Prince Textreme Tour 100P Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 85

From the baseline, this Textreme Tour 100P impressed our team with its stability and control, and it didn't skimp on the power either. Tiffani has been playing with the original version of this racquet for three years, so this update felt very familiar to her. She described, "I first playtested the Textreme Tour 100P in 2015, and I've been using it ever since, so it’s easy to see why I have been looking forward to reviewing the update. A lot remains the same with the second iteration of the Textreme Tour 100P. The balance of power and control that wooed me from the start is still there, and the playability of the two racquets felt quite similar to me. The newer version came up on the Babolat RDC with a slightly stiffer layup, but I didn't notice it much. The older version might offer a touch more pocketing, but I'm splitting hairs here. I don't think comfort was compromised with the increased stiffness. I could switch back and forth between these two racquets without any hesitation."

Mark also drew comparisons to the previous version. He said, "I played well from the baseline with the last iteration of the Prince Textreme Tour 100P, so admittedly I had high expectations for this playtest. Within 20 shots from the backcourt, I could definitely sense that Prince firmed up the new Tour 100P's graphite layup, which rewarded me with easier access to pace and a higher degree of consistency. I love the spacing of its 18x20 string pattern. Arcing the ball with lots of topspin was easy with the Tour 100P, and I was still able to maintain low net clearance with my backhand slice."

New to the Textreme Tour 100P, Erik tapped into the racquet's versatility to make it work for his all-court game. He said, "The Textreme Tour 100P was extremely solid on my groundstrokes. I felt like this racquet didn't get pushed around that often; it was extremely stable. There was a good amount of control here, too. I did not find it overpowering, but I still got a good amount of bite on the ball. My slice tended to stay low and effective; it was very point and shoot. The Textreme Tour 100P was pretty maneuverable, and it was easy to generate racquet head speed to get it into position. I could slice and hit out on my groundstrokes without fear of sending the ball long, which worked well for my game style. At times this racquet wasn't as maneuverable on the run or as generous outside of the sweetspot as I would've liked, but I loved it whenever I could set up for the shot. It was a little tougher to hit deep or effectively when I was on the run.”

Despite the specs not aligning with her typical tastes, Kristen found the Textreme Tour 100P more forgiving than most racquets she's tried with an 18x20 string pattern. She said, "I loved the feel of the Textreme Tour 100P on groundstrokes. I'm usually not a fan of 18x20 string patterns because they tend to feel too boardy for my tastes. However, that's not the case with this racquet. The spacing on this 18x20 is slightly more open, so while I was able to tap into the benefits of the tighter string pattern for added control on my shots, the feel was more forgiving. There was also ample access to topspin, and it was easy to hit with good depth. When I was hitting slice I could really knife through the ball, and it would stay low, skimming sharply over the net. I thought this racquet brought it all when it came to point play. It packed some punch when I was playing aggressively and was also easy to defend with thanks to its stability. Overall, it offered a great combination of power and control."

Volleys - Score: 86

At net, our team really appreciated the Textreme Tour 100P's stability. Erik didn't have the same maneuverability issues on volleys that he had at the baseline. He elaborated, "I had no problem maneuvering the Textreme Tour 100P, and it felt quite quick up at net. This racquet was very responsive and comfortable. I found myself hitting the ball deeper, though I couldn't get a ton of spin on volleys. I felt very connected to the ball with this racquet and had a very solid response off the stringbed."

Kristen enjoyed the racquet's accuracy on volleys. She noted, "I felt very comfortable moving forward with this racquet, as it offered great stability and great directional control. I found that even when I caught the ball outside of the sweetspot I was still able to place my shots well."

The Textreme Tour 100P once again pleased Tiffani. She said, "I liked the reliability of this racquet at net. It felt comfortable at contact and offered a good amount of stability and control. Since I feel very at home with this racquet, I had no issues maneuvering it. The Textreme Tour 100P has a very familiar feel in my hands."

Mark felt comfortable moving up to net with this racquet in his hands. He said, "I felt pretty confident wielding the new Tour 100P anywhere inside the service lines. Producing a high-quality, point-ending or point-preserving volley was easy. The combination of its 11.5-ounce static weight and low-320 swingweight offered my game a nearly perfect balance of stability and maneuverability."

Serves - Score: 84

Although the team enjoyed the Textreme Tour 100P’s focus on control from other areas of the court, some of the testers had to make adjustments to get adequate power on serves. Kristen explained, "Serving was one area where I did notice the tighter string pattern at first, and it took me a while to get into a good rhythm. Initially, I was missing a lot of serves or not generating enough power for my serves to be very effective. The key for me was loading up the ball with spin and exploding through my serve more. Once in that mentality, I was able to get the racquet head swinging faster and coming around the ball with better timing, and I started hitting some penetrating serves that landed deep in the box."

Like Kristen, Erik focused on his fundamentals to tap into the Textreme Tour 100P’s power. He said, "I enjoyed this racquet on serve. I had good accuracy and placement, though sometimes I’d find myself dropping the ball a bit short in the box or hitting it into the net. I had a lot of control and spin on my second serve, but I really had to focus on exploding up and getting under the ball to generate the depth I was looking for. My favorite serves were the slider out wide on the ad side and the slider up the T on the deuce side."

Mark relied on accuracy to achieve serving success. He noted, "For every shot, including my serve, I had an easy time switching to the new Tour 100P. Compared to the earlier edition, which was a softer feeling frame, I felt like my serve was a little more consistent and pinpoint with this updated version. Its combination of a rather spin-friendly 18x20 string pattern and an 11.5-ounce strung weight complemented my serve, making it my favorite shot to hit with this frame."

"This racquet felt good swinging up overhead," Tiffani continued. "It delivered enough power and spin for my game. Once again, the difference between the two versions of the racquet wasn't huge; I could serve with either one and be happy. The Textreme Tour 100P manages a good balance of weight and maneuverability that optimizes my service motion."

Returns - Score: 86

When it came time to return serves with the Textreme Tour 100P the team discovered a stable and controlled response. For Erik, though, it wasn't always the most forgiving racquet. He said, "I could be quite aggressive on returns with this racquet. When I was facing first serves I’d chip back deep returns with ease, and I could be very precise with my topspin returns. If I didn't fully commit to hitting the ball, though, my shots would end up going short or into the net. This racquet was extremely stable and solid on contact, but it was a little difficult to maneuver at times, and I would occasionally hit the ball late."

Tiffani was returning confidently with the Textreme Tour 100P. She said, "I liked how the racquet blended power, control and stability on returns. Since I also use this racquet when not playtesting, I felt right at home returning. When given the time, I could take big swings on my returns, and when I was facing bigger serves the racquet offered me enough stability to block the ball back."

The Textreme Tour 100P continued to woo Kristen, who found returns to be a highlight of the playtest. She described, "This might just be my new favorite racquet to return with. That balance of power and control was optimal when I was returning. I could take a big swing with confidence, and I could switch freely between offensive and defensive returns. I felt very connected to the ball, and I found it easy to get good placement."

Mark, once again, found control to be a standout feature of the Textreme Tour 100P. He said, "No doubt, Shaq has hit more free-throws than I have hit clean winners with my return of serve. That said, my directional control on the return was great with the new Tour 100P, and I was also able to hit around the ball more often than I do with my current racquet."

Overall - Score: 87