Head Radical Pro 2023 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 87

"Solid" was a word that kept coming up throughout the playtest of the Radical Pro 2023. Chris found improved stability and better plow-through power from the baseline. He explained, "The previous generation feels crisper, not as dampened and a little faster to swing. This new version helped me hit opponents off the baseline more frequently and dictate play with more power. I did have to focus when trying to whip an angle with this update because it took a little more effort than the outgoing model. However, I found instant success with my slice backhand and really liked the way the Radical Pro 2023 drove through contact on that shot."

"This update worked wonderfully from the baseline," added Mark. "That 6-points head-light balance, mid-320 swingweight and firm layup of graphite made this racquet very stable. It was comfortable as well, and the 16x19 pattern helped with shot depth and precision. In addition, the tighter string spacing toward the center was top notch for developing both topspin and slice on the ball. Lastly, as much as I enjoyed swinging the new Radical Pro 2023 off either wing, I especially liked hitting backhands with it."

Troy felt dialed in from his first hit. He said, "I found enough mass built into the Radical Pro 2023 that it felt solid on contact, yet it was still fairly fast and maneuverable. There was enough control and precision for my liking, and I could swing freely from the baseline without fear of overhitting. I really enjoyed the ease of driving the ball deep in the court on both my forehand and backhand sides. My backhand slice felt smooth, and it was relatively easy to keep the ball deep in the court. Overall, I really liked the solid feel. There was a nice blend of control and plow through, and the Radical Pro 2023 was maneuverable enough to make it easy to generate racquet head speed."

"The Radical Pro 2023 is just so solid off the ground," said Michelle. "I especially loved it off my backhand wing. I found it explosively fast, but it still offered decent plow through and great stability from the baseline. For me, this racquet follows where the previous one left off. I felt like I could play my low-percentage tennis and get away with hitting the lines; I felt connected to where my shots were going. I've always liked this line of racquets from Head, and with the addition of the Auxetic technology, it only felt more solid (as we've noted with other racquet families in the Head lineup). The Head grip shape still throws me off a tiny bit, and I noticed it spiraling in my hand sometimes, but based on the way it performed off the ground, I would put the Radical Pro 2023 in my top five! I also found it to pair well with all sorts of strings. I loved it with the firmer Lynx Tour, as well as the softer Hawk Power."

Volleys - Score: 84

At net, our team felt like they could command the point with the Head Radical Pro 2023. Mark described, "As long as I could reach the ball, I was able to deal with most passing shots or any tricky half volleys with the Radical Pro 2023 in hand. I felt like the flexibility of the beam allowed for a long dwell time and gave me plenty of time to decide where my volley was going. I felt in command at the net."

Troy noted good control and precision with a decent amount of pop and easy depth. He said, "There wasn't as much precision and feel for the ball compared to a Head Prestige Pro, but the tradeoff was easier energy return and more depth on my volleys. It was a nice balance between having pretty good feel and feedback and getting a bit more power and depth on my volleys than I get with traditional player's racquets. The stability was good when facing hard hitters, and I felt like I could block the ball back relatively easily. If I'm being picky, I might prefer this racquet to be slightly more head light, so I would probably try a leather grip or a little weight inside the handle. I think this might help with maneuverability just a bit, specifically for those quick exchanges that happen during doubles points."

While Michelle found it easy to get the Radical Pro 2023 to the ball on time, she thought it could use a few tweaks to fully match her style of play. She explained, "No doubt about it, the Radical Pro 2023 was quick and maneuverable at the net, and it even offered me some touch. But if I were to be critical, this was where I struggled just a bit. I felt like the sweetspot shrunk a little on some of my backhand volleys, and the Radical Pro 2023 could have used more stability. The ball just wasn't coming off the stringbed as crisply and as solidly as I would like. I ended up swinging a lot more at volleys to counter this, and that helped. I think a tiny bit of weight to beef up the racquet would make a big difference."

