Racquet Model Received: Dunlop Precision Tour 98 played completely stock with the addition of a vibration dampener.
String and tension used for test: Dunlop Silk. 52 Mains, 50 Crosses
Tennis experience/background: 4.0-4.5. competitive junior, coach, instructor, tennis shop gearhead
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All-court player, versatile forehand, one-handed backhand
Current racquet/string setups: Wow, where do I begin. Currently STILL playing with a couple of Volkl C7's with leather grips and various amounts of lead at 3 and 9. I have been playing with RPM Blast 17 for some time now as well as Kirschbaum Polyesters between 40 and 45 lbs. I recently started playing with the Yonex VCORE SV 95 but have not yet made a permanent transition. Prior to this I have played with a number of frames including the following: Yonex Vcore Tour 97 330g, Wilson Blade 98S, Wilson six.one 95S, Head Prestige Pro (Youtek, and Ig).
How many hours did you play with the racquet? I have played with the Dunlop Precision for more than 20 hours playing with players of various skill levels doing drills, games, feeding, as well as playing Sets and tie-breakers.
Comments on racquet performance: I have been, and continue to be impressed with this racquet. Having played with so many racquets in the last decade I was pleasantly surprised to immediately feel comfortable with the frame despite no modifications. I found that the Precision 98T was a great control racket from nearly every area of the court. So often a racquet is trying to blend power and control and this balance is difficult to get right. Again, I have to say I was surprised by how much I liked the racquet as I came in thinking that I would be neutral at best having played with Dunlop frames in the past. The 98T is similar to my favorite racquet the Volkl C7, both have tight 18x20 string patterns, 98 square inch head sizes, standard lengths, and similar beam profiles. They do differ in material make-up with the Volkl having a shock absorbing and solid feeling layup tha included fiberglass. The Dunlop felt stiffer, played stiffer, and as a result was more "crisp". The RA values reflect this with the Dunlop being 3 to 4 points stiffer that the Volkl C7. Also, the weight differs by 5 grams with the Dunlop starting out 5 grams lighter at 315 grams compared to 320. TW requested that we play the racquet in its stock form, and I did this with the expectation that I would quickly find the racquet too light. This did not happen over the last two weeks as I continued to play the racquet completely stock, without even an overgrip.
-Groundstrokes: From the baseline I found the 98T to be stable on all but the hardest hit shots. I can transition between flat and topspin strokes on my forehand and had no issues hitting controlled aggressive flat shots from the baseline, as well as high looping groundstrokes from baseline. On the forehand side I can hit strokes with varying grips from continental all the way to full western. The Dunlop had no trouble on any of these shots and it was fairly easy to vary depth, pace and spin. I was again surprised by how much I liked playing with this racket with Dunlop Silk, a string that I have never played with before though it was readily available in my local tennis shop. The combination in this racquet was crisp, powerful, and controllable. The one down side I did notice was that severe dipping topspin groundstroke that I seem to be only able to produce with a polyester string. On the backhand side I often go back and forth between topspin and slice, and the slice with this racquet I have to say was just awesome. The slice for me is a feel shot, meaning I have to be able to trust my racquet and my stroke in order to get the depth and low trajectory that is effective. I feel that the tight string pattern on the 98T is helpful here as the slice tended to stay low and "laser like". I felt very comfortable hitting slice approach shots. These shots produced errors from my playing partners as they stayed so low. You can swing very fast with this frame, and this made-up for the lack of weight that I typically have on my frames. While my groundstrokes were consistent and had pace, they lacked the weight of groundstrokes that I can generate with my current frames. I don't see this as a negative, as someone who is always tinkering with their racquet I know I could make some changes and make the shots that this racquet produces even better.
-Serves: Serving is an area of confidence for me and with the 98T I was confident in my serve whether it was a flat serve, or kick. I was again, surprised by the pace I could generate as well as the kick and placement all around the service box. When you have a close look at the frame you will see that a number of the grommets are fairly large at all around the stringbed. Whether or not this was intentional I am not sure but the effect that it has on the frame is a stringbed that has a little flex to it. I know some players may not like this but it is something that i appreciate for comfort as well as generating some extra pop. If you have a good serve and can generate some pace, this racquet is not going to hold you back.
-Volleys: If I am honest, I rarely use the word "crisp" to describe a racquet...except in this case. I am realizing now that my current frames are possibly fatigued as they are over a decade old, this combined with a stiff POLY like RPM Blast produced an anemic response on volleys. The 98T is -solid on volleys, has great control, and is able to produce depth and punch with proper technique. With Dunlop Silk in the frame touch shots, half-volleys, and overheads were controllable. Could the frame be more stable and solid? Yes, with a little added weight I think this racquet could handle balls coming in with serious amounts of pace, but in stock form it holds it's own.
-Serve returns: I really enjoyed the 98T on returns. Dunlop balanced the racquet very well and produced a frame that is maneuverable as well as solid. This combination on returns allows you to hit out confidently with a fast swing (if you have the time), and to block the ball back deep when you don't.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: My goal was to give an objective review and based on this I have to say that this is a great all-around player's racquet. I had no expectations going in with this racquet and each time I picked the frame up to play I came away impressed with the control, power, and how solid the frame is in stock form. I do feel that you have to have well developed strokes, be able to create your own power, absorb pace, and generally be complete player to get the best from this frame. It's got power, but it isn't a pure drive level of power. it has control, but not so much that you feel like your arm is going to fall off because you are spending all your energy swinging. Strung with a multifilament I thought the 98T was comfortable, I don't know if I would feel the same way if it was strung with a polyester. That time will come and I will update this review. I did at time feel that the sweetspot in this frame was small because when I hit outside the sweetspot shots lacked power and depth. I cannot really state that this is a negative as this is expected when one misses the sweetspot and so I would put this down to my lack of skill inthose moments.
I do plan on adding additional weight to the racket in the form of a leather grip and some lead tape. If I didn't like the racquet I don't think I would even attempt this, but it's because I enjoyed playing with the racquet so much in stock form that I feel that it is worthwhile to bring it closer to my typical specification.
Thank you Tennis Warehouse for allowing me to participate in this review!
- interesting initial comments/observations so far.
