Head Graphene 360+ Speed Pro Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 85

On groundstrokes, our playtesters felt very dialed in with the Graphene 360+ Speed Pro. In addition to the outstanding control, there was enough power and spin to play aggressive tennis. The slight boost in swingweight over the previous version gave our team a little extra stability without any trade-offs in maneuverability. Not surprisingly, Mark was impressed with how this racquet played off the ground. He said, "The Head Speed Pro has always been among my favorite racquets to swing from the baseline, and after this playtest, my high praise for it has not changed at all. Its somewhat widely spaced 18x20 pattern offers easier access to spin than is typical for a tight pattern. This new version swings a bit heavier than the last two, making it a little more powerful and making it easier to achieve penetrating depth. Slice-wise, that 18x20 pattern kept my backhand slice low and effective, and I had no problems generating topspin."

Having hit every generation of the Speed Pro going back to the YOUTEK version, Chris liked this update the most. He said, "The Graphene 360+ Speed Pro felt very solid off the ground. While the MP version is quicker and whippier feeling, this Pro packs more punch because it comes through the ball with more mass. As a result, I could hit a heavier ball and push opponents around more easily. I loved the overall feel of the racquet. I found the response to be comfortable, smooth and connected, and my backhand slice was feeling very dialed in. Getting either topspin or slice was easy. I found a perfect level of grip from the stringbed, and this quickly became my favorite Speed Pro to date."

Michelle is used to swinging a much heavier, stiffer racquet, and despite some minor issues with stability, she appreciated the Graphene 360+ Speed Pro's easy targeting on groundstrokes. She explained, "Overall, I thought this was a great racquet to play with. The ease with which I could hit my targets led to some very confident ball striking. In most cases, the swingweight felt hefty enough to be effective while still allowing me to swing through the ball with ease. However, there were times I noted a flutter on my shots, and I wanted more stability. I found it lacking in stability when I needed to swing fast through the ball. This happened often on transition balls or whenever I didn't have as much time to set up. That was my main knock on groundstrokes, because I would be happy grinding from the baseline, but when I would either look to step up to finish the point or transition forward, I had an issue with that shot. It's an easy fix with a little added weight, though!"

In addition to finding great control and plenty of spin, Troy noticed a little extra plow through with this update. He said, "I found a nice balance of maneuverability and stability when hitting groundstrokes. I found the previous Graphene 360 Speed Pro to be too whippy, but this update has a bit more plow through and a slightly more solid feel. I know the beam width is the same 23 mm as the previous version, but this update felt a bit more responsive and almost gave the impression that it had a slightly thinner beam. There was plenty of control from the 18x20 pattern, and I really liked hitting flatter trajectory shots, including put-aways, where it was easy to get the ball moving powerfully through the court. My slice felt precise, although there wasn't as much feel for the ball compared to a racquet like the Head Graphene 360+ Prestige MP. Spin was easy to generate considering it is an 18x20, similar to the Prince Textreme Tour 100P."

Volleys - Score: 85

The praise continued as our team transitioned to the front court with the Graphene 360+ Speed Pro. For Chris, this racquet checked all the right boxes at net. He said, "One of my favorite shots to hit with the Graphene 360+ Speed Pro was the volley. This racquet offered the perfect blend of stability and maneuverability for me at net. The feel at impact was great, and I was able to place my shots very well. I loved the feel of the MP version, and the Pro felt even better, with an even more solid response thanks to the added mass."

Finding a little more stability from the Graphene 360+ Speed Pro than he did from the previous generation, Mark had no complaints with this racquet at net. He said, "The slight increase to the Graphene 360+ Speed Pro's mass and swingweight provided my volleys with a bit more stability, but thankfully it remained maneuverable enough for me to get the racquet into position on time. Overall, though, I thought this update volleyed much the same way previous models did."

Troy appreciated this racquet's balance of speed, stability and comfort at net. He explained, "As with groundstrokes, the fast feel and above-average stability were a great combination at net. Although firm, the Speed Pro still possessed decent comfort and feel for the ball. It felt solid and stable most of the time, but there were a few instances when it fluttered a bit on volleys. This was likely due to some slight mis-hits or when facing heavy hitters. There wasn't a ton of free power on tap, but I could gauge my depth well and put the ball away on volleys with relative ease."

