I bought my Yonex tennis racket two years ago. My play stagnated that time so I made quite extensive research about the characteristics and features my new racket should possess. I thought that new racket will give me a boost and I will develop my play further. Here is the report about my experience with Yonex EZONE Xi 98 tennis racket. How it impacts my play and how am I satisfied with my purchase.
Yonex Tennis Racket EZONE Xi 98 – Review Report
Design
Yonex tennis rackets are known for a different shape of the head. A lot of people are afraid of this strange, not oval shaped heads.
Yonex says that their ISOMETRIC head shape creates a greater sweet spot which gives you bigger (+7%) effective hitting area than conventional round headed racquets. (Sweet Spot is where the vertical and horizontal strings cross)
Source: yonex.com
The isometric head shape should improve your play, as it corrects your off-center hits. You will use maximum power even with hits at the top of the frame. I really appreciate this feature. It definitely helped me to improve my game.
My racket colors are very decent. Black together with white and orange features are maybe old fashioned, but I am the “old school” tennis player. If I want to refresh my racket I can still use different color grips on the handle.
Playing characteristics
Yonex EZONE Xi 98, I bought is made from HM Graphite with X-Fullerene technology. “X-Fullerene” is technology developed by Yonex to provide more repulsion power and frame stability. It is used in the resin which bonds the Carbon fibers and creating the cross-link construction.
My Ezone Xi has 98 in² head, which gives you good control of a ball. I recommend standard 98 in² head for intermediate players. A Bigger head will reduce your ability to hit the ball by the center of your racket. Smaller head is recommended just for above average players. 98 in² is just the right head size for me.
The weight of the racket is 310 gram which I was a little bit afraid at first. I was looking for lighter racket between 290 – 300 grams but after the training session, I realized I will be o.k. with 310 grams.
The length of the racket is 27 inches (or 68.6 centimeters) what is normal length for a tennis racket.
Durability
After two years of extensive usage, my Yonex is still in good shape (with exception of the grip and strings, which is quite normal). It has scratches on top of the frame. However, it is the price for playing on clay courts. I do not feel any negative vibration when playing, the handle is still solid and the frame is without cracks.
STAN WAWRINKA YONEX RACKET
Yonex VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) – CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON
Price
You can hardly find a cheaper racket with the same characteristics like Yonex EZONE Xi. You can get it from $119 on Amazon. This pricing is on the lower end for top end models of rackets. You can hardly find good racket under $100, and definitely, you will find a lot of good racket at $150+ price levels. Therefore, I still think that one hundred and nineteen dollar is a steal for such racket.
Who from tennis pros is playing with Yonex tennis racket?
Just as an inspiration current players using Yonex rackets are grand slam winner Stan Wawrinka, former women number one Angelique Kerber, top twenty ATP player Nick Kyrgios or one of the better American ladies Coco Vandeweghe. (all current players using Yonex rackets here)
There are also many former tennis star players using Yonex. You will definitely remember Martina Navratilova, Monica Seles or Ana Ivanovic. Ana Ivanovic was even marketing face of Yonex Ezone Xi 98.
Check more reviews of Yonex Ezone Xi at Amazon
OVERALL RESULT
I wanted to improve my tennis play with a new racket. I bought Yonex Ezone Xi 98 for $119 two years ago. It gives me more control on strokes. Thanks to the Isometric head it corrects even my off-center hits. It is made from a material which provides enhanced durability and even with extensive usage on clay courts it was not damaged even a little. There are some scratches (mainly on top of the frame), but no visible or invisible cracks. With 310 grams I was afraid of the impact on my elbow and wrist as I was used to playing with lighter rackets. Until this day I did not notice any pain on my hand, I do not feel any increased weight when playing or any other obstruction.
Overall I am more than satisfied with my Yonex Ezone Xi. Yonex is not so “sexy” name on courts and you definitely find more players with Wilson, Babolat or even Head rackets. However, the quality of Yonex, the unusual head shape makes me feel good on the court and I now consider the Yonex as my preferred racket brand. I do not feel any urge to switch to other rackets as my Yonex Ezone is still in good shape and form.
MY RATING – «««««
YONEX EZONE Xi 98 in²
CHECK MORE YONEX TENNIS RACKETS ON AMAZON
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Very interesting review. Thanks for sharing.
Dear GuruProfessor,
I play since a lot of time with this Ezone xi98. I want to change. I like the feel, the touch mixed with power. I had other Yonex, I love the RD Tour 97 that Rios used to play with.
My aim is to get touch and power. I like to play at the net and to play from the baseline its the idea to move forwards. I do not like light racquets.
Do I need to go to VCore SV, to go to Ezone Tour ?
Thank you for your advice.
Hi,
from your words, it seems you have a pretty clear idea about what you want 🙂
It is hard to advise because the individual perception of the racket can differ from player to player. To play it on the safe side, I would recommend finding a good Yonex shop and borrow both rackets for playtesting.
But if you forced me to pick one for you. I would go with Ezone Tour.
I remember playtesting VCORE and EZONE (but with different specifications from the ones you mentioned), and EZONE was way more powerful.
Let me know the result and the impression and level of satisfaction after a few weeks.
Hello, thanks for the superb review. Can you give me an advise where should I look for the bumper/grommets replacement for my Xi98?