Chris was able to punch through his volleys and be aggressive with the Radical Pro 2023. He said, "I felt confident volleying with the Radical Pro 2023 and enjoyed the very direct response. There was ample spin to help me carve an angle, and the Radical Pro 2023 felt more maneuverable on the compact swing of a volley than it did on groundstrokes."

Serves - Score: 83

Our playtesters were split on their opinions when serving with the Radical Pro 2023. Some found complete synergy with the racquet, while others had to work a bit harder for the results they wanted on their serves. "I like racquets that plow through the ball for serving, and that's what I got from the Radical Pro 2023," said Chris. "My first serves had solid pace, and I was able to add some spin to help me control the ball. I liked the feel from the stringbed and continued to feel connected to what was going on. The Radical Pro 2023 was giving me nice pace and spin on my favorite slice serve, which again inspired confidence in my play."

Troy found the best attributes of this update to be the control and spin on serves. He explained, "When I went for flat first serves there wasn't a ton of free power, but I felt like the weight of this racquet helped to bring enough plow through to get some heaviness on the ball. My kick serves worked well, and it was easy to grip the ball for added spin. I felt precise when going for my targets in the corners of the service box. I utilized my can-opener serve on the ad side and got a lot of slice on the ball to pull my opponent out wide. Overall, I felt like I was hitting my spots very well and used my variety on serves effectively, but I wasn't quite maxing out my power level."

Leaning into her strength and power, Michelle enjoyed serving with the Radical Pro 2023. She found she could add in extra intentional power from her side of the equation and was rewarded with heavy first serves. She said, "The Radical Pro 2023 didn't offer as much easy plow through as something like a Babolat Pure Aero or Pure Aero Plus. I felt like I had to work a bit harder to get the racquet to spit out power, but if I did my part the racquet would work with me, and I was rewarded. On second serves, if I exaggerated the slice or kick I was rewarded with good bite. The Radical Pro 2023 didn't come through as simply or seamlessly as some racquets, but I'm OK with working for it. Keeps me honest!"

Mark liked the Radical Pro 2023 from all areas of the court, but he found it to perform particularly well on his serve. He said, "For my game, this was where I was most precise and consistent during this playtest."

Returns - Score: 84

Our playtesters continued to rave about the Radical Pro 2023 when it came to hitting returns. Michelle always likes to start points offensively when returning, and this racquet had everything she needed to succeed. She said, "Returning with the Radical Pro 2023 was awesome! It was stable, quick to swing through the ball and offered predictable targeting. I loved it. Keeping it simple and ripping balls was a rewarding experience. The stringbed soaked the ball in just enough and allowed me to be creative and offensive with whatever shot I wanted to hit. Again, I loved it off the backhand side and could take returns up the line on both the deuce and ad sides. Blocking first serves back was seamless too. This racquet was stable and allowed me to push balls back deep in the court or float some to the middle of the court to make my opponent think about their next shot."

Chris also liked the response of the Radical Pro 2023 on returns. He added, "The Radical Pro 2023 is the closest Radical in terms of stability and weight of shot to those classic Radicals I love, such as the TwinTube Radical (affectionately nicknamed the zebra Radical). I had fun being able to dictate play with an aggressive return. I think a certain very famous Radical player named Andre would approve of this Radical Pro 2023."

Troy loved the new Radical Pro's solid, stable feel, and the easy depth he found on his returns. He said, "When I wasn't able to hit an offensive or attacking return, I was still effective getting returns back deep in the court. Finding good stability, I utilized my slice backhand return well, and I could chip the ball deep at my opponent with little effort. When I found a serve landing in my strike zone, the Radical Pro 2023 gave me the confidence to step in and take an aggressive rip. With some slight modifications to the weight of this racquet, I think it would be pretty much ideal for what I want on my returns."

"While the weight and balance were nearly perfect from all areas of the court for me, I did struggle with my topspin return of serve," said Mark. "However, the Radical Pro 2023 nicely complemented my half volley, chip style of return."

Overall - Score: 85