Head Radical MP 2021 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 85

Whether playing more offensively or defensively, using topspin or opting for slice, our playtesters thought the Radical MP 2021 excelled from the back of the court. Having tested previous generations, Jason appreciated the improvements with this update. He said, "There's a lot to like about the updated Radical MP on groundstrokes. I immediately noticed this racquet's improved feel. The feel wasn’t as muted, so I was able to tell where on the stringbed I was hitting my shots. I thought the racquet was user-friendly, with great access to spin and depth, and the added 5 grams of weight made this version more stable and solid. One of my favorite shots to hit was my backhand slice; I found I could hit a 'dirtier' slice with this racquet versus the previous version or my own racquet."

New to the Radical line, Kristen praised the racquet's performance on her groundstrokes. She said, "This was my first time playtesting the Radical MP, and I enjoyed many aspects of its playability. There was a really nice feel off the stringbed. It was dampened, but not to the point that I'd get lost in it; I still had a good feel and read on my shots. It was super easy to get spin on the ball; it felt effortless off of the stringbed. That made it simple to get balls dipping deep right at the baseline. When defending or counterpunching, I was not only impressed by how well the racquet handled pace, but I also felt that I was getting natural spin on the ball, making my defensive shots that much more effective. It was also easy to drive slices through the court."

Chris felt dialed in regardless of his shot choice. He explained, "I loved the response of this latest Radical MP off the baseline. I felt like I had total command over my targeting. Whether I was hitting a drive shot, looping the ball or floating a slice, I was able to hit my mark with good consistency. My topspin shots had plenty of spin to get the ball to drop nicely inside the lines, and my slice shots had excellent bite to them. I liked the feel of the racquet. The response was solid and stable (surprisingly so for its weight), and it felt very comfortable, yet I also had lots of touch with it. From tip to handle, the Graphene 360+ Radical MP just felt like a very well put-together racquet on every groundstroke. I think Head did a good job of bringing back the feel and stability of past Radicals without losing the easy power and spin from recent versions."

The praise continued from Erik. He added, "I really liked this Radical MP on groundstrokes. It took a little getting used to at first, but once I dialed it in, this racquet was really solid off of the ground. I could get nice plow through and hit a really heavy ball with a lot of spin."

Volleys - Score: 85

The slight increase in weight and lower flex rating of this Radical MP 2021 equated to greater stability and optimal touch at net. Those characteristics stood out to Jason, who said, "The racquet felt solid up at net. Whether I was simply blocking a shot back on a reaction volley or trying to put away a ball with power, there was enough mass and stability to do both well. I really like the more responsive feel because it helps my touch volleys."

Chris had a similar experience moving forward. He added, "This Radical performed very well at net. I enjoyed the feel and response. I felt connected to my shots and was able to place both my punch and touch volleys well. I played a lot of doubles with this racquet and found it easy to maneuver when the pace picked up. There was also ample stability, so the racquet never felt like it was getting too pushed around. Comfort was good, and all in all, I felt very confident with this Radical at net."

Kristen was impressed with how the Radical MP 2021 performed under pressure. She explained, "The Radical MP was easy to get into position; it felt stable and blocked back volleys well. I was particularly impressed with how I was able to get the balls just skimming over the net when I was on the stretch. On slower balls I had to make sure I really stuck my volleys and directed the ball through the court. If I was a little too lax in my motion, the balls would have quite a high trajectory off the stringbed and easily launch off target."

Always looking to close the point out at net, Erik found that the updated Radical MP suited his volley game well. He said, "This racquet was very solid on volleys. I found it to have a nice blend of maneuverability and stability. It was easy to hit volleys deep in the court due to the slightly higher launch angle. This racquet also had really nice feel at net, and I felt connected to the ball overall, especially when hitting drop volleys."

Serves - Score: 82

While views varied slightly on serves, our playtesters thought the Head Radical MP 2021 offered the qualities needed to close out service games successfully. Chris had no issues settling into a nice, consistent serve. He said, "I was getting enough power on my serves with the Radical MP 2021 that I never felt like I had to work too hard. I'm not the biggest server, but my first serves had the pace needed to draw errors from the returner. I could even sneak in some aces with my slice serves wide on the deuce side. I was happy with the spin I was getting on my second serves, and I found I could keep the pace up and still maintain consistency."

There were no complaints on Erik's end. He added, "Serving with this Radical MP was very solid overall. I had really nice power from this racquet and solid placement. I had easy access to spin, and I could hit nice kick serves. My favorite serves to hit were the slice out wide on the deuce side and kick serves out wide on the ad side."

The Radical MP's characteristics came together nicely on Jason's serves. He said, "I felt like the maneuverability, stability, spin and control all added up to make this a very solid serving racquet. I would've liked just a tad more pop on my serves, but other than that, no complaints."

Kristen thought the Radical MP came around a bit slowly on serves. She said, "On serves, the racquet was not quite as whippy overhead as I would like, but the standout feature was how much spin I could get. It took more effort if I wanted to flatten out serves and tap into more power, but I could always rely on spin for placing my serves well if I was too fatigued to try to come up with a bigger serve."

Returns - Score: 87

As was the case on groundstrokes, our playtesters found they had a good handle on whatever was thrown at them when returning serve with this Graphene 360+ Radical MP. The stability and easy depth Erik experienced when returning gave him the confidence to go big. He said, "I was able to stay aggressive with my returns and pin my opponents back. There was a good blend of power and control. This racquet performed nicely on first serves when I needed to block back returns, and it felt great when I needed to attack second serves."

Jason enjoyed being able to mix up his return strategy. He described, "The Radical MP 2021 offered me versatility on my returns. I liked that I could step in, take a big cut and have the spin help bring the ball down in the court, or block a return back with depth."

The Radical MP 2021 continued to impress Chris. He said, "The blend of stability and maneuverability I enjoyed at net and on groundstrokes also felt great on returns. I liked the overall feel. The stringbed felt comfortable while still giving me a good connection to the ball. Taking a good rip at returns was fun with this racquet, as I could generate the spin I needed to keep the ball inside the lines."

"Returning was a favorite aspect of the playtest for me," added Kristen. "I thought the Radical MP offered a nice, controlled response. It stood up well against heavy servers, which allowed me to swing through serves with good stability and feel. I could really get the ball moving through the court when blocking back bigger serves with slice, making what would typically be a more defensive return a pretty offensive one."

Overall - Score: 86