Okay, let’s talk about my time with the Tecnifibre Tempo 298 Iga racket.
I’d been seeing it around, heard some chatter, you know? I was using something else before, heavier, felt like I needed a change, maybe something a bit faster. So, I went ahead and picked one up. First impression out of the box? Looked sharp. Nice paint job. Felt noticeably lighter than my old stick, which was the point, I guess.
First thing, obviously, was getting it strung. Didn’t do anything crazy, just put in my go-to multifilament string around mid-tension, maybe 53 pounds? Something like that. Wanted to get a baseline feel for the frame itself without the string complicating things too much.
Hitting the Court
Took it out that weekend for a hit. The first few swings felt… quick. Really quick. Coming from a heavier frame, the maneuverability was instantly obvious. Warming up with mini-tennis, it felt easy to handle, comfortable.
Groundstrokes:
- Forehand: This is where I first noticed the speed. Whipping the racket through felt easy. Getting good topspin wasn’t hard work. Power was decent, not overwhelming like some rackets, but controllable. I felt like I could really accelerate through the ball. Took a bit to dial in the depth, sometimes sailed a bit long initially because it came off the strings faster than I expected.
- Backhand: My two-hander felt pretty solid with it too. Again, easy to get the racket head around. Slice was okay, maybe not as knife-like as with a heavier frame, but definitely workable and easy to generate backspin.
Volleys:
Up at the net, that maneuverability was awesome. Reaction volleys felt much easier. It was simple to get the racket in place. Touch and feel were pretty good, felt connected to the ball. Stability against harder shots was okay, not amazing, but for its weight, it held up decently.
Serves:
Serving took some adjustment. Because it felt lighter, I initially wasn’t getting the same plow-through heaviness on my flat serves. But, getting racket head speed for kick and slice serves was definitely easier. Had to focus more on using my legs and body to generate the pace that used to come partly from the racket’s weight. After a while, I got the hang of it, found a nice rhythm.
Returns:
Returning serve, the quickness was a big plus against big servers. Blocking back fast serves felt manageable. Taking cuts at second serves felt good too, easy to be aggressive.
Living With It
I played with that initial string setup for a few weeks. Found myself really liking the easy swing speed and the spin I could generate. It didn’t feel demanding on the arm either, which was nice after longer sessions. I did notice on slightly off-center hits, it wasn’t quite as forgiving as some heavier rackets, but that’s often the trade-off for speed.
Eventually, I experimented a little, dropped the tension slightly on the next restring, maybe down to 51 pounds. That opened up the sweet spot a tiny bit more for me, felt a bit plusher.
Final Thoughts
So, after using the Tempo 298 Iga for a good while now, it’s stayed in my bag. It just makes playing tennis feel a bit easier, less work to generate speed and spin. It’s comfortable, fast, and gives decent feedback. If you’re coming from a really heavy racket, it might feel a bit too light at first, especially on defense against heavy hitters. But if you’re looking for something maneuverable that helps you whip the ball with spin, it’s definitely worth trying out. It’s worked out pretty well for my game.
