Head Graphene Touch Speed Pro Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 88

On groundstrokes the Graphene Touch Speed Pro accelerated with ease and gave our team the confidence to attack the ball with maximum stroke speed. In other words, it was ideal for Michelle, whose ground game is very powerful and dangerous when she has the control to swing big. She said, "This might be my favorite Speed Pro racquet since Head started adding Graphene into the line. The Graphene Touch Speed Pro feels a bit more muted, which I personally prefer. I'm not looking for a lot of feel, dwell time or flexibility at contact. I like blasting balls, and appreciate that simple, plush feel at contact, which I think this update had. I don't always like 18x20 string patterns, but I had no real issues adjusting to this racquet. I also found great control and precision, which made it easy for me to swing fast, generate power and put the ball away. Although my groundstrokes feel heavier with my Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph, I could still get decent speed and pace off the ground with this racquet. The Graphene Touch Speed Pro also felt solid -- I felt connected to the ball and confident that my shots were going to go where I was aiming. Although I'm still not ready to switch to an 18x20 string pattern, this racquet offered good plow through and depth, and it gave me a more enjoyable playing experience than previous versions. I hit it side by side with the midplus version, and the Pro definitely had more control and a less erratic feel when the ball came off the stringbed."

A fan of previous generations of the Speed Pro, Andy didn't have much trouble warming up to this version. He even managed to squeeze some heavy spin from its dense pattern. He said, "The Speed Pro has always been one of my favorite racquets to hit groundstrokes with, and this latest update is no exception. The 18x20 string pattern provided exceptional control, but more interestingly, it produced a very low trajectory off the stringbed. To get the ball deep consistently I was forced to use a more exaggerated low-to-high swing path on my topspin groundstrokes, which resulted in significantly more spin. With loads of spin and excellent precision, I could swing big and go for the lines with confidence. My only complaint from the baseline had to do with my backhand slice. I needed a bit more weight toward the tip of the frame to get my slice to stay low and penetrate through the court a bit better."

Although he was pleased with the quick handling and comfort, Chris could have used a tad more pop and feel. He said, "From the first hit of this playtest the Graphene Touch Speed Pro offered a more controlled and muted response compared to its predecessor. I also had to work a little harder when I wanted to add some power to my shots. However, I was more inclined to play aggressively with this racquet since I found added control. I liked that I could swing big and go for aggressive targets without having to worry too much about overhitting. I was getting good topspin and slice because I could bring lots of racquet head speed to the party. I would have liked the feel to get me a little more connected to the ball, but it was very comfortable. I would describe the feel as firm and low powered with a muted response, which made the racquet play comfortably."

Troy joined the chorus of praise over this racquet's maneuverability and control, but his well-known preference for heavier racquets kept him from jumping in with both feet. He explained, "When I was swinging away from the baseline the Graphene Touch Speed Pro was easy to maneuver in comparison to my typical racquets. Compared to the previous two iterations of this racquet, this version of the Speed Pro felt fast and whippy, which made it easy for me to hit the ball when I was on the run. I was craving a bit more plow through when I had time to set my feet and take a full swing at the ball, since my usual racquet has a higher weight and swingweight. This racquet's dense 18x20 string pattern gave me the control to place the ball with confidence. My biggest knock was the muted feel of this racquet; I would have liked a bit more responsiveness. The feel of this racquet was a bit foreign in that it was firm but had very little vibration. This was more of a personal issue, as I like a racquet with a bit more flex."

Volleys - Score: 78

Although the Graphene Touch Speed Pro was far from perfect at net, everyone on our team was impressed by the control. Chris had no problem hitting his targets. He said, "The Graphene Touch Speed Pro felt solid at net. Again, I found a very high level of control. I was able to really punch the ball with a lot of confidence and go after my targets. It was also very easy to hit drop volleys and angles with this racquet. I didn't feel uber connected to the ball, but the high level of control made it very easy for me to find my targets."

Like Chris, Andy picked right up on the control, but he could have used a little more stability and feel. He said, "The dense string pattern provided excellent control at net. However, this was where the new feel of the racquet manifested itself the most. I found the racquet to be more muted than previous versions, leaving me a little less connected to the ball as it left the strings. This made it a little difficult to go for touch shots that required more finesse. Also, like in previous versions, I thought the racquet fluttered a bit too much on off-center contact. It was not very forgiving when going for a tough stab volley."

Although the Speed Pro didn't match the stability of her usual (much heavier) racquet, Michelle was ultimately satisfied with this stick at net. She said, "This racquet was stable and maneuverable for the most part at net. There were times when I felt like the racquet wasn't getting into position fast enough, but I think that was more user error. Plus, my racquet of choice is probably one of the most stable racquets out there, so not many racquets live up to that level of stability. If I had to be picky, I would want just a bit more stability at net when facing big hitters. I also needed to make sure I had enough pop on my volleys when trying to put my shots away. However, I felt pretty dialed in and was able to hit my targets."

