Head i.Tour Review

Head racquets are usually among the most popular racquets on the men's and women's pro tours. Head has successfully capitalized on this pro player connection, and included the word "Tour" on several racquets. The Classic Tour, Prestige Tour, Pro Tour, Fire Tour, Radical Tour (just to name a few) were all fairly true player's racquets that had weight, head size and other characteristics preferred by upper level players. The i.Tour's name (and looks) would suggest a pure player's racquet, but the it's more of a 'tweener with some player's racquet features. The 100 square-inch head and 11.1 ounce weight are a little larger and lighter than usual for a heavy hitter, but the head-light balance, standard length and 18x20 string pattern bring it's power level and feel back into that category. We were eager to playtest this racquet and have these comments.

Groundstrokes

The i.Tour is maneuverable but still provides a stable, solid feel from the baseline. Dan explains, "at about 11 ounces, I mistakenly pre-judged the i.Tour as a lightweight player's racquet before I actually tested it. The first time I picked it up I knew I was mistaken. This racquet feels "meatier" than some key specs might indicate. There seemed to be more bulk behind my groundstrokes than its light swingweight and static weight should allow. I was taking full cuts off both wings and finding nice control and solid topspin. When I tried to hit controlled, medium paced slice, the ball did float a bit on me. I found better success with a faster stroke speed (when hitting with slice). The best way to explain this racquet is to say it felt like a control oriented, head light racquet. BUT, off center hits - towards the tip of the frame - felt somewhat empty and some vibration was evident. Its lower swingweight may come into play here." Chad offers, "the i.Tour provided great feel for my groundstrokes. I may have to rethink my preference for head heavy racquets. I was able to produce deep balls off of my flatter groundstokes from both the backhand and forehand side. Topspin shots felt a little off, but still remained in the court with good placement." Granville adds, "from the first moment this racquet seemed light, much lighter than I had anticipated. The up side of this is the i.Tour is very manueverable on the ground strokes (serves and volleys too). The down side is the racquet does not provide the 'punch' of other, heavier, head-light racquets. As a result this racquet isn't quite as stable on groundstrokes until you can find and adapt to the higher sweetspot. The lower part of the string bed was fairly dead. I was able to modify my strokes a bit by setting up farther from the ball which helped on the forehand side. Truthfully though, I never quite found the groove from the baseline."

Mark comments, "the i.Tour is a solid player's racquet, offering minimal power and maximum control. An aggresive swing was all that was required to create an effective stroke from the baseline. I had more success with slice groundstrokes initially, but my topspin shots continued to improve the more I played with the i.Tour." Don says, "I liked the mobile, yet solid feel on groundstrokes. Good comfort without feeling too dampened, although it has a fairly firm flex throughout the hoop. This helps with stability on balls hit higher in the stringbed. The lower swingweight required a fuller swing than normal (for me), and the dense string pattern didn't allow me to generate quite as much spin as I like. All in all, though, I liked the racquet but would add a little weight in the hoop to raise the swingweight some. Also, I'd string it a little looser with thin string."

Volleys

The i.Tour's teardrop head shape and head-light balance make it user friendly at net. Granville offers, "the i.Tour is a solid racquet at the net. Once again, the lighter weight makes it very maneuverable and thus very desirable for net play. The racquet gives a nice cushioned response and is very predictable when it comes to control. So maneuverable, in fact, I found myself experimenting to see just how far I could take it with angled volleys and drop shots. I was very pleased with the results." Dan continues, "I liked the i.Tour up at net. I found a comfortable, solid feel and appreciated the somewhat larger and forgiving mid-plus 100 sq. inch head. I felt like I was volleying with 12 ounces in my hand, not 11. Again, I feel the head-light balance really comes into play here and lends a nice sense of stability to what could otherwise be considered a lightweight 'player's' racquet." Mark says, "I was able to be very aggresive when volleying with the i.Tour because of its low power level. It was easy to drive low balls back deep, and I was able to control hard hit balls comfortably. T he only balls that I had any trouble with were some high, slow balls that sat up for my opponent when my volleys fell a little short." Don comments, "good control and stability at net. I felt I could maneuver the racquet easily, yet it didn't get pushed around by hard shots from my opponent. Nice touch too for those sneaky little drop/angle volleys. If anything, I could have used a little more power on my volleys." Chad adds, "I have one word to describe the i.Tour at net: consistent. Each volley felt crisp and clean with effective placement. Touch was also a plus. The only downside were the off-center shots that landed considerably short of their target."

