Tennis World Tour 2 makes significant strides forward in comparison to the first game, but it's not quite serving up an ace just yet.
Tennis fans have been craving a game that takes advantage of all of the nuances of the sport, while still creating something that is fun, accessible and allows you to grow your skills.
Tennis World Tour 2 is definitely heading in the right direction in this regard, with rallies feeling more authentic and entertaining.
The likes of Virtua Tennis focused heavily on battling it out from the baseline and pulling of outrageous shots while building up unrealistically long rallies. Tennis World Tour 2 moves far away from being an 'arcade' sim, but the heavy focus on realism can also scare those who are looking for a casual knockabout.
The action on the court is what matters, and when heading into Exhibition games with some of the biggest stars in the world will showcase the best of what the game has to offer. Despite difficulty in learning timing and shot variation, after some time you will begin pulling off some trademark shots that Roger Federer would be proud of.
The Career Mode also boasts the requirement for strategic thinking. Do you miss an event for rest and recovery, or do you push on for the chance to pick up a win and boost your player? These are questions you will face while on the road to glory.
On the base settings in career, you will have to deal with frustration and losses early on. This is one area where there could be more depth. Instead of being pitted against players who are noticeably better, and getting to a point where you struggle to compete even when pulling off perfectly timed shots, tailoring tournaments that would be competitive throughout may be a better option.
These gripes will disappear as you build your player up, but it may be that the developers' risk of going for ultra-realism in approach will make this a difficult game for newcomers to come to grips with.
Also, the complex card system which offers a range of buffs for your star, or hinderances for the opponent, feels out of place and a little pointless as an added extra.
Boasting Tennis School to better your skills, a roster with the best tennis stars in the world, slick presentation and an improved feel to gameplay, Tennis World Tour 2 is most certainly a step in the right direction.
The game is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
