Head Extreme MP XL

From the baseline, the Extreme MP XL offered impressive maneuverability and lots of leverage-based power, making all of our testers' groundstrokes feel more potent. In addition to feeling comfortable swinging out from the baseline, Chris found excellent slice capability. He explained, "My backhand slice was working very well with the Extreme MP XL. I felt like I could hold that shot till the last second and then add direction. I had fun engaging my opponents in cross-court backhand exchanges before knifing a slice down the line and following it in to attack the net. I liked the maneuverability of the racquet on my topspin backhand. I also had a good time hitting forehands with the Extreme MP XL. I was impressed by the speed and spin I could generate. I was able to get my shots to penetrate the court well, and that enabled me to push my opponents back into a defensive position."

Oak also found the Extreme MP XL to be entirely obedient from the baseline, which let him swing fast and freely off either wing to hit a variety of groundstrokes. He said, "My first impression with the Extreme MP XL was entirely favorable, and those pleasant sensations continued throughout the course of this playtest. For an extended-length 100-square-inch frame, this Extreme MP XL moves through the air fast. The handling was surprisingly great and let me tap into my shots off either wing with ease. I felt like there was an incredibly stable nature to this racquet that was easy to trust and made it easy to use. The Extreme MP XL swings fast and lets you hit big with ease, knowing that if spin is added the shot will drop back down. The precision at the top end of the hoop is very good, given how close to the frame the top cross string is. Slices were deep and had lots of movement on them."

Troy too had an easy time with the Extreme MP XL, and despite this racquet being far lighter than his usual spec, he was able to hit a very consistent rally ball. He said, "I recall my first time hitting with this racquet from the baseline; I was warming up cross court, and I was really impressed with how natural it felt to produce a rally ball, maybe like 60-70 percent of full exertion. The spin friendliness of this racquet and the open string pattern helped me get super easy net clearance. I also noticed the light and fast feel; this racquet didn't really swing like it was extended. Another standout feature was the feel on contact, which felt medium-firm, but it also felt like there was pretty good dampening; it wasn't harsh or jarring. In terms of power, I could swing freely, and it didn't feel as though the ball was flying on me too much. I was really impressed with how well I could control the ball, and I was pleased to find that the frame didn't feel too stiff."

Our team continued to find success with the Extreme MP XL at the net, where they could shape and place their volleys with confidence. Troy would have liked more weight to absorb incoming pace from heavier hitters, but he appreciated the easy handling and easy power. He explained, "When it came to hitting volleys, this Head Extreme MP XL gave me easy power, easy maneuverability and a forgiving sweetspot. It honestly made volleying easy and fun, but I wanted a bit more mass at times. This racquet was a bit light when I was playing against hard hitters, and I felt like it was getting pushed back just a bit when facing heavy pace. With that said, I volleyed very effectively for a majority of the playtest, and I could be aggressive and attack, but I wanted a bit more mass when the ball was getting ripped at me. It was not quite the precise feel I find with the Solinco Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20 v2 Camo racquet, but it was better than the Babolat Pure Drive Plus 2025."

Oak enjoyed his net play with the Extreme MP XL, and he opted to go for sharper angles with more pace behind them. He noted, "I once again appreciated the inherent stability of the Extreme MP XL when I was at the net. It absorbed pace well, and the extra reach made it easier to pull off stretch volleys. I was primarily hitting more angled volleys with the Extreme MP XL because the extra reach made me feel like sharper angles were well within reach. It was immensely satisfying to hammer anything at shoulder height or above, and the spin capability of the frame made overheads particularly nasty. I felt connected to the ball overall, but I would've liked a little more dwell time to shape volleys more and 'hold' them a little longer."

Chris also had good success with the Extreme MP XL at the net. He employed the easy handling of the racquet to lean into his craftier net game. He said, "The Extreme MP XL worked well for me at net. The racquet had ample feel to help me with my angles and drop volleys. On high volleys I could hit down into the court to end points quickly. Again, I was impressed at how easy this racquet was to maneuver considering its extended length. It felt comfortable at contact, and I thought the racquet was decently forgiving when I hit off-center.”

