Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.8

During baseline exchanges, the EZONE 98 2025 wowed our team with its spin-friendly nature, but it also dazzled with its inherent precision and finesse. The racquet's versatility perhaps shone above all else. The EZONE 98 could readily handle anything Michelle asked of it. She said, "This racquet did everything well, and that started with forehands and backhands. The feel is probably the first thing most people will notice once they get on the court; it’s plush, yet the frame still feels solid and stable. The racquet is maneuverable, swings smoothly and offers plenty of plow through. I found easy depth, pace and spin. The entire playtest was positive, and I just found an ease with playing points and executing my shots. The sweetspot was large and forgiving. Ideally, I would want a tiny bit more mass behind the ball, but that just made me more excited to hit the Tour and extended-length versions of this racquet! I also had a chance to hit the EZONE 100 side by side with this 98. The 100 offered really easy power and a fast swing, but it was much more flighty for me and made me appreciate this 98-square-inch version even more." 

Troy found easy playability from the EZONE 98 2025, and he enjoyed the connection he had to the ball at contact. He described, "I will start out by saying that this Yonex EZONE 98 2025 is much lighter and much whippier than my 2022 Yonex EZONE 98+, which I have weighted up to about 12.4 ounces and 338 swingweight. The difference in maneuverability between this racquet and my racquet of choice allowed me to look past the weight difference and enjoy how easy this racquet was to play with. It feels super-fast and has easy 'whip-ability,' but at the same time, it's pretty stable. The string pattern isn't as open as the VCORE 98, but because it’s so whippy, I can generate lots of topspin and hit some pretty sharp angles. I was always connected to the ball when hitting flat or with slice, and I felt like I could control the depth of the ball very well. I did miss the easy plow through and the easier court penetration that I get from the EZONE 98 Tour and EZONE 98+."

Chris also found a lot to like about the EZONE 98 2025, and he was able to control the game with more aggressive play. He explained, "I really enjoyed this new EZONE 98 from the baseline. The response at contact felt connected yet powerful, which reminded me of the old EZONE DR 98 from several generations ago. I had a lot of fun dictating play, and the maneuverability made it easy to generate spins and angles. I also found enough mass to help me push my opponents back off the baseline. All of my shots worked well with this racquet, and I was very happy with my level of play." 

No matter the shot, Oak was captivated by the reliable nature of this racquet. He said, "The very first thing I noticed about the EZONE 98 2025 was that the ball was going where I wanted it to — with some extra pop! I was an EZONE 98 user once upon a time, and I have quite the affinity for the way the frame encourages natural swing tendencies while still finding a way to make the ball go in. The control sourced from the denser stringbed mains is still here, and that reliable trajectory never left, but I was shocked at just how much more precise this version of the EZONE felt compared to its predecessor. It felt like it was control over power, which actually helped in the power department funnily enough, because I felt like I had enough control to go after my shots. Yonex has leaned into its signature Isometric beam shape even more with this eighth version of the EZONE 98. It reminds me a lot of what they did with the latest generation of the VCORES, where the contact point and flared hoop were shifted upward away from the handle just ever so slightly. This makes spin feel even more accessible, allowing me to get the most out of my spin-heavy forehand." 

Volleys: 8.6

The reliable nature of the EZONE 98 continued to make itself known at the net. As one of our most prolific volleyers, Chris found plenty of success with the frame when taking the ball out of the air. He said, "The EZONE 98 was as sweet as a nut at net. Everything came together to make this a fun racquet to volley with in both singles and doubles matches. I was able to find all of the feel I needed for drop volleys and sneaky angles. On punch volleys, the racquet offered the comfort, stability and pop I needed to hit winners. I also appreciated the forgiving response when I was in a more defensive situation, such as stretching for a volley or digging out a low ball off my shoelaces." 

For Oak, the EZONE 98's volleying experience was defined by feel and touch more than anything else. He explained, "Up at the net, this frame had a lot of finesse and 'oomph' behind its shots. The volleying experience was extremely stable and precise, and I found myself going for shaped shots to force my opponents into uncomfortable hitting positions. I really appreciated the overall control that I was getting with this frame, and I enjoyed how I could shape the ball across the board. I felt mostly connected to the ball, and while this wasn't my favorite frame to volley with, it did have lots to offer in that department." 

Always looking to put the ball away sooner than later, Michelle was able to end points with authority at the net. She described, "Volleys with the EZONE 98 2025 were clean and crisp. The racquet was stable at the net, easy to get into position and fun to swing big with. Somehow, even I got some access to touch and was able to drop balls and shake up my volleys, going from deep shots to little droppers that just died over the net. The ball felt great on the stringbed, and I enjoyed finishing points at the net." 

