Li-Ning
Axforce 90
The 2025 Axforce 90 — a head-heavy attacking racket with a slim 6.4mm medium-flex shaft, built to make powerful smashes easier to time.
GOS verdict
Read this first"Axforce attack, with a shaft that forgives your timing."
The 2025 Axforce 90 (style code AYPV001) is the newest member of Li-Ning's Axforce attacking family, alongside the Axforce 90 Tiger Max and Dragon Max. It keeps the series' head-heavy balance and Box Wing Frame, and moves to a 6.4mm slim shaft with medium flex. The result is an attacking racket that does not demand a perfect swing to produce a heavy smash.
The medium shaft is its key quality: it gives a wider timing window on smashes and clears than a stiff attacking frame, so pace comes more easily from the rear court. The honest limitation is handling. Like every head-heavy racket, it is slower to reset in fast flat exchanges and against repeated smashes. For Indian club and tournament players who attack from the back and want Axforce power without a stiff shaft, the Axforce 90 is excellent at its GOS price point.
- A rear-court attacker in doubles or singles
- Wanting smash power without a stiff shaft
- Building an attacking game from intermediate level
- Looking for Axforce power in 3U, 4U or 5U
- A front-court player who lives on fast exchanges
- Looking for a crisp, stiff shaft response
- A defence-first player
- A beginner — a lighter, more forgiving racket suits better
What is the
Axforce 90?
01 / 08
The Li-Ning Axforce 90 (style code AYPV001), often called the "Axforce 90 New", arrived in 2025 as the latest version of Li-Ning's Axforce 90. Axforce is Li-Ning's attacking series, and the 90 sits just below the Axforce 100 flagship. It is a different racket from the Axforce 90 Tiger Max and Dragon Max, which use a 6.2mm shaft.
It keeps everything that defines an Axforce — head-heavy balance, the Box Wing Frame and Wing Stabilizer — and pairs it with a slim 6.4mm shaft in medium flex. That makes it one of the more approachable high-end attacking rackets: power from the rear court without needing the swing speed a stiff shaft asks for.
The Axforce 90's defining decision is a medium-flex shaft in a head-heavy attacking frame. Head weight supplies the power; the shaft's flex helps release it with a wider timing window. Players get a heavy smash even when they are slightly late or off balance — at the cost of some of the crisp, direct feel of a stiff shaft.
Pro player: Loh Kean Yew (Singapore, men's singles) — 2021 World Champion and career-high world #3, plays with the Axforce 90 — see his player gear profile.
Technical
specifications
02 / 08
← The defining spec
Thicker than the Tiger / Dragon Max's 6.2mm
Series
positioning
03 / 08
Li-Ning's performance rackets map to three playing philosophies. The Axforce 90 belongs to the attack pillar.
Within the Axforce series at GOS
The Axforce flagship
The earlier Axforce 90 Max versions
2025 version · this racket
Club-level attacking racket
Technology
breakdown
04 / 08
The medium-flex shaft — why not stiff, like most attacking flagships?
Axforce 90 — 6.4mm medium flex
Alternative — Stiff attacking shaft
A slim shaft that cuts air resistance through the swing, set at medium flex. It stores a little energy on the backswing and releases it on contact, giving a wider timing window on smashes and clears.
A box-section frame for stability under the load of a full smash, combined with wing-shaped sections for lower air resistance. Li-Ning designed the pairing to raise shuttle speed and smooth out impact.
Stabilising structure in the frame that helps it recover its shape after contact and reduces vibration, so consecutive attacking shots feel consistent.
Toray's high-strength T1100 carbon fibre in the layup, used alongside high-modulus carbon for strength and a solid feel at attacking tensions.
A shock-absorbing material in the frame that damps vibration on heavy contacts, keeping the head-heavy frame comfortable over long sessions.
On-court
performance
05 / 08
Recommended setup: Yonex BG80 Power or Victor VBS-66 Nano at 25–27 lbs. 4U / G5. Head-heavy balance.
