Yonex is known for basically telling the traditionalists, no we think there is a better way. They continue that tradition with there latest offering the RDiS 200. On the surface it looks like a RDiS100 with new paint. Yonex however being the renegades that they are decided that stealth can also work on tennis rackets. Other than having a grip and strings it has little in common with the rest of the line and maybe with any Yonex player’s racket ever

 

 

This racket is all about the details. I am guessing that they had a group of tour players that were not using Yonex frames and said try the RDiS 100 out and tell me what you wish it had more of. This is just a theory but either they did this or someone decided outstanding was just not good enough.

 

In a composite structure (think Tennis rackets, skis, golf club shafts), the fibrous material gives the item strength and its playing characteristics. The resin traditionally holds the fibers in a certain orientation to achieve this. The resin also to some degree, adds some vibration dampening but the amount is usually limited in tennis rackets due to the need for stiffness. Also most resins tend to be somewhat brittle and that fact coupled with the fact that the fibers break in the frame slowly are largely why a frame goes dead ( microscopic cracks). This is why pros change to new frames so often. Of course, for Marat Safin this was never a problem.... The cool engineering trick about conventional resin is that because it is not as strong as the fibers it makes the fibers do all the work.

 

So now enter this new resin technology from Yonex called Toughflex. By adding carbon nanotubes, Yonex has now extended the properties of the resin to provide superior dampening as well as more flexibility without sacrificing the ability of the resin to hold the fibers in the proper orientation. If I understand correctly, the resin is also better able to carry torsional loads to the fibers allowing the orientation of the fibre material to be re optimized.

 

What does that mean for tennis players? This means that the designers can more easily tailor the flex characteristics along the entire frame depending on what is needed. (mini Lecture ends...)

 

Heavy top spinning, hard hitting players tend to want the sweetspot fairly high in the string bed. This is probably because of the increased speed of the racket head thru the ball. The racket is being swung in an arc across the flight path of the ball to generate spin, therefore faster velocity equals more spin and power. That is why Head and later Babolat went with the inverted teardrop head shape. Older Yonex frames have had very large but centrally located sweetspots. Not this frame, it is very high in the racket face, making it perfectly suited to the topspin power baseliner.

 

The shaft area of this racket is a larger box structure than the 100 and provides additional torsional stiffness for off center shots. This means slightly miss hit shots still tend to go where you wanted them. One really clear indication of how different this frame is would be the recommended string tension, 45-60 lbs! That is right not 55-65,

 

but 45- 60. The way this racket reacts to the ball allows this tension and in fact this gives the longest dwell time for the ball and incredible control plus great power.

 

The head has an aerodynamic cross section and the reduced drag makes it much quicker thru the air. I think there are hidden perimeter weights inside the frame in the 2 /10 o’ clock points on the racket head based on the feel.

 

Groundstrokes
From the baseline hitting Nadal / Verdasco like forehands are even easier that with the 100. And when you are going for a winner there is a tremendous increase in power over the other frame. But it is controllable power. This frame is a joy to use with players that can hit 80 + mph groundies. If your technique is good you can beat that by 10 or more mph. A player frame with pop, what a novel idea! To still need to hit the ball and have long strokes but you can do so without as much effort. Due to the feel of this frame, slice shots can also be hit with great accuracy (A++ from the baseline)

 

At the net the weight of the frame makes it great for absorbing the pace of groundstrokes and still cleanly executing volleys. Like all player sticks it will punish you for longish volley strokes, but it is easier to handle than a Wilson Six - One 90. It has great touch for a 16 x 19 pattern racket. (A- net play )

 

Serves
On serve this racket is capable of doing anything that you ask. Power, topspin, slice are all available. The effort required to get reasonable pace on serves is much less than the 100 series frame. Because it is a heavy frame, good technique is still necessary. (A Serve)

 

A testament the greatness of this frame was Fernando Verdasco’s brief use this past spring. Within a few weeks of switching he won a significant tournament. While he is not using the frame now, it is pretty clear that the switch away from this frame was monetary ( that “Dunlop” frame he is using looks an awful lot like a Txxxxxfxxxx frame). During that tournament he hit several forehands that would make Roj cringe! Blistering pace tons of spin and cleanly in play. With good synthetic strings and mid range tension 50-54 lbs this racket would even work for someone that has moderate length strokes. If you have a fast long strokes and fit the topspin baseliner profile, poly strings and 3-5 lbs looser would be good. If you are brutally strong maybe go as high as 56-57.

 

We are so lucky to have fighter jet technology being put in to reasonably priced frames! If you are a power baseliner you would be remiss in not demoing this frame. If you have not liked Yonex frames for what ever the reason put your bias aside and play test this with other sticks, I think you will be shocked.