Volkl Super G V1 Pro Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 86

The TW playtesters found the Volkl Super G V1 Pro to be more maneuverable and more powerful from the baseline than the previous Organix version. Tiffani was really looking forward to this playtest because the Organix V1 Pro is one of her favorite racquets. She explained, "I wasn't disappointed. After a brief adjustment period this Super G V1 Pro delivered what I look for in racquets from the baseline: a fast swing, easy-to-produce power and versatility. The need for adjustment came from what felt like a more maneuverable feel and additional power. It didn't take long for me to find my groove with this racquet. With the fast swing I rarely felt late on shots, and the easy power let me flick shots over the net when I probably shouldn't have been able to do so. The versatility allowed me to hit with topspin, slice or to drive the ball flat. The V1 Pro did all of this and was super comfortable. It was borderline too soft for my taste, but even off-center shots weren't jarring, so I really can't complain too much."

"The previous Organix version of this racquet was one of my favorite racquets to hit with," said Brittany. "I was excited to get out on the court with this Super G update to see how it compared. What I found was more power and more maneuverability. The previous version was a control-oriented racquet, while this update has more power. It was very easy to hit the ball deep in the court even when on defense. Sometimes I found too much power and I had to reel it in by hitting with a little more topspin. This racquet was very easy to swing, and I had no problems generating racquet head speed. While I was able to generate power, there were times when it didn't feel like I had a lot of weight behind the ball, especially if I was trying to create my own pace."

Mark found it easy to transition into the Super G V1 Pro. He said, "For my first session with a new racquet I always bring out a few racquets that are similar to the test racquet. I do this to get an idea of how they compare, but also to have a racquet to fall back on if I'm having trouble adapting to the playtest racquet. I started this practice session with the new Volkl Super G V1 Pro and ended with it as well, without so much as a glance toward the sideline racquets. I don't know the exact specifications, but I felt like the newer Super G V1 Pro has close to the same overall weight and balance as the prior model. That said, I felt the newer V1 Pro was very stable off the ground, especially for a low 11-ounce racquet. The string pattern was open enough to allow me easy access to pace and spin off either wing, yet dense enough for me to really dig into my backhand slice. Overall, the Super G V1 Pro complemented the ground portion of my game nicely. It's a lively frame, even with a full bed of a monofilament string."

Having a similar response was Jason, who said, "It's a very fast racquet. I was able to swing it with ease, generate tons of racquet head speed and impart lots of spin. Even when a ball was hit into my body or right at my feet, I felt like I could get this racquet on it and get off a decent shot. I could've used just a little more weight in the hoop when I was hitting against playtesters who can really crack it. Even off-center shots aren't too jarring because of the super plush, soft feel this racquet provides."

Volleys - Score: 83

The Volkl Super G V1 Pro shone up at net, especially its maneuverability and comfort. Jason really didn't have much to complain about. He offered, "I liked it on both volleys and overheads because of the maneuverability, but there was enough mass behind my shots to let me put away sitters with ease. If I'm being picky here, I'd say the muted response didn't necessarily help with touch/drop volleys."

Mark said, "The Super G V1 Pro hid its low 11-ounce weight well by virtue of its high level of stability at net. It felt light enough to get it in place on time but hefty enough to produce a stable, predictable volley. I like to move toward the net, and I did it more often with the Super G V1 Pro."

"This was a very easy racquet to volley with," Brittany continued. "All I had to do was get the racquet into position, aim and punch, and my volleys were landing deep in the court. This racquet is very comfortable even on off-center shots, and I never felt any vibrations or jarring when I was reaching for the ball and hitting outside of the sweetspot. I wasn't the biggest fan of the feel, which I found a tad too muted. I prefer a crisper response off the stringbed."

Even though Tiffani prefers the baseline over the net, she still found success when moving forward. She explained, "I don't think I felt more compelled to go to net with this racquet in my hands, but I didn't shy away from heading forward, either. It's light, so it felt fast in my hands, and I enjoyed the comfort factor at the net even more than at the baseline. Slightly mis-hit volleys were plenty comfortable."

Serves - Score: 82

While some of our playtesters found plenty of power and spin from the Volkl Super G V1 Pro, others were left wanting a little bit more. Brittany found the serve to be her favorite stroke with this racquet. She said, "I thought the most noticeable update with this racquet was the added power, which I appreciated greatly when I was serving. It went from the stroke that I struggled with the most on the previous version to my favorite stroke with this update. I had plenty of free power on my first serve and could really go after the ball. According to my PlaySight data I was hitting in the mid-90 MPHs with ease, and I felt that if I really pushed I could be into the low 100s. While I definitely preferred this racquet on first serves, I was just fine hitting second serves with confidence."

"The Super G V1 Pro gave me a nice mix of spin and pace on my serves," described Tiffani. "It didn't seem to produce a super heavy ball on serves, but I liked serving out wide with it. I felt comfortable swinging this racquet overhead and could get the ball swinging out wide a little better than usual. I didn't have to go to the body serve as much."

Jason had mixed feelings when it came to starting off the point with this racquet. He said, "The specs are in my wheelhouse and the maneuverability was great, yet for some reason I didn't have the best time serving with the V1 Pro. I wasn't getting the power I'm used to with my own racquet, which has similar specs. The spin on my slice serves was right on par, which is a positive."

Mark added, "The racquet I have been playing with lately does weigh closer to 12 ounces, and with the lower weight of the Super G V1 Pro I did feel like I was missing some easy MPHs on serve. On the other hand, my serve was effective even late in matches, and I never got tired with it."

Returns - Score: 83

There were mixed reviews when it came to returning serves with the Volkl Super G V1 Pro. Mark had nothing but positive things to say. He raved, "I loved the Volkl Super G V1 Pro for this portion of the test. I was able to disguise my backhand return pretty well, either going down the line or cross court. I was able to confidently sneak into the net off this shot almost every time."

"I was happy with the control I had over my returns," said Jason. "I felt comfortable going for my targets, whether it was cross court, inside out or inside in, and it was easy to hit with depth most of the time. Because I could put a lot of spin on my shot I could take bigger cuts at the ball and still be confident it would land in."

On the other hand, Tiffani was surprised that she struggled somewhat on her returns. She offered, "I had trouble controlling the power when I was attacking second serves, and I found myself slapping at the ball too much. I actually felt more comfortable returning harder hit serves, which surprised me -- less time to think, I guess! The comfort again came into play on returns, because those well struck serves that I thought would make this racquet flutter didn't faze it much."

Brittany said, "The stroke I struggled with the most was returns. The return is normally one of my favorite shots to hit, but I just couldn't get a good feel for my return in singles or doubles. When I was returning first serves the racquet was being pushed around and slightly twisting in my hand. I didn't feel confident going for my returns and always opted to hit for big targets. On the other hand, the maneuverability was definitely a positive, as I always had the racquet ready for the serve and was hitting my returns on time, or even early at times."

Overall - Score: 84