Looking for racquet recommendations - currently 360+ Speed MP

[maxepix]

Hello everyone,

First something about myself.
I'm currently 20 and I've picked up on playing tennis again about a year ago. I didn't play for multiple years before that. Played 8 years in total.
I'd say my style of play is somewhat of an defensive all court player. I prefer playing with topspin but also vary with flat shots sometimes.
Backhand is primarily one handed and i do like to slice the ball.

Currently I'm playing with the Head 360+ Speed MP with natural gut in the mains an poly in the crosses strung at 25kg / 24kg.
I really enjoy the feel of the racquet and find it really pleasant & comfortable to play with but when I fully swing my forehand I feel like I'm getting too much power out of the speed.

Therefore I'm looking for similar racquets with good feel, with a little bit less power and more control.
I've tested the Blade 98 CV (18x20) but I felt like it was too muted and had almost no power at all.
So far I've looked into the following racquets: Pure Strike 16x19, Blade 98 v7 (non-CV 16x19), Yonex Vcore Pro 97 (310), Ezone 98...

I'd appreciate some help on this!
Thanks

 

[gutfeeling]

If you want to give your current racquet another chance put the poly in the mains and the gut in the crosses, you will have more control.

If you want to stay with Head then try the 360+ Speed Pro which has a denser 18x20 string pattern. I would also give the 360+ Extreme Tour a look.

 

[gazz1]

I would try what @gutfeeling said first. Even increase the tension a bit.

The Gravity MP will give you great feel and less power.
Gravity Tour will give you great feel and better control.

 

[Steve Huff]

Unless you've just developed a yen for a new racket, I'd go with gazz1's suggestion of tightening your stringjob some. You've got plenty of room to go tighter.

 

[Dragy]

Have you tried goind full poly? Some smooth, soft to moderately stiff options? Yonex Poly Tour Pro, maybe 1.30? Poly Tour Fire? Tourna Big Hitter Silver?
(I don't suggest shaped options as Speed MP already has quite open string pattern, but if you like arcing spin and crisp feel, check Solinco Tour Bite, Volkl Cyclone, etc.)
Gut hybrid will be softish and more catapultive than full poly on any day.

I'd also be cautious with really soft low-powered frames if you like your Speed with default specs. Might play very plush and comfy, yet be not stable and reliable for actual matchplay challenge.

 

[MikhailT]

Imo if a racquet like Speed MP has too much power for you after a year of play, it's probably your technique... People play with much more powerful racquets on much higher levels without any problems, just saying

 

[Dragy]

Imo if a racquet like Speed MP has too much power for you after a year of play, it's probably your technique... People play with much more powerful racquets on much higher levels without any problems, just saying

Might be quite legit, but there are options. If topspin is missing, if “fully swing” provides huge discrepancy in shots trajectories, some flying into the back fence, it’s definitely some technical/ball approach issues.
Meanwhile, it’s quite possible that a player hits more or less consistent ball, which tends to float couple of feet past the baseline too frequently. If it happens with still decent topspin rate, tinkering with equipment might be not that bad an idea.
Of course one should be able to control depth, but there should be some “default” full free swing from the baseline which gets the ball land reliably deep and in, and equipment should be just right for particular player to hit this shot over and over, and adjust from there, not from blank list of paper.

 

[veloduffer]

If you like the feel of the Speed MP and want more control, get the Speed Pro. I have played both and they are similar in feel but the Pro is slightly lower power and launch angle. The 18x20 pattern is open so it does allow for spin generation.

Another is the Pure Strike 18x20. For me, the transition from a Speed is fairly seamless.

In general if you’re looking for more control, look for an 18x20 pattern. More mfrs are using an open string pattern.


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[MikhailT]

Might be quite legit, but there are options. If topspin is missing, if “fully swing” provides huge discrepancy in shots trajectories, some flying into the back fence, it’s definitely some technical/ball approach issues.
Meanwhile, it’s quite possible that a player hits more or less consistent ball, which tends to float couple of feet past the baseline too frequently. If it happens with still decent topspin rate, tinkering with equipment might be not that bad an idea.
Of course one should be able to control depth, but there should be some “default” full free swing from the baseline which gets the ball land reliably deep and in, and equipment should be just right for particular player to hit this shot over and over, and adjust from there, not from blank list of paper.

I mean the Speed MP still has 8 mains going through the throat and it's relatively soft, so it's not a super powerful frame. We cannot know if OP generates enough topspin, maybe they can post a video of them hitting or simply tell us how long strings last them.

