Yonex EZONE 100 (2022) Review: Features, Performance, and Suitability

Yonex is famend for producing high-quality tennis rackets used extensively by skilled and leisure gamers alike, and the EZONE sequence has been a preferred selection for these in search of an ideal mix of energy, management, and luxury on the court docket.

As a Yonex fan (I play with the VCORE 100), I used to be excited to get my palms on the newest EZONE 100 racket, which promised to ship vital updates in comparison with its predecessors.

On this overview, I’ll take a look at the newest iteration of the EZONE 100, launched in 2022, and discover its options, efficiency, and general suitability for various taking part in types. I’ll analyse its design, weight, all-around playability, and different key elements that may impression your sport.

Whether or not you’re an skilled participant seeking to improve your racket or a tennis fanatic searching for a dependable and highly effective racket, this overview will give you worthwhile insights into the Yonex EZONE 100 (2022) and enable you to decide if it’s the correct match in your sport.

So, let’s dive in and uncover how this racket carried out on the court docket.

EZONE 100 Cosmetics

GET THE YONEX EZONE 100

The Yonex EZONE 100 has at all times been identified for its modern and fashionable cosmetics; the 2022 model is not any exception.

The racket shows a daring, dynamic design incorporating a placing blue and darkish blue color scheme. The graphic sample is clear and minimalist, that are Yonex’s trademark traits, giving the racket a streamlined {and professional} look.

The cosmetics mirror the racket’s high-performance capabilities and Yonex’s dedication to high-quality manufacturing.

General, the Yonex EZONE 100 boasts a slick and attention-grabbing beauty design that appears nice in direct daylight or underneath the lights.

Options of the Yonex EZONE 100 (2022)

Isometric Head Form

Yonex developed the isometric form over 30 years in the past, and it’s designed in order that the intersection of the primary and cross strings within the square-shaped head generates a extra distinguished candy spot, growing it by 7% (as per Yonex’s testing) in comparison with typical spherical frames. This implies higher management with out sacrificing energy, providing you with the perfect of each worlds.

Liner Tech

Liner Tech makes use of straight-hole grommets to elongate the strings, optimising energy and luxury. 

O.P.S. (Oval Pressed Shaft)

Our Oval Pressed Shaft (O.P.S.) was first utilized by Yonex in 1969 with their T-7000 aluminium racket; the O.P.S. is designed to offer you extra spin, management, and really feel. The flexing shaft at impression will increase dwell time and minimises vibrations, offering a novel and enhanced taking part in expertise.

Vibration Dampening Mesh (VDM)

Yonex’s Vibration Dampening Mesh (VDM) know-how was initially used of their snowboards, however it’s now integrated into a number of rackets of their lineup, together with the EZONE. VDM is a stretchy mesh materials wrapped across the grip that filters out undesirable vibrations, enhancing contact and precision. 

Shockless Grommets

Shockless Grommets are built-in on the facet and backside of the body to minimise muscle fatigue and supply a comfortable really feel at impression.

2G-Namd Pace

Excessive-modulus graphite fibres certain with a carbon nanotube (C.N.T.) construction cut back vitality loss, enabling fast snapback.

Shaft Design

The EZONE’s new shaft design is all about stability and energy. With a thicker shaft construction and convex design, undesirable racquet torque on off-centred pictures is minimised, leading to added energy and stability.

So loads of fancy names and technical-sounding stuff; how does it play?

Specs and Setup

I playtested the EZONE with Dunlop Black Widow strung at 21.5 kg mains/ 21 kg crosses. It had a strung weight of 316.4g when strung.

Playtest

First Impressions

It didn’t take lengthy to understand that Yonex EZONE 100 may ship a formidable efficiency on the court docket. As talked about above, I instantly observed that the racket supplied a bigger candy spot and extra vitality switch, translating to sooner and extra correct pictures.

The Yonex EZONE 100 jogged my memory of the VCORE 100 concerning manoeuvrability. This racket felt very simple to maneuver by means of the air, due to its comparatively light-weight. 

Furthermore, I used to be instantly impressed by its stability. Though one may suppose that light-weight rackets unavoidably shake towards heavy pictures, the Yonex EZONE 100 felt agency and dependable even underneath strain. 

