Head MxG 1 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 86

Our playtesters found that the Head MxG 1's mix of power and control, access to spin and easy maneuverability made it perfect for groundstrokes. Coming from the Babolat Pure Aero Plus, Tennis Warehouse Europe's Valerie couldn't help but praise the newest offering from Head. She said, "I really like the new Head MxG 1, and I didn't need any time to get used to it. I prefer fast, powerful frames, so the Head MxG 1 was a perfect match for my game style. Due to the new technology, I felt like the sweetspot was bigger and the frame was more stable, which helped me hit big, powerful groundstrokes from any position on the court while still being able to control and place the ball. I was able to put more spin than usual on my groundstrokes and hit the ball really deep, especially on my backhand. I thought the Head MxG 1 had great plow through, and my backhand slices stayed nice and low. It was also good defensively when I was pulled out wide."

"Having playtested both the MxG 3 and 5, I was extremely interested to see how this player's spec version would stack up," said Brittany. "I usually use a 100 square-inch headsize, but I have also dabbled with some 98 square-inch racquets. I was impressed by how easy this racquet was to pick up and use. I didn't have to make any adjustment to the slightly smaller head, and I felt the sweetspot was on the generous side. As expected, the MxG 1 offered the most control in the lineup and had a pretty even combination of control and power. The racquet was extremely quick through the air, and I was able to generate head speed with ease. This allowed me to hit more angled, topspin groundstrokes to pull my opponent off the court. However, on the downside, I was left wanting a little more mass in the racquet. There were definitely times when I could feel the racquet getting pushed around, especially against players who hit with pace and spin. I had to work a little harder to land my groundstrokes deep in the court, so I was also looking for a little more plow through."

Chris was impressed with the racquet's comfort and speed. He described, "The MxG 1 was a very easy racquet to maneuver from the baseline. The fast feel made it easy to really whip the racquet around to generate spin. The response was comfortable without being overly dampened. I felt more connected to my shots with the MxG 1 than I did with the MxG 3 we previously tested. As expected, I also found more control. The MxG 1's light swingweight lacked some drive, and I would have liked a tad more power. I'd add a little tungsten weight tape to 10 and 2 in the hoop for a quick and easy fix. Compared to my Tecnifibre TFlash 300PS, the MxG 1 offered a slightly lower launch angle, so I had to give the net a little more clearance to get similar results."

Simon, from TWE, was pleased with the MxG 1's power level. He said, "I was surprised by the power of the MxG 1. I could really feel the extra pop with the new technology. The longer, free-moving main strings made a huge difference, increasing both power and spin. I also felt comfortable under pressure due to the bigger sweetspot, which made the racquet more forgiving when I didn't hit the ball perfectly."

For the most part, Tennis Only playtester Sara agreed with Simon's assessment of the MxG 1's power. She noted, "I felt I had a little more pop on my topspin groundstrokes with this racquet. I didn't need to swing as hard to create power, so I had to adjust my stroke a little to compensate. The sweetspot felt small, but when I connected with it consistently it was great for my aggressive all-court play style. While the power level was good, there wasn't enough feel in this racquet for me."

Formerly a TW playtester and now at Tennis Only, Marco found control and spin from the baseline. He said, "I really enjoyed being able to get plenty of racquet head speed on my groundstrokes and generating power and control on my own terms. I found that I was able to swipe the racquet under the ball and snap up quickly to get the desired spin and control, particularly on low balls. This racquet's sweetspot was a bit small for my liking, and I could notice when I wasn't quite catching my shots near the middle of the racquet."

Volleys - Score: 78

Whether they were playing singles or doubles, our playtesters were impressed with the MxG 1's quick feel at net. Heading up to the net on her first hit, Brittany immediately noticed the racquet's speed. She said, "I actually enjoyed the feel a little bit more at net than I did at the baseline. I experienced some instability at first, but it was less noticeable when I was keeping my stroke short and punching a put-away volley. There were a couple of times when I was stretching for a passing shot that I felt some twisting in my hand."

Chris continued to enjoy the comfortable response of the MxG 1 at net. He said, "I found decent feel on touch shots. The MxG 1 was easy to control, and I could be aggressive without fear of overhitting. Again, I'd have liked some more weight in the hoop to stabilize the response and add a little pop. With some added weight, this racquet would be right up there with the likes of the Babolat Pure Aero/Drive and Head's own Graphene Touch Extreme MP."

