It’s a hectic play-testing period at Tennisnerd HQ. And I know many of you have been waiting for this Yonex VCORE 2023 review.
Yonex VCORE 2023 Review
The VCORE is Yonex spin-focused line. We have EZONE for power, and VCORE PRO for control, while the ASTREL line are comfort-focused game improvement racquets. The VCORE 2023 racquets are in their 7th generation and have some significant updates. As always, whether these changes make the racquets better for you is a matter of taste.
As shown in the screenshots below, there are tech and mold changes. Let’s summarize:
What’s new?
Silicone oil-infused grommets that are supposed to give 26.3% less friction between string and grommet for more string movement and snapback.
Widened upper part of the hoop and thinner beam to minimize wind resistance and increase top spin potential.
New throat designed to improve stability.
What’s not new is the Isometric head, the Liner tech, 2G Namd Flex Force, and Vibration dampening mesh.
Specs
I have so far tested three models in the new Yonex VCORE 2023 line-up. The 95, the 98 and the 100. I will also review the 100L at a later date and possibly extended versions of the 98 and 100.
There are no significant changes in the weight or balance of these frames. The swing weights overall seem a little higher but very manageable. I struggled less with the stability on the 95 especially compared to the previous generation, which I felt needed weight.
Strings
I tried one Yonex string in each racquet. Yonex Poly Tour Pro 1.25 at 51 lbs / 23 kg in the VCORE 95, Yonex Poly Tour Strike blue 1.25 at 52 lbs in the VCORE 98 and Yonex Poly Tour Rev 1.25 at 54 lbs in the VCORE 100. These are all excellent strings that I tested in the previous generation of VCOREs.
Power
This is logical, but it’s worth reiterating that the larger the head size, the more power and spin you get. At the cost of control, obviously. The VCORE 100 is the racquet that is the most forgiving, powerful, spin-friendly, but also the one that needs the most shape added on your shots for control. The VCORE 98 is in the middle, while the VCORE 95 is the most control-oriented that requires the most from the player. These racquets feel slightly more powerful than the previous generation of VCOREs.
Spin
These racquets are all about spin and they haven’t fooled around in this category. The new VCORE 2023 racquets produce a high trajectory over the net and they make generating fast racquet head speeds easier. The ball really explodes from the string bed on these racquets. The issue is that the launch angle can be difficult to control.
Control
These are exciting racquets to play with and they can produce a nasty kick on all your spin shots. However, everything comes at a cost and me and my play-testers did struggle at times to control all that power. For the advanced play-testers, the 95, with its 16×20 pattern and smaller head, was the best option. But the 98 or 100 will be the logical choice of most intermediate players.
Comfort
The new VCORE racquets impress with their comfort. They are well dampened and they have dropped some of the stiffness, which makes them some of the most comfortable spin racquets on the market. They might be too flexible for some players, but I’m sure players with elbow concerns will be pleased. However, they are relatively dampened, which has been the recent trend in the tennis racquet industry. All the dampening makes it more difficult to get feedback on your shots and I think some players might struggle here.
Summary
I like that Yonex always try to create a more drastic change with their racquet updates. It makes life more interesting as a reviewer, at least. The 2023 Yonex VCORE racquets are more powerful, spin-friendly and comfortable than the previous VCOREs. They are impressive in all the categories. They also swing fast and look great. The issue is control. Sometimes the launch angle is too high and the ball flies unexpectedly long. You can feel disconnected from the ball at times too, due to the well-dampened response. I think those reason will make most advanced players go for the VCORE 95 or 98.
But these are my favorite VCORE racquets so far and I’ve pretty much tried them all. Power, spin, comfort, it’s all there. One of the play-testers thought the 95 was the best racquet he has ever tried. So there will be plenty of fans of this line-up. I had a lot of fun testing these frames personally and will see if I can control some of the launch angle with a hybrid string setup with a multi or gut in the mains and a round poly in the crosses. But an old school guy like me, might still want a bit more feedback from his racquet. I will keep you posted here and on my Patreon.
29 comments
hello tennisnerd, sorry for this post but i have a problem. I bought a newgeo APD, I’m in love with its fh but on bh I feel insecure, I feel the catapult effect. Will adding lead to the handle make a difference? do you have any other advice for this? ? What racket has a similar feel on fh but has a more controlled bh?
