Head Graphene XT Extreme MP A Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

Taking advantage of Head's innovative Adaptive String Pattern, our TW playtesters hit with both string patterns of the Head Graphene XT Extreme MP A. With flatter groundstrokes, Brittany enjoyed the 16x19 string pattern from the baseline. She explained, "With specs right where I like them and having the ability to choose my string pattern, the Extreme MP A looked awesome on paper. When I got out on the court I was able to playtest both string patterns. I found tons of spin with the 16x16 string pattern but I also lost control due to my flatter game style. I was changing my strokes to hit with more spin to keep the ball in the court. I leaned toward the 16x19 string pattern because I was able to get the control I was looking for. With the 16x19 string pattern I was still hitting my groundstrokes deep in the court when I was on offense and defense. I enjoyed excellent maneuverability with both string patterns."

Tiffani started off this playtest with the 16x16 string pattern and finished it up with the 16x19 pattern. She said, "Although I preferred hitting groundstrokes with the 16x19 pattern, I enjoyed the added power the 16x16 offered. The more open pattern is great for hitting spin, but I tend to hit a flatter ball. I found better control once I switched to the 16x19 pattern. The power level was more controllable with the 16x19, and I was still hitting with plenty of spin when I wanted. No matter which string pattern was installed, this racquet swung so fast. It was easy to whip this racquet around in time even when I thought I was going to be late on a shot, which meant I was able to return balls that I normally wouldn't have. The one drawback for me with this Graphene Extreme MP A was the feel. The Extreme has always been a firm, crisp playing racquet, but it's nearing the stiffness limit for me. I really needed a softer setup and couldn't use a full bed of poly in it. I much preferred a natural gut/poly hybrid."

Mark offered, "On my forehand side I was able to swing aggressively enough that I could actually set a point up around my shot. My down the line and cross court forehands were very reliable and effective -- even my inside out forehand, which is usually my weaker shot from this wing, was looking good. The Graphene XT Extreme MP A's stiff beam, rounder hoop shape and open string pattern options create an inherent liveliness that helped me put a little extra pace on all my groundstrokes. Overall, I loved this racquet off of the ground, and saving the best for last, all my backhand shots were definitely complemented by this racquet. Whether I was on the stretch, hitting a defensive backhand shot or had time to set up for a slice or topspin backhand. Versatile and effective are the two words that come to mind."

Preferring the more open 16x16 string pattern, Jason said, "The Graphene XT Extreme MP A swung very similarly to my own racquet, as well as the previous Extreme. I found it was fairly easy to generate racquet head speed and hit with some depth and spin. I thought it was a powerful racquet for its weight class. My preferred string setup was different than normal, and I had to go with a hybrid instead of a full bed of poly because of the extreme stiffness of the frame. I preferred hitting with the 16x16 because it played more to my strength of imparting spin on my shots, and I donŐt think my control suffered with the more open string pattern."

Volleys - Score: 80

The TW playtesters unanimously agreed that the standout feature of the Head Graphene XT Extreme MP A at the net was its maneuverability. Mark found a good balance up at net. He said, "For the most part, I was right at home anywhere near the net with the Graphene XT Extreme MP A. I would say it tilts slightly on the side of maneuverability, but it was heavy enough (around 11.2 ounces) to be stable against a stellar passing shot."

Brittany had no complaints at net, raving, "The crisp, firm response up at net allowed me to really feel confident and aggressive when putting the ball away. The Graphene XT Extreme MP A was maneuverable and easy to get into position, AND it was stable no matter who I was hitting with. I liked the fact that I knew exactly where my volley was going on both stretched defensive volleys or more offensive swinging volleys that ended the point."

"I definitely felt well connected to my volleys, which was great for hitting shots that required touch," noted Jason. "When I was unable to hit a volley cleanly, there was definitely a drop in power and control. I think adding some weight to the hoop would certainly help with that. I did like it for overheads because I could hit with some power even if I wasn't able to take a full swing."

Tiffani had some ups and downs when it came to volleys. She explained, "I felt the lightness of the racquet at net. As expected, I could maneuver this racquet well, just like I could from the baseline. My struggle was, once again, the feel. Shots outside the sweetspot felt uncomfortable and unstable. If I hit the sweetspot there was nice pocketing and pop."

Serves - Score: 80

Our playtesters seemed to prefer the more open 16x16 string pattern of the Head Graphene XT Extreme MP A when it came to serving. Jason's favorite part of serving with this racquet was the spin. He raved, "I used the 16x16 mostly, and I found I was able to put lots of spin on my serves. Power was a bit lacking for my taste, and I would have liked more weight added to the hoop."

On the other hand, Mark was finding consistent power when he was serving. He offered, "As with the groundstroke portion of this playtest, the Head Graphene Extreme MP A is very easy to swing fast on serves. With the combination of swing speed and responsiveness I was able to get my serve up to the 100 MPH range (not every time) without a lot of effort and with a high percentage of them landing in."

"Surprisingly, serving with this Graphene Extreme MP A was a struggle for me," said Tiffani. "I could hit OK serves, but I was honestly expecting more power and more spin since both were so ample when I was hitting groundstrokes. I got decent pace, but I really struggled to hit with spin on my serve, and I was shocked to see how flat my serves were when I looked at my PlaySight data."

Brittany agreed, adding, "When it came to serves, I was surprised that I actually preferred the 16x16 over the 16x19 string pattern. With the more open string pattern I had the ability to hit with a ton of spin, which gave me a more consistent serve. I could hit a slice first serve into my opponent's body or a kick second serve that bounced over my opponent's shoulders with ease. I struggled to find a rhythm on my serve with the 16x19 string pattern, and I never felt fully confident hitting it. I would find myself hitting a majority of body kick serves on both my first and second serve."

Returns - Score: 81

The maneuverability of the Head Graphene XT Extreme MP A was, once again, a highlight on service returns. Tiffani had to be disciplined when hitting returns since the Extreme MP A had plenty of juice with both string patterns. She said, "This racquet's best asset on returns was its quickness. I could easily get this racquet around in time. It worked well for me when I was chipping the ball back into play. I only got in trouble when I really went after a serve and I let myself get a little wild. There's plenty of power with either string pattern, so I just needed to keep myself in check when returning."

The 16x19 string pattern gave Brittany the extra control she needed for returning serves. She offered, "I felt really confident hitting a majority of my returns from inside the baseline and aiming for big targets to start the point on the offense. I found my returns were flying long with the 16x16 string pattern unless I made a conscious decision to add extra spin on my return. The fast feel of this racquet allowed me to always get my racquet into position on time without any issues."

Jason raved about returning with the Extreme MP A. He said, "In a word, solid. When I had time to set up I could take a nice crack at the ball and have it dip inside the court. Even when I was blocking returns back I was getting enough power from this racquet to keep the ball deep."

Mark found some success with his returns in doubles. He explained, "I didn't play an entire singles match with the Head Graphene Extreme XT MP A, but I did play a couple of doubles matches with it. Within a short amount of time I was able to disguise my return well, keeping the guy at the net on his toes."

Overall - Score: 81