Our guest blogger Marlon tested the new Yonex VCORE 98 Ruby Red 2026 over the past month. His current racket is the previous (2023 – 7th gen) version of the VCORE 98. This review offers a great comparison of the two frames!
Tester:
Name: Marlon Qualizza
Age: 35
Player type: Weekend warrior, racket nerd, topspin, one-handed backhand, doubles player.
Current racket: Yonex VCORE 98 L2 2023 (7th gen).
Racket history: Yonex VCORE 98 2023, Tecnifibre TF-40, Prince Phantom 100X, Head Boom Pro, Head Extreme Pro, Prokennex Q+5, Wilson Blade 98, Wilson Six-One Team.
The Yonex VCORE 98 Ruby Red is now available in our online store, strung for free with a string of your choice!
Introduction:
Let me start by saying that I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to test the VCORE 98 before it officially hit stores. I had secretly hoped to try the racket as soon as it became available in stores, but I got to demo it a few weeks earlier.
My current racket is the VCORE 98 2023, which I’ve been enjoying for quite some time. After trying many rackets, this one felt like coming home and like an extension of my arm. Even so, I sometimes felt it lacked a little feel and that extra bit of power on a difficult day.
My expectations for the new version were high. I was also a little apprehensive, since Yonex is known not only for changing the appearance of its rackets but also for often modifying the mold. I immediately noticed that the frame looked visibly different from the 2023 version.
Baseline and serve:
My first time playing with the new Yonex VCORE 98 was on a somewhat cold, damp evening when the balls were clearly not bouncing as high. Hitting on the short court, I didn’t notice much difference from its predecessor. That changed when we started hitting on the full court. Despite the cold weather, I found that the racket had enough power to get the balls deep into the court. This was also true when hitting my one-handed backhand, which is probably my least powerful shot. In those conditions, I’d found that more difficult with the previous version.
The other time I tried it was during a friendly match on a beautiful, mild morning with plenty of sunshine and no wind. I was curious to see how the racket would feel when I was put under more pressure. I found that it played very stably. Its stability really came into its own when returning a hard serve. This kept the game open and led to some fun rallies. The extra power was noticeable when serving. The ball rocketed off the racket, putting extra pressure on my opponent.
Spin:
You’re probably wondering: how does this spin racket perform when it comes to spin? The racket is very maneuverable and spin-friendly. The topspin I was able to generate let me take full swings while keeping the ball in bounds.
Comfort/arm-friendliness:
I didn’t experience any arm soreness while testing the racket or afterward, so it’s very comfortable. I did notice that it feels less muted than its predecessor, which I think is an improvement, as this helps with touch shots at the net and gives you a better overall feel for where the ball is hitting the string bed.
The Yonex VCORE 98 Ruby Red is now available in our online store, strung for free with a string of your choice!
Conclusion: Yonex VCORE 98 Ruby Red 2026
In conclusion, Yonex has once again succeeded in keeping the VCORE 98 relevant and making it better. The racket has noticeably gained a little power, become more stable, and improved in feel. While I’m certainly not ready to retire my 2023 version, I’ll be switching to this new model in 2026!
For this test, we strung the racket with the hexagonal Diadem Pro X 17/1.20mm at 22.5 kg. Thanks for the review, Marlon!