 

[maxepix]

I mean the Speed MP still has 8 mains going through the throat and it's relatively soft, so it's not a super powerful frame. We cannot know if OP generates enough topspin, maybe they can post a video of them hitting or simply tell us how long strings last them.

While I'm currently using gut in the mains and poly in the crosses, my strings usually last about 20 hours of playtime. Unfortunately I don't have a video as of now

 

[maxepix]

If you like the feel of the Speed MP and want more control, get the Speed Pro. I have played both and they are similar in feel but the Pro is slightly lower power and launch angle. The 18x20 pattern is open so it does allow for spin generation.

Another is the Pure Strike 18x20. For me, the transition from a Speed is fairly seamless.

In general if you’re looking for more control, look for an 18x20 pattern. More mfrs are using an open string pattern.


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I've thought about going for a 18x20 Pattern but I'm not quite sure yet. I've tried it multiple times and I feel like I can fully hit. Have you tried both racquets yourself?

 

[maxepix]

Might be quite legit, but there are options. If topspin is missing, if “fully swing” provides huge discrepancy in shots trajectories, some flying into the back fence, it’s definitely some technical/ball approach issues.
Meanwhile, it’s quite possible that a player hits more or less consistent ball, which tends to float couple of feet past the baseline too frequently. If it happens with still decent topspin rate, tinkering with equipment might be not that bad an idea.
Of course one should be able to control depth, but there should be some “default” full free swing from the baseline which gets the ball land reliably deep and in, and equipment should be just right for particular player to hit this shot over and over, and adjust from there, not from blank list of paper.

Well it's usually about 1-2 feet behind the baseline maximum. But that happens quite some times when I swing fully.

 

[maxepix]

Have you tried goind full poly? Some smooth, soft to moderately stiff options? Yonex Poly Tour Pro, maybe 1.30? Poly Tour Fire? Tourna Big Hitter Silver?
(I don't suggest shaped options as Speed MP already has quite open string pattern, but if you like arcing spin and crisp feel, check Solinco Tour Bite, Volkl Cyclone, etc.)
Gut hybrid will be softish and more catapultive than full poly on any day.

I'd also be cautious with really soft low-powered frames if you like your Speed with default specs. Might play very plush and comfy, yet be not stable and reliable for actual matchplay challenge.

I've tried it with Solinco HyperG, Alu Power, Alu Power Rough and the Natural Gut / Poly hybrid. Unfortunately my wrist tends to be a bit sore after playing with a full poly setup.

 

[veloduffer]

I've thought about going for a 18x20 Pattern but I'm not quite sure yet. I've tried it multiple times and I feel like I can fully hit. Have you tried both racquets yourself?

My current main racquet is the last generation Speed 360 Pro. It fits my game as it is lower powered and allows me to take full swings without having to worry about the ball sailing long. I’ve an all-rounder type game that is predominantly heavy topspin but use a lot of slice on both sides to vary pace. The Pro allows me to flatten my shots when for hitting angles, approaches and when I want to hit with a lot of pace. Also, it’s stiff and stable enough to handle hard players 5.0. The lighter is good for my shoulder when serving -good pace and can put a lot of slice and kick, but it’s no Pure Drive.

I’ve been trying the new 360+ MP and Pro. The MP is a bit too powerful and I have to dial it back. I like the new Pro but haven’t hit extensively. Both frames I want to restring closer to my preference. Currently string the older Speed Pro at 49 lbs using either Velocity, Hyper G and Lynx Tour.

The newer models feel more flexible but not that different in maneuverability despite swing weight differences (newer are a bit heavier).

I am also playing with the Babalot Pure Strike 3rd Gen 18x20 and feels more like the older Speed Pro. Still early testing though.


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[Dartagnan64]

Power can always be adjusted by strings. If you like gut mains (and who doesn't!), adjust the tension up if you are getting too much power and down if you are not. You can also switch up the poly to change power levels. 4G is a good poly cross for lowering power. Cream is a good poly cross for raising power levels.

Going down the rabbit hole of trying to change rackets all the time is an expensive habit especially for a 20 year old. Put that money in your Roth IRA and do some more fooling with your strings.

 

[MikhailT]

While I'm currently using gut in the mains and poly in the crosses, my strings usually last about 20 hours of playtime. Unfortunately I don't have a video as of now

20 hours sounds like decent amount of spin, so maybe you really could try a 18x20 frame. I had the tecnifibre tf40 305 before I switched to new Speed MP and the feel is very similar, just the power level and launch angle were substantially lower.