Troy also found success with the EZONE 98 2025 at net, despite his preference for more mass. He said, "This EZONE 98 is super fast, with good control and nice ball pocketing. This racquet felt very quick in my hand, so I could react easily to any incoming ball. I also found the control and feel to be very favorable, so I could place my volleys well and be crafty. There was good ball pocketing and a plush feel, so those touch volleys and drop volleys that I love to hit felt smooth and natural. Like I mentioned in the groundstrokes section, the EZONE 98 Tour and EZONE 98+ have more plow through built in, so I was missing a bit of that added mass here, and although there was good stability in this racquet considering the weight, I would like a bit more mass to help me against heavy hitters. I would add some weight up in the hoop, maybe get the swingweight up closer to 330, and add a leather grip or some tungsten putty in the handle to keep the balance nice and head light. I think this would make the volleys feel pretty sweet."

Serves: 8.9

When it came time to start the point, the EZONE 98 2025 lived up to our team's expectations. Michelle was able to wield both pace and movement effectively, and she enjoyed blasting serves down the middle. She said, "I found really nice amounts of power and spin with the EZONE 98. It was easy to turn on my first serves and lean into more spin on my second serves. I was accessing a nice amount of kick, and I could get my serves deep into the box while hitting my targets. As usual with racquets like this one, I loved hitting big T serves off both sides and then kicking to both sides of the body on second serves."

Troy enjoyed the natural spin, heavy pace and high swing speed afforded to him when starting a point. He said, "I really felt like I could do just about anything with my serves, and I can see why a player such as Nick Kyrgios picked an EZONE 98 as his weapon of choice. It was fun to go big on my flat serves because I could snap my wrist with ease for that extra pop. My kick serves were easy to hit too. Even though the pattern isn't as openly spaced as the VCORE 98, I could still generate easy spin on my serves. That super fast and maneuverable feel allowed me to generate a ton of racquet head speed. I will say that I didn't get that extra boost in power that I get from my EZONE 98+ (having that slight extension in the length), but I still felt pretty confident in the power and spin I was able to generate with this standard length EZONE 98." 

Chris just clicked with the EZONE 98 2025 on serve, and he found the racquet a breeze to use. He described, "I served well with the EZONE 98. The specs aligned with my swing style, offering me easy access to both spin and pace. I had some long service games when testing this racquet and never felt tired. While the plus-length version outshines this one in sheer power and spin, it is a bit tougher to swing and isn’t as easy to use as this standard-length option."

"Like pretty much any EZONE, this racquet is such a delight to serve with," added Oak. "The combination of the dense mains with the thick beam makes for reliable, accurate and constant power, which made swinging through first serves very gratifying. I felt like the control allowed me to go for slightly more aggressive targets, and the EZONE 98 2025 served best when I quickened up my motion. I felt like the racquet benefited from faster swing speeds, but not necessarily increased power input. My favorite serves proved to be body serves on either side, and I really liked serving through the court with this racquet." 

Returns: 8.8

For the most part, returning with the new EZONE 98 was a rewarding experience for our playtesters, and they all made good use of the inherent precision and spin available upon request. A little more mass may have helped out even more, but that just means this racquet makes a great platform frame for customizing. For Chris, the racquet's swing speed was sufficient for his style of return. He noted, “I could get the EZONE 98 2025 around my body fast enough to give myself the confidence to step in and go after returns. I really appreciated the forgiving response because it allowed me to return well even when my contact with the ball wasn't perfect. I found it easy to generate spin on my returns, which added to the control I had over my shots. Both my topspin and slice returns were finding their targets, and that helped me start off points aggressively."

Oak enjoyed the EZONE 98's ability to redirect pace off heavy first serves or dial up the heat for seconds. He explained, "Returns were pretty reliable across the board with this racquet, especially on my backhand wing. I really liked redirecting pace with the EZONE 98 2025, and I found plenty of stability when hitting through the court, forcing my opponents back whenever possible. The control capability of the EZONE 98 is so helpful on returns, and I felt extremely confident when it came to picking a target to go after. I really enjoyed how the racquet absorbed pace off a serve, and I felt like I could return first serves with as much venom as they had, and in some cases, even more. I enjoyed going for a craftier return, like a drop shot or an aggressive angle." 

Michelle liked to ratchet up the pace against her opponents when returning with the EZONE 98. She said, "What I loved about this EZONE was that I could ramp up my swing speed and still find stability. The racquet didn't really wobble in hand or on off-center hits. I could execute the return I wanted consistently and could attack right away in the point. Every shot felt great. It was explosive yet stable, which was a great combo."

While the maneuverability and handling of this frame worked well for Troy, he craved some additional mass on a lot of his shots. He explained, "Once again, the easy maneuverability was a standout feature, and I found a great blend of power and control. I could swing hard and flat on my forehand returns, finding easy power and enough control to be aggressive. I loved this racquet on my two-handed backhand returns, where it felt comfortable and smooth on contact. I also felt like I could hit the two-handed return with good pace. I wasn't getting the same easy depth on my returns that I did with the EZONE 98 Tour or EZONE 98+, but on the plus side, I didn't feel like I was spraying the ball. The maneuverability came in handy when I needed to improvise returns; if I was stretched out or off balance, I could still muster up a return that was somewhat effective. Like on serves, My returns with the EZONE 98 weren’t quite as good as they are with my EZONE 98+, but overall I liked it more than most racquets."

Breakdown Summary