Prince Phantom 97P Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 82

The Phantom Pro 97P swung fast from the baseline while offering great access to spin and depth. Chris found it to be an easy racquet to use when grinding out points at the baseline. He said, "The sweetspot felt generous, so even though this was very much a control-oriented racquet, I still found easy access to pace and depth. Getting spin was also a snap and further enhanced my control over the ball. I was able to drive through my backhand slice while maintaining precision. On topspin shots, I could gauge the amount of spin I was getting, which helped me flirt with the lines on angles and lobs. I was also impressed with how smooth and comfortable the response felt, no matter the type of shot I was hitting."

"This racquet kept me coming back because of the feel when hitting in the sweetspot," said Michelle, whose own racquet has similar specs to this Phantom 97P. "Unfortunately, that feel wasn't as consistent as I was hoping for. I must admit I am harsher when judging racquets that fall into a similar spec range to my Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph because I adore everything about that racquet. This Phantom was super flexible, which is not my favorite feel. I did note some great pocketing; the ball really sunk into the stringbed, and I could launch it back out. However, the sweetspot felt a bit small, and if I missed it the racquet twirled a bit in my hands, causing some erratic shots. I was craving more stability and a stiffer feel, which is just my personal preference with racquets. I was hoping for a little more swingweight as well. In turn, the racquet was super speedy, and I could accelerate fast even off balls hit deep in the court. I think this racquet is a definite demo for anyone looking for something flexy, fast and more comfortable than some of the stiffer 97-square-inch racquets. When the ball was struck in the sweetspot it was enough to keep me jonesing for that feel over and over again."

Although this racquet is heavier than what Jason typically uses, he found some success from the baseline. He said, "I found it was pretty easy to swing the Phantom 97P and generate racquet head speed. The combination of the weight and the open string pattern made for great slices on my backhand. I also loved hitting drop shots and short slices with it because I felt well connected to my shots, allowing me to judge depth more accurately. I struggled a bit on shots hit at my feet as well as flicking cross-court forehands on the run. I think the weight of the racquet was putting it just out of range for me to fully swing out on every shot."

Julie found that the Phantom 97P worked nicely for her game, especially when she wanted to take some pace off, place the ball smartly and hit with a lot of spin. She said, "It was tough to remain aggressive with this racquet because of its small sweetspot, low flex level and thinner beam. However, as soon as I let the racquet do its thing instead of muscling the ball, I was rewarded with feel, control and spin. The rounder head and 16x18 string pattern created a good launch angle. I was able to reach ideal depth with a nice whirl on the ball, so I didn't fear that my shots would fly outside the limits of the court. This is a low-powered racquet, but I never found it too hard to maneuver. I thought it had the perfect amount of mass behind the ball for me to hit my favorite short cross-court shot. There was also nice feel, and I could hit efficient drop shots. My slices weren't sitting as low as I wanted them to, but considering the amount of spin I was able to generate, I didn't mind this little downside."

Volleys - Score: 83

Our playtesters were happy with the Phantom 97P's feel and surprised by its stability and versatility at net. Although the flexible response wasn't to her liking on groundstrokes, Michelle was able to tap into it at net. She said, "I really liked the Phantom 97P at the net. The feel was outstanding and well received. The racquet was easy to get into position and block balls back with. I could swing big, too. Actually, I loved swinging volleys with this racquet. That flexible feel just worked, and I could get that ball moving loaded with spin and pop. Both depth and touch shots were easy to execute. Plus, the racquet was fairly stable and very easy to get into position."

"It's amazing how a little extra mass can help my volley game," added Jason. "Physics: it works! I was able to just get the racquet out in front and let it do the work — whether that was absorbing pace, hitting a short volley, punching it deep or putting away an overhead. The extra mass was great for that."

For Julie, finding the center of the stringbed was key. She explained, "Once again, I had nice feel at impact, but I had to make sure to be in position. Extra focus was required at net because hitting outside of the small sweetspot resulted in loss of stability and feel. The open string pattern helped me find nice depth, but the launch angle was too high when I hit volleys below the level of the net. I felt connected to the ball when it landed in the sweetspot, but it had to be found!"

Chris had all the ingredients he needed to succeed at net with the Phantom 97P. He said, "I liked the balance of maneuverability and stability. I could easily get the racquet into position and punch through my shots. When having to react quickly, the racquet remained solid — even if my timing wasn't. I found a ton of touch on my drop volleys and angles. I had zero complaints and found it a great racquet at net."

Serves - Score: 85

For the most part, our playtesters reveled in their ability to serve effectively with the Phantom 97P. However, Jason struggled a little. He described, "The spin I was getting was really good, but I was having a harder time generating pace. Maybe it was the lower flex, maybe it was the nearly 12-ounce static weight — maybe it was a bit of both."

On the flip side, the serve was Julie's favorite stroke with this Phantom 97P. "If I could start a point on serve with this racquet and grab my racquet of choice for the rest of the point, I would," she said. "Michelle and I hit our first serves with this racquet together, and we were both excited to see how easy it was to reach wider targets on the deuce side. The mass of the racquet and the nice feel at impact helped me slice the ball and add some kick on my second serves. I didn't get the most power out of this racquet, but when the execution was right, reaching my targets was relatively easy."

Like her practice partner, Michelle loved this racquet for serves. She added, "I often struggle with the wide serve on the deuce side, but it was so easy to hit and hit well with the Phantom 97P. Serves were simple and seamless. Easy angles, easy spin, easy targeting, and I could still generate some power. No complaints here!"

Chris served accurately and consistently as well. He said, "I enjoyed the precise response and felt full of confidence when I stepped up to the line to serve. There was enough mass to the racquet to help provide ample power, so I didn't feel like I was giving up anything in the speed department. I continued to be impressed by the level of comfort I found from this racquet even when it was strung with a stiff co-poly string."

Returns - Score: 84

The controlled response of the Phantom 97P made it a fun racquet for Chris to take good cuts at the ball with on returns. He said, "There was enough to this racquet to keep it feeling solid and stable even when the pace picked up. The head-light balance made it quick to maneuver. I could position the racquet and then quickly accelerate through my shots with no issues. The stringbed offered up ample spin to let me confidently swing big and keep my shots well within the lines."

For Julie, the key to success was letting the racquet do its job. She explained, "I had to let the Phantom 97P absorb the pace to place the ball and generate spin. With time, it gave me extra confidence. I was able to find nice consistency and erase unforced errors because I never tried to go for too much. Overhitting was always penalized with a loss of feel, and even stability. I wanted to make sure to feel connected to the ball on each return to be able to start building my point right off the bat."

Michelle's personal preferences for racquets came into play when returning. She described, "While the stringbed felt soft and plush at contact, I just got lost a little. In general, I prefer a firmer response. At times, I found I was swinging so fast I just couldn't get the ball in the middle of the racquet. When the ball wasn't in the sweetspot the racquet spiraled in my hands. A little customizing will make it feel more stable. It was very hit or miss — a winner or a mistake. I was able to hit some good targets but not consistently enough to use in point play. I needed to take pace off the ball to get a more consistent feel, which isn't typically my style."

On the other hand, Jason really enjoyed returning with this racquet. He said, "It was whippy enough that I could take full cuts and be aggressive when facing slower serves. Against big hitters, the weight really helped when blocking a return back. The only downside was that I thought it was tougher than normal to find angles, especially on my forehand side."

Overall - Score: 81