Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.2

Our team enjoyed the "point and shoot" nature of the Vostra V10 320g during baseline exchanges, trusting the precision while still going for powerful shots. For Michelle, this racquet proved heavy to handle, but in a good way. She particularly enjoyed the modern feel of this racquet, despite its classic origin. She said, "Unlike the rest of the playtest team, I tend to enjoy a modern update to a classic frame, and that was what shaped this playtest experience for me. Based on specs alone, it aligned with what I enjoy hitting with, and that translated on the court. I found easy depth, controlled power and nice stability from the baseline. The feel at contact was a bit more muted, which felt good to me. While off-center hits were comfortable, I did feel like the sweetspot was specific. Anything hit outside the sweetspot did wobble just a bit, but I really shouldn't be making contact there, now should I? When contact was correct and I was dialed in with my timing, I found the Vostra V10 320g to swing fluidly and offer controlled precision, and I felt fairly connected to the ball and my shots. The Vostra V10 320g was super fun to swing!"

Troy liked the control of the V10 320g on groundstrokes, and he enjoyed the free-flowing nature of his playtest. He explained, "I felt dialed in to the weight and swingweight of this racquet as soon as I started hitting from the baseline. Coming in close to 12 ounces strung and with a swingweight in the upper 320 range, the Vostra V10 320g felt great. My timing was good, and there was enough mass built in to the frame to make it feel pretty stable on contact. I could swing freely with my forehand without losing control, and I liked the plow through and control on my slice backhand as well, though I didn't find very much free power. Although this Vostra V10 320g was not a spin monster, there was enough space between the strings to hit the angles effectively. I would say my biggest gripe was that the feel on contact was lackluster. I felt like it was pretty muted, so I didn't have the nice connection to the ball that I prefer with racquets like the Head Prestige Pro 2023 or the Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 95 v14. However, the saving grace was that the control was still there, so the ball wasn't flying on me unexpectedly even though the feel felt muted."

Chris appreciated how the V10 320g performed on his groundstrokes. He said, "I played very well with this racquet from the baseline. I had lots of control over my shots and was very happy with how consistent my play was. My favorite shot to hit was my backhand slice. The Vostra V10 320g’s ample mass helped me drive through the ball and hit a knifing slice. I also found enough spin on my topspin shots to get the ball dipping nicely to my targets. Overall comfort was good from this racquet. I liked the feel of the Vostra V10 320g, and it’s my favorite Vostra from the lineup so far. It felt like the racquet's frame had some stiffness to help with power and stability, yet it also had some built-in comfort to keep the response smooth."

The Vostra V10 320g suited Mark's preferences from the baseline, where it offered great pace and depth. He explained, "After several exchanges from the baseline with the Vostra V10 320g the shot depth was there for me, and by the second session I was pretty confident aiming groundstrokes to smaller targets. I really liked the effect the string spacing of the 16x19 pattern had on the exit angle of my ball. It was tight enough to keep my backhand slice low, yet open enough to promote easy access to topspin. The 320-gram weight and substantial strung swingweight supplied plenty of power and stability from the baseline, with its firm layup of graphite supporting a decent return of energy to the ball as well."

Volleys: 8.5

When it came to volleys, our team found that the Vostra V10 320g's swingweight and static weight helped create a lot of stability throughout contact. Chris had great success at the net with this frame, where he leaned into the spin capability to shape his volleys. He said, "I found the Vostra V10 320g to play great at net. I had a lot of control on my volleys and was placing them well. The racquet felt a tad plusher in its response compared to the previous V-Cell 10 320g. Stability was impressive, and the Vostra V10 320g redirected pace very well." 

Likewise, Mark had no issues volleying with the Vostra V10 320g. He said, "The heft of the Vostra V10 320g made it stable at net, which was great for absorbing pace and neutralizing passing shots, while also affording easy volley put-away power. I felt comfortable and connected to my shots at net with the Vostra V10 320g in hand, and I never had to squeeze the handle tightly to keep it steady."  

It was smooth sailing for Michelle on volleys. She explained, "At net, I never seemed to have any issues with this racquet performing exactly how I was hoping it would. While I struggled a bit with anything outside the sweetspot at the baseline, the racquet held up and was stable at net. I could execute some great touch shots, as well as swing big and fast to rip winners, so it was very versatile in that regard." 

