The Best Racquets and Strings of 2023
2023 was honestly a great year for tennis equipment. With the production delays of COVID-19 behind us, new racquets felt actually available for the first time in a few years. A few weeks ago, I had a lunch meeting with Luca Berg, the Marketing Manager for Vancouver’s biggest tennis store, Racquets and Runners. Behind closed doors, we both happily admitted that today’s racquet market is probably the best and most competitive racquet market we’ve ever seen. It felt like on 5 years ago that great racquets came few and far between, with too many offerings feeling uncomfortable, jarring and inconsistent. Today’s racquets, on average, feel more solid, stable and comfortable without succumbing to severe stringbed inconsistencies. So here are the best racquets and strings of 2023!
Criteria
First, it must have come out in 2023. So I’m not going to talk about the Yonex EZONE, Babolat Pure Drive or Wilson Blade, even once for the duration of this article.
Two, it must be something I tried this year. I might not have made a full review, but if it’s actually good enough to warrant being the one of the best tennis products of 2023, then I probably posted about it in one form or another.
Three, there is no three but at the end I’ll also tell you what I think are the WORST releases of the year as well.
Structure
For this publication, we are going to break things down by category, so , best spin, control, power and so on. Then at the end, we will have best overall.
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Best Control Racquet
2023 could definitely be dubbed the year of the user-friendly control racquet. Gone are the days of tiny heads, miniscule sweet spots and unforgiving player’s racquets. Today, one of the most popular control racquets used on tour actually has a 100 square inch head.
That said, the best control oriented racquet of 2023 is definitely not the Head Gravity Pro because it’s too muted and simply a downgrade from last year’s version. It’s also definitely not the Percept 97, because that racquet sucks, lacking too much power and stability to be crowned king.
Honestly, it might be a different Yonex, the VCORE 95. Great feel, decently connected, small head size, but the thing is, as a package, the VCORE 95 just isn’t that precise. It’s the easiest 95 square racquet to use, probably ever, but with that ease of use comes a certain pedestrian feel. It’s too accessible, too easy, to really give you that raw, unforgiving performance that forces the user to remain dialed in on every shot.
For me, in 2023, there was one racquet that kept me more connected to the ball than anything else. There was one racquet which forced me to raise my game to the level that the racquet demanded.
That racquet is the Wilson Prostaff 97 v14.
This stick is a great all around performer, offering big spin, power and feel considering how much control you get from the stiffer layup in the 97 square inch package. There’s no a shot this racquet can’t hit if you are disciplined with your footwork and it's a racquet that makes you WANT to be disciplined.
Best Control String
The best control oriented string is tough for me. I’m looking for something that’s super connected, offering incredible depth control with excellent stringbed predictability. If you watched my recent Paradox Pro review, you are probably thinking this has got to win. I think that logically, it probably does win, but how can I pick a string that does so much damage to my arm?
On the other hand, what other new strings have I even tried this year?
I feel like Tecnifibre Razor Soft could have easily won this, but I never actually tried this string. Then it hit me, one of my favourite string tests of the year was a video I kept only for our members so I forgot about it.
I loved the hitting feel on this string. It’s super connected to the ball, much like the ALU Power it's trying to copy, but it has a Polytour Pro like plushness which increases the dwell time, improving the hitting experience and comfort. It's also round in profile so you get a very predictable launch angle with solid directional control.
Unfortunately, I’m forced to say that the tension maintenance could be a bit better and it appears to be coated with a soft material, which dents quickly, but for the first 3-4 hours, it does play extremely well and I actually really want to try it again now that I’ve remembered its existence.
Best Power Racquet
There weren’t a lot of power frames to come out this year. No Pure Drive. No Boom. No EZONE (ok I promise this is the only other mention of the EZONE in this article). Thankfully, the lack of wide-ranging releases that doesn’t matter because I think this racquet is actually better than all of them combined.
It offers a less muted feel than the EZONE (I swear this is the last time) or the Pure Drive. It offers best in class stability due to a frankly massive twistweight. It’s got shockingly good comfort due to an innovative grommet design. And it’s endorsed by the best looking British man on tour, Jack Draper.
Without a doubt, a shadow of a doubt, even, the Dunlop FX500 was probably my biggest surprise of the year.
Almost none of you watched my review on this stick because you are all sleeping on Dunlop so this is your last warning to stop sleeping on Dunlop. Whenever I turn on Winston Du’s channel, he’s showing two semi pro children blast 100mph forehands using Dunlop racquets. It’s like how Yonex sponsored a bunch of junior players 10 years ago and we all slept on Yonex. Now, there’s no hotter brand.