Hi Marcin, lead won’t make a difference. Not sure, I understand, do you mean the new Pure Aero?
If one was to string the new Vcore 100 with a thick multifilament , 1.30 or 1.34, do you think the racquet would still have a loopier shot then the a Ezone 100?
I am asking as I love my Ezone 100 but my elbow is getting more se sensitive even though I play with a multifilament (X-One). I bought a Clash 100 V2 but the Ezone 100 plays better for me. Of course, arm health is nr 1 but perhaps the new Vcore 100 might be a bit more comfortable the Ezone 100?
Thank you for your answer. Yes, I bought a Pure Aero 2023. My forehand is great with this racket, but the backhand is very unstable and uncontrollable, it feels like a catapult effect. I thought changing the balance to the handle would improve it a bit… Are there rackets on the market with a similar forehand feel but with a more controlled and confident backhand?
Thank you for your help and best regards
I’m curious why you test them with different string at different tension?
I would love to hear how the Vcore 98 2023 compares to the Ezone 98 2022, as the specs are almost identical except for the beam width and stiffness.
Nice review! Saw Tommy Paul is going for the Vcore now. Looks like it have a positive impact on his serves.
Hello tn, im a young tennis player turning 17 in april, playing in competition and part 40 of the best of my age in France. I will buy the new vcore but i was using the babolat pure aero in 300g but i need the same head size(100) but i want to go like 305 or more in height. How can i do to take the vcore 100 and make it heavier while keaping the same sensations? thank you
Hello TN thank you for your reviews they are essential to all of us tennis nerds! I want to know your opinion to see if it is worth it to upgrade from the VCore 98 2021 to the Vcore 98 2023. Are there any drastic differences? Your insights are very important for me! Thanks for your help.
Kind regards
simon
Hi Simon, yeah the differences are drastic. You get a softer feel and more spin potential/lift on the ball with the 2023 version. Not sure that is what you want , but there is a significant difference in how they play. Cheers / J
Hello jonas ! Im a huge fan from the beginning love your work! Just wanted to ask for the new vcore 95 would u recommend grapplesnack tour sniper or m8 (1.25) thank you and best regards!
Thanks! I’d go with M8!
Thank you for the fast reply !cant wait to order both..also Is the launch angle noticeably high with this set up?
Best regards !mickael
Hey Jonas. I currently play w the 2022 ezone tour 98 w a hybrid setup. It plays well for me, a tad heavy but everything seems great, however I can’t get as much spin and bite on the ball as I’d like. However I don’t want to give up the free power and feel from it. Do you think the Vcore 98 or 95 would be similar or is it going to be like switching more to an erratic spraying spin machine lol! I play semi western grip, two hand BH. The other consideration was speed pro 2022. Feels great and lower launch angle with control. I cant give up control for spin
Great review! I play with the previous edition of VCore 95, added 4 grams at 3 and 9 for stability. I do feel a bit of lack in power, and slight elbow discomfort in winter (PolyTour Pro 125 at 50/48), do you think the new version would solve these issues, without sacrificing the magnificent control and manuevrability?
To answer the previous posters: I changed from PA Tour 2018 (too powerful) to PA VS 2020, great racquet, but I struggled a bit with stability for my flatish 2HBH. Tried the VCore 95, and I found the ideal racquet for my game.
Hi,
How does the Ezone 98 compare to the Vcore 98 with the new changes? I have a Vcore 6gen 100and after trying the the Ezone 98, the power, control and more plush feel makes me want to change to it. However, this new Vcore might feel like a Ezone but with different spin characteristics?
The new Vcore 98 is stiffer than the 2021 model. It is a tad more powerful and great for first volleys. It feels heavier and I am unsure whether to trade up to something that is possibly 5% more effective when I have had no arm issues with the previous 98 and feel this new one might provoke something. What do you think?
TN, do you think the higher launch angle is due simply to a slightly more open string pattern compared to the e-zones? I don’t know that it is a little bit more open, but that’s what I’m guessing. And you feel you can reduce that by having less Snapback with a multi or gut in the mains? Is that you’re thinking?
Yeah, you definitely reduce it with a hybrid, I tried it and it worked well.