Simon found both positives and negatives when it came to volleys. He explained, "The MxG 1 was maneuverable at the net, which made it easy to get it into position. I had no issues ending points, but I was having trouble controlling reflex volleys, especially when I hit the ball outside the sweetspot."

"This is the one area where I struggled with the MxG 1, mainly because I found I couldn't get enough juice on my volleys," critiqued Marco. "I found that a bit of tungsten tape at 3 and 9 o'clock steadied up the racquet a lot on volleys, and it added some nice plow through, too."

Sara was looking for a little more feel up at net. She explained, "It was easy to get the MxG 1 into position, and it was great on my deep, attacking volleys. It just lacked a little touch on short and angle volleys compared to my racquet of choice, the Head Graphene Touch Radical S."

Serves - Score: 82

While the playtesters had mixed reviews when it came to the Head MxG 1's power and control on serve, they agreed that it has good precision and spin potential. Sara wasn't blown away by the pace she was getting from the MxG 1, but she found that the racquet's precision made up for it. She said, "I have a big serve to begin with, and I didn't notice much added power with the MxG 1. Placement was good on first and second serves. I wasn't as confident hitting the big first serve with this racquet as I am with my racquet of choice, but I was still happy with the placement."

"I was finding good precision with the Head MxG 1 when serving, and I had no issues getting pace and movement," added Valerie. "I felt confident serving with this racquet, which allowed me to hit bigger first serves or aim for smaller targets. On second serves, I was able to implement a variety of shots and locate my targets consistently."

Comfort was a theme throughout the playtest for Chris. He explained, "I served pretty well with the MxG 1. I was able to consistently hit my targets and work the ball with spin. I was missing a little of the pace I get from my TFlash 300 PS, but I still found enough to be effective. Again, I thought the response was very comfortable."

Marco is a big-serving lefty, and he utilized all the spins in his arsenal to serve successfully. He elaborated, "I found that I could get pretty easy access to spin on my serves, especially slice and kick serves. Power was a bit harder to come by, and I found I wasn't quite getting the pop that I'm used to."

Simon was also impressed by the spin he received when starting off the point. He said, "I was able to access good spin with this racquet, which is a necessity for me, as my serve is not very powerful. On my second serve I was able to put pressure on my opponents by hitting a kick serve, which forced them to hit a weak reply that I could attack."

While the MxG 1 doesn't give Brittany the free power of the Yonex EZONE 100 (300g), her current racquet of choice, or the Babolat Pure Drive, which is one of her favorite serving racquets, she was able to take advantage of the precision and spin to hit effective first serves. She said, "While I was able to generate plenty of racquet head speed, it took more effort to hit a serve with pace, and I still felt that I was missing some weight behind the ball. I felt confident going after my second serve, though, and I had a higher-than-average second serve percentage. I'd credit this to the maneuverability and the consistent response."

Returns - Score: 78

For the most part, the MxG 1 worked well for our playtesters on serve returns. As with the other strokes, maneuverability was a key factor here. Chris continued to enjoy hitting with the MxG 1, saying, "The response was dampened, and I still had plenty of feel for my shots. I got some nice pocketing from the stringbed, which allowed me to control the ball and hit my targets. Again, the power level was very manageable, and the racquet felt best on a fast swing."

After a small adjustment, Sara was able to dial in her returns. She said, "When playing against Marco I had to compensate a little on returns because he has a big serve, and I felt I had to shorten my swing, block the ball back and make sure the return went in. I could be more aggressive with the MxG 1 on second serves. While it felt solid in my hands on contact, this racquet did slip occasionally due to the grip being slippery — overgrip required!"

Brittany found success by keeping it simple. She said, "I had no issues getting the MxG 1 into position against any serve because it was so easy to swing. Keeping my stroke short and compact yielded the best results, and I could hit a clean, deep return to start off the point. On a second serve, when I had to take a full swing, I was noticing the racquet twisting and turning in my hands."

On the other hand, Marco needed to swing out to stay aggressive. He noted, "Snapping this racquet into position for returns was easy due to the head-light balance. I did have to swing a bit more on returns to get the desired depth and penetration; simply timing the return well wasn't enough to get the ball through the court."

For Simon, the return of serve was the low point of the playtest. He concluded, "I just needed more control on my service returns. On the plus side, the MxG 1's maneuverability helped me get into position to return fast serves."

Overall - Score: 82