Prince Phantom 93P 18x20 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

Our playtesters took advantage of the Phantom 93P 18x20's control and precision when hitting groundstrokes. Always one to play with variety, Chris found this racquet to work well for his game. He explained, "What an amazing racquet to hit a backhand slice with! I loved the way it cut through the ball. The small head made it feel fast and aerodynamic for its weight, the response was buttery smooth and the grip from the stringbed was perfect. I was able to drive my slice with lots of aggression or place it to the corners to move my opponent. When hitting the ball with topspin I had to aim much higher compared to the 14x18 version because the launch angle was much lower. Once dialed in, I found tons of control coupled with predictable power and spin. Early preparation was rewarded with big powerful drives where I could use the mass of the racquet to hit heavy shots. On the flip side, this Phantom 93P 18x20 didn't offer the flickability of the racquets I tend to gravitate toward, which made it harder when defending and when looking to roll a quick angle."

Troy felt extremely confident from the baseline when hitting out on the ball. He said, "As with the previous iteration of this Phantom Pro 93P 18x20, I found surgical precision. From one perspective, this racquet doesn't offer much help in generating power, but that meant I could unload on my groundstrokes without fear of the ball flying long. My ability to command the ball around the court was enhanced with this racquet. I loved the touch and feel it provided when hitting slice and drop shots. The dense string pattern offered a lot of control and a very point-and-shoot trajectory on flatter strokes. There were times when I found it a bit difficult to generate sharp topspin angles to pull my opponent off the court. The launch angle felt somewhat low compared to the 14x18 version of this Phantom 93P. Other than struggling a bit to generate arc and topspin on my angled groundstrokes, there was a lot to love about this racquet from the baseline."

Mark experienced a seamless transition from one of his previous racquets of choice to this update. He said, "I have switched racquets a few times since I used the first generation of the Prince Phantom 93P, and I have to say that I was pretty excited to playtest the newest iteration. From the first forehand feed, I could tell that this is very much the same racquet as the prior model, and by the end of the first practice session I also detected some slight changes. The most noticeable difference was that the tip of the hoop felt firmer and more stable when making ball contact around that part of the stringbed. Easy precision was the phrase that kept coming up for me while playing with it from the baseline. Its directional control was outstanding for my game, as was its comfort level, which is tied to both its high static weight and thinner beam profile. When the racquet was paired with an edgy polyester, I never had an issue developing an effective level of topspin from its 18x20 pattern. I could aim closer to the lines instead of just one side of the court or the other. In terms of slice, this Prince Phantom features a 93-square-inch head size and an 18x20 pattern. Need I say more?"

Looking to grip and rip, Michelle liked the low-powered response off the stringbed, but found over time that it didn't necessarily suit her game. She said, "This playtest began right where the previous version left off. It was a seamless transition, and in all honesty, it did not feel dramatically different. This is probably a racquet I should spend more time hitting with because it really allowed me to tune into my fundamentals. Because the racquet has a very low-powered response, I am left to generate my own power and cannot overhit as long as I am striking the ball correctly. The feel at contact was consistently comfortable, and while the head size is only 93 square inches, it felt like it had a generous sweetspot and was more forgiving than expected. The issue I had with this racquet was the amount of work it took to overpower opponents point after point. I like a thicker, stiffer beam to help a bit here and there with power. I found myself giving up some ground in rallies with this racquet, especially when exchanging several big, deep shots, whereas with my Wilson Pro Staff RF97 I can maintain depth, up the power ball by ball and eventually force an error or overpower my opponent. This update seemed a bit more stable than the previous version, and I felt better connected to the ball."

Volleys - Score: 85

With its amazing feel, touch and precision, the Phantom 93P 18x20 came to life for our team while hitting volleys. Michelle loved this racquet at net. She said, "The Phantom 93P shines at net. It felt stable and silky smooth. Touch, precision and feel were all there. I was able to block back anything big drilled at me and had access to some touch. I could also effectively hit aggressive shots and swinging volleys. I had no complaints at the net. The Phantoms can do no wrong for me up there."

As an all-court player, Chris found this racquet to suit his game as he transitioned to net. He explained, "I loved volleying with this racquet. The response was smooth and comfortable. I also felt very connected to the ball. My touch shots were working really well because the soft frame response and the dense stringbed worked together to provide exceptional feel. The racquet also offered great stability, which further enhanced my sense of comfort and control. I was able to put the stability to good use both when looking to punch volleys away and when fending off a hard-hit shot."

