Head Graphene XT Prestige Pro Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 83

Players looking for the perfect blend of control and power in a modern racquet will find just that in this Graphene XT Prestige Pro. Our diverse team of playtesters all found success from the baseline. Andy felt very natural hitting groundstrokes with this version of the Prestige Pro, just like he did with the versions that came before it. He explained, "I felt totally connected to the ball, and the racquet oftentimes felt like an extension of my arm. This version certainly feels a bit heftier through the hoop and packs a way bigger punch than the one it replaces. It doesn't get pushed around as much against bigger hitters, and it is way easier to generate power and spin with it. This does, however, come at the cost of losing a bit of control. Lastly, I did notice a big drop-off in power outside the sweetspot, while other racquets in this weight class feel a bit more forgiving off-center."

Michelle, who struggled with the previous Graphene Prestige Pro, wasn't sure what to expect from this review. She said, "The specs fall into my wheelhouse, with a swingweight in the 330s, and I think that helped me enjoy the racquet from the first hit. This racquet isn't as stiff as what I like, but I've started to appreciate the feel from softer, more flexible racquets. Off the ground I felt like I could really accelerate through my groundstrokes, and I definitely noticed a more controlled, less powerful response. There were times I struggled to get consistent depth, so I had to focus on that. The 16x19 string pattern looked and felt tight to me, which helped with control. Unfortunately, I wasn't unlocking any surprising spin potential with this racquet, and it let me down a few times when I tried to hit my backhand dipper in doubles."

Troy felt dialed in from the baseline, saying, "Staying true to the roots of the Head Prestige line of racquets, the Graphene XT version was no disappointment when it came to the amount of control I was getting on my groundstrokes. The weight and swingweight are close to my racquet of choice, and that helped me time my shots. I was able to generate topspin with ease from the 16x19 string pattern, which allowed me to create sharp angles. Compared to the Head Graphene Prestige Pro, this Head Graphene XT Prestige Pro has a slightly larger sweetspot and a more forgiving feel. Like the previous version, this racquet has a firmer and crisper feel than some of the more classic feeling Prestiges, like the Microgel, although I didn't find it too stiff or jarring unless I completely shanked the ball."

Granville, who has a soft spot for classic racquets, was hooked after the first few groundstrokes he hit. He said, "Butter. Smooth, creamy butter. The specs for our demo are noted on a sticker above the handle, and I kept looking at them to make sure I was feeling what I was feeling; a soft response (63 RA) with increased power over my current stick. The response is buttery smooth with deep penetrating power. It is worth noting the grip shape did not feel to me like the standard Head (rectangular) shape, but more like the Speed (and Wilson) grip shape. I'm delighted about this since the grip shape has been my No. 1 roadblock to any permanent switch to a Head racquet (editor's note: Despite Gran's experience, there has been no change to the Prestige handle shape and this current version uses the same TK 82 pallet as used on previous Prestiges). As noted in the video review, this racquet is simply a classic spec with modern power. According to my PlaySight data I am indeed getting more MPHs on my forehand (17 mph average increase!) and more spin on my backhand."

Volleys - Score: 83

Players who have always gravitated toward the Prestige line of racquets will be delighted to know that the Graphene XT Prestige Pro performs well at the net. Michelle found the racquet to be very responsive and maneuverable. She said, "I liked volleying with the Graphene XT Prestige Pro for the most part, but I did note a lack of stability when I was really reaching at the net. I normally play with a heavier and stiffer racquet that has more stability when I am reaching for volleys. Offensively, this racquet worked just fine at the net. Defensively, it was a little tougher to get myself back into the point effectively."

Troy felt confident when coming to the net. He said, "There was enough mass in this racquet to get good depth and penetration through the court. The feel of this Head Graphene XT Prestige Pro allowed me to hit sharp angles and drop volleys. When I was playing doubles I found enough maneuverability to react during fast exchanges. This Head Graphene XT Prestige Pro doesn't quite have the rock solid feel of my Wilson Six.One 95 or the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph, but I was pleased with my overall effectiveness at the net."

Granville felt like this racquet was part of his arm. He said, "The weight and balance combine to make this a very maneuverable racquet at net, allowing me to hit just about any shot that came to mind. From a feathery touch low volley to punching a volley down the line, I had complete confidence with this weapon in my hand and was able to keep up with some of the younger hot shots around here."

