Racquet review: Yonex DR 98

by Jonas Eriksson
Technical Specifications OF YONEX DR 98
Length 27 in 69 cm
Head Size 98 sq in 632 sq cm
Weight 11.5 oz 326 gm
Balance Point 12.7 in 32 cm 6pts Head Light
Construction 23mm/24mm/19.5mm
Composition HM Graphite, Nonmetric DR, Quake Shut Gel
String Pattern 16 Mains / 19 Crosses
Babolat RDC Ratings
Score Grade
Flex Rating 62 Range: 0-100
Swing Weight 324 Range: 200-400
PS. What is NANOMETRIC DR material? According to Yonex it “improves the bonding strength between carbon fibers at the center and bottom of the frame and reduces the weight shift to the top of the frame. This Trans-Weight System results in a racquet head that reacts faster for quicker maneuverability and produces the fastest swing speed in YONEX history.” Marketing BS? Who knows, the racquet plays great. DS.

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16 comments

lucas October 18, 2017 - 16:44

Hey
I used to play with the Yonex RDS 001midplus (98) I sold it long time Ago, I came back play and bought this ezone dr98 the yellow one , And I’m struggling with this one, wich racquet would be more similar to the RDS 001 midplus 98 ??

Reply
Tennisnerd October 19, 2017 - 09:17

Hi Lucas,
The Yonex RDS 001 MP is definitely a more powerful/crisper racquet in my mind than the DR 98. It might also feel a bit easier to swing since the beam is thinner. There are not that many racquets with similar beam profile and stiffness on the market today. If you like Yonex racquets, I’d definitely try the Yonex VCORE SV 98 and put some lead tape on the handle and possibly at 3 and 9 to get the weight a little bit closer to the RDS 001 MP.

Good luck and let me know how it goes! Cheers / Jonas

Reply
Pedro January 19, 2018 - 17:14

Hey,
Could you tell me some of the best strings (quality/price ratio) to play with this racquet? I´m a 4.0-4.5 player and I´ve been playing with Babolat around 6-7 months (before played with Aero Pro Drive for 2 years) and I have a elbow pain now.

Cheers

Reply
Tennisnerd January 20, 2018 - 17:15

Hi Pedro,
If you have arm issues, I would go for a softer polyester or a hybrid setup (poly + synthetic gut), but since we’re taking price into the consideration I wouldn’t recommend natural gut. There are a few soft poly strings that play really well:

Weiss Cannon Silverstring – cheap, quite soft and a good string.
Yonex Poly Tour Pro – My favourite string in the mentioned racquet. Choose a thinner gauge for a softer feel. I go with 1.25.
Luxilon 4G soft – A little expensive but a great string
Luxilon Element Rough – Super soft poly, expensive, but nice.
Volkl Cyclone Tour – Relatively inexpensive and nice soft poly.
Solinco Tour Bite Soft – really nice, softer poly.

I hope this helps! Good luck and keep that arm pain away! Cheers / Jonas

Reply
Ivan April 27, 2018 - 09:34

Hi! I currently play with the wilson pro staff Classic 6.1(16×18) but I’m thinking about changing to a more modern frame. Would be this racquet a good option?

Reply
Tennisnerd April 27, 2018 - 11:19

Hi Ivan,
Yes, this is a good modern frame. It will be an adjustment from you coming from the heavy Pro Staff Classic, but you can always add some lead tape to make it play heavier.

Other good modern racquets in the same style:
Babolat Pure Strike 16×19 (white/red one)
Prince Beast 98 (just reviewed this one)
Wilson Blade 98 (prefer the 2015 green/black version)
Angell K7 Red

Hope you find a racquet that suits your game!

