I’ve had my first hit with Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 and here are my first impressions about this interesting new racquet. The Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 is a new players frame from Yonex and the update to the VCORE Duel G 97 330
from 2016.
from 2016.The Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 is the heavy version in the new Yonex VCORE Pro line of racquets. There is also a 310 gram version
for players who doesn’t like heavier racquets and/or like to have room for customization. The Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 comes with the following specs:
Buy the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 from Pro Direct Tennis
Buy the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 from Amazon
Buy the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 from Tennis Express
Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 strung specs
Head size: 97 sq inches
Length: 27 in
Weight: 347 grams
Balance strung: 7 pts HL
Swing weight strung: 330
Stiffness: 65
Beam width: 20 mm
String pattern: 16×19
My Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 came at about 350 grams strung with over grip. It was strung with Luxilon Element 1.25
, a lively polyester string that’s a little softer and more powerful than for example Luxilon Alu Power
. The Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 is already packed with some power and definitely more than my HEAD LM Radical Tour in the a similar spec range, so my plan is to restring the racquet with a deader poly string, like for example Volkl Cyclone
or Solinco Hyper-G
.
What’s new with the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330
What’s new with the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 compared to the predecessor Yonex VCORE Duel G 97 330
 is the more open string pattern and (16×19 compared to 16×20), the slightly thinner beam (20 mm instead of 20,5 mm) and the more head light balance and lighter swing weight (330 vs 334). They have simply tried to make the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 easier to use than its predecessor.
I think this makes a lot of sense, because the Yonex VCORE Duel G 97 330 was a nice players’ racquet, but more difficult to swing and to get top spin from. You really needed to have a nice swing speed to make use of it. With the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330, top spin comes easier as the racquet is easier to swing and the string pattern takes care of the rest.
What’s good and bad with the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330
I immediately noticed the power level and the launch angle of the racquet. It’s partly due to the livelier string, but here you need to control the power more than inject a lot on your own. It was easy to whip up top spin and I immediately felt confident going for my forehands.
What I didn’t enjoy as much was playing from my weaker backhand wing. The slice felt quite nice, but on the one-handed backhand something felt off. I don’t know why, but I had hard time feeling the ball and timing my shots on that wing. I had the feeling that the hoop was slightly unstable at times, which is strange for such a “beefy” racquet.
It’s going to be difficult to add lead tape
to an already 350+ gram racquet without making it too much to swing, so I hope I can find my timing and feel the more I play with the racquet.
The backhand aside, it was plenty I liked with the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330. My serve and forehand felt right at home from the bat and I was confident to play attacking tennis. Volleys were also nice and crisp and I thought racquet feels less “boardy” than the Wilson Pro Staff RF97A
, which is close in the spec range.
Yes, I could definitely see Roger Federer enjoying this racquet. I instantly felt like there were quite a few similarities between the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 and the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph (read the review), but the Yonex felt softer and more responsive. What I missed from the RF97 was the stability from the firmer hoop. There’s always a trade-off.
Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 – Summary and next steps:
I enjoyed my first hours with the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 and my first impressions were positive. It’s a nice players’ racquet that matches well with the beloved Federer Autograph racquet from Wilson. I definitely think they’ve taken a step in the right direction with this update to make it more user-friendly. However, I would probably have aimed at a slightly lower static weight to leave some room for customization. A 320 grams version that is slightly more head-heady could have been an ideal racquet for me.
To summarize my first impressions about the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330:
- More manoeuvrable and spin-friendly than its predecessor
- Manoeuvrability comes at a cost of slightly less stability in the hoop
- The racquet resembles RF97 Autograph and old school Volkl C10 Pro.
- Great racquet for attacking tennis if you can handle the weight
- Feels decently arm-friendly despite 65 RA strung stiffness rating.
- Might be better with a hybrid or a deader poly, Luxilon Element felt too lively for me
and old school 
.Buy the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 from Pro Direct Tennis
Buy the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 from Amazon
Buy the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 from Tennis Express
Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330 – First impressions video
What do you think about the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330? Is it something you want to try?
