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With Yonex’s technologies, the RDS 002 benefits from a 10% increase in sweet spot size due to its Isometric shape, 10% more aerodynamic feel through the Aero-box Vari-frame, better feel from the Shockless Grommet, and easier maneuverability and power due to the Control Shaft. The RDS 002 caters to intermediate and advanced players who have a long swing. The Yonex RDS 002, with a 98 sq. in. head size, weighs 10.6 oz. unstrung, is a very spin-friendly and maneuverable tennis racquet.

Groundstrokes

The RDS 002 is very light in my opinion and easy to swing. With the lighter weight of the racquet, I was able to easily generate faster racquet head speed from the baseline, letting me rip though my shots. The RDS 002 gave me plenty of spin off my groundstrokes and very nice control. My shots arched nicely over the net with plenty of top spin, and my slices would bite into the court. The racquet’s midplus headsize was quite forgiving on mishits, (although I didn’t seem to get too many of those thanks to the Isometric shape of the racquet, giving the extra sweet spot size). The open string pattern allowed more bite onto the ball, allowing me to put more spin on my shots.

Volleys

When coming up to the net, I again noticed the racquet was very easy to pull back and give the ball a good proper punch. The RDS 002 offers amazing feel along with its tremendous spin generation. My drop volleys were easily executed as were my drop shots from mid court. With a very light flick of your arm, the ball will slide off your racquet giving you the necessary back spin for drop shots. Although my volleys didn’t generate a lot of power, like my groundstrokes, they were consistent. When smashing with the RDS 002, I was able to swing through easily and produce plenty of head speed due to the light weight. The only drawback of the lighter weight, was that the RDS 002 was not as stable as I would’ve liked.

Serves

While serving with the RDS 002, I found I was able to hit my serves with plenty of spin. Whether it was a kick serve, slice serve, or any other type of spin serve, the racquet was truly excellent. It is a very aerodynamic racquet allowing you to easily swing through your service motions and get the right spins. My slice serves slid away from my opponents with considerable break - tough to return! I normally hit flat serves, but had trouble generating enough power. However, hitting the kick serves was so good the flat ones weren’t missed. The reliability and consistency of the RDS 002 was a welcome trade for the flat serve’s power.

Serve Returns

Off the return of serve, just holding the RDS 002 out against moderately paced serves will yield a decent defensive return. The midplus headsize offered a large enough sweet spot for me to deflect many serves back. When I wanted to go on the offensive, the racquet was able to rip through the serves and place them deep. On the faster serves, I wasn’t able to get the racquet back far enough, but using a short and medium sized swing to return wasn’t that bad. My down-the-line returns were easy to execute with ample spin and control.

Overall

Overall, I find the Yonex RDS 002 to be well-suited for intermediate or advanced players who want to generate spin through lengthier swings. This racquet is not meant for power, and thus should not be the preferred racquet for players who don’t like to wait for points and want to end it quickly. The RDS 002 has excellent feel, control, and spin, but lacks the heavy weight for power. Volleys weren’t too penetrating, but control came easily. The racquet was spin-friendly from all parts of the court with sufficient control and pop off the stringbed. Overall, I suggest the RDS 002 for those players who play a consistent game and don’t mind a small grind every now and then to construct their points.

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To demo the Yonex RDS 002 click here.