Right now, I think Dunlop offers one of the best control/feel lines in the CX’s and with the FX 500, they are winning the 100 square inch power segment. Hopefully they can remedy the embarrassment of a racquet line known today as the SX.
Best Power String
I’m not going to waste any time here. For me, the best power polyester of the year is ReString Zero.
It’s incredibly easier to hit big, penetrating balls with Zero. Not only do you get a huge bump in power, with easy depth, from the higher launch angle, but your shots will come loaded with extra spin. A lot of people are suspicious of ReString because it was like overnight, everyone on YouTube was saying how crazy the spin was.
I’ve now tried Zero in several racquets and given samples out to almost all my friends. Without exceptions, everyone notices an increase in topspin. Not everyone thinks the increase is worth it, given the muted feel and lauchiness, but I have to think that if you are open minded, that you will feel a difference with Zero.
Best Spin Racquet
This is one of the toughest categories this year. 2023 saw tremendous competition amongst manufacturer’s spin lines, with several new releases.
The Pure Aero 98 came out this year. We got new VCOREs. Wilson made a Spinny Clash, aka the Shift. We also got one of the most spin-friendly 18x20 racquets in the Solinco Whiteout. There are too many good options here and I think we need to get picky with our criteria.
For me, it’s about offering an experience that you can’t get from the competition. Is the VCORE 95 the most spin friendly 95? Yes, but I think the Prostaff 97 offers similar spin with at least as much, if not more control.
Is the VCORE 98 the most spin friendly 98? Honestly, probably, but there are tons of 98’s that offer great spin.
Is the Whiteout the most spin friendly 18x20? It very well could be, but you can easily find more spin from a decent 16x19.
Is the Pure Aero 98 the most spin friendly racquet that Alcaraz uses? Yes probably, but don’t think it gives you a lot of options when it comes to modulating spin. The high twistweight demands a very linear, drive-type of stroke. It’s too hard to use the wrist at the last moment to curl a banana passing shot or find that dipping cross court angle. It’s not that I’m really capable of doing these shots with any racquets, it’s that the Aero 98 really reminds me that I can’t.
So that leaves us with two racquets, the VCORE 100 and the Wilson Shift.
The Worst Racquet of 2023
This segment is interrupted by our award for the WORST RACQUET of 2023. The worst racquet of 2023 goes to the Wilson Shift 99.
Featuring a horribly inconsistent flex, far below average comfort and the most gimmicky marketing of the year, the Wilson Shift sucks badly. I’d rather not play tennis that day than use the Wilson Shift.
It’s no wonder there aren’t any pro’s willing to endorse this frame.
Back to the BEST Spin Racquet
Ok, so back to the best spin racquet, which is, in my opinion, the Yonex VCORE 100.
I feel like so many of the 100 square inch spin frames have started to really prioritize stability over maneuverability. The Pure Aero 100 has felt clunky and slow since they dropped the AeroPro Drive moniker for Pure Aero. The Extreme MP is decent, but not the same as those old APD’s, racquet’s which I think remain the kings of spin, and the SX300 is one of the clunkiest swinging frames in the world.
The VCORE 100 prioritized maneuverability which helps you find those higher swing speeds to access more spin on every shot.
I think that feeling is totally unique in the 100 square inch class so that’s why the VCORE 100 wins best spin racquet of the year, even though it’s my least favorite VCORE.
Best Spin String
When it comes to strings, I think we all know that ReString Zero wins best new spin string of the year. How could it not? I don’t think this is even close when you consider the new releases of 2023.
Part of that, in my opinion, is that spin is falling out of fashion as a concept. I think rec players, in large, have realized that equipment won’t give them a free boost in spin, and even if it does, those extra RPM’s might not translate to more wins. However, if you think a boost in RPM’s will translate to more wins, I think ReString Zero is all you really need.
We’ve all heard enough about Zero though so I’m not going to talk about it anymore, if you want to hear someone talk about ReString, you can check out Time410s on YouTube.
Overall Best String
When it comes to strings, I really feel like nothing came out specifically for me this year. Zero is too muted and launchy. Paradox Pro is too far in the other direction. Nothing new from Babolat on the polyester front. Hawk Power is extremely fun, however, playability duration simply isn’t good enough to take “best overall.” I totally missed out on Luxilon’s eco launch, but from other reviews, those offerings don’t seem mind blowing in any way. Toroline’s launch of K-Pro, a Karue Sell branded hybrid might be the best release when it comes to all-around playability, but does it really count since it's just a combination of two old strings?