Cheers / Jonas

Reply
pedro February 28, 2019 - 21:12

I am currently playing with the head ig prestige mp, with lead at 3 and 9h, totaling 346g and balance at 32.5cm. I am thinking of buying a yonex dr98 blue, add lead in 3 and 9h and silicone in the cable to leave a weight of approximately 337g and balance in 32.5cm.
Do you think the change is good? Unfortunately in Brazil I do not have the opportunity to test before buying …

Reply
Tennisnerd March 4, 2019 - 12:22

Hi Pedro,
You will get more easy power and spin with your proposed setup. If that is what you are looking for – go ahead. Sounds like perfect specs actually! Cheers / J

Reply
Tennisnerd March 13, 2019 - 13:24

You will get a bigger sweet spot and more power/spin, but at the cost of control. If that is what you want – it sounds like a good spec! Cheers / J

Reply
Pedro March 10, 2019 - 01:25

I ended up giving up the yonex that I mentioned last (alleged exchange for prestige)
I bought an angell and am looking forward to testing:
ANGELL CUSTOM TC97 16×19 300g Plus – swing: 325mm / 6 ptsHL – Rigidity: 66RA – length 27.5 ” Cable L2 format B
-personal custom-
337g with everything
Balance 33.5cm / 4pts HL
Solinco String Hyper G 1.25mm – 48lbs Cushion grip Wilson Premium Leather Black Overgrip Wilson Pro White
+ 4g lead tape at 3 and 9h
+ 8g lead tape at 12cm from the end of the cable

What do you think?

Thanks!

Reply
Pedro March 10, 2019 - 01:26

I ended up giving up the yonex that I mentioned last (alleged exchange for prestige)
I bought an angell and am looking forward to testing:
ANGELL CUSTOM TC97 16×19 300g Plus – swing: 325mm / 6 ptsHL – Rigidity: 66RA – length 27.5 ” Cable L2 format B

-personal custom-
337g with everything
Balance 33.5cm / 4pts HL
Solinco String Hyper G 1.25mm – 48lbs Cushion grip Wilson Premium Leather Black Overgrip Wilson Pro White
+ 4g lead tape at 3 and 9h
+ 8g lead tape at 12cm from the end of the cable

What do you think?

Thanks!

Reply
Tennisnerd March 13, 2019 - 12:38

Nice specs! With that balance, the swing weight will be beefy and nice. I would definitely be happy swinging a racquet like that. Let me know how it goes and good luck on your new Angell!

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Jade September 21, 2019 - 20:30

Hi Lucas! Did you try Yonex Vcore SV 98? Did you like it? I am thinking about buying it Thanks Jonas for your advice!!! My son is a Yonex RDS 001 fan! I got to find an update one for him!

Reply
Ravi Shanker B October 7, 2019 - 14:00

Hi! Ravi from India.
I have been following your blogs and videos for quite some time. Keep it going.
I am playing with Babolat Project One 7 for some time now. I love the blend of control and power. What I like the most about Pure strike is the amount of spin I generate. It is addictive.
I have been facing with some mild elbow pain. This might be due to the stiffness. I am planning to switch to DR 98.
Can you compare the two? Ratings on power, control and spin would help.

Please do consider adding ratings for racquet reviews. Just like you did on dr98+

Reply
Tennisnerd October 9, 2019 - 08:17

Hi Ravi,
The DR 98 is crisp too, but better for the arm. It offers about the same spin potential and just slightly less power. You might not feel as connected to it on flatter shots as the Strike, but it is a very good racquet.

The reason I don’t do ratings anymore is that I find ratings create the picture over one racquet being better than another and it is about finding the right racquet for the right player. I will consider adding it if I can find a way to do it that makes sense to me.

Regards / J

PS. If you feel like my advice is really useful, please consider becoming a patron for $2 at patreon.com/tennisnerd and get exclusive content every week. DS.

Reply
Ravi Shanker B October 13, 2019 - 07:47

Hi!
I tried the DR 98. You were right. I did not feel as connected on the flatter shots. And I can generate way more racquet speed on the pure strike, helps when I’m being rushed.
It is difficult to get multifilaments in India. So that is out of the question.
I got interested in Head speed 360 pro after watching your review. Your review says that Speed pro is easy to swing. How does it compare to pure strike on power, control and spin? Is it easy on the arm?

Reply

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