Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.4

Our team found a great balance of control and power from the TFight 300S during baseline exchanges. The racquet's main emphasis was handling, however, and all of the playtesters felt encouraged to lean into their natural tendencies. Mark had some initial concerns regarding stability and spin, but it was nothing an adjustment period couldn't iron out. He explained, "If I had a question about the Tecnifibre TFight 300S from the baseline, it was in regard to its stability. However, after just an hour of play, I developed a good rhythm with the TFight 300S from the baseline and was able to change the direction of the ball without the racquet getting pushed around. It was a little easier for me to generate topspin on my forehand than on my backhand, but the spin was sufficient on either wing to keep my shots inside the lines. Overall, I enjoyed the TFight 300S from the backcourt, and I was pretty successful using my backhand slice approach, making it one of my favorite shots of the playtest."

Tiffani particularly enjoyed this version of the TFight over its siblings in the family, finding a good home in the frame's ability to reliably counterpunch. She noted, "I was lucky to get to test the new 100-square-inch, 300-gram TFight 300 alongside this TFight 300S. The main difference between the two is the 2 square inches in head size. There were similarities on the court, but this TFight 300S won out as my favorite. I really enjoyed the blend of control and power, with a slight tip in favor of control. The swingweight and stability levels were also a good balance for me. Although I thought topspin was easier to hit with the 100-square-inch version, my stroke path is naturally more flat, and I felt more at home with the TFight 300S when playing points. The topspin was more than adequate for me, and I liked hitting slice backhands a lot with this racquet. Overall, this TFight 300S fits my counterpunching style pretty well."

For Oak, the performance of the TFight 300S didn't quite live up to the rest of the line. He described, "I was lucky enough to playtest a whole host of these new TFights, and I have to say, this 300S proved to be the most challenging one for me. I really enjoyed the power capability of this frame, as well as the spin it afforded, but the 98-square-inch hoop sometimes topped out in terms of its spin window, making it a less spin-friendly experience for me. The control was good, but it left me wanting a little bit more at times. I think some additional mass could've helped here, or maybe an additional cross string. If this frame were 305 grams or had a 16x20 string pattern (or both!), I think I would've enjoyed what it was going for just a little bit more. That being said, I still found plenty to like with this racquet, but its siblings in the family were more up my alley overall. The racquet encouraged me to want to play like Iga Swiatek (it being her frame) and go for spin-heavy forehands and whippier backhands while on the run. Thankfully, like its siblings, the racquet is blazing fast in terms of swing speed and handling, so I still found it obedient on the whole."

Jason opted to go for spot targeting more than usual, which let him make the most of his aggressive baseline game. He said, "I tested this racquet alongside the 100-square-inch TFight 300, and although this 300S isn't as whippy as that racquet, it does offer more stability, more power and a dirtier backhand slice. As for control, I was not only finding my directional shots well, but I was also able to control the depth when I wanted to hit shorter, more angled shots."

Volleys: 8.4

When hitting volleys with this TFight 300S, our team was very happy with their ability to shape shots or pick out targets for punching through. For Oak, this was one of the strongest parts of the playtest. He noted, "Volleys were one area where I thought the TFight 300S definitely stood out performance-wise. There was very good precision, and I enjoyed shaping balls more than punching them deep. The TFight 300S's speedy nature went a long way here, and I loved how the racquet felt when in the take-back phase. I felt very connected to the ball throughout my shots at net."

With the TFight 300S in his hands, Jason felt confident going after his volleys to end points. He said, "The TFight 300S has a nice feel to it. I felt connected to my shots, which allowed me to better execute touch and drop volleys. I thought I was getting decent power when trying to put away sitter volleys — not Pure Drive levels, but pretty good."

For Mark, the TFight 300S's great feel made for successful volleys. He explained, "As with groundstrokes, I want a blend of racquet maneuverability and stability when I’m volleying. That said, the TFight 300S’s low 320 swingweight and firm layup of graphite provided me with a connected feel to the ball and good exit velocity on my offensive volleys, and it was just as obedient when I was trying to aim softer, angled volleys or half volleys to unreachable spots on the court."