So I’ve now decided that nothing really deserves to win overall best new string of the year, except maybe ReString Zero, but I don’t feel like allowing such a sweep of the awards so no one wins. To be fair, if there was a durability category, Zero would have also won that, so in a way, its really hard not to choose it as string of the year.
I genuinely believe that ReString made a generation advancement in spin and durability when compared to any other string on the market.
I’m looking forward to ReString’s future releases. I was lucky enough to participate in a prototype testing session for them, where I tested 3 samples. One of those samples would easily take string of the year, were it to have been launched this year. It remedies all the problems I had with Zero and I’d even go so far as to suggest that it might be my new favourite string.
Of course, further testing is needed against my other favourite, namely, Tour M8, but we shall save that for the official release.
Best Overall Racquet
On the other hand, when it comes to the best racquet of the year, there are definitely some contenders.
So what is best?
To be the best, I think the racquet must be unique in the marketplace, offering something you can’t quite find anywhere else. It must have come out in 2023 and I think it should reflect some improvement over the previous version.
For example, let’s say we give the award to the Gravity Pro, well, it's basically the exact same racquet as before, except slightly more muted in feel. So it’s really just the same racquet that came out in 2019 and I don’t think that’s worthy of an award.
So when you look at the racquet market, I think there are few important mentions for best overall racquet.
The Babolat Pure Aero 98.
The Head Radical MP.
The Solinco Whiteout 18x20.
The Yonex VCORE 95.
From a playability perspective, I’ve said, in the past, that the Aero 98 is probably the best racquet in the world. Problem? It’s almost the exact same thing as the previous version, the Pure Aero VS. While this does mean that Alcaraz was able to switch to the new version, which does add cool factor, it also means that there wasn’t much generational improvement and therefore the Aero 98 is out.
Next, the Radical MP. Again, excellent frame. Very strong all around playability and a racquet that represents a complete 180 from the Graphene GT version, which frankly sucked and had me questioning the entire purpose of the Radical line. The problem is, when you hit an older Radical, like a Liquid Metal, the current generation Radical MP just doesn’t feel like a perfect spiritual successor. It’s like how the new M3 feels like a totally different car from the original M3.
What does feel like a spiritual successor to those old Radicals is the Solinco Whiteout 18x20. I think the Whiteout offers even more versatility when compared to the newest Radical. With the Radical, it’s really tough to play a topspinny, loopy, semi defensive game. The Whiteout on the other hand, is a chameleon to your playstyle. It’ll serve and volley. It’ll baseline bash. It’ll knife slices, loop moonballs or slap flat bombs. All while remaining very connected to the ball, offering immense stringbed predictability and remaining just comfortable enough for more players.
Finally, our last option, the VCORE 95. This racquet went through huge, practical changes for 2023 to make it easier to use while simultaneously increasing control and feel. Usually, you can’t increase control and feel, while also increasing forgiveness and spin. However, Yonex actually did that with the new VCORE 95 and I have to give them props for that. Typically, when I finish a Youtube review of a racquet, I don’t touch that racquet again. Even frames as great as the TFIGHT 305 or the Prostaff 97, I just sold them and haven’t felt a huge urge to hit them again. Not so with the VCORE 95, a racquet that I string up fresh and hit every couple of months.
The thing is, I lied. There’s one more contender for best overall. It takes everything we love about the Whiteout 18x20, but adds a little bit of extra power and spin by increasing the leverage on the ball.
The Solinco Whiteout 18x20 XTD.
This glorious beast simply stands alone in the extra length category. Typically, extra length racquets suffer from poor maneuverability. Solinco has completely addressed this. Whenever I’ve tried XL frames in the past, I’ve loved them on my backhand, but struggled to get the tip around on my forehand. Not so with the Whiteout XTD.
Even my chicken-winged, Taylor Fritz forehand, can whip that tip around, delivering easy spin and racquet head speed on every shot.
I even think players with one-handed backhands will experience the maneuverability they need on that side.
The Whiteout XTD wins because it gives you all the benefits of the extra half inch without really feeling like a cumbersome broadsword. The extra reach. The extra power. Without feeling like a log.
Let me know in the comments your favourite racquet of 2023!
