Review of the Yonex EZONE Xi

I actually received this racquet as part of a gift bag I got at the Grand Slam Stringer's Symposium in September this year. Nice gift, huh?!! What's great is that it was handed to me by the Yonex rep, Mark Gonzalez. A great guy and someone who knows his stuff!

Anyway, this racquet doesn't really fit my specs (I play with a flexy Volkl Powerbridge 10 Mid - 93 square inches). However, I thought that it would make a good playtest since Yonex racquets are a little under appreciated,  in my view. Whenever I receive a Yonex to customize, it's generally always near the published specs (weight, balance point, swingweight, etc) and very well made. Hey, it's being used by Maria Kirilenko and that can't be all bad, huh?

The specs on this racquet told me it would be a stiff one (67 stiffness rating), 100 square inches and a fairly wide beam. It seemed like it is setting up to be a stiff, powerful racquet that would be hard to control. I strung this up with the Yonex Poly Tour Spin 1.25mm at 58 lbs. Let's see how the playtest went.

Groundstrokes:

Well, part of my pre-conceived notions was confirmed. This IS a powerful racquet. However, it was not uncontrollable. One conclusion can be made from this playtest is that it's a flatball hitter's stick. Topspin was a little hard to generate and it seems that this frame loved the flat ball. A powerful, flat ball is not necessarily a bad thing. It depends on what you're looking for in a racquet. I found that my groundies were deep and penetrating and I could control it faily well. I could rip forehands and backhands but I had to reel it back in to keep it in the court. One thing that was strange was that the headsize of 100 square inches seems smaller than published. The headshape didn't throw me off too much as I'm used to the Volkl that has a somewhat elongated head shape. Some people may have a bit of an adjustment period to the head shape.

Volleys/Overheads:

I enjoyed playing at the net as volleys were firm and powerful and the headlight balance kept it very maneuverable. The 100 square inches helped with getting most balls back but not much swing is needed to produce deep, firm volleys. Touch and feel was average. Overheads were powerful and easy to hit. The large head made smashes a snap.

Serves/Returns:

I liked this racquet for serves. They were powerful and I could direct it pretty well. Kick serves were a little tougher because of the lack of spin potential with this racquet. When I called on the racquet to power some serves, it did deliver. If you like powerful, flat serves, here's your racquet. Returns were some of my favorite shots. The larger head and powerful frame along with the headlight balance allowed me to return the ball hard and flat. I had to make sure to reign it in a bit because it could get a little wild, if I let it.

Overall, this is a solid frame. It's stiff, powerful and hits flat. It probably felt a little stiffer than it could have because of the string and tension I used. At 58 lbs and using a stiff poly could be a bit much. In fact, I felt a bit of arm pain after a few sessions. This could be tamed in the future by using a multifilament or natural gut string. Also, a soft poly at a low tension would alleviate most pain, I would think.

If your a 4.0 or below player looking for more power, good maneuverability and lots of pop, this is your stick.

Keep hittin'!

Dan