Zone-by-zone assessment
| Zone | Rating | Performance | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smashes | 90 | Exceptional | The racket's identity. Head-heavy balance puts weight behind the shuttle and the medium shaft helps release it, so heavy smashes come even from a slightly late swing. |
| Flat drives | 87 | Exceptional | Drives carry real weight and the Box Wing Frame keeps them stable. Strong in mid-court doubles exchanges once the racket is up and moving. |
| Control | 85 | Exceptional | The frame is stable on contact and the wider timing window helps consistency. Placement is good, though less precise than a stiff control racket. |
| Net play | 81 | Good | Net kills are powerful when the racket is up early. Delicate net shots need a little more care, as the head weight makes fine touch harder than with an even frame. |
| Defence | 80 | Good | Lifts and clears reach depth easily thanks to the head weight and flex. Recovery against repeated steep smashes is slower than with an even or head-light frame. |
| Maneuverability | 78 | Good | Honest limitation. Head-heavy balance makes the racket slower to reset in fast flat exchanges at the front. The 5U is the quickest option if handling matters most. |
Real on-court situations
| Situation | Level | What the player feels |
|---|---|---|
| Full rear-court smash | Exceptional | Heavy and steep with a comfortable swing. This is the shot the Axforce 90 is built for. |
| Smash from a slightly late position | Exceptional | The medium shaft still releases good pace. A stiff attacking frame gives much less back here. |
| Deep clear from the baseline | Exceptional | Reaches the opposite baseline easily. Head weight and flex do much of the work. |
| Mid-court drive exchange in doubles | Exceptional | Drives carry weight and stay flat once the racket is moving. |
| Net kill on a loose reply | Good | Powerful when the racket is up early. Late preparation shows more than with a lighter head. |
| Block against a steep smash | Good | Stable on contact, but the head weight costs some time getting back into position. |
| Fast flat exchange at the front | Good | Keeps up, but the head mass is noticeable. Front-court specialists may prefer a lighter head. |
Head-to-head
comparison
06 / 08
Compared against its most natural competitor at GOS: the Yonex Astrox 88D Pro (3rd Gen), Yonex's rear-court attacking racket.
| Li-Ning Axforce 90 | Yonex Astrox 88D Pro (3rd Gen) | |
|---|---|---|
| Character | Attacking · easier timing | Attacking · rear-court specialist |
| Balance | Head-heavy | Slightly head-heavy (302mm) |
| Shaft flex | Medium | Slightly stiff |
| Shaft | 6.4mm slim shaft | HM Graphite · 2G-Namd FLEX FORCE · Ultra PE Fiber |
| Frame | Box Wing Frame · T1100 + high-modulus carbon | HM Graphite · CFR · Tungsten |
| Weights at GOS | 3U · 4U · 5U | 4U |
| Choose Axforce 90 if... | You want heavy smashes with a more forgiving medium shaft, a choice of 3U, 4U or 5U, and a lower GOS price than the Astrox 88D Pro | |
| Choose Astrox 88D Pro if... | You have a fast, full swing and want a slightly stiffer, crisper response from a Japan-made Yonex frame | |
String
recommendations
07 / 08
All recommendations sit inside the 30 lbs ceiling of the 4U frame. Factory stringing is low — re-string before competitive use.
Power, repulsion and strong tension retention
Quick, crisp response on smashes and drives
Tension guide: Club 23–25 lbs · Advanced 25–27 lbs · Structural ceiling 30 lbs (4U) · Professional machine stringing above 26 lbs recommended.
Who should
buy this?
08 / 08
- A rear-court attacker in doubles or singles
- Wanting heavy smashes without a stiff shaft
- Moving up to a high-end attacking racket
- Wanting a choice of 3U, 4U or 5U
- Looking for Axforce power below Axforce 100 pricing
- A front-court player who lives on fast exchanges
- Looking for a crisp, stiff shaft
- A defence-first player
- A beginner — choose a lighter, more forgiving racket
- Needing a tension ceiling above 30 lbs in 4U
- Heavy, steep smashes (90 / 100)
- Medium-flex shaft — wider timing window than stiff attackers
- Box Wing Frame — stable under full-power contact
- Easy depth on clears and lifts
- Available in 3U, 4U and 5U at GOS
- Used by 2021 World Champion Loh Kean Yew
- Maneuverability is the weak point (78 / 100)
- Less crisp feel than a stiff attacking shaft
- Slower to recover in defence than even frames
- Fine net touch takes more care
- 30 lbs tension ceiling (4U)
- The 5U gives up some rear-court smash weight
Buy the Li-Ning Axforce 90
God of Sports · Authorised stockist · Pan-India delivery from Mumbai
Also explore: Axforce 90 Tiger Max · Axforce 90 Dragon Max · Axforce 100 · Yonex Astrox 88D Pro · All Li-Ning Rackets at GOS