Serves

The i.Tour favors fast-swinging servers, delivering adequate power and reliable control. Dan explains, "the i.Tour really struck a nice balance for me when serving. While it was stable enough on impact to feel like a classic player's racquet, it was maneuverable enough to develop some 'crunch-time' racquet head speed - something not all player's racquets are nimble enough to allow. My kick serves jumped to a surprising height at times. I loved the spin factor when serving with the i.Tour." Granville continues, "this racquet impressed me with its cushioned feel on both the serve and offensive and defensive overheads. I was serving very well, although no 'heaters' in the cards for this racquet - just a bit too flexible to create that BIG serve. Not too worry, I was still hitting the ball very well with good power and control. Several aces as a result of good placement. Again, the light weight meant I could get the racquet back over my head quickly on overheads and I was able to do something with the ball once I reached it." Chad says, "nearly every serve was solid, with respectable amounts of power and control. It felt like a real heavy 11 ounces when serving. My second serves were effective when hitting a slice, however, the kickers were weaker and lacked movement. I double faulted more than usual, but I was not missing by much. This was probably due to the unfamiliarity of a racquet that is head-light." Mark offers, "I served very consistently and unspectacularly with the i.tour. I had good control and decent power, but my spin and kick serves were a bit subpar. The i.Tour seems to generate below average spin on most shots, but it was the most noticeable on serves." Don agrees, adding, "I served well but not great with the i.Tour. I don't swing real fast on serves and the i.Tour didn't give much extra. I did enjoy good placement and I felt confident with my serves, not double-faulting much. My slice and kick serves were, not surprisingly, a bit lacking in spin due to the dense string pattern."

Returns

Like many 'tweener racquets, the i.Tour is fairly versatile on serve returns. Dan comments, "I prefer the heavyweight, solid feel of a heav-ier (11.5 to 12oz) racquet on returns, but I also appreciate the mobility of something a little lighter. The i.Tour strikes a real nice balance. I could catch up to harder hit or well placed serves when late, yet the racquet gave me the solid, substantive feel I look for when actually returning - late, early or right on time." Chad offers, "my returns stink no matter what racquet I use, however the ones that I did get in were effective. I was able to keep the ball low when my opponent served and volleyed, and deep on the ones he stayed back on. A few more playtests and I am sure that the I.Tour would provide the consistency that I need." Mark says, "I returned serves pretty well with the i.Tour as long as I stayed aggressive. Any hesitation and my return ended up in the net." Don adds, "at first, I thought a simple blocking motion against big serves would be sufficient. However, after hitting several returns either into the net or too short, I realized I needed to add some of my own power. When I had time, I could hit well-placed returns with decent pace. Again, I'd likely want to add a little weight and/or drop tension to gain a bit more power on returns." Granville comments, "it took me a while to become accustomed to the high sweetspot in this racquet, and until I did, I found myself being very conservative on returns. Once I was more accustomed to the racquet I began to hit out with good success."

Summary

With most of Head's advertising and promotion being dedicated to their new IntelligenceX racquets, the i.Tour is almost a sleeper. However, it offers a nice combination of features for players seeking 'tweener mobility and player's racquet control. It's also one of the best values of the Summer. The i.Tour is best suited to faster swinging players who prefer a denser string pattern in a midplus-plus headsize. It's also a great "platform" racquet (customizing with lead tape) for players desiring additional weight. If you fit this description, you'll want to test drive an i.Tour for yourself. Available now through our mail-order demo program.

Review date: July, 2002. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

All content copyright 2002 Tennis Warehouse.