Head Graphene XT Radical Pro Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 79

Some of our playtesters liked the crisp, firm feel of the Graphene XT Radical Pro from the baseline, while others didn't. Karly enjoyed the stiffer feel. She said, "Three things stood out the most to me when it came to groundstrokes: comfort, stability and maneuverability. It would be a huge understatement to call it a stable, fast-swinging racquet. The Graphene XT Radical Pro was so easy to swing that it was easy to forget it weighs almost 12 ounces, yet that mass helped it feel solid on contact. I also thought the racquet felt stiffer than most racquets, but it wasn't uncomfortable by any means. It just didn't flex a whole lot on contact, which is a feeling I actually prefer. It absorbed shock well, didn't flutter in my hands and offered a forgiving response in a fast package."

Michelle is a big fan of the Graphene Radical Pro, and this update didn't work out quite as well for her on her groundstrokes. She explained, "I have to preface my comments by saying the previous version of this racquet (Graphene Radical Pro) is still one of my top 5 favorite racquets, and I was comparing it to this racquet during the playtest. I have to admit the previous version is still my favorite. This racquet felt really maneuverable and fast off the ground, and it offered a good blend of power and control. I liked that I could swing big and be rewarded, but I noticed this update lacked some stability, and it didn't feel as forgiving. I wasn't feeling as connected to the ball as I do when I use the Graphene version. I could still hit big and get good depth, but I felt it was lacking some of the control that I loved in the previous version."

"From the first strike of the ball, I was reminded of the firm and crisp feel of the previous Radical Pro," Troy said. "Like the previous Graphene version, this Graphene XT Radical Pro has a good balance of power and control for a 98 square inch head size. I found the control and stability of this racquet allowed me to hit penetrating, deep slice backhands with ease. Although this new version is coming in with slightly heavier specs than the previous one, I still found it fast and easy to maneuver from all areas of the court. If I had one knock on this racquet from the baseline, it's that the feel on contact was a bit jarring at times. When strung with a soft co-poly or a gut/poly hybrid the comfort wasn't an issue for me."

Andy struggled to find his rhythm from the baseline during this playtest. He critiqued, "I had trouble getting totally dialed in with this racquet from the baseline. I thought the sweetspot felt smaller than it did in the previous version, and the stringbed was a little erratic at times. There was a big drop in power outside the sweetspot, which made me a little apprehensive when going for bigger shots. The spin potential wasn't really there either, and I couldn't get the ball diving back down toward the court when I did take a bigger swing. I thought the directional control was pretty good, but aside from that I wasn't all that impressed."

Volleys - Score: 79

Like from the baseline there were mixed feelings about the Graphene XT Radical Pro from our playtesters when they approached the net. Michelle was having no issues and felt very comfortable at net throughout the test. She raved, "This racquet felt solid and stable up at net. The racquet was easy to use up there. I could carve out what I needed defensively or set myself up with a deep volley to be offensive. There was just enough touch to be effective and I enjoyed playing doubles with this racquet as I could easily transition from the baseline to the net."

Karly also really liked the racquet up at net, as she praised, "Volleys were without a doubt the best shot to hit with the Head Graphene XT Radical Pro. The standout features it offered at the baseline were there at the net, too, only better. It felt more forgiving and was very easy to move back and forth. It offered rock-solid stability with a comfortable feel, and the touch was superb. I even had more control over my shots, which I prefer over power. With that being said, there wasn't anything I could complain about when using this racquet at net."

Troy enjoyed the control and responsiveness for his net game, but he found the sweetspot to be a bit small and unforgiving at times. He explained, "I had good command of my volleys with this racquet, which helped my confidence at the net. The mass in the hoop allowed me to hit deep penetrating volleys, and the firm, crisp feel allowed me to get good feedback on touch volleys. I wasn't getting quite as much feel on volleys as I do with my Wilson Six.One 95, but I found enough to hit the corners of the court. The downside for me was that the sweetspot felt a bit unforgiving, especially for a 98 square inch head. When I made contact outside the sweetspot, the response was a bit jarring on my arm."

Andy struggled to get his net game in order, saying, "I had similar struggles around the net to what was happening to me at the baseline. I found my volleys either flying long from the powerful (yet small) sweetspot or dropping way short when I tried to take a little off or I didn't catch the ball in the center of the strings. I just never really knew exactly where the ball was going once it left the strings. Stability and maneuverability were pretty good, but as much as I enjoyed the previous version at net, I was very disappointed with this update."