At net, Tiffani found herself gravitating toward the 100-square-inch version of this frame, but she still found plenty to like from the TFight 300S. She said, "If there was one shot where I slightly preferred the 100-square-inch version, it was my volleys. It was a touch more forgiving on the stretch than this TFight 300S. However, I did like the feel of this racquet on volleys, and when I had the chance, I was placing my volleys well."

Serves: 8.3

Overall, serving with this TFight 300S was a rewarding experience for our playtesters, with our team feeling grateful for the spin and precision afforded by the frame's geometry and characteristics. For Mark, the slight lack of power was nicely offset by the spin and control he was able to utilize. He described, "The power of my serve was sufficient, but not overwhelming, with the TFight 300S. On the other hand, the control and placement of my serves, especially near the 'T' on both service boxes, were effective enough to consistently get me into points and prevent my serve from being attacked."

Similar to Mark, Tiffani's serving experience with the TFight 300S was defined by spin and control. She said, "Although I wasn't hitting huge serves, I got by with decent power and spin. It was easy to find my serving rhythm with this TFight 300S, so I found it natural to attempt a variety of serves. I could even try to hit kick serves, which in my case rarely spin much, but I could successfully swing them out on the ad side."

Oak found plenty to like when serving with the TFight 300S, especially compared to other racquets in the line. He said, "This TFight 300S was much better for me on serve than its 100-square-inch counterpart. Something about that racquet never quite clicked for me on serve, but this TFight 300S felt much more usable. It had enough power and above-average control, and placement was very good. I felt mostly connected to the ball, but again, 5 more grams of weight or an additional cross string would've likely gone a long way here. My favorite option was going for heavy spin body serves to force my opponent to move right from the get-go."

Funnily enough, Jason found more power with this version of the racquet than he did with the 100-square-inch TFight 300. He said, "I was getting a bit more pop here compared to the TFight 300. I thought it helped me get shorter returns, therefore helping me win points more easily. The control was really good too, and I was finding my targets with no problems."

Returns: 8.1

The TFight 300S seemed to fare well on serve returns, although most of our team would have appreciated a little more pop or stability. Oak’s returns were close to, but not quite at, the level he was looking for. He described, "Returns were pretty good, but they didn't particularly lean toward power or control, so it was a little harder to utilize my preferred style of return. I would've liked more control to go for slightly more aggressive targets, or I would've appreciated a little more power to hit through the court more consistently. The TFight 300S did a mostly good job of blocking first serves back, and on seconds it was sufficient for going after heavier returns. Thankfully, I never felt pressed for time when returning."

Jason may have enjoyed returning with the TFight 300S the most thanks to his penetrating slices. He said, "I tend to hit a lot of chip and slice returns, and those shots were staying low more than usual for me with the TFight 300S. When I had opportunities to take a crack at a slower second serve, I was happy with the results. The spin helped dip the ball into play, and the pop off the stringbed was good enough for more winners and forced errors."

Mark's ability to block balls back and work his way into points was at times limited, but he still found inroads to success. He said, "I really enjoyed, and had good control, returning high kicking serves aimed to my backhand, but I was more challenged hitting through hard, flat serves off either side. The TFight 300S definitely felt solid and comfortable as far as vibration control, but this was the one part of the playtest where it was prone to wobbling under the pressure of heavy serves."

Tiffani mostly found success on returns, but she would have appreciated a tad more stability from the TFight 300S. She explained, "I liked to go with a fuller swing when returning with this TFight 300S. That said, there were times when I was trying to block back a bigger first serve and the racquet was not quite stable enough. With a bit more of a punch or a bigger swing, I think I could better counteract some of that incoming pace. Overall, though, I liked the launch angle and control I got from this racquet on returns."

Breakdown Summary