Tecnifibre TFight 315 RS Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 81

The TFight 315 RS swung quickly for our team of playtesters, and that was definitely a positive. It didn't take long for this racquet to become one of Chris' favorites from the Tecnifibre lineup, right behind his trusty TF40 305. He began, "I loved the easy power and spin I could generate, but I sacrificed a little feel and control compared to my racquet. The TFight 315 RS has a crisper response, and it felt like the ball was getting in and out of the stringbed faster. The string pattern felt open, giving the racquet a forgiving sweetspot and solid bite on the ball. I was able to drive shots deep with good pace, which made the TFight 315 RS a fun racquet to trade groundstrokes with. My on-the-run passing shots had some added zip, and I was getting ample control from the spin I could generate."

"I've noticed in other Tecnifibre racquets that the heaviest model is not necessarily the one that swings with the most plow through, and that was the case with this TFight 315 RS," said Michelle. "I quickly appreciated what this racquet had to offer: a speedy swing and a spin-friendly, solid response from the baseline. It swung much faster than my current racquet of choice, so I really worked to generate spin and depth. I found opportunities to execute my angles more often, which is hard to do when swinging racquets with swingweights over 335. The stringbed felt forgiving, consistent and comfortable, which made this a good racquet to drill with. I wasn't sure how it would perform in a point situation when my adrenaline was up, but surprisingly, I found a lot of success. Because I was trying to work the point more thoughtfully and pull opponents off the court rather than hit through them, I was rewarded with a savvier style. And I still found I could step up and take a crack at a ball after I crafted the point. The TFight 315 RS provided the right amount of controllable power for my game."

As a fan of the previous TFight 315 XTC, Mark expected to play just as well with the new RS update. He described, “During the first few baseline exchanges I could feel this racquet's speed-inducing, 7-point tip-light balance. By the end of that first hitting session, I concluded that the TFight 315 RS had plenty of weight in the hoop (with its 321 swingweight) to maintain stability under the pressure of heavier groundstrokes. Compared to many other player's frames I have tested, this racquet was very easy to swing, and it didn't require much time to feel confident with it from the backcourt. By the end of the playtest I felt I played better from the baseline with the new RS update over its more maneuverable predecessor. Lastly, the wide spacing of the 16x19 string pattern offered loads of access to topspin and still allowed for an effectively low backhand slice."

Volleys - Score: 83

With such a maneuverable feel at the baseline, our team could tell that the TFight 315 RS would perform well at net too. "Net was one of my favorite spots to hit with this racquet," said Michelle. "Initially, I wasn't sure it would be stable enough against heavy hitters, but it held up to big shots. It was also really maneuverable and helped me get into position perfectly. I could craft deep first volleys, and the ball did exactly what I expected of it. The racquet was solid enough that I could pick up anything low at my feet and add in a bit of touch if I was feeling up to it. Because I was pulling my opponent off the court with angles, I was more apt to move forward and end the point with a volley."

Mark was on the same page, and he found it easy to get the racquet in position on time. He explained, "I typically plant the ball all over the stringbed when volleying, and one of the aspects I noticed was the size of the sweetspot and how it felt when contact was not perfect. Even if ball contact was near the frame, comfort and shot quality were still high."

Chris played a lot of doubles with this racquet and was pleased with its performance at net. He said, "I had a solid sense of depth and directional control on both my punch and touch volleys. I liked the launch angle out of the stringbed, as well as the crisp, predictable response. I also appreciated the maneuverable feel and was very confident closing the net to put volleys away."

Serves - Score: 81

The TFight 315 RS continued to play well for our team when it came to targeting their serves and executing slice. Mark especially liked serving with this racquet. He said, "The 16x19 pattern gripped the ball nicely. With its weight and balance, it almost coaxed me to take more chances and swing faster. Although the speed of my serve did not really increase over the course of this playtest, quality and consistency did."

This is the shot where Michelle was left craving a bit more plow through from the racquet. She explained, "I just didn't feel like I was ever hitting big first serves that I could win the point off. However, I had more success when I was placing serves with spin or slice. I tried to focus on getting the ball to bounce into my opponent's body or off the court. I felt like I could rely on that consistently from the racquet, but I also know I wasn't setting any speed records."

Chris found the TFight 315 RS easy to swing on serves. He said, "I was very happy with my slice serve; I was getting lots of pace and some nice action on that delivery. On flat serves, I found the directional control I needed to go for the corners and take some risks. The racquet came through contact quickly, and I thought there was ample room to add weight for more plow through power if desired. In stock form, I liked the access to spin and pace I had on both first and second serves."

Returns - Score: 82

Our playtesters were thoroughly impressed by the TFight 315 RS' fast and maneuverable feel on returns. Chris explained, "I found the racquet to come around very quickly and feel more responsive than other racquets in this weight class. Again, getting pace and spin was a snap, and all of my returns were working well."

"Returns are where I like to set the point up by taking command of the ball," said Michelle. "I was happy to find that the TFight 315 RS was quick to swing and allowed me to pick and choose my targets. In doubles, my angle returns were on point! I could swing big and dip the ball just perfectly at my opponent's feet. I also found I could hold my return a bit and try to disguise it at times. Again, my mind shifted away from trying to win the point off the return and instead focused on constructing the point by placing the first ball exactly where I wanted to move my opponent."

For Mark, the TFight 315 RS was definitely stable enough to bring his chip-style return off both wings to life. He explained, "The tip was light enough for me to get the racquet over the top of the ball as well. I was not hitting return winners off my opponent's serves, but it was effective enough to apply pressure on the server."

Overall - Score: 82