Prince Original Graphite 107 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 82

There was a buzz around Tennis Warehouse when the classic Prince Original Graphite 107 re-launch arrived. Many fond memories of the racquet erupted, and everyone was thrilled to take a walk down memory lane with this oldie but goodie. Not only was Chris digging the old school cosmetics of this throwback, but he was also clicking with the old-school spec. He began, "There was massive plow-through power to be had from this racquet. I liked taking the ball early with just a short backswing and redirecting pace to the open court. My backhand slice also felt great, and I was able to drive it with good pace. When taking a bigger cut at the ball, I found it best to prepare very early, otherwise it was easy to end up making late contact. Stability was superb, and the racquet played very, very comfortably."

Mark was feeling nostalgic as he picked up the Prince Original Graphite 107. He said, "I play most of my tennis from the baseline, and as a kid, I certainly spent lots of time at the backcourt swinging the Prince Graphite 107 (maybe referred to as a 110 back then). I did not consider it a 'point-and-shoot' racquet back then, but that is precisely how I can describe it now. I loved the overall feel and stability off both wings. Redirecting pace, developing effective levels of spin and targeting smaller areas of the court with my groundstrokes were all top notch. Occasionally, its high static weight and swingweight slowed my backhand racquet speed down, and the backhand slice was more of a challenge to keep low. But overall, the Original Graphite 107 felt great from the baseline."

"This racquet was beefy!" said Michelle. "So much power! So much spin! I use a hefty racquet, but this Original Graphite 107 felt massive even compared to my Wilson Pro Staff RF97. The first time I got it in my hands I felt like I was hitting with a frying pan. The 107-square-inch head felt large and dangerous when striking the ball on time. I've hit with a POG Oversize before and knew what to expect, but I must have forgotten how massive the plow through from this racquet feels. While I love hitting massive shots and I'm all for hitting the ball as hard as I can as often as I can, I really needed to find some control with my string setup, because there were times when I went to swing big and felt like I hit a great shot but the ball flew. With other racquets, I almost feel like I can correct after contact depending on what I do on the second half of my swing, but there was no correcting anything once the ball made contact with this racquet. However, because of that, shots that I hit just right were dangerous and penetrating and probably not coming back. I quickly learned that big backswings weren't necessarily ideal with this racquet, because if the timing was off by just a little bit then bad things could happen. And by bad, I mean missing a shot by a few feet when I thought I had lined my target up perfectly! Drilling with this racquet was super fun, but it did feel a bit more demanding in point situations, and I really had to pick the biggest targets to avoid frustration."

"This racquet plowed through the ball like a Mack truck," added Troy. "I could tell as soon as I picked it up that it was a real club - nice and hefty. The only other racquet on the market that packs this type of mass is the Wilson Pro Staff RF97, and this racquet slightly outweighs it. The Prince Original Graphite 107 is far from what I would consider 'whippy,' so it wasn't very user friendly when hitting on the run or whenever I didn't have my feet set, but I could hit a very heavy ball when I had the time to step in and drive through my shot. My slice was smooth, and it was easy to get depth with little effort. The feel on contact was very solid, and I could feel the ball well. The hefty, classic graphite frame gave me a solid and responsive feel found in few racquets these days. If I had to knock this racquet on groundstrokes, I would say it was lacking maneuverability, and the 107 head size wasn't as precise as the 95- to 98-square-inch racquets I have used over the years. The sweetspot felt huge and user friendly, but I didn't feel like I could place the ball precisely."

Volleys - Score: 83

Based on the specs of the Prince Original Graphite 107, our team expected a solid feel, stability and touch. Mark thought the racquet had all the stability he could ever need. He continued, "It was maneuverable enough for me to easily get it into position on time. The only issue I experienced was trying to get used to how much launch power the 107-square-inch head size provides. I did learn to harness that power over the course of this playtest, but every so often there would be a volley or two that left the stringbed unpredictably."

Troy found this racquet great for blocking back volleys, and he was impressed that they were landing deep in the court. He said, "The feel on contact was very stable, and the frame didn't seem to flutter no matter how hard the ball was hit at me. I found it best when I focused on keeping the racquet out in front and letting its mass do the work. I got into trouble at times when I was playing doubles and trying to get 'handsy' or flicking my wrist. This Original Graphite 107 is pretty cumbersome, and it didn't help me out when I had to react quickly. I loved the feel on contact; it was very solid and stable. I could execute my drop volleys and touch shots with ease. I wasn't as precise as I am with smaller head size racquets, but that was OK because I could still feel the ball well. Plus, there isn't as much of a swing on my volley as there is on my groundstrokes."

