Head Graphene 360 Extreme MP Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

Across the board, our playtesters enjoyed rallying from the baseline with the Head Graphene 360 Extreme MP thanks to the easy depth, spin and pace they could tap into. Though she hasn't been drawn to Extremes of the past, Tiffani was won over by this new iteration. She explained, "I came away really impressed with this update. In the past, the Extreme series honestly hasn't been my favorite, but I felt really confident with the Graphene 360 Extreme MP. It swung with a good amount of heft for its static weight, so it felt stable and comfortable. Even with the extra swingweight, I was finding easy access to spin, and the trajectory of my shots was much higher than with my own Prince Textreme Tour 100P, which has a tighter string pattern. The extra arc on my ball took some getting used to, but I ended up liking that height. I was able to drive through the ball with this racquet, but on the flip side, I could add that higher arc when I wanted to buy myself extra time to get back into position. Although the swingweight is a bit higher than I prefer, I didn't find the racquet too difficult to use overall. I struggled with two shots in particular: When I let the ball get too high over my shoulder, especially on the forehand side, I tended to dump the ball into the net, and on my cross-court dipper I didn't always get enough wrist flick, so I'd drive the ball wide. The Extreme MP felt comfortable overall and had noticeably better ball feel than the previous version."

Mark was also pleased with this update. He was quick to find his groove from the back of the court, saying, "I really liked the direction Head went with the previous iteration, the Graphene Touch Extreme MP, which featured a less round head shape and a firm but not stiff beam. These two versions are pretty similar, but this new Graphene 360 version feels a little stiffer in the hoop. Exchanging heavy groundstrokes with the Graphene 360 Extreme MP was a lot of fun. Its 11.2-ounce weight and high 320 swingweight offered a great blend of maneuverability and stability. Within two hours of baseline rallies, I was consistently nailing my targets with decent pace and spin, making this my favorite part of the playtest."

New to the Extreme line, Kristen was left with a positive first impression. She said, "I was really impressed with this racquet's playability. Right off the bat, I'll say that it's a great weapon for the aggressive topspin player. The access to spin was exceptional, and when I was loading my balls with spin they seemed to soar over the net with a lot of arc and drop sharply down at the baseline. Slice shots were also easy to hit effectively. I got a bit caught on groundstrokes when I tried to flatten out the ball, especially when I was going for a big, flat winner. In those instances, the ball tended to launch on me. The more I played with this Graphene 360 Extreme MP, though, the more I got dialed in on the style of play that fits it best, which is putting spin on every shot. Once I figured that out, I was getting better control and placement."

Like Kristen, Jason also took advantage of this racquet's launch angle and spin on groundstrokes. He described, "I immediately noticed the higher launch angle, which resulted in easier depth. The Graphene 360 Extreme MP provided great pop on my shots, as well as lots of spin. With the new 360 Spin Grommets and the open string pattern, I definitely noticed the great access to spin, which I thought was necessary to help reel in some of the racquet's power. The downside to all that power was that I found myself launching shots when I wasn't focused on putting topspin on the ball."

Volleys - Score: 82

On volleys, the Graphene 360 Extreme MP proved to offer exceptional stability for a racquet of its weight class. Jason elaborated, "I thought the Graphene 360 Extreme MP performed well up at net. It provided easy put-away power, and I also enjoyed it on my touch volleys and drop shots. I was pleasantly surprised by the stability I was getting from this 11.2-ounce racquet. I found that mishits toward the top of the hoop resulted in a more jarring response compared to shanks that hit around 3 and 9 o'clock."

The improved feel of the new Extreme MP became most apparent to Mark at net. He said, "At net is where I can develop an idea as to what sort of 'feel' a racquet provides. With the exception of the Graphene Touch Extreme MP, prior models of the Head Extreme MP were never really discussed in terms of 'feel,' since they were so darn stiff. This new Graphene 360 Extreme MP is all about feel and dwell time, with its 63 RA giving me an extra moment to develop, disguise or change the direction of my volley."