The lack of feel didn't take away from Troy's volley quality. He said, "I liked the weight of the Vostra V10 320g when I was practicing my volleys, and the way that the built-in mass helped the racquet feel relatively stable. The 98-square-inch head size gave me good precision when I was going for my targets. There wasn't a ton of pop or power, but I think the swingweight helped me block the ball deep. Like I mentioned on groundstrokes, the feel was lacking a bit for me, so I didn't have that full connection I look for in a player's type of spec, but I still found decent success taking a little pace off the ball and hitting touch volleys. The frame wasn't too stiff, nor was it too flexible. I love the grip shape on these Volkl racquets (sort of in between the very rectangular classic Head pallet shape and something more square, like a Wilson pallet). I think this worked well for me, specifically on volleys and slice shots, as it made the racquet feel more secure in my hand."  

Serves: 8.7

Our testers found the Vostra V10 320g to be adequate for serving, but not exceptional. It performed as advertised, with the mass and momentum again powering through balls quite nicely. Michelle noticed the mass of the frame making itself known in a positive way, and she powered forward with her typical flat booming serve. She described, "I enjoyed serving with this racquet. It has plenty of mass, but it doesn't feel slow or clunky, which allows me to explode up into the serve and execute flat, slice or kick serves with authority. I was appreciating my wide slice serve on the deuce side with this racquet. This is not a serve I hit too often, but I enjoy using it to change things up and pull my opponent off the court to open up the next shot. This was an effective play since I was having fun with angles, and I could angle the next shot into the ad corner if I got a backhand or rip a forehand through the court. I consistently enjoyed this tactic!" 

The heft and control of the Vostra V10 320g allowed Troy to hit spot serves on a dime. He said, “Serving with this Volkl Vostra V10 320g was all about hitting my spots and utilizing the racquet's control and precision. I was able to get some good pace from the weight and swingweight of this racquet, but I wasn't really getting any extra help in terms of power. I found that I could place the ball very well and consistently find my spots. I liked going for my flat serve down the middle, and I could also utilize my kick serve very effectively. I wasn't finding a ton of extra spin and pace on those kick serves, but I was very precise in getting those serves sharp on the angles. Like I mentioned earlier, it's not a turbocharger in terms of adding power or spin, but it is still appreciated."

For Chris, the Vostra V10 320g's spin factor was quite enjoyable on serve. He explained, "My slice serve was solid with this racquet. I found a good blend of pace and spin that let me hit a consistent but aggressive serve. I liked using the mass of this racquet on my flatter serves for pace, and the stringbed offered a controlled and predictable response, especially when strung up with a set of Volkl Cyclone 16." 

Mark really enjoyed serving with the Vostra V10 320g. He said, "By a slight margin, the serve was my favorite shot to hit with the Volkl Vostra V10 320g, and serving to the body seemed to be the most effective ploy. The level of precision on my serve was good from the very first session, and by the second week of this playtest the pace of my serve increased a little without decreasing consistency."

Returns: 7.9

When redirecting pace off the serve, the Volkl Vostra V10 320g was extremely effective for creating depth and pushing opponents back. For Troy, the returns available were quite plentiful. He did have to trust the racquet instead of relying on his mechanics, though. He said, “The best part of returning serves with the Vostra V10 320g was sort of letting the mass of this racquet do its thing. I wasn't getting a lot of help with power, but I could swing hard and still get the control I needed. I could take aggressive swings on forehand returns when I had the opportunity. I liked my doubles returns with the Volkl Vostra V10 320g because I felt like I could place the ball well and find those smaller windows that are available with two opponents on the court. I think my biggest knock here is that there were times when I was just hoping for a little more help generating power and depth on my return, especially on my backhand side. I don't always hit the ball as cleanly on my backhand side, or have that easy range of motion that I have on my forehand, so I could have used more help from this racquet."

For Chris, the stable nature of this racquet encouraged him to go after his returns with confidence. He said, "The stability of the Vostra V10 320g shone through on returns. The racquet has a very solid feel through contact. Again, I felt like I had good control. Both the depth and direction of my shots felt very predictable. I could drive my slice returns hard and low to give my opponents a shot they had to dig out, allowing me to sometimes steal the offensive."

Michelle found herself swinging for more aggressive angles instead of her usual plan of action. She explained, "The swingweight is slightly lower than some of my racquets, so I could take advantage of that extra maneuverability, specifically on the return. I try to plow returns through the court laterally most of the time, but I could arch the ball and create some angles with this racquet. This was especially fun in doubles and dingles — and even more fun on our indoor court where the side wall can play a part in strategizing!" 

The Vostra V10 320g naturally jelled with Mark's preferred style of return. He said, "I have a more conservative approach to the return of serve, and I am more likely to use a chip or half volley style on the forehand, or hit topspin off a backhand return. Although the Volkl Vostra V10 320g did not change my return game, it definitely complemented it. I was able to chop down high kicking serves, and if contact was around waist level on my backhand wing, hitting a flat or topspin return was easy and effective." 

Breakdown Summary