The Dunlop Sonic Core Elite Gregory Gaultier Edition was created in collaboration with the French General himself, it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to jump on court and put this racquet to the test. I got a feel for its power, control, feel, and maneuverability on a range of different shots, here are my thoughts...
(Below is our video review of the Dunlop Sonic Core Elite Gregory Gaultier Signature Edition. If you'd prefer to read our review, it continues under the video)
Racquet Specs:
Lengths
I really felt like I could channel my inner Gaultier when hitting lengths with this racquet!
When I hit with a larger, more sweeping swing, I was able to get some serious explosive power behind the ball while keeping my shot under control.
I also felt like the Sonic Core Elite Gregory Gaultier Edition allowed me to experiment with different heights, slices, and angles without having to worry too much about miss-hitting the ball due to the racquet's large sweet spot.
Volleys
When hitting volleys with this racquet, I really got a feel for its forgiveness. Since the sweet spot is so large, any time I had to react fast and hit a little closer to the edge of the frame, I wasn't too worried about miss-hitting the ball. This might be down to the generous 500cm2 head size.
The Sonic Core Elite Gregory Gaultier Edition also feels really smooth and comfortable, even when applying more pace to the ball.
Short Game
If you’ve watched Gregory Gaultier play, you’ll know how explosive and creative he is with the ball, however, he can also place it in short with great accuracy and this racquet really assists all of Gaultier’s strengths.
This racquet is incredibly smooth to play with and I was able to control the ball pretty well into the front corners from a number of different angles while varying the pace and slice.
The racquet's traditional frame shape and large 500cm2 head size are probably also to thank for the sublime levels of control provided by the Sonic Core Elite Gaultier Edition.
Maneuverability
To test maneuverability, I hit some figure of 8 routines and incorporated a few winners and crash nicks (both straight and cross court).
This is where the fun really started! Fun is really a great word to describe this racquet, especially when going for winners.
Any time I had a bit more time on the ball than usual, I was able to smash balls into those front corners with great accuracy and explosivity from all angles.
Although it's not necessarily the fastest racquet to play with from a reactive standpoint, since it has a head light balance point, you can still swing through the ball relatively fast if you need to.
With that said, this racquet's main strength is control, especially when you've got some extra time to really place the ball where you want it to go.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
The weighting and traditional frame shape make the Dunlop Sonic Core Elite 135 the perfect racquet for players who ultimately play a controlled game style with a larger swing but who are also looking to vary the pace a bit and take their opponents off guard with explosive shots when they need to.
Overall, I’d give it a 9/10 for control, a 8/10 for feel, an 8.5/10 for power, and a 7/10 for maneuverability
If the Dunlop Sonic Core Elite Gregory Gaultier Edition sounds like it might be the racquet for you, check it out on our website by clicking the button below ...