Tiffani appreciated being able to add some new dynamics to her net game. She said, "Although I'm not as comfortable at net as I am at the baseline, I enjoyed volleying with the Graphene 360 Extreme MP. It felt stable, especially considering its weight, and it was just maneuverable enough. I typically don't use much variety at net and have hands like bricks, but I happily found myself using touch volleys and drop shots with success. If I had to guess, it was the little bit of extra flex from the Extreme MP's beam that was helping me in the touch department."

Kristen had no qualms at net and found herself moving forward with confidence. She said, "This racquet played great at net right from the start. It was one area where I didn't need an adjustment period. My volleys just felt super solid, and I could consistently send everything back without much issue. I felt confident at net whether I was blocking back balls or going for an aggressive volley."

Serves - Score: 82

Plenty of plow through, pace and spin made the Graphene 360 Extreme MP a hit with our playtesters on serve. Although Kristen found that she had to add some rotation to keep her serves from going long, this was still her favorite part of the playtest. She said, "I really loved serving with this Graphene 360 Extreme MP, even though it did swing a bit heavier on serves compared to the head-light balance and lower swingweight I'm used to. This racquet didn't feel whippy on serves. Instead, it offered a solid feel with great access to spin and pace. I struggled with placing flatter serves with this racquet (they would often land a tad long), but as long as I added a touch of spin I could place my serves well and start the point in a good position."

Jason also noted the importance of putting spin on his serves. He said, "I struggled with this racquet when I tried to hit flatter serves. My flat serves were consistently going long, probably because of the open string pattern and the nearly 330 swingweight. However, I liked that I could put a lot of rotation on the ball without sacrificing pace when I tried to just spin a serve in."

Thanks to the specs of the frame, Mark was able to drive through his serves effectively. He explained, "Typically, I prefer a heavier racquet on serve and a slightly lighter one from the baseline, knowing all the while that you can't have it both ways. Thanks to the pairing of a slightly tip-light balance and high 320 swingweight, the Graphene 360 Extreme MP allowed me to deliver some penetrating serves without much effort."

Tiffani had to adjust to the feel of the frame before she started finding success on her serves. She elaborated, "It took me a few serves to find my rhythm with this Extreme MP. It took a bit more to initiate my swing, and I needed to be sure to complete my motion. I have a bad habit of not following through on my service motion and just letting the racquet decelerate after contact. When I did that with this racquet my serves tended to sit up and not penetrate at all through the court. When I was using better technique and swinging all the way through, my serves were much better. I had a tougher time generating spin on my serves than I did on my groundstrokes, but that's due more to shortcomings in my motion than anything."

Returns - Score: 81

The stable response of the Graphene 360 Extreme MP allowed our playtesters to both defend and attack when returning. Kristen enjoyed swinging big on returns. She noted, "I found this to be a really solid racquet to return with. When I got my timing right I was hitting aggressive, yet controlled, returns. I was also impressed by how well this racquet handled pace when I hit more defensive returns."

Although lighter than his racquet of choice, Mark was also pleasantly surprised by this racquet's performance on returns. He said, "Although I do gravitate toward slightly heavier racquets, I must concede that the new Extreme MP nicely complemented my return. Again, I will credit to the combination of overall weight, stiffness, close-to-even balance and substantial swingweight for why I could vary my return with either a more offensive or defensive reply."

Tiffani found good precision when returning. She remarked, "I was happy to see how easy it was to tap into extra spin on returns. My returns are generally the flattest shots I hit, but I liked how I could add a bit of extra spin to keep my returns in the court. Once again, the Graphene 360 Extreme MP felt solid and comfortable. I had trouble taking shots early, but I still liked that I could move the ball around as needed."

Enjoying some good depth on his returns,Jason found tapping into the racquet's spin potential essential. He said, "For the majority of the serves I faced, this racquet was a solid, versatile weapon. I could tee off on slower serves, and I found easy depth when blocking or chipping a serve back. I struggled when I tried to be more aggressive against bigger hitters. I thought the racquet felt a bit sluggish and didn't come around as fast as I'm used to. Like my groundstrokes, I definitely needed to make sure I was hitting with lots of spin to keep my returns in the court."

Overall - Score: 83