I normally use ezone 98, I got vcore 98 about 2 weeks ago. Both racquets are strung with solinco tour bite 1.25 at m52lb c 50lb. So far with this configuration…ezone much much better control and feel. Vcore for serves is outstanding however I’m really struggling to control the power the other issue is overheads and net play. Frame feels super fast while swinging which ironically causes me to miss time the shots. I was wondering if I should try it with any of the Yonex strings perhaps in thicker gauge and higher tension to take the power down and bring more control, it’s much more muted feel than ezone so hopefully thicker gauge and the higher tension shouldbe still relatively comfortable. Any suggestions would be very welcome. Thanks
Quick update for above…i have re-strung it to higher tension with Tecnifibre razor code 1.25 m56, c 54lb I had a hit for few hours with it, it feels like a diferent racquet, defenitely feels way better, much easier to control and fun to use it.
I know it is a very subjective feeling, but compared to which racket would you rather advise Yonex Vcore 100 or the Babolat pure aero 2023?
I have struggled to find a string for Vcore 98 and ended up with Black Code 1.28 for feel, control, and durability.
I tried 7 strings below with the same string tension setup at 48 lbs in main and 46 lbs in cross.
1. Solinco Hyper G 1.25: too much spin and power. Sometimes I had difficulty controlling shot length. If I had to play on clay court, I would choose this string.
2. Yonex Polytour Pro 1.25.: Just like Hyper G, this string set up was not easy to control shot depth. Feel was good, though.
3. Babolat ROM Rough 1.25: Feel, control, spin, and power were really great. But, it broke after 4 hours of play. If I play a singles match, I cannot use this string due to its poor durability. I would always have to be worried about when it would break.
4. Technifiber Black Code 1.24: This string had almost same pros and cons as RPM Rough 1.25. But, BC 1.24 broke after 3.5 hours of play.
5. Gosen G-Tour 3 1.23: I felt too stiff with this string. Probably shot power was the best among other string setup and G-tour 3 was great when I was in offense. If I practice cross court stroke and return only, I can use this string. But, when it comes to defense during matches, I could not generate enough spin and control. Probably, I would have pretty much similar issues with Polytour Strike.
6. Gosen G-Tour 3 1.28: I felt way stiffer than 1.24 version of G-tour 3 1.24. The moment I hit cross court stroke, I was like this string is No Go.
7. Technifiber Black Code 1.28: Feel, control, power, and spin were not as great as 1.24 version, but this string lasts 8+ hours and offers just a little bit of stability.
Hi, great review. What about a direct comparison with new Babolat pure aero, which racket would you prefer to maximise rh topspin and lh slice kind of play and for which other reason if any?
Thanks
I think the Aero allows for more control with the denser pattern, while the VCORE is more powerful and spinny (and dampened, perhaps too much so)
Is it good for recreational player or better to check some other options? Which of TOP 3 good racquets would you recommend for intermediate player? THANKS!
String set up.
I have used the 2020 and 22 ezone 98 and vcore 21 and 23 98.
I prefer the new vcore for comfort, spin and control. I like how the ball slams down at the last second near the baseline and takes off. It messes my opponents up all the time.
It does swing faster or lighter than the 2021 vcore so I added 2 x 1” lead at 12:00 on the racket. This did the trick for me.
I use Polytour Rev 16L strung at 52.
The 2023 98 vcore is definitely more arm friendly than the 2021. I recommend this racket as my favorite racket! I’ve tried all the babolots from the last 12 years as well.
Hey Jonas. I know you have a history of arm issues… did the 2023 Vcores (specifically the 98) trigger you at all? I’ve read the forums and it seems like some people have felt things. Coming back from a summer of TE and want to be careful (switching from the Ezone 98 2022 and want something similar-playing that is less harsh). Thanks!
I have been a Pro Staff user for 38 years. I felt like I was cheating when I demo’d the Yonex Vcore 98. But I switched and I love it. Most of the game at my level, age 70 is at the baseline and I am hitting groundies better than ever. And return of serve is ridiculous. The racket gets into position so easily, and rebound from the stringbed is quick and reliable. I string Solinco hybrid at 48multi mains and 46 poly crosses. Its great. Also modify with tungsten putty inside the butt cap to make it 335gms and 10 pts HL or so. So far it’s been great. I do break the multi strings quite often though with all of the spin that it produces. But that’s the price you pay for awesomeness.