[Music] The 2022 EZO 98 is here. Yonex focused on delivering a more powerful and responsive racket by redesigning its frame and adding new materials to its composition. On paper, that all sounds promising, but in practice, is this updated racket any better? To find out, I've been testing the new E-Zone for over a month, and while I won't be switching to it, I believe this is an excellent frame for one specific kind of player. So, let's find out if the 2022 EZO 98 is right for you. If you are new to my tennis HQ, we do tennis lessons, racket reviews, practices with pro players, and tennis content you won't find anywhere else. So, make sure you subscribe and hit the bell button. So, we're just going to do live here. We're going to start with the groundstrokes. I got my student here, Wesley. We need to work on his consistency. So, pressure, right? Having to hit in front of two cameras, to millions of people in

the world. So, let's go first talk about the ground strokes, how I feel about it. I definitely have some thoughts on this racquet that I want to share with you guys. Um, so let's do it. So, just here from the middle, really enjoy this racket. Now, all this racket manufacturers, they will, you know, they will try to sell you the new material and the new whatever composition, everything that sounds really fancy in, you know, for the marketing. But realistically, what matters is how it's feel here on the court, right? So, that ball. So, overall, I actually enjoyed this racquet a lot. I think for ground strokes, it feels really good. I think it swings through the air very nicely. Um, the feel on the strings, it's very good in terms of, you know, the z zones. They can be a tiny bit. Um, it's a weird mix between a little bit muted and, you know, a little bit almost like kind of dead. You don't really feel it like, um, if you hit the ball that well sometimes. Um, but this one, it's a tiny bit better on.

that I actually um can feel the ball in my strings a little bit more even though um it still is. It's an interesting I I can't really put a word into how it feels on the racket. It's very unique um. The ball definitely stays on the strings for a long time here right. I can feel like I can accelerate. The ball is gonna stay on the strings nicely. Oh um something I do enjoy. See the there's I just missed hit that ball there. One thing I feel with this racket is on the ground strokes. When I do miss hit the ball. I don't really feel like I have uh the same amount of control that I would like. The you know that immediately went short off of a miss hit. And I feel that that happens a good amount when I'm playing with this rack. And let's talk about top spin a little bit. So if I want to add a little bit extra juice on it. A little more top spin on it. Oh it's a good racquet for. It's a

racquet that does reward commitment on your strokes. See, that ball is bouncing really high there. Commitment with your strokes, that's what this racquet needs. You can't just kind of push the ball around. And you know, again, I'm a more handsy kind of feel-the-ball type of player, where I think this racquet, you really need to swing out. You really need to, you know, fully commit to your strokes. And I think regardless if you play flat, hey bud, regardless if you play flat or if you play with spin, I think both of them, both are good as long as, again, you're committed. See, like I'm committed, committed. That's a great hit there. I'm committed to the stroke all the time. I can kind of try to guide you there. Like it's not a racquet for guiding, it's a racket for hitting. It's a racket for to turn, swing around the hip, and hit the ball. So if you're that kind of player, I think this is a good ball. It's a good racket now.

again with a little bit. It does add a good amount of top spin if you need it. You see if I can play it over my head here. It's a good racket for spin. I actually do truly enjoy how much action the ball gets after bounces. Good amount of action, but again, commit. I need to really work to make the ball go there. I don't. It's not necessarily, obviously, the weight. I'm not going to talk specs. I got another video that talks about specs, not about specs. It's really about feel on the rack, and it is a record that, okay, the weight is not. It's not that heavy. So maybe with a little bit of weight on it, you get that plow through a bit more, but as is, as you buy from the store, you really need to commit to your hit. One thing, remember, you guys remember I made the switch to the Zone Tour last year. It was a 2 20 20. The reason I didn't stick with it was because it gave me arm pain. Like, I just

thought that record was after a while. I don't know if it was the vibrations of it. It's just like I struggled with arm pain, and with this one, I haven't. I played a good amount with it. I haven't really felt like tired. My arm is tired, but I do feel like it's still. I think it's that ease on feel. There's a few too many vibrations at contact. I just, there's something about it that is not as crisp as I would like, like at my 95. It feels sometimes, especially on the miss hits, it feels a little bit shaky. Feels like that kid moves a little bit too much, and you can feel it too much on my forearms and stuff. Again, it's my style of play, and that's why I think I feel these things. But overall, I'm hitting really, you know, center of the strings here. I mean, easy access to power, really. If I'm swinging at it, the ball goes. Yeah, I made a mistake though. But if I'm putting my body into it, I'm accelerating.

