Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 86

The Phantom Pro 93P 14x18 immediately won over our team from the baseline. According to Chris, the open string pattern provided a plush feel and a high launch angle. He explained, "The sweetspot felt very generous for a midsize racquet. It was easy to swing fast for big spin, and that helped get my shots to dip nicely inside the lines. When hitting from behind or at the baseline, I had good control of my flatter shots as well. I hit some nice down-the-line backhand drives for winners with this racquet. When moving inside the court, the launch angle made it easy to hit long, and I had to add more spin. My backhand slice was working very well. I liked the feel I had on the ball, and I felt confident switching up the direction, pace and depth at will."

Terms like precise, spin-friendly and whippy all came to mind for Troy when he was hitting groundstrokes. He elaborated, "The precision was very good. It wasn't quite as pinpoint as the Prince Phantom Pro 93P 18x20, but that was to be expected. The control and spin from the baseline reminded me of racquets like the Wilson Pro Staff 95S and Wilson Six One 95S. This racquet yielded a very high launch angle for a mid, which was amazing on pick-up shots at my feet. With a flick of my wrist, I could return shots that landed near my feet. When allowed the time to take a full swing, I generated heavy topspin. There were many times when I thought that my groundstrokes were flying long, but they ended up dropping in. From my side of the court it looked like my topspin groundstrokes were falling off of a table. However, this 14x18 version made it harder for me to flatten out my groundstrokes when trying to hit through the court. With the Phantom Pro 93P 18x20, I had a little more sting on my shots. I also preferred the 18x20 version for my backhand slice. I had great feel and precision with both versions, but the slice was just a little dirtier with the 18x20. It stayed lower off the bounce, and I could control the depth a bit better. Lastly, this racquet felt very fast and maneuverable. Compared to some of the extended-length racquets I have been using lately and my Yonex VCORE Pro 97 (330), this Phantom Pro 93P 14x18 made it easy for me to generate tip speed. Since wrapping up this playtest I have considered adding a bit of weight to the hoop to help boost the put-away power."

"I can confidently argue that there is nothing that plays like this racquet on the market right now," began Sean. "The thin and flexible box beam creates a very classic feel, while the super open pattern revs up the spin and provides easy access to depth. Despite having a swingweight up near 330, I found it to swing very easily, yet I still enjoyed the extra stability the weight gave me. The blend of maneuverability, feel and spin potential allowed me to play very creatively; I enjoyed finding angles and spins to compensate for the lack of pure offense in my game. The launch angle could make it difficult to hit flat shots, but I found my range once I adjusted. This racquet offers a really fun and artistic experience on court, but I can see the barrier of entry being fairly high, as it is difficult to master wielding this racquet."

Even though the specs were a little out of his wheelhouse, Jason still found success hitting with the Phantom Pro 93P 14x18. He said, "The open 14x18 pattern helped me produce shots with a higher launch angle and lots of spin, which meant I got good depth on my groundies. I was pleasantly surprised at how easily I could swing this racquet, considering its static weight. The flex and the 12-ounce weight were key in helping absorb pace from harder hit shots."

Volleys - Score: 87

One major benefit of having such an open string pattern on the Phantom Pro 93P 14x18 was how forgiving it made the sweetspot. Sean tapped into the feel at net. He said, "The ball pocketing helped me feel the ball around the court. Although this version wasn't as precise as the 18x20, I was still getting plenty of feedback from the racquet, which helped me feel connected to the ball and maintain solid control."

"The Phantom Pro 93P 14x18 felt so solid and precise when I made contact in the sweetspot," said Jason. "Unfortunately, that didn't happen as much as I would've liked because of the small head size and small sweetspot. I thought it was fairly maneuverable for those quick reaction volleys."

Troy appreciated the precision at net. He described, "When it comes to the 'scalpel club' of racquets, this one definitely fits in. It was not quite as precise as its 18x20 brother, but very close. I got a little more pop on my volleys, which helped with depth. This racquet felt very fast considering its 12-ounce strung weight. I could manipulate it with ease, which helped me get out of trouble when reacting to the ball at net. There was solid feel on contact, which allowed for stability and a high level of response. As maneuverable as this racquet felt, I wouldn't have minded a little bit of weight in the hoop to add even more stability and put-away power. When it came to touch and feel, I felt like I could place the ball very well. This racquet provided a lot of feedback, and I could impart plenty of backspin when hitting drop volleys. It wasn't as easy to be aggressive at the net, but my command over the ball allowed me to be equally effective."

