Head Speed MP Limited Edition Black Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 90

The Head Speed MP Limited Edition Black excels from the baseline. Its open 16x19 pattern has enough precision for all shot types. To begin the review, Andrew discussed the great feel of Auxetic technology. He said, "Let me start by saying I have been loving the Auxetic feel on all the new Head racquets so far. It's crisp, but still forgiving on outside-the-sweetspot contact. That being said, the Speed MP brought me back to my older days of using a 300-gram, 100 head size racquet. I would sum it up by saying that this may currently be my overall favorite 100 head size modern racquet. I was happy to find that the lower flex (62 RA) added some control and comfort, but the feel and response were still crisp, making it feel like a modern racquet. In terms of playability, it was easy to swing but still had the plow through and stability to stand up against hard hitters. It also had great spin due to the redesigned open pattern. I was able to utilize sharp angles, and touch was there for drop shots. If I were to throw a complaint out there, my deep slices were rising a bit high when I did not have a lot of time to set up. Overall, for more finesse players, this is an awesome racquet that swings fast and is super easy to use from the baseline."

Jason described the unique feel of Auxetic technology during baseline rallies. He said, "I loved how the racquet felt on contact; it was responsive, but it didn't feel too stiff. Like with the previous generation, this Speed MP packed a decent amount of power for its weight class. I would've liked it to be just slightly more maneuverable, but I thought it was still fairly easy to wield. I enjoyed the amount of spin I was able to generate, both on my forehand for topspin and backhand for slice."

Along with Andrew, Tiffani and Kristen also thought the new Speed MP was the best in the line. Kristen described, "Having hit with several past Speed MPs, I can say this was my favorite to date. The swingweight was lowered slightly from the previous iteration, which gave it that added maneuverability from around the court without sacrificing much in terms of plow through and stability, which were areas I found much improved upon from iterations prior. The feel out of the sweetspot was very clean and plush, which led to a really nice feel on groundstrokes. There was a lot of spin to tap into, and with a responsive feel out of the stringbed, it was easy to get the balls moving with good pace through the court and landing deep. Initially, that responsiveness out of the hoop could get the best of me at times, especially if my timing wasn't on point, but the more I played with the racquet, the more I adjusted my strokes, utilized spin and found a really good, reliable consistency in play. I could access controllable power that allowed me to really pinpoint my targets."

"I'm going to get straight to the point," Tiffani added. "This is my favorite Speed MP to date. I felt at home from the baseline without any adjustment. Depth was easy to achieve, but I didn't feel pressured to play the deep topspin game with this racquet, an issue I recall having with the Graphene Touch version. I always felt like I had to try to play a more aggressive style with that earlier model because it didn't feel as consistent as my usual racquet. With the 2022 version, I felt in control of the direction and depth of my shots, giving me the option to change up the pace of points with slice and even try drop shots. This racquet felt maneuverable and comfortable throughout the playtest. Although I typically prefer 18x20 string patterns, this Speed MP has me seriously considering whether I should switch to a 16x19 for easier depth while on the run."

Volleys - Score: 85

Unanimously, our playtesters were impressed that the Head Speed MP Limited Edition Black maintained stability, especially with a decreased swingweight and a static weight of 10.6 ounces unstrung. The unique feel provided great connectivity to the ball at net. Jason explained, "I thought the racquet did a really solid job absorbing pace while maintaining its stability. I really liked hitting touch volleys and drop volleys with this because I felt so well connected to my shots. It's definitely a weapon in the hands of someone that loves to play with feel."

Andrew found great feel when hitting drop volleys and angles, along with easy power for driving volleys. He noted, "Since the Speed MP meshed well with my drop shots, I was able to achieve chip and charges to the net for singles play. At net, the Speed MP was quick to get out in front of the ball. Again, with Auxetic technology improving feel and contact throughout the sweetspot, volleys were forgiving in all situations, especially when quick reflexes were required. Depth and angles were easy to achieve, but as with groundstrokes, the open pattern could be a little launchy when making late contact or getting too excited and being unnecessarily aggressive."