Serving with the Extreme MP XL proved to be exceptional, as it offers tons of free power and loads of spin to make for some devastating serves. Chris enjoyed the practical directional control, in addition to the racquet's power/spin potential, and he was comfortably moving the ball around on serve. He said, "My serves were working well with the Extreme MP XL. There's usually not much of a difference between my first and second serves with any racquet, and when testing this racquet I was basically just hitting first serves. If I missed one, I was confident I'd make the next one. Needless to say, I was getting some nice margin for error with the Extreme MP XL. I was able to get enough spin to arc the ball over the net and get it to drop well inside the lines. My slice serve wide on the deuce court was working well, and I had fun hitting the next ball to the open court after pulling my opponent wide."

Oak had a great time hammering his serves with the Extreme MP XL. He said, "Good grief, is this thing deadly on serves!. Not only is it extremely (pun intended) fast through the air for an extended length racquet, but it has all of the upsides of an extended-length racquet seemingly without any of the downsides. It is uber-satisfying to lace first serves with this thing, and the action you can get on the ball is simply sweet. Great spin, huge power, and just so fun to hammer away with it. Great for doubles. My favorite serve was out wide on the ad side, which is not always a spot I can hit effectively."

Troy was appreciative of that same access to spin and power on serve that Chris and Oak found. He noted, "I found easy power and easy spin with this Head Extreme MP XL on my serves. One of the main reasons I have used an extended-length racquet for quite a few years now is the added leverage and power it helps me to generate on my serves. This racquet didn’t just give me some easy access to power, it also felt super fast and whippy for hitting my heavy spin serves. I felt like the control of my serves was pretty good as well, considering the 100-square-inch head size; I would say the control is pretty similar to what I found with the Yonex VCORE 98+ 8th Gen. It was very tempting, sort of a guilty pleasure, to want to go for a big flat first serve just to see how fast I could hit it on our Zennis smart court system. Like I mentioned before, I would likely add some weight to this racquet to get me the plow through that I crave. All in all though, not too much to complain about in terms of serves."

Returning with the Extreme MP XL was mostly a favorable experience for our playtesters. Troy appreciated the extra forgiveness and the uptick in power he found. He explained, "Overall, my experience when returning with this Head Extreme MP XL was fun. I found a lot of forgiveness when I hit the sweetspot, and I had good coverage on both my forehand and backhand. It was fun playing doubles with the Extreme MP XL since I could generate a lot of power on my returns to keep the opposing team from being too aggressive. I also had a decent amount of touch and feel whenever I needed to hit a chip lob or a floating backhand slice over the net player's head. I really liked how the forgiveness of the 100-square-inch head and the extra length gave me a boost on my backhand. I felt like my two-handed backhand returns were landing a bit deeper, and it was a bit more of a weapon. It wasn’t as much of a weapon as my forehand, but it made the gap between the two a little closer."

Comparatively, Oak had a harder time on return with the Extreme MP XL, but he managed to find success over time by simplifying his targets. He said, "I was struggling some on returns at first with this racquet, but over time I found a better groove. I did feel a tad late to the ball initially, but after adjusting to the length and the hoop size, I was starting to find better results. That said, I never quite felt fully comfortable going big on my returns, and I did have to be conscious of overhitting."

Chris praised the way the Extreme MP XL allowed him to slice deep or impart heavy spin on the ball on his returns. He said, "The return is an area that can impact my game if a longer racquet lacks maneuverability. Fortunately, that was not the case with the Extreme MP XL, and I was able to position the racquet easily. I really enjoyed knifing my backhand slice return with this racquet. I was able to use the incoming pace, add some slice and redirect the ball to my intended target. I felt like I was able to judge the spin I was getting on my topspin returns, and that helped me control the depth and placement of my shots."