The spin and power generated by the Yonex VCORE 98+ 2023 are sure to keep opponents on the defensive. Not typically a power player, Chris really enjoyed hitting aggressive shots with this racquet. He said, "Big power and spin were the standout features of the VCORE 98+ 2023 from the baseline. I had tons of fun unloading on groundstrokes and seeing how big I could hit the ball. I don't typically play a power game, so hitting with this racquet was very refreshing. Finding a way to hit big and still be consistent was a bit of a challenge. Even with the spin-friendliness of the VCORE 98+ 2023, it was easy to hit long rather than getting shots dipping inside the lines. One of my favorite strokes to hit was my backhand slice. The racquet offered ample plow through to help me drive the slice and lots of spin to make it even more offensive. I found I could hold the shot until the last instant and either open the racquet face to go down the line or cut it around the outside edge of the ball to go cross court. A third option was to cut under the ball for a drop shot, which worked well with this racquet and helped make my backhand slice very versatile."

Mark was equally impressed. He added, "Versatile and potent is how I can describe Yonex's VCORE 98+ 2023. It seemed to execute anything I was capable of from the baseline. My shot tolerance was better than average with this stick because its directional control and ability to absorb were top-notch! In general, longer frames complement my groundstroke power and also improve the effectiveness of my backhand slice. That was definitely the case playing with this update to the VCORE 98+ from the backcourt."

Michelle was pleasantly surprised with the level of control she was able to achieve. She noted, "The VCORE 98+ 2023 played exactly as I expected it to — big power, loads of stability, a bit of mass and all the plow through I needed. I went into this playtest expecting the racquet to be 'too much' for me, and I was happy to find some control. I wasn't just blasting balls out of the court, but was able to wrangle the racquet to effectively hit my targets."

Already playing with an extended-length racquet, Troy felt right at home with this offering from Yonex. He said, "Being that my racquet of choice is the EZONE 98+, picking up this VCORE 98+ and swinging from the baseline felt pretty natural and seamless. With a 305-gram spec (unstrung), the overall weight felt pretty light for me, but the saving grace is the higher swingweight. With the VCORE 98+ 2023’s swingweight being above 330 in stock form, I found good timing from the baseline as well as a solid amount of plow through. One of the main things I noticed is that this VCORE 98+ has a more openly spaced 16x19 pattern compared to my EZONE 98+, so the launch angle is higher. It was very easy to create high-arcing and topspin-heavy groundstrokes. Another standout feature is a plusher feel with a softer response than previous iterations of the VCORE 98+. I really enjoyed this softer and plusher feel, but it seemed like there was a little less energy return than before. Don't get me wrong, this VCORE 98+ still packs plenty of punch and power, but it just felt slightly less lively when I was hitting my groundstrokes."

Our playtesters agreed that the VCORE 98+ 2023 offered plenty of stability at the net. Mark really appreciated the results he saw with this racquet, saying, "The volley is maybe the shot I am most confident with, and quite simply, the VCORE 98+ increased that confidence and improved my percentages as well."

"The VCORE 98+ 2023 felt rock solid at net," Chris added. "I found ample power to help me get depth on my volleys. Likewise, when digging out a tough low volley off my shoelaces, the racquet helped provide the punch for me to still hit a solid shot. I felt like I was reacting well when needed, and the weight and length did not feel as noticeable on the compact swing of a volley. I liked the spin I was able to get and had success cutting the ball for angles."

The softer feel of this racquet worked well for Troy, who said, "I found this VCORE 98+ to feel relatively light, so I had no real struggles getting it into position. That said, with the substantial swingweight I found a good amount of stability on contact, and there was solid plow through when I needed to volley the ball deep. That softer feel that I mentioned on groundstrokes was even better on volleys. There was a nice pocketing sensation on contact, which enhanced my touch and drop volleys. The sweetspot felt generous, adding to the overall ease of use. If I had my druthers, I would like to customize this racquet with some tail-weighting to give it more of that classic head-light balance that works well for me at the net."

Michelle enjoyed playing around with her shots at the net. She said, "These sorts of racquets often put me in 'combat mode' the second I get to the net, and all I want to do is swing and be as aggressive as possible. But lately, I've been trying to mix it up at the net, and I found, with slight effort, that I could rip a swinging volley and follow it up with a little drop volley."

