Head Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 83

The 93 square inch head size and 11 ounce strung weight make the Head Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro a unique racquet to hit with. Brittany's current racquet specs are slightly different than the Rev Pro, but she was interested in trying it out. She started, "When I got on the court I was surprised with how easy it was for me to adjust to a midsize racquet. In just a short time I was really grooving on my groundstrokes. The sweetspot is a little smaller than I'm used to, but I expected that. When I hit in the sweetspot I was rewarded with a solid, powerful shot. When I missed the sweetspot there was a drop in power and stability. However, this made me work a little harder and use better footwork to get the response I wanted from the racquet."

Chris' favorite shots to hit with this racquet were groundstrokes. He explained, "I liked the way the Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro came though the strike zone. It felt fast and easy to snap around, and on a full swing I could put its 325 swingweight to good use. I was hitting some great topspin angles off my backhand wing, and I liked the accuracy I was finding. My slice backhand was also working well with this racquet. I felt like I could place the ball well with it, but I did miss the easier power and depth I get from my regular racquet. I had to add a little more racquet head speed here, but it wasn't an issue thanks to the fast feel of this racquet."

"I was very impressed with the overall performance of the new Head Graphene XT Prestige S, so I had high expectations for the Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro," Mark explained. "I loved the Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro from the baseline five minutes into my first hitting session. When its 93 square inch hoop size, which now exhibits an open 16x19 pattern, was matched with a full bed of a low tensioned polyester the Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro provided me great directional control and placement from the back court. I was a little challenged on my backhand slice, which I usually rely on with midsize frames, and that may have had something to do with the Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro's open pattern and close to 11 ounce static weight; most midsize frames are paired with heavier static weights and dense string patterns."

Karly has played with racquets with similar specs in the past. However, this racquet surprised her. She said, "The adjustment period took longer than usual for me, mostly because I wasn't expecting so much easy power from its 93 square-inch head size and higher swingweight. Those specs normally equate to more control, but this racquet offered a lively response along with a very whippy feel. It was really maneuverable from the baseline, and I didn't have to swing big to get good pace behind my shots. Luckily, the racquet was also very spin friendly, so I could use topspin to keep the ball in play. Even though the combination of its extreme spin potential, maneuverability and easy power took some time to adjust to, the Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro was a fun racquet to hit with at the baseline."

Volleys - Score: 75

Our playtesters had mixed reviews of the Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro up at net. Karly experienced some ups and downs when hitting volleys. She said, "The excellent maneuverability made it easy for me to get into position quickly at the net, and I enjoyed being able to quickly get ready for the next volley. I also thought the power was toned down at net, which made it easier to control my shots. The improved precision and great mobility made it a point-and-shoot racquet on volleys. However, the Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro felt less stable at net. There wasn't enough mass to keep the racquet stable in my hand on contact. The racquet fluttered and felt harsh on my arm, especially when I didn't make contact in the sweetspot."

On the other hand, Mark had some success at net. He raved, "That fast and easy to swing feeling I had from the backcourt carried over to the net with the new Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro. The combination of its low 11 ounce strung weight, midsize hoop and open pattern was great for me. It was light and maneuverable enough for me to be get it in position in time, yet heavy enough to be stable against a well-struck passing shot."

"There were definitely some positives and negatives up at net," continued Brittany. "For starters, the racquet was quicker than I expected for its swingweight. This allowed me to get it into position with ease. However, the sweetspot is small and the racquet lacks torsional stability, so I felt it was getting pushed around a lot. The racquet definitely twisted in my hands on multiple occasions."

Chris agreed, saying, "This racquet lacked mass at net. It felt too light and got pushed around too easily. Standard volleys were fine, but I was getting no help on stretch volleys and tough pick-ups. Still, I found the response to be accurate, and I was placing the ball well. I was able to cup under the ball easily to drop volleys short with underspin."

Serves - Score: 76

Our TW playtesters struggled to find their rhythm while serving with the Head Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro. Mark offered, "Besides my backhand slice, this was the one other shot that I needed more time to work on. I have been trying to improve my serve by modifying my approach a little, and I was challenged a bit to make consistent contact in the sweetspot with the Graphene XT Rev Pro's 93 square inch head size."

Brittany never could get comfortable serving. She explained, "The Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro didn't give me any free power, and I didn't feel like I had a lot behind my serve. I had to be very conservative when playing matches, and I was slicing the majority of my serves into the body. I just felt like I could not get a good read, and my serves were erratic."

"I felt like I could have gotten more from this racquet on my serve with a little additional mass," added Chris. "Again, it was easy to get the racquet through contact, and I was hitting with ample spin. However, I was missing some pace, and I was not hitting the heaviest ball. I focused on moving my serves around and mixing up spins to be offensive. Every now and then I would mix in a flatter, faster serve, but if it strayed too close to my opponent's hitting zone it turned into a bit of a sitter."

Karly also struggled to find success on her serves, but for a different reason. She said, "Unfortunately, I had a tough time finding my groove with the Rev Pro on serves. While it proved to be exceptionally maneuverable at the baseline and net, when I tried swinging it over my head I couldn't get any momentum behind my stroke. It felt sluggish, and that made it hard to drive through the ball for a powerful serve. I found my second serves were more effective because it was easier to produce more spin than power. Its whippy feel disappeared on serves, and I had to rely on its spin potential to start off each point on offense."

Returns - Score: 79

Returns were the best way for our playtesters to start points off with the Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro. Chris was able to start the point off aggressively, saying, "The maneuverable feel worked well for me on returns. I found it easy to take a good rip at the ball. My forehand return was working especially well. I slapped a couple of screaming return winners in singles play with this racquet and found some solid dipping angle returns in doubles. As from the baseline, as long as I kept the tip speed up the racquet came nicely through contact."

"The maneuverability was back with returns," Karly said. "I could move this racquet quickly into position and whip through my returns with good racquet head speed. Setting up for returns came naturally, and I never felt slowed down by the racquet like I did on my serves. The Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro also generated good depth and spin, so not only was it easy to set up for the return, I could also hit an aggressive shot deep into the court."

Mark had nothing but positive things to say about returning with the Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro. He said, "This area of the playtest was great for me. The smaller head size and this racquet's overall weight allowed me to easily get through contact on my returns, which gave me great control of their height and direction."

Although the return is one of Brittany's favorite shots, she struggled to hit it with this racquet. She explained, "My biggest complaint was the torsional stability. I could feel the racquet twisting in my hands when I was trying to return serves. Because of the smaller sweetspot, I didn't have as much control. Some returns would fly long when hit in the sweetspot, while returns hit outside the sweetspot had a drop in power. On the positive side, I was able to get it around my body quickly and into position."

Overall - Score: 78