Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.5

Although the Prestige Classic 2.0 lacks the user-friendly playability of Head's modern player's racquets, each of our playtesters fell prey to its many charms on groundies. Predictably, Chris, whose closet is stuffed with old Prestiges, was on cloud nine. He said, "I loved hitting with this racquet from the baseline. The plow-through power was addictive. My topspin forehands and backhands had pace and penetration. I was licking my lips to take a bite out of anything my opponent sent my way. My slice shots also felt great. I was able to knife through the ball with the racquet's mass and rely on the head size and string pattern to provide me with the feel and control I needed. The response was very silky smooth and plush, which is everything I expect from a racquet with 'Prestige Classic' in its name."

For Michelle, who prefers a more powerful spec, this racquet not only inspired deference, but it also came with a huge fun factor. She said, "What a racquet! This instantly induces loads of nostalgia for obvious reasons! I grew up idolizing many pros and players who used some form of this racquet at one point or another through their career, and most of them are big hitters. With that being said, this isn't a racquet I hit while growing up, and instead I found myself bonding with the stiffer frames of the late '90s and early 2000s. The flexible thin beam is one I respect, but I much prefer a thicker, stiffer racquet on the court. The playtest was really fun. I felt like I almost had to hit every ball as hard as I could to get the depth and plow through I craved, so I was mashing balls every chance I had. And I had a lot of fun knifing slices any chance I got; the ball floated just above the net and stayed nice and low once it bounced on my opponent's side. This racquet is loaded with feel and flex. The swingweight was nice and wasn't too hard to handle, which allowed me to swing fast and efficiently."

Our craftiest counterpuncher, Mark, appreciated how effectively the Prestige Classic 2.0 absorbed and redirected the pace of his big hitting opponents. He said, "If I could consistently swing a little faster, I might be able to hit a few more winners, but overall, this racquet chewed up heavy pace and changed direction of the ball without a fuss, all while delivering 'a day at the spa' level of comfort. It was a toss-up in terms of preferring to trade shots from the baseline or hit serves with the Prestige Classic 2.0. For me, access to spin and putting shape on my shots was far easier when using a thinner gauge string, which was ideal as far as maintaining a linear backhand slice and lots of net clearance with my topspin shots."

With his penchant for heavy player's racquets, Troy quickly warmed up to this racquet on groundies. He said, "I have tried many hefty player's racquets over the years, and even a few of the classic vintage sort or remakes/re-releases such as this Head Prestige Classic 2.0. The feel is superbly plush, solid and stable. With the midsize head there is pinpoint precision from the baseline, letting me put the ball on a dime, as I like to say. As I would expect (thinking back to our review of the Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85 or Yonex VCORE Tour 89), the racquet wasn't all that forgiving when trying to hit with heavy topspin from the baseline, but I felt dialed in when I was in attack mode and stepping into the court with a bit flatter stroke style. The backhand slice felt smooth as butter, and the plow through and precision were amazing. The more I hit with this racquet from the baseline the more I adapted, and I felt like I was hitting the ball cleaner, so in a sense it sort of made me raise my level and focus of hitting the ball purely."

Volleys: 8.7

On volleys, our playtest team discovered why the Prestige formula, with its stable feel, mass-based pop and otherworldly touch, has attracted generations of players. According to Michelle, the Prestige Classic 2.0 could do no wrong at net. "Just looking at the specs, you would assume this racquet would be practically flawless at the net, and it was. Loads of touch. Enough mass to punch volleys. And fast enough to swing big."

For Chris, this racquet's weight and feel proved perfect at net. He explained, "The Prestige Classic 2.0 is a gem of a racquet on volleys, and with it I found a perfect fit for my net game. I loved using the mass of the racquet to punch volleys. Likewise, I could let the stability the racquet offered do the work on touch volleys, so I could soften my grip for maximum touch. Control was excellent, and I felt very connected to my targets."

"The Head Prestige Classic 2.0 provided my game with top-notch stability," said Mark, who was able to hit the full spectrum of volleys with this racquet. "It was equally satisfying when it came to touch shots or punch volleys. The combination of the Prestige Classic 2.0's heft and soft feel delivered volley comfort and stability at net, with the 9-points head-light average balance affording enough maneuverability to consistently aim and land my volleys where I need to."

Although this hefty racquet presented some challenges on reaction volleys, Troy was very impressed by its precision, stability and pop at net. He said, "I know I have probably used this term in the past, but this racquet was very scalpel-esque — a precise tool or instrument at the net — and I found this racquet to feel like an extension of my arm. I could place the ball where I wanted to, and the solid graphite feel of this racquet made it very comfortable, and also made it easy to punch the ball deep in the court. Hitting those crafty angles and pillowy drop volleys was a delight with this Prestige Classic 2.0, but maybe not the most forgiving during those high speed reaction volleys when playing doubles. Overall, I just loved the ease with which I could place the ball deep with my volleys and place the ball in the corners of the court. When I was rushed or in a quick reaction situation, I found this racquet a bit unforgiving compared to a racquet like the Head Prestige Pro 2023."

