Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.3

The Speed MP Legend 2025 proved to be quite the performer from the baseline, so long as our testers had time to set up. As expected from the specs, this racquet provided plenty of power and spin. Jason explained, "This is a racquet that helped me hit a bigger ball, especially when I had the time to set up and swing out. The 330 swingweight really affected how this racquet performed for me. I thought it felt a bit sluggish, and I was having some trouble hitting with the topspin I'm used to generating with more maneuverable racquets. What was nice about that swingweight was the effect it had when I was hitting backhand slices. I could knife my shots fairly easily by cutting through contact and letting that mass do the work."

Zsofi required a bit of an adjustment period before she found success. She noted, "The previous version of the Speed MP was one of my all-time favorite racquets, so I was super excited to see how the update compared. I am honestly in love with the cosmetics! It looks super clean and almost majestic -- just totally 10 out of 10. It did take me a few hours to get dialed in and really start to utilize the advantages of the Speed MP Legend 2025. I know that the swingweight is about the same as the previous version, but it still felt like I could get the racquet in position a bit easier. I also think it’s more user friendly overall. I felt like I was able to generate depth and spin easier, so much so that I did think that the racquet was a bit launchy at times. I definitely thought that this new Speed MP was great for spin! I really enjoyed that aspect because I like to control my rallies with extra spin. The racquet especially shines on the baseline. I did need some adjustment time with this racquet, and to really make it work for me I had to change my game style a bit, which was a bit surprising, considering how much I enjoyed the previous version. It didn't feel as torsionally stable to me, and I think that was a bit of a pain point for me, along with the lack of feel for my touch shots."

Oak found it easy to generate heavy pace, but his success varied from shot to shot. He said, "The Head Speed MP has always been a racquet that is easy for me to pick up and use, both from a geometrical standpoint and a feel perspective. The previous Speed MP featured a higher swingweight paired with a lower static weight, so Head’s desire to improve stability is a welcome one for me. This update's weight-to-swingweight ratio is similar, but the way the racquet extends through the shot does feel markedly different. The Speed MP Legend 2025's feel worked well for me on my groundstrokes, especially on my one-handed backhand. My two-hander wasn't as reliable or whippy, but I could still put the ball away with it, though not as easily or on as many shots. On my forehand, I appreciated the stability and swingweight that I could feel throughout contact. Since my forehand tends to be pretty vertical and fast, the mass through the ball was practical for slowing my swing down. Thankfully, I never felt super late to the ball, and I liked how this racquet worked for my counterpunching style of play."

Hayden also found impressive power, and he enjoyed how this racquet felt from the baseline. He said, "The Speed MP Legend 2025 is one of the most stable racquets in the Head lineup, with added comfort to boot. There's easy access to power and good spin potential if you like to whip up behind the back of the ball."

Volleys: 8.2

The Speed MP Legend 2025's touch and feel at the net were impressive for the majority of our team, though one tester wanted more control. This racquet seemed to shine at net for Oak, perhaps even outperforming its baseline capabilities. He said, "Volleys were fantastic with this racquet, and I felt encouraged to go up to the net, which I've been trying to do more lately. I really liked how the feel absorbed heavier pace and redirected energy (thank you, Hy-Bor). I felt very connected to the ball, and unlike my touch shots from the baseline, my touch on volleys felt excellent. It felt like I could place drop volleys on a dime, and I really loved serve-and-volleying with this racquet. I thought heavier volleys felt just as doable as shorter ones."

Similarly, the Speed MP Legend delighted Hayden at net, proving both powerful and precise. He described, "Volleys were an extension of the groundstrokes, with smooth, stable and comfortable feel on all shots. My low volley had good access to power when I pushed the ball deep, and there was nice touch on my drop volley."

Jason enjoyed his time at the net with the Speed MP Legend despite being a little more volley averse in general. He noted, "I really liked the feel of the Speed MP Legend. Less was more on my volleys with this racquet and that higher swingweight. Good things happened if I could just stick my racquet out without taking a big backswing, and off-center shots were met with good stability as well."

As a crafty player with tons of finesse, Zsofi wanted more overall feel for her net game. She explained, "I do like to use a lot of touch when I'm hitting my volleys, and I just felt a bit too disconnected from this Speed MP Legend 2025 to be able to play my typical touch game at the net. This made me a bit self-conscious. I had to adjust my playing style and punch my volleys a bit more instead of trying to be crafty up there."

Serves: 7.8

For the entire team, the Speed MP Legend 2025 seemed to be lacking something in the serve department. While the higher swingweight could certainly produce a big serve, our testers struggled at times to implement this racquet's power. Jason thought the Speed MP Legend generated good pace, but perhaps not to the degree he was expecting. He said, "The Speed MP Legend 2025 helped me hit a slightly bigger serve than I am used to. Was I hitting as big as I anticipated with the 330-plus swingweight? No. I think the lower flex absorbed some of that pace. My misses tended to be long due to being late or not snapping my wrist quickly enough."

Similarly, the Speed MP Legend left Oak wanting more on serve. He said, "Serves were a bit of a letdown for me with this racquet. Although a higher swingweight usually translates to a heavy serve, it felt harder to brush up on the ball to get the kind of action I like to impart on my serves, which caused my first-serve percentage to drop. Simplifying the motion and compacting it ever so slightly proved more viable for me with this Speed MP Legend 2025. I thought spin on serve was so-so, and I would've appreciated an easier time spinning the ball in for second serves."

The experience of serving with this version of the Speed MP Legend 2025 for Zsofi was also a little unreliable when it was her turn to start a point. She described, "Serves were, unfortunately, not my favorite with this racquet. I was missing a bit of control. Especially since the racquet head was still a bit launchy and unpredictable for me at times."

Hayden, one of the hardest hitters on our playtest team, seemed to have a better time serving with the Speed MP Legend than the other playtesters. He said, "I found good, but not excessive, power on flat first serves, and it was easy to generate heavy spin on second-serve kickers."

Returns: 7.8

When returning, our playtesters struggled to fully utilize the Speed MP Legend 2025's inherent power. Hayden had more success blocking balls back and rushing the net than relying on his aggressive baseline game. He explained, "I don't normally come in that much, but I felt the urge to chip and charge with this racquet because I wanted to get in there and hit some volleys."

Oak struggled with chips, blocks and catching up to faster serves. He said, "To my surprise, I was actually having an easier time with my two-handed return compared to my one-hander, which was the opposite of my groundstroke experience. I struggled sometimes to catch up to a faster first serve, and my touch returns, like chips and blocks, tended to sit up too much or float long. Thankfully, the easy depth went a long way (literally) here."

The Speed MP Legend's lack of control and feel made Zsofi dial back her power on returns, which lessened her ability to control points. She described, "I like to step into my returns and take charge of the rally early on, but with this racquet I had to choose a more defensive game because of the lack of control I felt."

Jason had a more favorable return experience, but he would have appreciated more maneuverability to set up some heavier shots. He noted, "It was nice seeing my blocked shots go across the net and land with depth. I found myself blocking and chipping more than usual with this Speed MP Legend 2025. Luckily, I was rewarded with the depth needed to make it more of a neutral ball. When I had time to set up and take a full cut, I was definitely rewarded with plenty of pace. I just wish the Speed MP Legend 2025 was a bit more maneuverable to help with the racquet's whipability."

Breakdown Summary