Kristen found the Speed MP to provide a forgiving sweetspot with solid feel for volleys. She said, "This racquet offered great feel up at net. As with groundstrokes, I enjoyed the smooth, clean feel outside of the sweetspot. It was easy to dictate where I wanted to place my volleys, easy to get into position, and I felt that the racquet had good stability for its weight."

While she typically elects to play from the baseline, Tiffani found confidence at net thanks to the Speed MP's ease of use. She said, "Although you won't find me the first to volunteer to move forward, the Speed MP was effective for my style of net play. It got into position quickly for me and offered enough stability to block the ball back deep and on target. Like from the baseline, I enjoyed the feel and tried to work in some touch every now and then."

Serves - Score: 85

When it came to starting the point, the Head Speed MP Limited Edition Black offered precision for powerful first serves while granting the ability to tap into spin for second serves. The more maneuverable swingweight made the Speed MP easy to use, but it wasn’t so whippy that it decreased stability. As with all other aspects of the playtest, our team was thrilled with the racquet's feel. Kristen described, "I generally prefer to return serve over serving, and that held true with this Speed MP. That said, it was easy to tap into spin on serves and to get the ball moving with decent speed. This racquet never felt too whippy overhead, but at the same time, it didn't feel taxing. It's an area where I felt I could get the job done, but nothing stood out as overly special."

Tiffani found controllable power and a connected feel when serving with the Speed MP. She said, "The serve has never been my strong point, so I did have some issues getting spin reliably. However, this is more of a 'me thing' than anything to do with the Speed MP. I say this because when I connected with good technique, I was really happy with the action I saw on my serves, and I could get them curving away from my opponent. Power levels were decent for my flat serves, but it's not going to be Pure Drive-type easy serving."

Describing the all-around serving versatility of the Speed MP, Andrew said, "The maneuverability, power, spin potential and added control meshed well with my serving game. My favorite serves to hit were flat and out-wide slices. The quickness allowed me to generate a high swing speed with minimal effort, and the ball really wanted to explode off the open stringbed. What stood out to me, again, was the great feel. With these modern racquets, I often experience fatigue or pain due to the higher stiffness. The Speed MP felt close to those racquets, but with added flex and comfort. Second serves could be a little difficult to control when I was tight or in a pressure situation, but in those cases, I utilized more slice and had no issues keeping the ball in play."

"I felt very confident while serving with this racquet," Jason added. "It had enough pop to net me some cheap points, and it also had great access to spin, giving me a nice margin of error. I thought I was hitting my targets well with this racquet, so control was on point as well."

Returns - Score: 87

Our playtesters thought the Head Speed MP Limited Edition Black offered more precision and a plusher feel than the competition when it came to hitting various types of returns. With a lower swingweight than its predecessor, this racquet provided a good mix of maneuverability, stability and control for Tiffani. She explained, "As is typical for me, I preferred to start points off with a return. I felt confident going into return games with this Speed MP in hand. There's power to be had, but not the sort that feels wild, so I could be comfortable going for my targets without worrying too much about the ball flying. The feel gave me a good sense of where I was going with my shots."

Kristen also found confidence and free power with the Speed MP. She added, "I felt confident swinging through returns; there was a lot of power to tap into and enough spin to keep the ball down and on target. I thought it handled pace well and made it easy for me to get my returns deep, even when I took a more compact swing, so it fit well into my game style."

Andrew appreciated the added control and versatility on returns. He said, "My biggest complaint with racquets in this spec range is always the return of serve. As I naturally counterpunch serves, these faster, more powerful racquets sometimes get erratic with depth control. With the Speed MP, I noticed better control than the competition, so I immediately loved returning with this racquet. Also, when I elected to kick up some topspin angles on my returns, the Speed was able to add that spin while being easy on my wrist. The Speed MP is possibly my favorite racquet in the modern 300-gram category for returns due to its easy playability and added control."

Jason would have preferred slightly less swingweight from this Speed MP for returns, but he did respect the easy power and spin. He said, "With a slightly higher swingweight than I am used to, I was able to bring the heat a bit more on my returns. But on the flip side, I was late on shots more than usual, and it was mostly from my forehand. The great access to spin allowed my shots to dip into the court when swinging out."

Overall - Score: 88