Lacoste L20 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 81

Our playtesters were able to take advantage of the light, fast feel of the L20 from the baseline. Chris used that speed to find the corners. He explained, "I was able to whip the racquet through contact to generate lots of spin. As a result, I found easy access to angles. I could take the ball early and quickly dip it over the net for a sharp cross-court shot. The spin I was getting also allowed me to hit my down-the-line shots with some added height to help clear the net without having to let up on pace. I felt very consistent with the racquet on my topspin shots. When it came to hitting with slice or looking to be aggressive with my topspin shots, some added mass would have been nice. My shots did tend to sit up a little bit and lacked the plow-through power I get with my Tecnifibre TF40 305. Still, I was impressed by the level of comfort the L20 offered at impact. The response felt clean, crisp and connected, without any harsh vibrations."

Tiffani used this racquet's maneuverability to be more offensive as well but in a different way. She said, "When I first spied the L20, I admired its cosmetics and high-quality finish. Once I picked it up, this racquet felt light in the hand. As I started to play, the most noticeable aspect was how whippy it felt. This racquet is lighter than I typically use, with a much lower swingweight. I wasn't hitting heavy shots, but because it swung so quickly, I could be more aggressive with my court positioning. I was standing closer to the baseline and moving into the court more often to take the ball early. This allowed me to hit good angles and also take some time away from my opponent. This racquet did flutter a bit against heavy-hit shots, but at this spec range, that's to be expected."

Volleys - Score: 82

Our playtesters found the L20 easy to use as they stepped up to the net. For Tiffani, that easy speed was confidence inspiring. She said, "Maneuverability was once again the standout feature of this L20. It was super quick to get into position, and for me, that's the most important feature. I felt confident that I could get my racquet to the ball in time. Considering its weight, this racquet wasn't going to be the most stable, but when punching the ball deep, it got the job done."

Chris found the L20 quick and comfortable on volleys. He said, "The crisp feel of the L20 seemed to connect me to my shots. It felt like the ball was getting in and out of contact quickly, so all I had to do was line up the strings to my target and let my volleys zip away. Comfort continued to be impressive; the L20 felt very forgiving and was easy to maneuver."

Serves - Score: 80

On serves, the L20's lightweight, whippy nature made it easy to start points effectively. Chris described, "My best serve with the L20 was my slice serve. I was able to get enough spin on the ball to get my serve to curve nicely, so I could swing it wide or get it to break into my opponent's body — both of which proved to be effective options throughout the test. My flatter serves had good pace, and if I could keep those serves out of my opponent's strike zone I was in good shape. I wasn't getting the power to hit through someone; I typically only get that from much heavier racquets. My consistency was also solid. Thanks to the easy maneuverability, I could easily handle long service games since my arm never tired."

Like Chris, Tiffani thought the L20's maneuverability was an outstanding feature when serving. She said, "We had this racquet strung up with Tecnifibre NRG2, and with that setup, I thought I was getting decent pace and spin with my serves. Although I'm not a big server and wasn't winning free points with this L20, it made serving easy, and I didn't feel like I was going to tire out during long service games or sets."

Returns - Score: 79

Our playtesters had similar tactics when it came to returning with the L20. Both testers took advantage of the racquet's ability to get to the ball in an instant. The L20's speedy maneuverability allowed Tiffani to go on the offensive with her returns. She explained, "Taking returns early was a good tactic with this L20. I could get aggressive by standing in and taking the ball early with a full swing."

Likewise, Chris found racquet head speed key to his returns. He said, "I liked taking the ball early with the L20. I was able to step inside the baseline and use the incoming pace to get my returns quickly back onto the server's side. As I found on groundstrokes, I had fun hitting angles and was often able to open up the court and take the upper hand right off my return. Heavier incoming serves were best handled with some racquet head speed, which helped keep this light and fast racquet feeling solid."

Overall - Score: 80