Always a fan of classic racquets with buttery feel, Chris loved the response of the Phantom Pro 93P 14x18 on volleys. He said, "I was able to get tons of spin when carving under the ball. My drop volleys died quickly, my angled volleys cut sharply, and my punch volleys had great pace. I just didn't find any weaknesses with this racquet at net. I had all the control I could want, yet there was ample power on tap to finish off points."

Serves - Score: 83

It was easy to see that the Phantom Pro 93P 14x18 is a spin machine on serves. However, it was not the most powerful serving racquet for our team. Troy explained, "The very open string pattern and maneuverable feel allowed me to generate a lot of kick on my serves. I got so much spin that I had to adjust my targeting. I struggled to find consistency the first time I played a set with this racquet. I was either clipping the top of the net or hitting my serves slightly long. When I started aiming at big targets, sometimes the ball sat up in my opponent's wheelhouse. After a couple sessions of serve practice I learned how to gauge the depth and net clearance, and I felt more comfortable placing my serves deep within the service box. The added spin was appreciated, but at the same time, I felt like I wasn't getting enough pace or penetration through the court. More often than not, my second serves were easy for my opponents to attack. I have been using a lot of extended-length racquets lately, such as the Dunlop Srixon CX 200+, and gaining a lot of free power from them. With this racquet, I craved more juice on the ball when going for a big, flat first serve."

With his groundstrokes, Jason could deal with the lack of pace he generated because he found loads of depth on his shots, but on serves, he missed that added pop. He noted, "I was looking for more free points or even an easier second ball. The control was great, but the directional control was better than the depth control, probably due to the open string pattern."

On the other hand, Chris loved the pace he could generate on flat serves and felt that the Phantom Pro 93P 14x18 suited his style. He said, "I was consistently finding solid pace and accuracy on my T serves. When going wide, I was able to easily add some spin to the ball to increase the angle of my serve and pull my opponent farther off court. I was also able to use spin to get my serve to break into my opponent's body to tie them up. I was getting enough pace on that serve to force a weak return, which allowed me to serve and volley more often."

"Like with groundstrokes, it was initially difficult to adjust to the launch angle while serving," added Sean. "I quickly learned that flat serves could easily sail on me. I ended up adding some more spin to get the ball to drop. I was surprised at how effective my spin serves were, and I felt like I was getting more action with the open pattern than I normally do. Ultimately, I didn't miss the big flat serves because a well-placed heavy serve seemed to be just as lethal."

Serve Returns - Score: 80

The Phantom Pro 93P 14x18 offered great depth on returns, but it left some playtesters craving more offensive power. Jason took advantage of the weight and stability on his returns. He said, "I liked the 12-ounce weight for blocking shots back and absorbing pace, but I still wanted more power here. Luckily, getting lots of spin on my shots helped me produce more of a neutral ball, so I could get into a point even when the ball was landing short."

Chris returned well with the Phantom Pro 93P 14x18. He noted, "I had concerns that the open string pattern would make the racquet too lively when I was trying to redirect pace, but that was never an issue. I also found the racquet head light enough to always feel maneuverable. I liked how I could get the racquet through contact quickly enough to generate spin and pace. The response felt very comfortable and stable."

"I loved taking a big rip on my forehand returns," said Troy. "I was locked and loaded anytime the serve landed in my wheelhouse on the forehand side, ready to slap. The backhand returns, on the other hand (no pun intended), were less forgiving. I typically generate less racquet head speed on my backhand returns, and more often than not my two-hander landed short, which made it easy for my opponents to pounce. I primarily used a slice backhand return instead. I could place the ball well and keep it low off the bounce. I felt precise with my placement on returns, which was very effective during doubles. I loved the comfortable feel and control this racquet supplied when swinging aggressively. The downside was that I found it more difficult to achieve easy depth on my returns. It was hard to get the ball back when I was stretched out on a return and couldn't muster a good swing, and if I did, it was a put-away shot for my opponent. Compared to the Babolat Pure Aero Plus, which we recently playtested, this racquet was not very forgiving on my returns."

Sean was impressed with the combination of maneuverability and stability this racquet provided on returns. He said, "It was really easy to get the ball back in play, whether I was chipping or rolling it back. The only issue I encountered was in doubles when I wanted to put the ball back low; sometimes the launch angle would cause it to sit up a little too much."

Overall - Score: 86