Serves - Score: 82

All of our playtesters enjoyed serving with the Graphene XT Radical Pro, mostly because of the easy power that it provided. "My favorite shot to hit during this playtest was the serve," Andy said. "The erratic results that I experienced on my groundstrokes and volleys didn't come into play, and I was getting a blend of power and control that let me hit my spots effectively within the service box. I felt confident going for my full arsenal of serves, and when I wanted to I felt like I could reach back and get some good pace on my flat serves."

Troy was also able to hold serve quite often with the Graphene XT Radical Pro. He shared, "I found this racquet provided a good blend of power and control during my service games. The 16x19 string pattern allowed for easy access to spin on my slice and kick serves. With the maneuverability that this racquet provided I was able to hit flat first serves down the middle with little effort. Overall, I had a lot of fun serving with this racquet."

Karly was finding easy power on her serves, but not as much control as she did from other areas of the court. She explained, "There was noticeably more pace on my serves than on any of my other strokes, and it came easily, too. Hitting powerful serves happened naturally, but that also meant that serving was the hardest stroke for me to control. I wasn't getting a whole lot of spin on my serves either, which made it tough to rely on topspin to keep the ball from flying long. I had to concentrate more on keeping the serve in play rather than seeing how hard I could hit the ball."

Michelle liked the Graphene XT Radical Pro for hitting big first serves, but she struggled at times on her second serve. She said, "I found I could hit some pretty big serves with this racquet. However, I was struggling a little with the spin on my second serves. I didn't feel like I was being as effective as I could be with kick serves, and I lost some confidence there. The previous version of this racquet made it easy to hit my targets on both first and second serves. I preferred hitting big, flat serves with this update, but I didn't love it if I was under pressure and hitting second serves."

Returns - Score: 78

Finding it easy to catch up to big serves from their opponents, the Graphene XT Radical Pro's maneuverability was our playtesters' favorite feature when returning serves. "The racquet's maneuverability allowed me to get it on a lot of returns," Troy shared. "With that being said, this racquet's stiffness felt a bit jarring and unforgiving against big servers. When I'm returning serves against big servers like Andy and Marco I prefer a racquet with a soft, plush feel to compensate for the fact that it's hard for me to find the sweetspot consistently. When I found the sweetspot of this racquet, I was pleased with the amount of control I had. I found enough control and precision to keep my returns away from the net man when playing doubles as well. The heft in the hoop also allowed me to use my slice backhand return effectively, and I was able to keep the ball deep in the court with little effort."

Michelle enjoyed the maneuverability of the Graphene XT Radical Pro, but she wished for a bit more precision. She said, "I enjoyed how quickly I could attack balls with this racquet, but as I often do, I overhit a bit and was craving a bit more control from this racquet. Also, I didn't find it to be as stable when I got pulled off the court. I play it pretty close to the lines at times, and I just wasn't feeling connected to the ball enough to be confident on my returns."

Andy had a brief adjustment period, but then he found himself returning effectively. He explained, "I've always really liked returning with Radical racquets, and while this wasn't my favorite version, I still had some success with that shot during this playtest. I like the rounder head shape for forgiveness when I return serve, and its maneuverability allowed me to get the racquet around my body in time to catch up to harder hit first serves. There's also some nice heft in the hoop that helped me get chip returns back deep in my opponent's court. The erratic stringbed and small sweetspot came into play when I took bigger swings, so I just kept my swing compact and took the ball early -- which is usually a recipe for success!"

Like the others, Karly was getting the racquet into position quickly, but she would have liked a bit more stability against bigger servers. She said, "The ultra whippy maneuverability was great for getting the racquet back quickly on returns. The Graphene XT Radical Pro allowed me to get into position early, which gave me a big boost in confidence when I was returning serves. I found myself running around my backhand more than usual so that I could hit my forehand return. However, returning was also the area where I experienced the least plow through. The racquet still felt comfortable and stable, but the racquet was so whippy that when I made contact the momentum of my stroke slowed down noticeably and I couldn't drive through the ball as quickly as I could swing the racquet."

Overall - Score: 78