Is the Vcore Pro 97 310 a good racquet for a low intermediate?

[TheStrenuousLife]

I had never played tennis before and I started tennis last June and I am approaching the 1 year mark. I started competing in USTA matches in November. So, after 6 months of competing I am a computer rated 3.25 NTRP, which would put me at low intermediate.

The first year has been a figuring out phase, and learning what is important and what is not, and mainly building the fundamentals. My private coach puts emphasis on control and spin over power. He said control and direction is first, followed by spin, and lastly power. I want to take his advice and emulate his teachings. My coach has recently been having me take long, fast, full swings at the ball, and having a good racquet and string for this will be helpful.

I have played with a Vcore 100 and speed MP. I find the balls to be launching a bit and feel a bit uneasy taking large full swings at the ball with either racquet. I also tried the speed pro, but I would like something a little more whippy and preferably a 16x19 for spin. Obviously, my technique needs work and is the main culprit, but I want to have gear that can grow with me and allow me to have spin and control while taking long, full, fast strokes.


A bit about me and my game, I am 29 and I'm in good athletic shape. My serve has been evaluated and I'm already serving at the bare minimum a strong 3.5 and i've had two coaches tell me it's a 4.0 serve when consistent, so that is the strongest stroke in my game. This is without having learned a spin serve yet, so I have potential of having a 4.5 serve in the future. I have a one handed backhand and recently have improved on Topspin and control with it. My forehand is not as consistent or spinny as my backhand. Volleys are the weakest part of my game.

I believe I have potential to be a 4.0 player several years down the road, and I would like a racquet that I can grow with to help me get there. I looked at the specs of the Vcore pro 97 310 and I like the lower swing weight and low stiffness rating. With a head light weight balance, that's a plus for generating spin. I haven't demoed it yet, but will do so within the next few weeks. Tennis warehouse says it's great for people who are taking long, fast, full strokes, which is what my coach is transitioning me to.


For anyone experienced with this racquet, would the Vcore pro 310 be a good racquet for a low intermediate who is working their way up to the 4.0 level a few years down the road? Can this be a good racquet to both learn and grow in skill with to reach the 4.0 level?

 

[socallefty]

Have you tried increasing tension, going to a thicker gauge or using a stiffer string to get more control? Easier to tweak the stringjob than to change racquets as the performance of a racquet for power/control/spin/comfort varies over a wide range depending on the stringjob. With one stringjob, you see only a sliver of a racquet’s potential performance range.

 

[Dragy]

With what your coach emphasizes, spin in particular, Speed MP and Vcore 100 are great frames to grow with. As @socallefty suggested doing some strings due diligence is good idea, but overall those frames allow to place good spin shots with enough safety to your good big targets, while using full swings.

If you are athletic and tall, you can definitely find those a bit overdoing the job for you, where you can find VCORE 98 as a good option.

Vcore Pro 97 may just play too underpowered for you. You can solve it with looser stringjob, but that will hinder your ability to really bite and spin the ball with it. I’m actually looking at it myself, but to weight it up. I just don’t like the 330g version stick and want just a tad lower swingweight and my preferred balance.

Spin MP is very good frame with enough control properties within modern spin package. Learn to use it, look at Sinner or Ruusuvori who actually use Graphene Touch Speed MP with very minor customization - it doesn’t block them from hitting the crap out of the ball

 

[Trip]

@TheStrenuousLife - Welcome to TT, and congrats on you progress thus far.

First, I know you probably already agree with this, but just to get it out there, although it's certainly true that certain frames will complement certain play styles and biomechanics better than others, I would dismiss any notion than either the VCore 100 or Speed MP aren't suitable as advanced-level frames. If Sebastian Baez with the VCore 100 and, as @Dragy said, Ruusuvori and Sinner with the Speed MP, can all rip the ball with control and precision using long, full strokes -- at the top of the top level of the game -- then I can assure you, with all due respect, it's much more the warrior than it is the sword here, and as you'll see below, a switch to the VCP 97 310 may address certain issues, but may also create new ones.

That being acknowledged, the first thing I would do, per @socallefty's advice, is to look to find more control through your string setups, be it with higher tension, lower-power/higher-control strings, or some combination of both. When looking at overall playability of a given setup, these days it can be very well argued that strings hold a majority stake versus the frame. I'm not sure what you've got in your current frames, but presuming you've been playing mostly non-poly (synthetic gut, multifilament, etc), you might look into a hybrid (of one of those, combined with a poly or partial-poly string) to help tame some of the natural power, while boosting control and spin. We can help guide you there if you know what kind of strings you're currently using (and at what tension).

As for the current VCore Pro 97 310 (2021), I would call myself intimately familiar with it, having owned one for about 1.5 years now, with probably 50-75 hours played, with all kinds of string setups and varying strung specs, from close-to-stock all the way up to 345g and 333 swing weight (which is where I like it the most). Overall, I would call it Yonex's equivalent to the Wilson Pro Staff 97, only with a more modern/relevant hoop shape, more flex and pocketing, and a more muted, pillow-y feel on contact. The frame's best virtues are comfort and control for flatter hitters. Spin is definitely there, although, much like a Radical or a Blade, most of it is unlocked only at higher racquet head speed. Power, however, while accessible on the low end, is so-so on medium-effort and limited on max-effort shots -- a direct result of the frame having such a flexy neck and so much pocketing. Upon initial inspection, this could seem like a good thing for powerful types (maybe such as yourself) who tend to bring a lot of brute force, but that same potential benefit can also be at least mildly frustrating, even exhausting, depending on where you take your game and against whom you're playing. To prove that out, it will probably have to be a buy-it-and-see affair, not just a demo, as you'll likely need months, not just days, to discover where the frame's tendencies truly sit with you. To further all this conjecture, here's a pretty good video from @time410s (a decent 4.0+ himself) on the VCP 97, where he vocalizes some of these things pretty well (I've linked the video to start where he really gets into it):

All of that considered, I think that while the VCP 97 could be a great learning tool, and quite possibly a nice honeymoon stick, there's also a pretty high chance that is may fall a bit short, as detailed above. As a growing 3.25, I think you may be better off sticking with the Speed MP and committing to it long enough to max it out through string adjustments and frame customization. You're of course welcome to try the VCP 97, but if you do, I would also look at a few other more inherently powerful and stable 97/98's, like the Yonex Ezone 98, Wilson Pro Staff 97 v14 and/or Head Radical MP.

I hope you find at least some of that useful. Any questions, feel free.

 

[ChanterRacquet]

A VCORE 97 310 should be fine, just demo it first to make sure. I prefer the previous version, but both versions are maneuverable with lower swingweight and should help you get over the ball to impart top spin. Either way, I find them powerful for a 97, more so than a ProStaff, say.

 

[ey039524]

I think the biggest difference is the VCP 310 is flexier than the others mentioned.

If you're a baseliner, you might not appreciate it as much as a net player, unless you're having arm issues.

You're not going to get as much easy power from the baseline due to the headlight balance and flexibility.

It is a good platform racquet to grow with, which is why my son switched to it from the pro staff line. He is a doubles player, though. He hits w it weighted up to 350 g, which gives him more stability in volleys and more power off the ground.