YONEX EZONE Xi 115 Tennis Racquet Review
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The Yonex Ezone Xi 115 is the first super-oversize racquet in the EZONE family, and it brims with power potential. Being the most powerful racquet in the Yonex line, it offers easy depth for players with compact swings. This frame features the latest in Yonex technology, including Quad Power System, NeoFade, SD Grid and the traditional Oval Pressed Shaft construction.
Groundstrokes
There was a lot of pop coming off my groundstrokes, which I expected with the 115 square inch head size. The 16x18 string pattern really helped with creating just the right amount of spin, so my shots could dip in at the last second with some great depth. After playing with the racquet for a while, I felt this racquet would be great for a player with short compact swings looking to get some effortless power and spin. Plus, the Ezone Xi has a significant sweet spot, which is always nice. With the slightly extended frame at 27.25 inches I was able to create my own power very easily. When hitting against players who hit the ball fairly hard, I felt the racquet was slightly unstable at just 9.7 ounces strung.
Volleys & Serves
I felt this racquet created a lot of power on the volleys and let me put away any easy floating shots coming across the court. I did feel the Ezone Xi twist in my hand a little when heavier fast shots were coming in – the large racquet head can be unsteady if balls are struck toward the boundaries of the frame. Also I felt the racquet was tough to maneuver on fast reacting volleys, which may have had something to do with its head heavy balance.
On the other hand, that head heavy balance actually helped on my serve, allowing me to create spin and momentum on my follow through. I am used to serving with a 12 ounce frame so my flat serves felt like I needed a little more mass on my racquet. I definitely thought I got a lot of added spin from the open pattern and head heavy frame which really helped the consistency and placement of my serve.
Fine Points
I thought the racquet had a nice clean paint job, but the thing I didn’t like about it was the length of the grip. I have a two hand backhand and felt it was a little bit shorter than a standard racquet. I could barely fit both my hands on it.
Overall
I thought this was a great racquet for a 2.5-4.0 player looking to add some power to their game. It is a great for getting some extra spin on the ball and was also very comfortable on the arm. It plays similar to the Head Graphene Speed PWR and also the Wilson Three BLX.
.jpg) About the Reviewer: Steve Roberts is the Co-Head Pro at Brookside Club of Saratoga in California. He is a graduate of the Professional Tennis Management Program at Ferris State University in Michigan. While there, he played for their national ranked division 2 tennis team. Steve is also a USPTA certified Elite Professional.
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