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10 comments
Taking advantage of the topic, these days I was testing the new arrival Volkl C10 Pro 2012. Here are the pros and cons of it:
Pros
 – Excellent Feel
 – Excellent comfort
 – Excellent control due to low power
 – Good slice, easy to carry
 – Solid volleys
-> Cons
 – Maneuverable. Despite the low swingweight (325sw of specification), it was the racket that until today I had the most difficulty to move, compared to Yonex Vcore Duel G 330g and Head Pro Tour 280/630
– Low power
– Low handling for volleys
– Serves
– Difficulty in backhand
I bought a Wilson Ultra Tour 97, which in a few days I will be able to do some tests and pass my impressions.
Overall I started playing with heavier rackets and I’m on my way to the lighter ones. Currently my Angell TC95, is 325 grams, 10 grams less than the original setting. This new weight gave me much more acceleration, top spin power while still not messing with comfort, feel and stability. I noticed during several tests, with rackets of different weights and swingweight, that what most disturbs me in the matter of handling a racket is the static weight and not the swingweight.
And you could not fail to thank the space you provide to your page and also thank the quality content
Hi Paulo,
Thanks for this nice review and kind words. The Volkl C10 Pro sounds like a good racquet, but it’s definitely more flexible than the VCORE Pro 97 330 that I’m trying now which might make it more difficult to use. I’m going back and forth with the weight on my racquets, but right now I prefer a heavier static weight personally. Cheers / J
My very quick review:
RF is much better on the backhand, so much that even though the 330 feels amazing and improved my forehand and serve, I would not take it into a match.
The slice on the 330 does go short or high, it does not block back returns, no chance of doing a half volley. I hit with the orange Tour D 330 today and it felt so much more solid. Granted not as fast. I might pick up a 310, but just got a SV95 and still waiting for my 95D though. Which seems like the best overall spec for the isometric design.
Interesting points. I’m sure the older versions are more solid, but at the cost of being more work to swing. The 95D might be the best of the bunch here. Shame they don’t reintroduce it! Let me know what you think about the SV95! Cheers / J
Hello,
“A 320 grams version that is slightly more head-heady could have been an ideal racquet for me.” Maybe the 310 version with some lead could be perfect for you ? Always heard great things about these racquets, for both old and new versions.
I am trying myself an AI 98 since a few hours, very nice racquet ! The power is not always easy to control (especially as I played with a Prince tour pro 98 before, great racquet with amazing feel and control), but it can become a good stick for me and my all around and attacking game (of course i checked your test before to try it ;) )
Cheers
How stiff is the duel g 330 version?
I’m playing with the 310g version of this racket strung with Wilson Champion’s Choice (gut the mains) and weighted up with lead tape to bring static weight up to 343g. Short story is it’s helped up my game. But it’s also early days – not enough match play for a definitive there. Lead tape was added at 3 & 9 o’clock with equal amount above the grip to maintain balance. My two handed backhand feels more powerful than ever. No stability problems that I have noticed. Players I’ve played start to comment on the top spin i’m getting on my shots – never had this feedback before. The racket this could be replacing for me is the old Head Micro Gel Prestige MP. Compared to the Head Prestige, this racket feels a little bit more powerful. Slightly stiffer perhaps? Not sure, weight similar. In the past I was playing with multi-filament strings on the Head. Never tried different string set-ups but now I’m curious. Was also curious about the 330g version of the vcore but after reading this, maybe i’ll just keep to the 310g and weight upward. Not sure.
A lot of players really like this racquet. Easy to use, good control, plenty spin and room for customization. I think you should stick to the 310 and play around with strings. Yes, the VCORE is stiffer than the MG Prestige MP, but not harsh.
Hy,
which violet overgrip is it? I want to try… thx a lot!
Martin
Hi Martin, it is a Tourna overgrip, but it’s the HEAD version (they are the same). Regards / J