I can trust that it will stay in, and this is, I think, this is a control racket. I think this is a racket for people who want to swing fast, hit big, and keep the ball in play. And I think that's what this racket is catered for, the people that want to be aggressive, want to swing out, and need a little bit of, you know, topspin that you need, the ball to stick, stay on the strings a little bit more. Now I'm back here with my 95 for a second. Now I've been looking for a racket for my student here, Wesley, because he's been playing with the V-Core 97. That's like a couple years old, and honestly, I don't think he fits his game as well. And we've been actually testing this out for a few days now. It looks really good. I actually think he hits the ball really well because, again, he's not necessarily like a most finesse guy. He wants to swing out, he wants to play big, he wants to be offensive.

and his previous record. I don't think he gives him the control that he needs. Where this one, I actually feel like we can look at. Now we're gonna hit. You can look a little bit of the difference. He can, I feel like he can swing out a little bit more. See, like he can just like dash. There's an extra amount of shape on his ball. See, like he has to, he can trust that he can play with a little bit more margin. So, I think, you know, again, for players that aren't necessarily the most finessy, maybe not, don't have the, you know, the greatest hand skill and greatest feel, but maybe your talent is hitting big. This is the racket for you. It's a good record for you to just swing at it. So, you gotta hit big and accelerate. Put a few more clips of Wesley hitting later on, but look, I think he's just much more controlled with the, oh, it's a good ball with the Z zone. Um, and I think we're actually going to make him switch to it.

So, a good thing here about this racket is actually its maneuverability. Being able to hit good balls from tough positions on the court, this racket actually kind of excels at that. Again, wouldn't mind a little bit of weight, but it definitely allows you to swing at it from tough positions, right? You get here and really accelerate and hit a good ball. It's definitely a good racket for people who move well and want to rip it, want to accelerate. Again, the racket swings quick through the air, right? So, you can even hear it. So, if you're on the move here, this is actually a really good frame. If you're like me on the move, and again, but you've got to let it go, you can get there and just kind of guide it because you're gonna get something crap. You have to get there, get to the ball, and really accelerate. You gotta make, you gotta work a little bit with the E-Zone. It's not necessarily wreck. It does it all here if you're

playing, you know, a little bit more continental, you know, right? If you're kind of more of an old-school player, it's actually a really good racket. If you're playing a bit more old-school, you know, again, old-school players tend to like swing a little bit bigger and actually let the racquet go a little bit more. So, that's what I'm saying has to be a racket for fully committed strokes, right? Not like those little tiny ATP forehands, like no good full commitment stroke. So, this is where the racket, this racket really excels. So, if you're, if you just need, like, if you just play a little bit too wristy and compact, maybe something else with a bit more power, maybe a V-Core 98. But if you actually have, like, a nice full committed swing, I think this is a great racket for you. So, let's go into volleys a little bit now and then do some serves and then my final thoughts. Oh, all right, now moving on to the net here. Let's, uh, let me give you my thoughts on the

performance of the net. Now, right off the bat, I'll tell you this: this isn't the racket you're gonna buy if you love going to the net, if you love volleying. It's not necessarily at its best up here by any means. Now, is it bad? No, it's not bad for volume at all. But just in general, I think heavier rackets are usually a little better up here. I don't like... can you kind of, again, it's that e-zone feel. It's like, again, hard to hardly explain. Like, there's a sound to an e-zone that other rackets don't have. And at the net, I just don't feel as, you know, as good. I don't feel like my balls are very crispy when I'm here, like they're penetrating the court. It feels like I'm reacting more than, you know, actually like knifing the ball the way I want it. Now, again, good feel. Like, if you hit the center of the

strings here. Oh, still pretty good. Nice. It just kind of feels like I have to swing a tiny bit too much when I have to volley. Here is not just like kind of place the racket there and just give it a nice cut. It's gonna have to do a little bit extra, but that can also be weight, you know, the weight of the racquet. Usually, you know, I might 95. I also don't really care too much for volleying, especially spec stock. I think with the weight, it helps a bit. So, I think just weight in general helps any racket for vaughn. Again, terrible racket. Not a terrible racket for, you know, and if you're the kind of player who plays with it and rips the ball and gets to the net and just kind of easy volleys, and I think this will do. This will definitely do. Oh, nice. All right, now moving on to serves. This is definitely a good racket for serving. I think everyone that plays with this racquet and the pros

