The Yonex Percept 97 was maneuverable, spin-friendly and offered a plush response from the baseline. Michelle started off the playtest by comparing the racquet to other members of the Percept family. She said, "I playtested this Percept 97 alongside the heavier 97H and denser 97D, and this was no doubt the easiest racquet to jump on the court with. While a bit lighter and faster than what I normally like, it was the racquet I quickly gravitated toward, and I found I needed a bit more of a break-in period with the H and D versions. This racquet offered great pocketing and felt flexible through the throat but a bit firmer at the tip, which I've noted really liking in racquets like the Prince ATS Textreme Tour 98 and the Solinco Whiteout XTD 18x20. The Percept 97 felt stable for its weight, and I didn't notice any glaring issues with off-center hits. Instead, I felt I could use my slingshot method, where I have the ball in the stringbed and then exude power when driving through my groundstrokes."

The Percept 97 was very similar to Zsofi's preferred specs, so it was right in her wheelhouse. She said, "The specs got me excited to get on court. The first thing that came to mind was that it was a pretty soft racquet. So much so that I did miss some of that stiffness, and I felt like I was missing a bit of a response from the frame. To my surprise, the racquet provided great levels of spin, and I really enjoyed opening up the court with that. With the Percept 97, it was very important to get my timing right. It rewarded me with a nice, comfortable plush feel and great control. To make the most out of this racquet, I focused on hitting full swings instead of shorter ones and tried using my opponent's pace on the ball instead of generating my own."

"I play most of my tennis from the baseline, and Yonex's VCORE PRO 97 310 has always been a great racquet from the backcourt," added Mark. "Groundstroke-wise, the Percept 97 felt familiar and easy to swing, with one minor change relating to some extra point-ending power in the Percept 97 that was not present in earlier iterations. Along with its manageable 11.5-ounce weight, the spin potential was also top-notch, and I was able to play my game of absorbing pace, changing the direction of the ball and aiming my groundstrokes toward smaller targets."

Chris was impressed with how easy the Percept 97 was to use from the baseline. He said, "This racquet felt easy to accelerate, the response was forgiving and I never felt like I had to work hard to find either power or control. At impact, the Percept 97 bested other Yonex 97s I've hit, such as the VCORE PRO 97, with a more solid and stable feel. My topspin shots had solid spin. Likewise, I was getting enough bite on my slice backhand to get the job done. I felt very consistent, and I was happy to engage in long rallies, confident that I would neither tire nor encounter any surprises from the response of the racquet."

Up at net, our playtesters found that the Percept 97 offered a quick, responsive feel, but it lacked stability for some. Chris' net game felt solid with the Percept 97. He described, "I was able to place my volleys very well and felt confident with this racquet at net. The Percept 97 had enough mass that it never felt like it got too pushed around, yet there was enough maneuverability for it to still feel fast in my hands. I found the response to be very comfortable, and again, the sweetspot felt generous."

Mark found the Percept 97 quick to get into position at net. He said, "Until my opponent was blasting passing shots at full speed, the Yonex Percept 97 rode the fine line of stability with a high degree of maneuverability. The lower swingweight and tip-light balance made getting the Percept 97 into position easy, and its substantial static weight and crisp layup of graphite in the hoop paved the way for predictable and effective volley exchanges."

"I enjoyed volleying with this racquet but noticed a lack of mass behind the ball," continued Michelle. "I had to be sure my feet were dialed in, and I couldn't rely on the collision of the racquet with the ball here. Out of the three versions of the Percept I tested, this was probably the one I liked the least at net, mainly because it required me to do more work, and it was a bit less stable than the other two racquets."

Zsofi had a similar opinion here. She added, "Unfortunately, I noticed some instability at the net with the Percept 97, so I didn't feel as comfortable up there. I definitely had to make sure that I prepped myself well and stepped into my volleys."

Our playtesters agreed the serve was a standout stroke of the Yonex Percept 97. Serves were Zsofi's absolute favorite shot with this racquet. She said, "I thought the Percept 97 really excelled here. I felt confident picking riskier targets with my serves and was able to consistently hit them."

Michelle had nothing but positives when it came to serves, saying, "I was having a lot of fun serving with the Percepts, this 97 included! As mentioned in my groundstrokes comments, when I got my 'slingshot' timing going with this racquet, I really dialed in with my serves. I found good power and precision, and I could load the racquet and explode into my serves. I was rewarded serve after serve. I also noted some good movement on my second serves, but I really just wanted to hit big first serves all day."

Mark was testing the Yonex Percept 97H, 97D and 97 in the same period of time, and his favorite shot to hit with all three was the serve. He described, "Among other traits of the Percept 97 that benefited my serve, I felt like it was the ball dwell time and pocketing that stood out the most in terms of why it was so easy for me to serve effectively with this racquet.”

"All of my serves worked well with the Percept 97," agreed Chris. "I liked the level of spin I was getting, and my slice serve had good action to it. There are other racquets in this class that might give me a tad more pace on a flat first serve, but I'll take the added accuracy and consistency the Percept 97 offered me."

Similar to volleys, the Percept 97 was easy to maneuver and swing on returns, but it was missing some weight for a couple of our testers. With a more abbreviated swing, Mark was able to use this racquet to his advantage. He said, "Because my typical return of serve is a lot like a half volley, I had the same effect returning serve with the Percept 97 that I did at net. Until serve speeds were excessive, returning serve with the Yonex Percept 97 was predictable, easy and effective."

Not only did Chris like to start off the point serving with the Percept 97, but he also had success on returns. He said, "I found the Percept 97 to feel solid and consistent, which makes me sound like a broken record, but what was not broken was how I could continually rely on its response. When stepping in and taking a fast-moving ball early, it really helps to have a trustworthy racquet in your hands. The Percept 97 is such a racquet. I enjoyed returning aggressively, flirting with the lines and trusting the Percept 97 would land the ball on my intended targets."

On the other hand, Zsofi thought the Percept 97 could benefit from some customization. She said, "Returns were a bit of a pain point for me, and I felt that this racquet got pushed around a lot against heavier shots. To avoid this issue, I would personally like to add some weight to the hoop to make the racquet a bit more stable."

Michelle was in a similar boat. She wrapped up the playtest, saying, "This is where I could tell the Percept 97 was a bit lighter than what I tend to gravitate toward. I was swiping too quickly at times with this racquet and found myself out in front or craving added control. Yonex POLYTOUR PRO sometimes feels a bit too springy for me as well, so I would ideally adjust with a deader, tighter string to quickly solve this problem. But I also think this Percept 97 is ideal for customization, and some weight here and there could help me get even further connected to my return."