Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 85

Our playtesters were able to take full, aggressive swings with the Head Graphene 360+ Gravity MP from the baseline. The racquet really complemented Erik's all-court game. He said, "I found that this racquet offered a good amount of control from the baseline. The spin was increased by the rounder head shape, which I really enjoyed, and it brought me back to my days of hitting with the Head Extremes. The 16x20 string pattern is one of my favorites to play with and is somewhat similar to a Babolat Pure Control. However, the Head Gravity is a 100-square-inch head instead of a 98, which I really appreciated. The 16x20 string pattern combined with the 100-square-inch head size was a fun blend of specs. My slices tended to stay quite low over the net, and I could really knife them. While it's not the most stable racquet I've hit with, it is stable enough for its weight class. This racquet was very maneuverable, which allowed me to generate racquet head speed easily. At times, I found myself hitting a little shorter because of the string pattern, but I enjoyed this racquet from the back of the court."

"When I picked up this racquet for the playtest the first thing I noticed was the feel," continued Brittany. "The Gravity MP offered a more responsive feel, and I felt much more connected to the ball than I have with the last few generations of Head racquets. It definitely offered more control and a low-powered response. This is a little different than what I'm used to, and I did have a short adjustment period. However, the more I hit with the racquet the more I enjoyed it. I felt confident hitting riskier shots and going for smaller targets since I felt like I knew where the ball was going. Although I wasn't getting the easy power I prefer from my racquet of choice, this racquet made up for it in placement."

Jason thought the Gravity MP was very user-friendly. He said, "I just picked it up and felt comfortable using it right from the get-go. I could easily generate racquet head speed and get great access to spin even with a slightly tighter string pattern than I'm used to (16x20 vs. 16x19). However, I don't want to bury the lead here; the biggest improvement I noticed with these Gravity racquets was the feel. The racquets were responsive, and I felt well connected to my shots. I knew where on the stringbed I was hitting the ball. If I have one complaint, it's that this Gravity MP is a little light for me. I'd like it around the 11.4 to 11.5-ounce strung range, but luckily, I was still getting good depth and pace."

Checking out the specs of the racquet first, Julie had mixed feelings on how the racquet would play. She noted, "As soon as I saw the 16x20 string pattern and the low 60s flex level of the Gravity MP, I was fired up to get on the court! However, I was also concerned about the lighter weight of the racquet since my wheelhouse is usually between 11.2 and 11.4 ounces unstrung. I wasn't disappointed, but I was surprised by the very crisp feel at impact, which is a feature that took me a few hours to get used to. I also changed my strokes a little bit to hit bigger and faster. I had to have one rule in mind: keep your racquet speed going! I loved the combination of speed and stability, but I was missing the plow-through feel when I started playing. I didn't find the weight I needed to hit my shots with the right amount of power, and it also made me work for depth on my backhand. I struggled to get my timing right, and I had to add some spin to my shots to get to the depth I wanted. I noticed the frame twisting in my hands when I was trying to redirect pace on shots that were hit deep and with pace. Once I found my timing and adjusted to the launch angle, it was a smooth ride."

Volleys - Score: 83

The speedy and responsive feel of the Gravity MP allowed our playtesters to end points at net with ease. The racquet got the job done for Brittany. She described, "This racquet was maneuverable, and my volleys were going where I was aiming. I could tap into the touch potential and hit shorter, angled volleys. The racquet does weigh 11 ounces strung, and with the lighter weight there was some expected instability. I could feel the racquet fluttering in my hands upon impact. However, this is the same response I would get with other racquets in this weight range."

"I really enjoyed volleying with the Gravity MP, especially with the 16x20 string pattern," added Erik. "It felt quite responsive, and I found I could not only hit shorter volleys, but I could also punch them deep when I needed to. It was a little bit unstable at net, but that is to be expected with a lighter weight frame."

Jason agreed with the rest of the team. He said, "Once again, I enjoyed the feel and feedback I was getting from this racquet. At net, feel is especially important when I want to hit touch volleys and drop shots. However, the lack of weight was also more apparent on my volleys, and it caused the racquet to get pushed around a little bit due to torsional stability issues."

Julie was looking for a bit more connection to the ball, saying, "The Gravity MP was quick and responsive at net, but it also felt a little unstable. I would have appreciated a more solid feel. However, I was still able to reach the targets I needed to reach, and I found just enough stability to hit nearly perfect drop volleys. It helped me stay aggressive at net as well. The sweetspot was large and forgiving, but I didn't feel as connected to the ball as I'd like."

Serves - Score: 82

Our team found success hitting spin and slice serves with the Head Graphene 360+ Gravity MP. Jason appreciated the racquet's consistent response when serving. He said, "The Gravity MP was super easy to serve with. My serves are usually a slice or a kick, and both were easy to hit with this racquet. I wasn't getting any more noticeable pop with this than with other racquets of similar specs, but I really enjoyed how consistent I could be."

Brittany used the racquet's control to her advantage when starting points. She described, "Although I wasn't getting the free power I'm used to, I was able to dial in on my targets. I could hit a slice wide serve, flat serve up the T and even generate some extra spin on kick second serves. While I may not have been blowing my opponents off the court with my power, I could get some free points on well-placed serves."

"I found it very easy to generate power, and aiming up the T was definitely my target on first serves," Julie said. "Thanks to the open string pattern, spin generation wasn't an issue, and I found consistency in my second serves. However, I wasn't taking any risks, because I found myself lost in the sweetspot at times, and I was missing some predictability. The more I played with this racquet, the closer I got to my targets, but I never felt completely at home with it. I needed something a tad more control oriented, and it could have been easily adjusted by adding some weight to the racquet."

Serves were a little bit of a mixed bag for Erik. He explained, "I didn't find this racquet coming through the ball as easily as my racquet of choice, so I would weight this up in the head to get a more natural snap on my serves. However, when I really connected with this racquet I was able to get a lot of action on the ball and hit serves that were kicking high and through the court."

Returns - Score: 83

The Gravity MP's lightweight maneuverability allowed our playtesters to get the racquet into position for every return, but some noticed a bit of instability. Jason had nothing but positives to share when it came to returning. He noted, "I loved the variety of returns I could hit with this racquet. It's whippy enough to find sharp angles and get great access to spin, but I could also slice and block back serves with good depth."

"The Gravity MP was very solid for me on serve returns," Erik said. "I could really pinpoint where I wanted the ball to go on my returns, and it felt very precise. This racquet was quite maneuverable and easy to get around my body. It felt solid in my hands at contact, but I might add a little weight in the head for a more stable return on harder serves. My favorite return was taking the ball early and chipping the shot."

Brittany appreciated the control and maneuverability she found on returns. She said, "I could take massive cuts at the ball without any fear that I would overhit. This allowed me to be very aggressive on second serve returns and start points offensively. Like volleys, when I was returning first serves that were creeping up to the 100+ mph mark I could definitely feel the racquet twisting in my hands. I would want to add a little weight in the hoop for more stability."

Though she liked the Gravity MP's speedy response, Julie wanted more weight to allow her to return more creatively. She explained, "The Gravity MP didn't feel like the most solid frame I've returned with, but the maneuverability of the racquet allowed me to generate the power and spin I needed to stay aggressive and hit efficient returns. I would have loved to get more stability (or should I say a heavier racquet) to find angles straight from my returns instead of swinging fast and aiming for big targets in the center of the court."

Overall - Score: 83