tends to have a good serve. Like I said during the ground strokes, it is a racket that rewards a good fast swing, right? Like if you're swinging quickly, this racquet will help you. And obviously, the fastest we swing is on our serves. Now again, if you're more of a beginner player, this will be a little bit trickier. But if you already have a good solid motion, you can accelerate through it. I think this racquet definitely performs really well. I do like it. The T serve, the flatter, a little bit more than the white serve. I think the lack of weight, I feel like I can cut it as well. But [Music] but overall, I do really enjoy this racket for serving. I think it feels nice when you swing at it. This was a really fast swing speed. I don't think I get that sort of swing speed with my current racket. Not necessarily something that I particularly look for too much on rackets, but

um you know if that's what you're looking for. Let's go up and get it. Camera pressure here can't make a surf. There you go. Yeah, there it is. Now again, cut a couple wide wide [Music]. Yeah, that's a good white serve there, but it doesn't feel like I can. I don't feel like I can peel it off as much as I would like that wide serve. I cut it a bit too too much. Feel like the ball is continuously moving wide [Music]. A little more [Music]. That's a good serve on the cake serve. It's a good good racket for kick serves. It does get a good amount of action there, good bounce. There you go on the other side. You do a couple kicks there [Music]. Got a good bounce there, gets good left, good bounce to the right. Now still think I can get I get a bit more with my current racket, but also it's a bit heavier and all that. So again, maybe with a little bit of customization, this will be even better for serving.

there you go just a couple more couple firsts again go flat wide let's go a t1 [Music] okay so my final thoughts here on the ezo 98. Now, as you guys could probably notice by now, there was a theme, right? That this racket is a racket for players who, you know, have full swings, are committed to their strokes. This isn't the kind of racquet that you buy to just kind of play easy, right? Like that just kind of does the work for you, like a babble odd, like, you know, even like in a v core 98 or v 400, something like that. This is a racket for players who need to swing out, who like to swing out, and, you know, like to be aggressive, like to generate pace. They're not just kind of relying on the racket to do the work. They're actually swinging and, you know, obviously getting the control they need, the top spin they need. So if you're looking to buy this racket, um, just be aware of that. Obviously, you all have to test it.

this is just my feel. This is the way I play. I play tennis a certain way that is much different than, um, most of you, right? And again, like my student here, Wesley, I think this is a great racket for him. He tends to overswing a little bit, overplay a little bit, and he needs, uh, something that will control the ball a little bit, create the topspin that he needs, and if anything, even a bit more shape than what he gets now from his current racket. So, if you are kind of that player, um, and that's where you're looking for, I think this is a good, good frame. If you're not, I think if you're one kind of a beginner, I would avoid this racket. I don't think this is the right feel for you at the moment. Um, if you play again a little bit more risky with, you know, shorter swings, not as committed of a swing yet, if you play with, you know, more finesse, I don't think this is necessarily the racket for you. And if

you don't really care for this e-zone feel. I think if you tried previous generations and you didn't like it, I don't know if this will fix that. It still feels like a knee zone. I think it feels better than previous e-zones, but yeah, I think this is a good upgrade from Yonex. And I think if you're in the market for a new zone, I think this would be a good frame for you. So there you have it for this review. Hope you guys enjoyed it. If you did, give it a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel. It really helps us keep putting out content, keep getting gear early on so we can review it for you guys. So the bigger we are, the better it is for our subscribers, so we appreciate that. If you're planning on picking up one of these up, use the link down below for our Tennis Warehouse. We get a little bit of commission at no cost to you. It does help the channel, so we appreciate that. And also, let us know in the comments.

below. Have you tried it? Are you planning on buying these? Do you like the e-zone lineup? Do you not really like the easel lineup? And we really appreciate you watching us. Let me know how you like this format of kind of like a live review, and I'll see you guys on the next one.

The new 2022 YONEX EZONE 98 | Complete Review By Former Top 400 ATP

The new 2022 YONEX EZONE 98 | Complete Review By Former Top 400 ATP