Troy was also a fan of the Phantom 93P 18x20 at net. He said, "As soon as I struck the first volley with this racquet, I felt like I was holding a scalpel, as fellow playtester Granville would say. I could carve up precise angles and drop a volley short in the court with little effort. On contact, this racquet felt solid and smooth, and I felt very connected to the ball. Considering it is around 12 ounces strung, the Phantom 93P felt very maneuverable, and I didn't find it sluggish when having to react quickly in doubles. The ball didn't jump off the stringbed, like with a Pure Aero Tour type racquet, but I could generate easy depth on my volleys thanks to the overall mass."

Mark added to the chorus of praise, saying, "Well, Troy did send a few ATP-quality forehand passing shots at me, for which I had no reply, and reminded me that I had a 12.2-ounce racquet in my hands. Other than that, I really like what the new Phantom 93P's overall weight, balance and precision-oriented head size did for my game at net. Even when I was not perfectly set up for a volley, if I got the Phantom 93P underneath the ball the result was most often an effective volley."

Serves - Score: 83

The control and precision of the Phantom 93P 18x20 stood out yet again when our playtesters were serving. Mark found this racquet to be right in his wheelhouse in this category. He said, "This was my favorite shot to hit with the new Phantom 93P, and unlike what I mentioned during the review of the prior model, there were no kinks to work out this time around. I did not have quite the same level of directional control on serve as I did with my groundstrokes, but it was effective enough to get me wondering why I ever switched away from this frame."

Michelle didn't find this racquet to be a complete package when serving. She described, "Because of the lower powered feel, I sometimes felt I had to muscle the serve and force any power I could find out of the racquet. Precision and targeting were easier to focus on instead. The racquet didn't cut through the air as fast or as effectively as the Phantom 97P, but it did target the corners of the service box well."

Chris appreciated how aggressive he could be when starting points. He said, "I liked the way the Phantom 93P 18x20 went through contact on serves. The racquet offered ample plow through, and the small head made it feel quick and maneuverable. I loved adding some slice to my serves with this racquet because the stringbed offered ample grip, and I found it easy to find pace. I couldn't get quite the hop on second serves like I could with the 14x18 version, but I was still finding enough spin to serve aggressively."

Like the others, Troy tapped into the precision and control this frame provided. He said, "It was all about hitting the corners of the service box with this Phantom 93P 18x20. Prior to this playtest, I hadn't played with a midsize frame in quite a while. I forgot how precise and smooth serves felt with a racquet like this Phantom 93P 18x20. On my flat serves down the middle I was very consistent, and I was hitting them close to the lines. I wasn't generating a whole lot of extra pace on my serves, but they were still effective. Kick serves were landing in the corners of the service box frequently, and I was able to muster up some sharp angles. I wasn't getting quite as much speed and height on my kick serves as I do with a stiffer, midplus racquet like the Babolat Pure Aero Plus, but my percentages were much higher. I really enjoyed my being able to find my targets with this racquet on serve."

Returns - Score: 81

The stability of the Phantom 93P 18x20 allowed our playtesters to return serves effectively. Chris used the racquet's specs to his advantage when returning. He explained, "I continued to find a solid response from the Phantom 93P 18x20 when it came to returns. I was able to relax and let the racquet do the work. When blocking returns, I found enough mass to push the ball back with depth, which helped me neutralize a big serve. When I had the opportunity to take a crack at the ball, the Phantom 93P 18x20 provided tons of control to let me swing away with confidence."

For Troy, this racquet held up even against the hardest servers. He said, "I loved the solid and comfortable sensation when striking my returns. When I was facing big servers this racquet held its ground and felt plush on contact. Because of the head size, I found it to be more effective to hit my returns hard and flat. I could block the ball back easily when I needed to. The slice and chip returns were also working very well for me. I could keep the ball low and deep, and it made it very difficult for my opponents to serve and volley. My favorite part was when I had the time to take a big swing on my forehand returns; I would whack the ball hard and flat without it flying long on me."

The Phantom 93P 18x20 meshed well with Michelle's aggressive returns. She said, "This racquet was fun to return with. It absorbed pace well and felt very stable against even the bigger servers. The sweetspot continued to feel larger than I would expect from a 93-square-inch head size. The flexible feel was nice at contact, and I could stab returns back easier than with the previous version. I also loved ramping up my swing and attacking weak serves. With the tighter stringbed, I felt dialed in when going after my targets. This racquet shone on returns, in my opinion."

Mark loved this racquet's precision on returns. He explained, "With the exception of dealing with an extremely fast pitch that had some movement on it, most everything about the new Phantom 93P complemented my return of serve. When playing a friend who consistently launches serves that are well over 100 mph, I was consistently seeing his serve returned to empty court space, which was unnerving to him and confidence-inspiring to me."

Overall - Score: 85