Tester
Player name: Stephan Couzijn Level: 5/6 Player type: 44 year old, all-courter, eastern grip, one-handed backhand, fairly flat strokes Own racket: Yonex EZONE DR 98, Wilson Clash 100, Head Graphene 360+ Gravity MP Player's racket history: Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 95, Wilson Six-One 95, Head Radical, Dunlop Aerogel 300 Tour, Babolat Pure Storm Tour GT, Wilson Pro Staff 95, Wilson Juice Pro, Yonex EZONE DR 98, Wilson Clash 100, Head Gravity MP, Wilson Pro Staff 97 CV. The Dunlop FX 500 is now available in our webshop, including free stringing of your choice!Intro and specifications Dunlop FX 500
It's been a while since I had the chance to test a Dunlop racket. The last time it was pure enjoyment with the CX 200 tour. Pure quality expressed in a beautiful control frame. However, this FX series is mainly focused on power. Normally not a frame I would quickly go for. At the moment I play with a Wilson Pro Staff 97 CV. I am very curious how this Dunlop FX 500 compares to the other power frames in this genre such as the Babolat Pure Drive 2021 and the Wilson Ultra 100 V3.0. The specifications are as follows:
Brand: Dunlop Model: FX 500 Head size: 100 sq/inch Weight: 300 gr Balance: 32.0 cm Stringing pattern: 16×19 Length: 27 inch RA: 71 Swingweight: 314 Stringing: Dunlop Explosive Speed 1.25 at 24/23 kg
Racket review
Many (older) tennis players know Dunlop from the famous Dunlop Max 200G and know that Dunlop has made beautiful frames over the years. The younger players mainly grew up with Babolat and Wilson. Not so strange of course when you consider that Nadal and Federer have been appearing in front of the cameras with these frames for years. Still, I think that Dunlop Srixon deserves to refresh the faded memories and adjust preconceived opinions about Dunlop tennis rackets, because the (now Japanese) manufacturer has released a flood of new racket series that are endorsed by renowned names such as Patrick Mouratoglou. Of course, that doesn't say it all. The "proof of the pudding is in the eating". In short, test and experience it yourself. First came the CX 'control focused' range, then the SX range that focused on spin and now the FX range that wants to deliver 'controlled power' (the 'F' in 'FX' stands for 'force').
Baseline
After the first exchange of strokes it is clear that Dunlop is making a bid for the crown of the Babolat Pure drives with the FX 500. I felt that this racket has a great balance between spin and power and both are also manageable. This seems to make the claimed “controlled power” absolutely true. It felt very easy to hit deep into the back line from the baseline. I do notice that, just like with all other power frames, you also have to be careful with the Dunlop FX 500 that you don’t fly out of the bend. A little more spin helps to keep the balls within the lines. Furthermore, the FX 500 feels remarkably solid from the baseline. Slice balls also come off the blade perfectly. I think that the Dunlop FX 500 is certainly a formidable competitor for the Babolat Pure Drive from the baseline. I do recommend players who are prone to tennis elbow to use a slightly softer string. Incidentally, I hardly notice any vibrations in the frame at impact. I can play this racket perfectly well without a dampener.
Volleys
At the net it was easy to volley with the FX 500; due to the relatively light weight it was not difficult to maneuver the racket quickly. The racket feels solid, which allowed me to 'hit through' the volleys well and put them away. With the smashes you feel the "Force" of this racket. The balls burst off it. To be honest, the volleying went better than expected. My expectation of a power frame is that it is more unstable than my own Wilson Pro Staff 97 CV but that was not the case at all. An absolute plus point of the Dunlop FX 500.
Serve
As expected, serving was very easy with the Dunlop FX 500. Even when I wasn’t trying to hit the balls that hard, I felt like I was getting enough power from the racquet to hit the corners. Similar to the baseline shots, I had more than enough controlled power with my serve. I felt like even when I didn’t hit the ball completely in the middle, I could still produce a good serve and didn’t lose much power.
Dunlop FX 500: Bottom Line
Although it may not be the most exciting racket to look at, I was immediately pleasantly surprised and even a little shocked at how much I could enjoy a power frame after the first stroke. Especially since I always tend towards more control oriented rackets. Dunlop has clearly put a lot of effort into creating that nice power feeling. The racket gives you a delicious dose of power to dish out winners. I think this FX 500 will especially impress players who usually play with other power frames such as the Babolat Pure Drive, Wilson Ultra 100 V3.0 or Diadem Nova FS 100. The Dunlop FX 500 feels really stable and is almost vibration-free. This also makes the stiffness of the frame much less of an issue. Apart from all the techno mambo jambo, the confidence this racket gives on all strokes from both the back and at the net is noticeable. Therefore a “must” demo for players who are looking for an easy frame with more than enough power that is easy to control.
The Dunlop FX 500 is now available in our webshop, including free stringing of your choice! This racket can also be requested as a demo from us .