Serves: 8.4

Although it lacks the easy spin and free power of its more modern counterparts, our team had a blast serving with the Prestige Classic 2.0. For Troy, this racquet was dangerous on flat serves. He said, "I loved this racquet on flat serves for its placement and plow-through power, but on the spin serves I had to adjust and find my way throughout the playtest. The flat serves came off the racquet with a nice amount of pace, letting the mass come through the ball, and I also noticed the easy targeting or precision. I really felt dialed in on flat serves down the T and was hitting my target very consistently. I wouldn't say I was getting any huge boost in power, but I was popping the first serve with more speed than I would have thought possible with a classic midsize racquet; the head-light balance of this racquet with the small head and thin beam really seemed to cut through the air with ease. During my first couple of hitting sessions I will admit that I did shank a few slice and spin serves up into the rafters of our warehouse tennis court. As far as forgiveness and the spin potential on my spin serves, this Prestige Classic 2.0 is lacking compared to most of the racquets that I have tested lately, like the Yonex VCORE 98 Tour or Wilson Ultra Pro 16x19 v4. With that said, the more time I spent serving with the Prestige Classic 2.0, the more I was able to adjust. I ended up finding that high level of precision, hitting some really sharp angles on slice and kick serves and placing the ball in some difficult spots for my opponents. I think that a 16x19 pattern version of this frame would be fun to serve with, giving me a bit more bite on the ball."

With the right string installed, Mark was able to hit his targets on serve. He said, "As well as the Prestige Classic 2.0 performed in any on-court scenario, I especially liked serving with it. The thin/edgy polyester string that benefited me from the baseline also made it easier to bend my first and second serves into play, particularly down the T on the ad side."

Despite this racquet's dense string pattern and small spin-window, Chris was able to generate enough spin to place the ball effectively. He said, "My favorite serve with the Prestige Classic 2.0 was a fast first serve with just a little slice on it to shape the ball and give me some margin for error. My flat serves felt as accurate as I could wish, but being sub-6 feet in height, adding some spin is always the smart choice for me, even with such a precise-feeling racquet. I would not call this a spin monster for second serves, but I found ample spin, and more importantly, was able to hit a heavy ball."

"For me, this was a tough spot because I like those stiffer racquets that help add power to my serves," said Michelle, who required a little extra effort to serve with this racquet. "I really had to go after the serve. BUT when everything lined up and I timed my serve correctly, I was rewarded with a tough serve to return. Similar to my groundies, I just wanted to blast serves as hard as I could, so I did, and I didn't have much of a difference between the first and second serves I was hitting."

Returns: 8

On service returns, the Prestige Classic 2.0's beefy weight made it easy for our playtesters to block powerful serves deep into opposing territory. Granted, with its small head size, it proved unforgiving for some at times, but the control was so good that it emboldened Chris to select ambitious targets. He said, "The touch and feel of the Prestige Classic 2.0 gave me the confidence to go for the lines and take risks on returns. I also had success dropping slice returns short, forcing my opponents to hit up while coming in, which set me up for a subsequent passing shot. There was plenty of mass in the racquet to help me block returns back with depth to help neutralize a big serve."

For Troy, sound mechanics were key to cracking this racquet's code. He commented, "As long as I was striking it cleanly, this Prestige Classic 2.0 was a thing of beauty: pure feel, solid and stable. The mass of this racquet also made it easy to place my returns deep. Whether it was a forehand drive return or a slice backhand return, I was able to push my opponent back. I could be aggressive and attack on my returns without fear of missing or hitting long. On the other hand, when I was stretched out in a defensive position I found this racquet a little demanding at times, and I was hoping for a slightly bigger sweetspot to help me get the ball back. When it came to doubles, I was picking my spots effectively and hitting to very small windows with confidence. I loved the smooth feel and plow through on my slice returns, but on my topspin drive returns I would have liked a bit more help from the launch angle; so once again a more open pattern in this frame would have been fun to try."

"The head-light balance definitely helped with maneuverability," said Mark, who found enough speed to take full cuts on returns. "I was a little surprised and am happy to report that I hit more topspin service returns and relied less on my half volley/chip style of return with the Prestige Classic 2.0 in hand."

"I enjoyed returning because the Prestige Classic 2.0 had built-in control and paired well with fast swing speeds," said Michelle. "I did note a few off-center shots (whoops!), and while the racquet was for the most part stable, I did struggle with the flexibility because it just got a little noodle-y off-center."

Breakdown Summary