Yonex EZONE Tour 2021 Review

Yonex have added this heavier ‘players’ racket to their incredibly popular Ezone range, and I’ve been playing with it for a few weeks.

Aron from All Things Tennis here again. As my search for a new racket continues, I’d like to tell you about a frame that I’ve been really excited to try out. I’ve been playing with the YONEX EZONE TOUR 2021 for two weeks now and I shall once again report my findings to you, humble blog reader.

If you enjoy these blogs, why not write to us at orders@allthingstennis.com and tell us what you’d like more of, if there’s a racket you’d like to be reviewed or just to say hello! We’d love to hear from you.

The Ezone range from Yonex has rivaled the Babolat Pure Drive series in its popularity both on the pro tour and in the consumer market. The Ezone series sits in the middle of the V Core range (power and spin) and the V Core Pro range (control and feel), and it’s lauded as the perfect combination of power, spin and control. So, of course, I had to try it out for myself. I tested out the Ezone Tour which is the heaviest in the Ezone range. Here are the specs: 

I’d like to remind you that this is entirely subjective, one man’s trash and all that, but I hope it might give you an idea of what this racket is like to play with.

Control – 9/10

The first thing I noticed when I started hitting with this racket was the abundance of control and feel. At 315g, it’s one of the heaviest rackets I’ve ever tried out and with that comes great stability when connecting with the ball. Despite its heavy weight and slightly thicker beam, I thought this racket had tremendous feel both at the net and from the baseline. Once I adjusted to the weight, drop shots came with ease and my backhand slice was extremely precise.

Power – 7/10

When used correctly, the Ezone Tour can really pack a punch. The sheer weight of the racket gives it great plough-through from the baseline. However, I like to ‘feel the ball’ from the back of the court. I use my wrist to generate topspin and I have quite an intricate take back on my forehand. I felt like the weight hampered my swing pattern slightly and forced me to adjust my forehand take-back. I also found myself hitting the net quite often when I didn’t quite set up right and get my body weight behind the ball.

When on the attack, this racket was great. I could finish the point off easily and without putting too much effort in with my arm. However, when I was defending, I found the racket to be a little sluggish. To be honest, it all comes down to the strength of your arm with this model. Unfortunately for me, I’m a bit of a twig.

Cosmetic – 9.5/10

I love the look of the entire Ezone series. The craftsmanship that goes into making Yonex rackets is really on show when you hold them in your hands. Every detail has been accounted for and the quality is truly astounding. I implore you to try and hit with a Yonex racket if you have the chance, especially the ranges that have been released within the last 3 years or so. They are gorgeous, quality rackets.

Overall – 8.5/10

I had high expectations for this racket, there are so many rave reviews about it online and that really did sell it to me, plus I was lured in by my general love of Yonex rackets. At the end of the day, I really like it, it’s just too heavy for me. I don’t have enough pure strength in my arm to get easy racket head acceleration with this frame. It did provide me with great control and precision but I’m looking for more than that, I want to be able to really whip my forehand too! If you’re not a twig like me and you’re looking for a racket to tame your raw power… then I really think this is a sublime racket choice. True to Yonex’s marketing, you really do get a great combination of power, spin and control with this racket, however I think I may be better off with the 300g version.

But don’t take my word for it, demo the Yonex Ezone Tour for FREE at All Things Tennis. If you’re local to Windsor then head to the store and pick up a demo racket, if you live further afield then email orders@allthingstennis.com and we’ll send you one to try out.

Written by Aron Dochard