As our team expected, the Percept 97H swung with massive plow-through power, especially from the baseline. When Chris had time to set his feet and line up his target, he was able to hit a very heavy ball with this racquet. He described the consequences of being short on time, saying, "When I was on the run or wanted to get wristy to flick an angle, I struggled with the Percept 97H because I couldn't get it to do what I wanted. The racquet felt too hard to rotate quickly. I could not flick the racquet around, and it required a much cleaner and more direct swing. I have had the same issue with previous 97H models, such as the VCORE PRO 97H, whereas I do not have that issue with some other heavy racquets. When I did get this racquet lined up, I was happy with the spin and control I had on my shots, which helped me rein in some of the plow-through power. My favorite shot was my backhand slice. I was able to knife through the ball with my slice and put the racquet's mass to good use."

From his first strike, it was evident how much Troy liked the feel and timing he had with this Percept 97H. He explained, "It took me back some years to when I played with the first generation of the 330-gram version of the VCORE PRO 97. The solid and plush feel was great when exchanging balls from the baseline, and the plow through helped me hit my shots deep in the court. The backhand slice is a big part of my game, and I loved hitting it with this racquet. It offered easy plow through, loads of comfort, and the bite to really grab the ball and spin it like crazy. If I had any knocks on this racquet, I'd say the heftiness became noticeable after a long session of rallying from the baseline. I think I have a slight preference for the Percept 97D in stock form, but I much prefer the 16x19 string pattern of this 97H, giving me that added bite on the ball and easier net clearance. I think my ideal racquet would be the spec of the Percept 97D but with the same 16x19 drill pattern from the Percept 97 or 97H."

As a fan of heavy racquets, Michelle found the Percept 97H squarely in her wheelhouse when it comes to the specs. She said, "Right away, I found good synergy drilling with this racquet, and as someone who loves a good hitting session, I was happy with how stable the racquet felt even when I missed the sweetspot. I was playtesting this 97H alongside the D and the standard 97, and I thought this Percept 97H felt the softest of the three. When I transitioned into point play, I felt a little disconnected from my shots. I became more erratic and lost a bit of confidence when going for bigger shots. I began to change my strategy and relied more on cross-court balls and angles because my down-the-line shots were just not there. At times, the weight distribution just wasn't swinging as fluidly for me in tighter pressure situations, but with time I think I would be able to get more dialed in. To explain it the only way I can, it felt like the butt of the racquet came through first and the tip lagged behind. While I noticed the manageable swingweight, at one point I was worried I was getting weak and couldn't swing a racquet with a 330-plus swingweight. However, when I switched to my racquet of choice, the Wilson RF97, I had no issues finding the court and executing better points."

During Mark's first session with this racquet, he found success and court penetration on groundstroke exchanges. He said, "I also playtested the Percept 97D, and I preferred this Percept 97H. The higher launch angle of the 97H's 16x19 string pattern delivered enough easy power that the 330 grams of mass-based power did not hurt me during longer points. Gauging shot depth and changing the direction of the ball was easy from the baseline with the Percept 97H, as was producing confidence-inspiring levels of spin on the ball. My forehand was my favorite groundstroke to hit, but I was a little more precise on my backhand wing. All in all, the Percept 97H was one of the best racquets I have played with from the baseline."

At net, the Percept 97H proved to be solid and stable, while offering a plush feel. Troy described, "There are a few racquets nowadays that are above 12 ounces when strung, and racquets like this have a level of built-in solidness that I appreciate when hitting my volleys. The Percept 97H’s level of stability when facing hard hitters is pretty much up there with the best of the best — racquets such as the Wilson Pro Staff RF97, Volkl C10 Pro or Prince Phantom 93P (18x20). With the 97 head size, I found plenty of control and placement for my volleys, and there was a nice soft feel with good ball pocketing that gave me plenty of touch and feel on drop shots. There were a few times when I thought this 97H felt just a tad bit sluggish, though, so the 97D was a slight favorite on my volleys."

Michelle felt right at home with this racquet at the net. She said, “How can you not enjoy a racquet that is stable and has good feel? No big complaints from me, but because I was playtesting this 97H alongside the other two Percept 97s, I would say it was the most demanding at net."

