Babolat Y 112 Standard Grip Tennis Racquet

Babolat Y 112 Tennis Racquet

Tennis Magazine Review

How it tested: For a few years Babolat has sold its game-improvement racquets (lightweight powerful frames) with its ergonomic Smart Grip. The handle curves out in two spots for a better fit in the hands of players who prefer to hold the racquet in the middle of the grip instead of close to the butt cap. It’s not for everybody—our playtesters have had mixed feelings about it in the past—so it’s nice that with the Y 112, the Smart Grip is optional (it’s shown here without). From a performance standpoint, the racquet has a huge sweet spot that provides ample power (if you prefer even more, the racquet also comes in a 118-square-inch model for $10 more). You don’t have to take much of a swing to hit the ball deep from the baseline. The one major drawback was a fair amount of vibration on off-center hits. Babolat recommends stringing the Y 112 with its VS Natural Gut to enhance playability and is offering a discount on the string at purchase.

Playtester comments: “Plenty of power to be had”; “Ball really spun off the bed”; “Great around the net”; “Have to use a dampener.”

Bottom line: Too much vibration, but otherwise it gives power to players who want a lot of help from their racquets.

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