

Hi Leo,
I also have wrist issues these days after increasing the dosage of tennis and switching racquets all the time. I really like the Angell K7 Lime and when testing that racquet I have no wrist pain at all so I would recommend either:
Angell K7 Red or Lime
Donnay Formula 100
Wilson Clash

Cheers / J

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