Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.3

The wider string pattern and control-oriented feel of the CX 200 made it instantly appealing to our playtesters from the baseline. Ana was quick to point out the control and the amazing maneuverability of this racquet. She said, "The CX 200 felt great on my groundstrokes, and I felt connected to the ball when hitting both my forehands and backhands. I felt like I could go anywhere on the court with lots of precision and control. However, the CX 200 does not offer much free power, and I found myself having to really swing through my shots to generate a deep aggressive ball. This required me to get into a deep position on my shots and it felt more physically demanding, especially on my arm. When I stepped into the ball and was able to load into position to swing, the racquet did a pretty good job of generating a quiet and controlled response. I thought it was impressive that the ball would still find the court even on shots that I felt like I was overhitting. However, I would have preferred a little more weight in the head of the racquet so I could generate heavier, deeper shots with less effort. The only time I felt like the CX 200 was getting pushed back was when my opponent hit a fast heavy spin shot, and I was unsuccessful in returning that ball by just prepping quickly and hitting in front. The racquet did shake a little when the ball hit outside the sweetspot, and it wasn’t the most forgiving when it was out of position. I do think the racquet is quite maneuverable, though. I felt quick getting in position for my shots, and I was rarely late. The CX 200 played very well when I sliced the ball. It was great for keeping the ball low, fast and precise."

Tiffani loves using frames with square beams, with her racquet of choice being the Prince ATS Textreme Tour 100P, so it wasn't surprising that the CX 200 worked well with her playing style. She said, "The CX line really taps into a feel that I like with its beam construction. There's something about the way a box beam feels at contact that I just like. I quickly found myself comfortable with this newest CX 200. It felt fast through the air and was plenty spin-friendly for my needs. I found it easier to hit with depth than I had expected, and I felt confident that I could work my way back into a point when I got pushed into a defensive position. I liked the level of control and the lower power level, especially in pressure situations. I felt that I could still swing out and keep my shots landing inside the box rather than sailing out. I also liked the comfort of the CX 200.”

As a player who loves to hit with tons of racquet head speed and topspin, Jason very quickly became a fan of the CX 200's open string pattern and head-light balance. He said, "This was a very fast swinging racquet, which allowed me to easily accelerate it on my groundstrokes. The CX 200’s open string pattern and low swingweight allowed me to generate a ton of spin on my shots. I thought I was shaping shots really well with this racquet, whether that was with higher net clearance or angled shots. But what I think this racquet lacks a bit is put away power. I felt like I had to really swing out to be able to get shots past my opponents. Luckily, with such a low swingweight, I could easily add a bit of tungsten tape to the hoop to alleviate that issue." 

Zsofi found herself stepping through the ball a lot more than usual to fully utilize the CX 200's capabilities. She said, "When I first picked up the CX 200, I quickly noticed how low powered it was. To get the most out of it, I had to swing through the ball with full swings and really commit to my shots. I didn't mind that the racquet itself was low powered because I like to hit the ball hard, so I was able to have a lot of fun with that aspect of the racquet! I also enjoyed the CX 200 a lot on slices, especially the amount of response and touch I was able to get out of that shot. However, I did miss a little bit of topspin sometimes, and I felt like I really had to make a conscious effort to get under the ball and create that spin with my shots, so that is just something to keep in mind." 

Volleys: 8.2

The maneuverability of the CX 200 really shined on volleys for our team, and they found ample time between shots to prep in even the fastest of rallies. Even though Jason loved the speedy nature of the CX 200, he pointed out that it could have used a bit more stability on faster and more powerful shots. He said, "The CX 200 felt very whippy up at net, which I really liked for reflex volleys. It also had great feel, so I felt well connected to my shots and could gauge my depth well for drop volleys. However, I thought this racquet struggled with off-center shots and against power hitters. I felt like the racquet got pushed around a bit, but a little added weight in the hoop would help."

Ana found herself taking bigger, riskier angles on volleys because she was able to take advantage of the CX 200's maneuverability and responsive feel. She described, "Even though I had to push a little more than usual to find a good feel for the ball and get my volleys deep and low, I did like this racquet at net. Like on my groundstrokes, I was quick on the turning and preparing for my volleys. I did appreciate the firm feel the racquet had when I hit flatter volleys."