"We use the term 'point and shoot' often with volleys, and this racquet sort of defined that for me," said Michelle. "If I got the racquet in the right spot, it did the work. It was stable, and with the 107 square inch head, I felt like I had the whole net covered. Swinging volleys were sublime, and fun to hit as long as I picked a big target and really committed. It wasn't super maneuverable, but that didn't seem to hinder my net game too much."

Chris played a good mix of singles and doubles while testing the Original Graphite 107, and he loved its feel at net. He explained, "The racquet had lots of mass to handle big incoming pace, yet the head-light balance kept it feeling decently maneuverable. The racquet also had great touch. Its oversize head made it easy to cut aggressively under the ball to add spin to drop volleys and angles. I also found lots of power to punch volleys deep to the corners."

Serves - Score: 79

When it came to serving with the Prince Original Graphite 107, the TW testers were reminded that a heavy racquet can be challenging, but they made it work for their games. Chris explained, "There's no getting away from the Original Graphite 107's mass on serves. Once in motion it offered lots of power, but it took some effort to get it moving. I gelled with the racquet more and more as the test went on, but I have to admit it was a struggle to swing it when I had to serve lefty due to an injury to my right hand."

"There's no doubt serving with this racquet felt intimidating, but luckily, it wasn't as demanding as I had thought it would be,” said Michelle. "Maybe all that practice over the years with the hefty RF97 helped me find some harmony when serving with this racquet. I wasn't necessarily hitting my fastest first serves, but I found consistent pace and movement on the ball. The sweetspot was large and forgiving, and I felt like I was in a good position starting the point if everything lined up, but I wasn't exploding up and into my second serves the way I might with a lighter, faster racquet."

For Troy, serving with this hefty 107-square-inch racquet was the most challenging part of the playtest. He said, "The Original Graphite 107 wasn't the easiest racquet to whip around over my head. I could generate easy power when I went for a flat serve and let the mass of this racquet plow through the ball, but I struggled to whip the racquet for kick serves. I tend to rely on my wide kick serve when serving from the deuce side, and this racquet made it more difficult to crank up the head speed. There was a good amount of plow through and power when I was able to time it properly and go for a big flat serve. That said, this Original Graphite 107 was rather tiresome on my shoulder over the length of a set or two, and I struggled to get the racquet head speed on my kick serves."

Mark liked hitting serves, volleys and groundstrokes so much with this Prince Original Graphite 107 that it was hard to say which shot he most preferred with the racquet. He continued, "Serves were up there too. When serving with this stick I’m reminded of what Chris has said about certain frames: 'Just point the strings toward the target and the racquet takes care of the rest.' For my serve, the Prince Original Graphite 107 personifies Chris' assertion."

Returns - Score: 79

Our team unlocked some magic when returning serves with the Prince Original Graphite 107 after they made the adjustment to compact strokes. Big-swinging, risk-taking returner Michelle loved attacking weak serves with this racquet. She said, "Boom goes the dynamite! Let's just say you wouldn't want to be serving weak second serves to someone with this racquet in their hands. I attacked any ball that was attackable. I tried not to get too swing-happy by keeping the backswing compact to be more consistent. That short backswing was key to my success. The racquet was super stable, though, and even a slice return felt effective. It wasn't the most maneuverable racquet when it came to hitting angles, but the magic was in a short backswing and explosive follow through."

As with his volleys, when it came to returning, Troy found it best to keep things simple and use a short take back. He said, "I loved the forgiving 107 head size and the rock-solid, stable feel. No matter how hard serves were hit at me, I could deflect them with ease. I found easy depth when blocking back my returns, and I loved that my two-handed backhand returns could redirect serves with lots of pace. If I had the time to take a bigger swing on my forehand returns, I could really punish the ball. The lack of maneuverability showed up when I was off balance or stretched out, and it was difficult to flick the ball back with my wrist. Lastly, this racquet was a beauty on slice returns because there’s plenty of mass. It felt super smooth as I cut the backside of the ball, which created a lot of backspin."

Chris thoroughly enjoyed returning with the Original Graphite 107. He described, "The large head, stable response and control-oriented beam made it both a forgiving and confidence-inspiring racquet. The sweetspot felt generous, and the large racquet face made it easy to take sharp cuts at the ball for maximum spin, without catching the frame (what we call a generous spin window)."

Mark found the racquet's low maneuverability to be the main drawback when returning. He said, "Although I was able to mostly overcome that issue, in terms of shot making, my return of serve did not feel very effective. Lately, I have been trying to hit my return more offensively, and I found myself going back to the slice return because of the Graphite 107's heft."

Overall - Score: 83