The VCORE 98+ 2023's extended length helps to magnify the power that the standard-length VCORE 98 possesses, which is a round about way of saying that our team really enjoyed hitting big serves with this racquet. First serves were a favorite for Chris. He explained, "By far the most impressive shot for me with the VCORE 98+ 2023 was my first serve. I got more power and penetration than I expected, and I was able to hit much bigger first serves than typical, which made first serves fun to hit. On second serves I had more of a struggle. The racquet plowed through the ball so well that it took quite the adjustment for me to hit with spin. The result was my second serves lacked shape and had little margin for error. The more I used the racquet, the better I got at getting some net clearance and enough spin to dip it in. However, I still felt I needed to work on my second serve consistency with the VCORE 98+ 2023 as the playtest wrapped up."

Serving was also a hit with Mark. He added, "As much as I like the VCORE 98+ 2023 from anywhere in the court, my first domino (the serve) consistently delivered the heat to my opponents that other racquets don't. The result was more cheap points on my serve and far fewer winning returns off of it. And by a small margin, the serve became my favorite shot to hit with this latest VCORE 98+."

Michelle appreciated the extra power on her serves. She said, "As with most extended racquets I've hit, I find I can really embrace that extra half inch on my serves and am rewarded there. I wouldn't say it was easy power, but there was loads of power and good access to spin when needed."

The extra power of this racquet was not a surprise to Troy. He said, “Based on my experiences with previous iterations of the VCORE 98+, I expected this racquet to pack big power and big spin. The 305-gram (unstrung) spec felt like a light overall package for me, as I typically wield racquets closer to 325 or 330 grams (unstrung). Because of that, I felt like I could ratchet up the racquet speed very easily; it was easy to snap my wrist and get that added pop on flat serves. That maneuverability also came in handy on my spin serves. I found that I could get a lot of rotation on the ball, and with the openly spaced 16x19 pattern, I was able to arc my kick serves easily. I preferred this VCORE 98+ slightly more than my EZONE 98+ on spin serves, but on my flat first serves I favor the EZONE 98+, finding a little more precision and a little more pop on the ball."

The VCORE 98+ 2023 has the weight and stability to handle returning big serves with ease. Troy appreciated the way the racquet absorbed the shock of heavy serves when returning. He described, "The plush yet solid feel of the VCORE 98+ 2023 yielded good results for me on returns. Although it is only a half of an inch in length, in my mind, I felt like I had a bigger range on my returns. Maybe it was just the thought of an extended racquet, but it instilled the confidence for me to get more and more returns back into play. I found the extended length made more of an impact on my backhand returns, giving me a bit more leverage to help get my returns deep in the court. I also liked the swingweight and the easy plow through on my backhand slice return; it felt nice and smooth coming through the ball. My forehand returns are typically stronger than my backhand returns, and with this Yonex VCORE 98+, I could really punish the ball. I loved to take a big rip at the ball anytime I found a sitter on my forehand side, finding easy power and the confidence my shot would land in. Overall, I thought this VCORE 98+ was a big-time weapon on returns."

Serve returns with this racquet allowed Mark to stay offensive with his game. He noted, "Although the return of serve is not my strength, and I would not refer to this racquet as nimble, I had the best time returning serves with the VCORE 98+ 2023. Just getting the racquet into position on time produced a low and powerful return, which kept me from defaulting to my defensive nature."

"I was able to put the swingweight of the VCORE 98+ 2023 to good use on returns," added Chris. "When given the time to drive the ball, I was rewarded with excellent pace and spin. On harder-to-hit returns, I found ample mass to help me block the ball back with depth. The hardest return for me to hit was my topspin backhand. The VCORE 98+ 2023 had a lot of swingweight for me to handle while trying to make contact out in front of my body. When I was on I hit some blinders, but when I was off I had some pretty spectacular misses!"

Michelle is often tempted to swing big with longer racquets, for better or for worse. She explained, "This is where I can lose a bit of control with extended frames. They come fully loaded with mass and plow through, and I get a bit excited to swing big off returns. When it was good, it was great, but there wasn't a ton of maneuverability with this racquet, so angles were tougher to execute. I loved blasting returns through the lines or up the middle of the court, though, and I looked to pounce on what came next from my opponent. The VCORE 98+ 2023 was very stable when returning too, so when I was pulled wide or off the court, I could take effective stabs at the ball."