Head Youtek IG Prestige MP Racquet Review
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The Head Prestige line of racquets has always been known as a solid line with many professionals wielding them. Personally, I haven’t played Head racquets much and have never owned any. My normal preference is for a small head, flexible racquet (I play the 93 sq in Volkl PB10 Mid). Still, these brand new offerings for 2012 have me intrigued mainly due to their outstanding lineage. I took this racquet out for several hits to see why they are so highly touted. This racquet was strung with a poly in the mid-range.
Groundstrokes
I have tested and played many, many racquets and this is the first one that I have picked up and had NO adjustment period. It felt like I had played with this racquet my whole life from the first hit. Balls were going exactly where I asked them to and with nice pace. My strokes flattened out (due from the 18x20 string pattern, I suspect) over my typical semi-looping, topspin groundies. The beautiful thing about it is that I didn’t hit balls long as a result, they just got to their destination sooner. This did feel a tad bit stiffer than my regular racquet (Volkl PB10 Mid, but it’s a very flexible stick). I never felt arm or shoulder pain from using this racquet. The slightly stiffer feel helped in the overall great stability, too. The result is a combination of power, control, spin, touch and comfort. Literally, the Prestige MP had it all. Keep in mind, this is a player’s stick and so a degree of skill is needed to play it. I found that if I babied the ball, it would land short. With the guys I play with, short balls relate to a fuzzball sandwich in a hurry! However, if I hit out on both sides, I could control points and feed my opponents the meal instead. Slice backhands were sick as the ball buried into the court and stayed low. Overall, this is the best groundstroke racquet I have ever tested. The only negative is that it has a bit of a tinny sound coming from the stringbed. A dampener helped, but didn’t cure it. Frankly, I forgot about it quickly when I hit great shots!
Volleys/Overheads
Both of these shots were smooth as silk. Volleys felt controlled, stable and the touch was outstanding. I really felt as though I was directing the shots and not hitting them. I think the weight is perfect for the combination of power, control and stability. Not too light or too heavy. Overheads felt as solid as a rock. This racquet was at home at the net no matter whether I was volleying or putting away an overhead. You could easily feel comfortable with this racquet if you are a serve and volley player.
Serves/Returns
Serves were very controllable but power is not its strong suit. I was able to get plenty of pop when I needed it but I had to rock back and let it rip to do it. You won’t get a lot of help in the power department, for sure. But, power was adequate. On returns, the 98 square inch head allowed me to meet every ball squarely but, just like the serve, you must help generate the power back to your opponent. When you do, returns were solid and dependable.
If you have an aggressive game and like to take big cuts at the ball, this is your racquet. At times, I felt like I could swing as hard as I wanted and the ball would stay in. That is a great feeling because it builds confidence. On the flipside, if you don’t take full strokes, the ball can land short and your lunch will be served back to you! This is a versatile racquet in that you can play baseline, serve/volley or an all-court game and not have to sacrifice anything. I love this racquet so much that that this is going to be my racquet of choice going forward. The Head Youtek IG Prestige Midplus is a low-powered, control racquet that is best suited for aggressive, 4.0+ baseline, serve and volleyers and all-court players.
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