Prince Textreme Tour 95 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 82

The new Textreme Tour 95 swung a bit heavier, with more plow through compared to the previous version, and our team was eager to see that added oomph in action. Initially, Troy thought the overall feel was pretty similar to the 2015 version. He described, "With the previous version, I was left wanting a bit more plow through and a slightly firmer feel on contact; the racquet lacked pop. With this update, I found a firmer feel on contact and more mass behind the ball. Considering that my racquet of choice has a 97-square-inch head size and a 16x19 string pattern, the new Textreme Tour 95 felt familiar to me, and the trajectory was very predictable. This racquet's swingweight was a bit lower than my racquet of choice, but it felt like an extension of my arms when I was hitting groundstrokes. I found enough control when taking full swings, and I was confident being aggressive with my groundstrokes. This racquet's mass made it easy for me to drive through the ball on my backhand slice."

The first thing Sean noticed when playing with the Textreme Tour 95 was the muted feel at impact. He said, "That response made grooving groundstrokes extremely comfortable, but it resulted in a loss of control since I felt less connected to the stringbed. On the positive side, I enjoyed the 325 swingweight, as I felt that it offered a great balance of stability and maneuverability from the ground. I also found solid stability, even on off-center hits. Spin potential was decent, but the launch angle seemed a bit low for the open string pattern, so I had to make sure to give the ball enough height or pace to send it deep."

While Michelle did not play with the previous Tour 95, she was interested in what this update had to offer her aggressive game. She said, "This racquet felt firmer than a Phantom but much softer than something like a Babolat Pure Drive, or even a Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph. With that being said, I appreciate a stiffer racquet. At times, I noticed an erratic feel when the ball hit outside of the small sweetspot, and I didn't always feel confident or connected to the ball. Despite that lack of confidence, I had no problems hitting effectively and found good access to power, depth and spin. I thought the open string pattern paired well with the 95-square-inch racquet."

On the other hand, Mark had the good fortune of being on the playtest for the previous generation of the Prince Textreme Tour 95. He fondly remembered how well it complemented his game from the baseline. He said, "Due to my past experience, I had high expectations for the refinement of this racquet. I was not disappointed at all. I grabbed both versions of the Tour 95 and found an easy transition from one to the other. From the baseline, I could detect the extra mass and increased firmness from this update, which made reaching the backcourt easier without compromising comfort at all. Both topspin and slice were easily generated. This racquet allowed me to confidently aim at smaller target areas on the court."

Volleys - Score: 86

At net, the Textreme Tour 95 proved to be stable against every game style. Despite not being a fan of the response on groundstrokes, Sean found this racquet more than adequate at net. He noted, "It definitely held its own against the incoming pace, and the muted response actually aided in those cheeky and deft drop volleys."

Michelle was happy with the depth she found when volleying. She said, "The string pattern helped me find some depth easily, and the spacing felt nice and open. The Textreme Tour 95 gave me good stability and maneuverability. I really had no issues at net, where the softer feel was just fine."

The Textreme Tour 95's extra mass came into play at net for Mark. He said, "The slight increase in heft came at the expense of maneuverability, but I appreciated the higher degree of stability. In doubles matches, my volley was effective enough that I felt like the other team tried to play 'keep away' from me with their passing shots. This racquet gets an 'A' from me when it comes to volleying."

Troy loved the controlled response and overall command of the ball the Textreme Tour 95 provided at net. "There was a nice, crisp feel on contact," he started. "I could place my volleys wherever I wanted within the court, and the stability was good. It wasn't quite as stable as my VCORE Pro 97 (330) or RF97 Autograph, but these are obviously heftier racquets. This update felt a bit more solid and stable than the previous iteration. I was able to execute touch angles and drop volleys with ease. As with groundstrokes, I wasn't overwhelmed with feel or response on my volleys. When compared to a racquet like the Prince Phantom Pro 93P, this Textreme Tour 95 wasn't as feel oriented, but I still found enough connection to the ball."

Serves - Score: 85

Our playtesters all unlocked some magic when serving with the Textreme Tour 95. Mark felt especially dialed in on his serve. He said, "By the third session with this racquet, serving became my favorite part of the playtest. The combination of an 11.9-ounce strung weight, 95-square-inch head and 16x19 string pattern was ideal for hitting effective serves."

Michelle also found success when serving with the Textreme Tour 95. She described, "Surprisingly, this was my favorite part of the playtest. I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but I grabbed this racquet to work on serves one day and found I was hitting deeper in the service box fairly easily. The extra depth and precision were super effective when targeting my spots. No complaints here!"

"I loved this racquet on serve," Troy professed. "It wasn't necessarily because I got lots of free power, but because I could be very precise and generate a lot of spin and kick. This Textreme Tour 95 felt similar to the Head Graphene XT Prestige Pro to me on serves. As I stated in that review, the mix of control, maneuverability and spin allowed me to be effective. I noticed the slightly stiffer layup and a bit more swingweight with this updated Textreme Tour 95, which helped me get more pop on flat first serves. It almost felt like a faster, more maneuverable Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph. My slice and kick serves jumped off the court with a lot of movement. I felt like I could spot my targets very consistently within the service box."

Sean enjoyed how fluid the Textreme Tour 95 felt moving through the air. He said, "The blend of maneuverability, with just the right amount of control, spin and power resulted in a perfect serving combination. Whether I was spotting a flat serve or going for a big kick, I was comfortable relying on the Textreme Tour 95 to do its part."

Returns - Score: 78

With a slightly livelier and more modern response, the updated Textreme Tour 95 met our team's needs when returning. As an aggressive returner, Michelle thought the 95-square-inch head size helped with precision when taking big rips at the ball. She elaborated, "I liked that the swingweight was hefty enough to do some damage but maneuverable enough for me to take big cracks at the ball. I continued to be a little lost in the feel and stringbed of this racquet, so I wasn't always sure where my return was landing. I still felt like I was making a high percentage of returns, though. I also found plenty of access to spin for dippers when necessary."

Troy continued to appreciate the added stability and plow through of this update when returning. He explained, "With the previous version, I had some stability issues against big servers and found it hard to get depth on my returns. This updated Textreme Tour 95 felt pretty solid on contact. If I needed to be defensive and chip the ball back, I could access easier depth in the court, and there was still plenty of maneuverability for me. I clearly remember consistently ripping forehand returns during one of my hitting sessions. I felt as though I could slap the ball as hard as I wanted and the returns would land in. This added confidence meant I could effectively 'grip-n-rip.' The feel was firm, but plush enough that I didn't have any jarring sensation if I made contact off center. I could knife a dirty slice at will, and the control allowed me to get my opponent moving on the defensive early in the point."

Sean was disappointed to find that he struggled with this racquet on return of serve, which is usually his favorite shot. He said, "I felt like the only thing I could do effectively was get the ball in play. The lack of feedback and the rather inconsistent stringbed made it hard for me to want to go after my return. However, even though I wasn't getting the type of response and control I was looking for, I thought this racquet had nice stability and comfort when handling returns."

Throughout Mark's time with the Textreme Tour 95, the stability of the racquet was never in question. He concluded, "My half-volley style returns were pretty effective thanks to the Textreme Tour 95's stability. However, I was challenged with getting over the top of the ball on my return with this racquet."

Overall - Score: 82