Groundstrokes

Concerning groundstrokes, the Yonex EZONE 100 is an distinctive racket that may enable you to generate loads of energy and spin. 

The Yonex EZONE 100 significantly influenced my forehand, permitting me to hit with higher topspin and depth.

The added energy and spin meant I may push my opponents again and create extra alternatives to assault the online. The racket additionally supplied wonderful management and really feel, which helped me hit with higher accuracy and consistency.

Because of the racket’s strong building and steady really feel, I may generate loads of spin and tempo on my backhand.

The Yonex EZONE 100 balanced energy and management, permitting me to hit confidently and persistently. The racket felt comfy in my hand and had a pleasant weight and stability, making it simple to manoeuvre and management.

Volleys

In the case of volleys, the Yonex EZONE 100 2022 performs nicely. Though the racket just isn’t particularly made for the serve-and-volley sort of gamers, the extra distinguished candy spot makes it a lot simpler to hit correct volleys, even on off-centre pictures.

The racket has a dampening mesh within the deal with which appears to scale back vibration and supply a steady really feel, which is especially vital for gamers when they’re up on the web.

The EZONE 100 2022 can be light-weight, which allowed me to manoeuvre it simply and shortly on the web.

Nonetheless, I didn’t get pleasure from an excessive amount of how the versatile shaft influenced my really feel on volleys. I might give it a shy thumbs up within the volleying space. I felt the ball escape from the strings a bit too early for me to position my volley precisely. Nonetheless, choosing the right strings and stress may assist counteract this attribute. 

Serve 

Throughout matches, I rely loads on my serve to offer me the lead of the purpose. For that reason, I paid further consideration to how EZONE 100 carried out on this space. I have to say that I used to be not upset!

The racket’s design, know-how, and playability created a formidable serving expertise. I hit highly effective and correct serves utilising every kind of spins. The open string sample additionally allowed me to hit with elevated spin potential, which gave me added management over my serves.

Return 

On the return, I used to be instantly impressed by the racket’s aerodynamic design and steady body, which helped me shortly get into place and simply hit correct returns.

General, the Yonex EZONE 100 has been distinctive when returning huge serves. Moreover, the racket supplied a cushty really feel and absorbed shock. This attribute could possibly be a bonus for the high-level participant since it will probably assist stop discomfort or harm throughout lengthy matches. 

EZONE 100 2020 vs EZONE 100 2022

The Yonex EZONE 100 2020 and 2022 variations are fairly comparable. The 2022 model has Yonex’s 2G NAMD SPEED which is a layup change within the shaft, and the newer mannequin feels a bit extra sturdy and steady towards heavier incoming balls.

EZONE 98 vs EZONE 100

The Yonex EZONE 98 and 100 are additionally very comparable, however the 100 supplies extra forgiveness and is barely simpler to play with, particularly over longer matches the place fatigue can set in.

With the 100, you get extra vitality return to the ball, so extra energy for a similar effort, and the twist weight is greater, so off-centre hits don’t destabilise the racket as a lot in comparison with the 98.

The EZONE 100 will likely be a greater racket for many leisure gamers.

Who’s This Racket For?

In my view, the Yonex EZONE 100 racket is a wonderful choice for intermediate to advanced-level tennis gamers who’re searching for a sturdy and dependable racket. I consider huge flat hitters would profit essentially the most from taking part in with this racket because it permits gamers to switch loads of energy with out an excessive amount of effort. 

Nonetheless, I might not recommend the EZONE 100 (300g) to superior male gamers who may discover the lighter weight a difficulty when trying to counteract the heavy spins typical of ATP-level tennis. Should you selected it, you would want to customize it with weight, just like how Casper Ruud’s EZONE 100+ is customised to cope with heavier balls.

Ultimate Ideas

I wish to conclude by saying that the Yonex EZONE 100 is undoubtedly a high-performance racket. Although it could not be my first decide, given my sport fashion, I nonetheless felt comfy taking part in with it throughout observe and pleasant matches.

Yonex did an excellent job delivering such a gradual and highly effective racket with out including a loopy quantity of weight. I can see how higher-level ITF and WTA gamers may decide up the Yonex EZONE 100 and play exceptionally nicely.

Professionals

Cons

Have you ever tried the Yonex EZONE 100? Let me know within the feedback.