"This racquet's control helped me place volleys in the corners of the court," said Troy, who ultimately had mixed feelings about the Speed Pro at net. "I felt as though I had good command over the ball whenever I came to net. The maneuverability definitely helped me react quickly and move the racquet into position. However, since the Graphene Touch Speed Pro is lighter than my current racquet I didn't have enough stability on off-center hits, especially against higher paced shots. As with groundstrokes, I was craving a little more response and feedback when hitting my volleys. I tend to hit a lot of acute angles and drop volleys, so I was wanting a bit more touch and feel."

Serves - Score: 79

With its combination of maneuverability and control, the Graphene Touch Speed Pro enabled the majority of our team to swing for power and select ambitious targets. Andy was definitely impressed. He offered, "I really liked serving with the Speed Pro! It offered good pop when going for big flat serves and excellent spin potential when going for kicks and slices. Combine all that with the precision I got from the tight string pattern, and I felt very confident going for my targets in the service box. I had my full arsenal working and felt very comfortable being aggressive with any serve."

"Once again, the control of this racquet shone on serve," said Troy, who was able to hit some penetrating flat serves with the Speed Pro. "The dense string pattern helped me place my flat first serve with confidence. I consistently found my targets on my first serves, which isn't necessarily a high percentage shot for me. The added maneuverability, compared to my racquet of choice, helped me get the racquet head speed I needed for added pop on my serves. The downside of this racquet, with its very dense string pattern, was that I wasn't getting quite as much spin on my slices and kickers. My Wilson Blade 98 (18x20) has the same string pattern, but this Head Graphene Touch Speed Pro's strings seemed even closer together, which I felt lowered the spin potential."

This racquet worked with near perfection for Michelle's serves. She explained, "I loved the precise serves I could hit with this racquet. I could easily transition from flatter, faster first serves to more spin-loaded second serves. Even with the tighter string pattern, I had good access to spin and slice. I've been juicing some power out of most racquets I serve with lately, so it comes down to more of a game of precision for me. I also find that my serve is more effective when I'm focused more on location rather than speed. I could really dial in and pinpoint my targets."

Although he was able to generate enough spin with the Speed Pro, Chris would have liked a little more pop. He said, "Serving was the only area of this playtest where I was left wanting. The Graphene Touch Speed Pro didn't offer quite enough power for me. I need either the power of an Extreme type of racquet or the weight of a Radical Pro to help me get some juice on my serves. The Graphene Touch Speed Pro was all about control, so while I was lacking some put-away power I did have solid consistency. I liked the level of spin I found, but it would have been nice to have had a little more pace to go with the action."

Returns - Score: 86

With its easy acceleration and surgical control, the Graphene Touch Speed Pro earned an impressive score for service returns. Chris had zero problems counterpunching the ball to the open court or driving his shots with power and depth. He said, "I returned confidently with the Graphene Touch Speed Pro. I could use the pace of an incoming serve and redirect it with control and accuracy. The racquet felt fast and easy to maneuver, which also had me feeling like I had time to set up my shots. My favorite returns were those where I had time to drive through the ball. I found I could generate solid pace and depth while still having lots of control."

Judging from his experience on service returns, the problems Andy had with feel and stability at net were forgiven. He said, "This racquet felt awesome on the return of serve. I also liked the extra round head shape for more forgiveness on the return. The combination of spin, control and maneuverability made it easy to get the racquet around my body and play whatever type of return I wanted. Whether I was stepping in and taking it early or drifting back to play a bigger, longer stroke, I felt like I could do what I wanted with this racquet in hand."

This racquet's exceptional control proved perfect for Michelle's aggressive strokes on service returns. She said, "The 18x20 string pattern really aided me in my returns. I could go big and attack and still be rewarded with precise shots and enough control to reel in my extra power. My return is where I need control more than anywhere else in my game, and I was rewarded when going big. When I was facing big serves I could get my return back pretty deep in the court and stay out of trouble."

"I wanted a bit more plow through and a plusher feel on my serve returns," said Troy. "The Graphene Touch Speed Pro felt a bit unstable against big first serves. I prefer returning with a racquet that has a higher swingweight so I can keep my stroke compact and still get easy depth. This racquet didn't quite deliver the easy depth I was hoping for. When I made contact slightly off-center I found the Graphene Touch Speed Pro too jarring. The upside was that I found it easy to flick the ball back into play when stretched out. The control I was getting from this racquet helped with placement, especially during doubles when I had to avoid the net player."

Overall - Score: 83