Although her overall experience at net was positive, Michelle experienced some occasional instability on mid-court volleys. She said, "No major complaints from me at net. Overall, this was a very easy racquet to volley with. However, similar to groundstrokes, transitioning to net sometimes caused a small issue. Mainly in doubles, I noticed that the racquet tended to flop a bit when I was hitting a mid-court volley to get myself in. Once I was up and positioned closer to the net, the racquet stood up to almost any ball hit at me. It was even super effective off my lefty switch-up volley!"

Serves - Score: 83

Although the Graphene 360+ Speed Pro swings a tad heavier than the previous version, our team had no problems accelerating through contact on serve, and the extra mass translated into juicier levels of power. Factor in this racquet's precise and predictable stringbed response, and for Michelle, the result was boosted confidence. She said, "I had no problems serving effectively with this racquet. The tighter string pattern allowed me to feel connected to my targets, and it gave me the confidence to swing bigger, which translated into impressive pace. Even with an 18x20 string pattern, this racquet gave me enough spin to get the ball moving, especially on slice serves. Nothing to knock here."

For Chris, this racquet's combination of speed, power and control was the perfect recipe for effective serving. He described, "I liked serving with the Graphene 360+ Speed Pro. I found it an easy racquet to accelerate through contact. My first serves had ample pace, and I found a high level of control to help me find my targets. As from other areas of the court, I found the racquet spin friendly, and that helped me stay on the gas on second serves."

Move over groundstrokes and volleys, Mark has a new favorite stroke to hit with the Speed Pro. He said, "I can see from reading through my older playtest comments that it was groundstrokes or volleys that were my preferred shots to hit with the Speed Pro. Maybe there is some special mojo with regards to the SpiralFibers in the lower part of the hoop, but the serve turned out to be my favorite shot to hit with the Graphene 360+ Speed Pro. Troy likes to describe a good serve in terms of easy power, and for me the Speed Pro catered to that result."

"I liked the precision and pop on my first serves," said Troy, who needed a little time to figure out how to serve effectively with this racquet. "I struggled initially to get enough bite on kick serves. When serving side by side with the Babolat Pure Aero VS, I had to work harder to get the ball to kick up off the court. After a while, I learned to gauge the launch angle, and then my spin serves were landing consistently. Overall, I felt like I could generate easy racquet head speed, which helped with the power, and the 18x20 pattern helped me to dial in my targets."

Returns - Score: 83

On service returns, in addition to the stable feel it provided on chips and counter punches, the Graphene 360+ Speed Pro gave our team the kind of control that inspires confidence on full swings. In other words, it was perfect for Michelle's attacking style. She explained, "I really enjoyed returning with this racquet. The controlled pattern, paired with the 100-square-inch head size, allowed me to feel confident swinging big and imposing my will. I felt like I was pretty confident returning, and I knew where my balls would be landing. Depth was good and easy to generate. The racquet felt stable against big servers too."

For Chris, this racquet's reliable response translated into very effective service returns. He said, "OK, so I can't return like Novak with the Graphene 360+ Speed Pro, but then again, who can? With that said, I felt like I was getting the best out of my much more limited skill set. The racquet offered a predictable feel that gave me the confidence to take risks and return aggressively."

Although the Graphene 360+ Speed Pro gave Mark the mass he needed to plow through the ball on chip returns, he did experience some trouble achieving enough stroke speed for effective topspin. He explained, "What works well on serve, at net and from the back court should work the same on the return, but the extra heft of the new Speed Pro hindered my topspin return attempts compared to previous models. It did help to raise the quality of my chip return, though."

"The 18x20 pattern and maneuverability made hitting flat returns fun," said Troy, who was emboldened by this racquet's control. "I could generate easy racquet head speed, even on a compact take back, and I felt like I could slap at the ball without fear of hitting long. There was just enough mass to chip the ball back deep when I needed to. My only knock was that this racquet fluttered a bit when facing big servers. I wouldn't have minded a bit more mass overall to help against high-speed serves."

Overall - Score: 86