"With a strung weight north of 12 ounces, I am more concerned with the racquet's level of maneuverability than its stability," added Mark. "By the time I hit five volleys, that concern turned into enjoyment. The Yonex Percept 97H delivered on both fronts, making my touch and punch style of volleys more effective than usual."

This category was a highlight of the playtest for Chris. He said, "My favorite shots with the Percept 97H were volleys. The weight and swingweight of the racquet felt much more manageable on the compact swing of my volleys. I liked how extremely solid this racquet felt, and it is the most stable 97H racquet I've hit from Yonex. I found the response to be very forgiving. When I was a little off center with the contact of a volley, I was still able to get a solid response from the racquet and get the ball close enough to where I was aiming. On touch shots, I was able to hold the racquet with a very light grip, so I could maximize feel and let the mass of the racquet do the work."

Our team continued to rave when commenting on their serving experiences with the Percept 97H. Michelle was thrilled with the serves she could hit with the heaviest member of the Percept family. She said, "This was my favorite spot to use this racquet. I have been trying to get some bigger first serves going and score some free points this way, and the Percept 97H did just that. Even if I didn't hit my target exactly where I wanted, the ball came through fairly big and helped me play offensive tennis. I could also get second serves going effectively with a combo of pace and spin."

Mark noted that his serve was the shot that the 97H complemented the best. He said, "I can find or modify other racquets to provide lots of mass-based power, but there was something special about the ball dwell time and the feel of the ball sinking into the stringbed. It made my serve harder for my opponent to deal with and more enjoyable for me to deliver."

Chris expected to serve well with the Percept 97H since he usually likes serving with beefy racquets. However, he said, "I never fully found the groove. The Percept 97H worked best for me on flat serves because it helped deliver plenty of plow-through power. When I was looking to add spin, it felt tougher to brush the ball with this racquet since the weight of the racquet wanted to push through the ball rather than letting me brush up or around it. I tended to push my second serves long because I was missing the spin that usually gets them dipping inside the lines."

Troy added, "This was one of those racquets that rewards good technique, but specifically a loose and fluid technique on serves. When I was loose and let the heft of this racquet flow before snapping my wrist right at contact, I could generate a heavy and powerful flat serve. On spin serves, I found easy bite on the ball, which I appreciated on my kick serve. While the racquet is hefty, I was able to adjust after a couple of sessions and use the mass and swingweight to help me generate a heavy ball. Once I dialed in my timing, I felt like I was serving big on my first serves, which are typically more of a flatter shot, and I was adding a heavy high-bouncing kick on my second serves. I would say this was my favorite Percept racquet to serve with."

For the most part, the combination of mass and plush feel was a recipe that helped our team return confidently with the Percept 97H. Troy found he could keep his backhand returns fairly compact and redirect the server's pace with ease. He explained, "I use my slice or chip backhand return pretty often in singles points, and this racquet let me do that fairly easily, finding easy depth and plow through. I hardly ever felt any shock or bad vibrations. My favorite part was when I had the chance to take a good rip on my forehand returns and I could attack without fear of missing. It was hard to tell which one I liked more on my forehand returns, this Percept 97H or the Percept 97D. Maybe the 97D because of the slight bit of added control. Overall, like with older versions of Yonex 330-gram frames, I felt like I was returning serves effectively and confidently."

While Chris enjoyed the stability of the Percept 97H on returns, he struggled with the racquet's maneuverability. He explained, “The racquet felt best when I kept my swing ultra compact. I was able to punch returns deep and utilize the incoming pace of the serve. As on groundstrokes, my slice backhand felt super solid, and I had lots of success with that shot. When driving the ball, I aimed to deep corner targets so I could set the racquet and drive straight through the ball. The result was a heavy and consistent return."

"Like my groundstroke experience, this racquet tempted me to go for too much," Michelle added. "When it was good, it was great, but when it wasn't, it was a big miss! I tended to aim more through the middle of the court to get the point going to avoid any careless return errors. The racquet was super solid and held up against everyone I faced on the court."

Admitting that his return of serve is a shot that needs more attention, Mark said, "My defensive chip return was reliable with this update to the 97H, but other players were still able to attack it. This was the shot where the heft of the racquet challenged me the most."