The Yonex EZONE 100 is the New Baseline

For nearly 20 years, the Babolat Pure Drive has been the baseline power racquet, offering a blend of stability, power and maneuverability for the cost of increased stiffness and reduced feel. All the while, other manufacturers have tried to catch up to Babolat, but no one has ben able to make a better Pure Drive than Babolat. Wilson’s entered a variety of failures into the mix, the Juice, the Ultra, then you have Head with the failed Instinct line. The EZONE 100 has been around for many generations, but it’s only for the 2022 model that Yonex has achieved, and surpasses the levels of refinement previously only produced by Babolat.

Potential Energy

Power is the name of the game in this segment, and the EZONE delivers. Certainly boasting less power than the Pure Drive, but the thick, stiff beam ensure high levels of power throughout the string, making this one of the only 300g racquet I am comfortable playing stock.

Potential Energy: 120

Similar Performers:

Babolat Pure Drive: 120

2022 Yonex EZONE 98: 115

Babolat Pure Strike 100: 113

Stringbed Performance

This is my favourite part of this racquet. It seems like the days of extremely open 16x19 patterns are over (except with Babolat), as this stringbed offers plenty of control and predictability for its spec.

Stringbed Performance: 111

Similar Performers:

Babolat Pure Drive: 130

Babolat Pure Strike 100: 126

2022 Yonex EZONE 98: 102

Weight Distribution

Stability is prioritized here, and for good reason. The 300g weight paired with a modest swingweight makes this frame quite easy to maneuver despite a colossal twistweight. While it’s not my preference, I think this is the correct decision for this racquet. Off-centre hits are barely noticeable due the best-in class stability on the EZONE 100.

Weight Distribution: 116

Similar Performers:

Babolat Pure Strike 100: 117

2022 Yonex EZONE 98: 112

Babolat Pure Drive: 110

Final Thoughts

The excellent stringbed, and unparalleled stability on the EZONE 100 is only enough to tie it with the Pure Drive. Where the EZONE 100 solidifies itself as the new baseline is in terms of feel. While it is muted compared to thee racquets of 5-10 years ago, the feel is sufficiently responsive to give you an idea of where you made contact with the ball on the stringbed. It’s also very solid feeling, boasting the classic Yonex graphite feel with more comfort than the RA would suggest.

This is THE 100 square inch racquet on the market, and it's the one I’ll be recommending to players looking for the perfect blend of forgiveness and performance.