Like most of our playtesters, the highlight here for Tiffani was the CX 200's maneuverability, but she also noted the racquet's comfort. She said, "This CX 200 has a really head-light balance, which was great for me at net. I need racquets that help build my confidence on volleys, and easy maneuverability is the key factor. I liked the comfort aspect at net as well, and when I was firm with contact I could get the ball deep and away."

On the other hand, Zsofi found the low-powered nature of the racquet taking away from the depth she otherwise creates on her volleys. She said, "The CX 200 was easy to maneuver at net, which I really appreciated. However, I felt like to really get my balls where I wanted them, I had to step into my volleys and make an effort to get them to go deeper in the court. Otherwise, I had great response from my shots and thought that the CX 2007 performed well overall on volleys and touch shots."

Serves: 8.2

The CX 200 offered tons of accuracy and spin potential, making it a scalpel for our testers on serves. Jason loved how the head-light nature of the racquet complemented its open string pattern. He said, "Even though the CX 200 didn't bring a ton of free power to the table, I was able to hit pretty effective serves because of the spin and placement I was able to get." 

Tiffani appreciated the whippiness as well. She found herself pronating more, which then led to her being more consistent with her serves. She said, "My favorite aspect on serve was how easily the CX 200 swung over my head. I've been focusing on getting better pronation more consistently on my service motion, and I could practice that without tiring when I had the CX 200 in my hands. I could hit my serves consistently with this racquet as well, and I didn't have too many double faults. I did want a bit more weight in the head to help pull the racquet down through the hitting zone to help me when I got tentative. When that happened, my serves tended to sit up."

Zsofi took full advantage of the open string pattern when she hit her slice serves. She highly rated the feel and predictability of this racquet as well. She said, "I definitely enjoyed this racquet on serves. I thought my shots were pretty predictable, and I had a good sense for where I was hitting my serves. I especially enjoyed the racquet on slice second serves."

Contrastingly, Ana had some trouble accelerating the CX 200 into her bigger first serves. She was still able to depend on her slice and kick serves but lacked a little bit of acceleration. She said, "The CX 200 felt a little too demanding on my first serve. Even though it was maneuverable enough for me to get into position quickly, the racquet was tough to accelerate, which made it hard to hit a big heavy first serve. The CX 200 felt good enough on my slice and kick serves, but it was still tough to accelerate through the ball.”

Returns: 8.2

Our team was able to achieve a beautiful blend of control and spin on returns with the CX 200. The racquet's control-oriented nature paired with its open string pattern to let the testers swing big on their returns. Jason was returning the biggest serves with loads of net clearance and spin with just a flick of his wrist. He said, "Even against bigger first serves, I felt like I could easily flick my wrist to hit a topspin shot rather than chipping or slicing a return like I'd normally do. Again, there was not a ton of free power for blasting return winners, but with the spin and a full swing, I felt like I was able to at least start the point in an offensive position."

Ana made sure the open string pattern was put to good use on her returns. She found herself planting firmly and letting the CX 200 take care of the depth and spin she needed to be effective. She described, "The CX 200 felt great in terms of how quickly I could get set. On second serves, I found that by stepping back and letting the ball get to me instead of stepping in, I could get my opponent out of position with a high heavy return away from the middle."

When it came to Tiffani's returns, the CX 200 checked off all the necessary boxes. This racquet gave her good directional control and easy net clearance, which allowed her to hit her returns deep. She said, "I again have few complaints! This racquet came around easily, and the level of control was right where I like it. I felt confident moving the ball around, and I didn't notice any big issues with stability."

Zsofi finished off the playtest, saying, "This is where I thought that a few extra grams would be great on the racquet head. I felt like the racquet got pushed around a bit against heavier balls, and I think the swingweight is just a bit too low for me. However, this is a great racquet for customization, and I would like to add some weight to the head to really make it perfect for me."

Breakdown Summary