This racquet felt great around the net for Andy. He commented, "The added heft to the hoop resulted in better stability on off-center contact, which made it easier for me to punch volleys back deep into my opponent's court. There was enough maneuverability to get the racquet into position quickly during fast exchanges, and there was enough feel to go for shots that required more finesse. The net was definitely my favorite place to be during this playtest."

Serves - Score: 85

All the attributes of this Graphene XT Prestige Pro came together for our team when they were serving. Troy found, as he did with the previous version, that this racquet worked well for his lefty serves. He said, "The mix of control, maneuverability and spin allowed me to be effective during my service games. This Head Graphene XT Prestige Pro is slightly lighter than my Wilson Six.One 95, so it was easy to maneuver and get a lot of spin on my kick and slice serves. I also found that the added maneuverability added some extra pop on my flat first serves. The control of this racquet had me hitting my targets, and I found my serves down the middle were consistently landing in."

Another awesome benefit of this new Prestige Pro was more power on Granville's deceptive flat serve. He reported, "While I didn't record service speed using PlaySight, I know I was getting a bit more juice out of the ball on my serves while hitting my marks in the service square. This surprised me a bit since the 63 R.A. is on the flexible side (Maybe there's some magic in the lay-up -- stiffening the neck or hoop?). The extra power revealed just how important my first serve is to my singles game, especially against players like Andy, Marco and Sebastian. It allowed me to hit a better serve, creating a weaker return that I could take advantage of. In other words -- against these younger, better players -- I had a chance of getting ahead in the point early."

Andy found a nice blend of power, control and spin from the Graphene XT Prestige Pro, which made this racquet very easy to serve with. He said, "Maneuverability was good, and I was able to generate lots of racquet head speed to impart pace and spin on both first and second serves. While there wasn't as much control when compared to the previous version, power and spin are easier to come by."

"I can always put a racquet to the test by serving with it in a doubles match, because I really get the opportunity to see what it can do on first and second serves," began Michelle. "I felt really confident hitting my second serves with the Prestige Pro. I could really get my slice serves sliding off the court or into the body of my opponents. I was also confident going after my kick serves, where I noticed a bit more spin potential than I found on my groundstrokes. First serves were a bit trickier for me, though. I wasn't finding a consistent sweetspot, and the racquet felt slightly erratic. I like to try and ramp up the MPHs on my first serves, and I wasn't as effective hitting big first serves with this racquet as I am with my Pro Staff RF97 Autograph.“

Returns - Score: 81

The maneuverability of the Graphene XT Prestige Pro shone when our playtesters took to returning with it. Most of our team appreciated the feel from the 16x19 string pattern and tapped into the control and spin when ripping returns. Granville felt very comfortable returning with the Graphene XT Prestige Pro, saying, "I was able to get over the ball when needed, or I could simply bleed the speed and feather a low return cross court."

Andy enjoyed returning with this racquet, but he was looking for a little less power and a bit more control. He said, "Ultimately, I didn't feel completely confident taking big cuts at my return because I was afraid of losing the ball long if I timed it just right. With that said, maneuverability was good for getting the racquet around my body quickly, and stability was good for when I chipped my returns or made contact off-center."

Michelle found success returning with this racquet, but she did still struggle to access spin when trying to hit her angles. She explained, "I usually have three types of returns: one where I attack big and go after the ball; one where I block back a massive flat serve; and the last one is a more strategic doubles return where I like to dip the ball. This racquet was successful on two of the three. It was easy to take big cuts confidently and attack returns; the control in this racquet played right into what I need on a big return! I felt like those returns were very reliable. It also worked really well when blocking returns back because the feel and control were great. However, I was struggling to juice enough spin out of the racquet on my dipper returns. Those are usually my bread and butter in doubles, and I found I had more success going big and hard rather than taking a bit off the ball."

The stability of this racquet helped Troy hit effective returns, even when he was facing big servers. He said, "I found enough plow through to add easy depth on my returns without much effort. When I was playing doubles I found good precision on my returns, and this allowed me to keep the ball low and away from the net man. The slice return was effective with this Head Graphene XT Prestige Pro, although it wasn't quite as sweet feeling as my Wilson Six.One 95. With the control that this racquet provided, I felt like I could be aggressive and take big rips at second serves without fear of hitting long."

Overall - Score: 82