Prestige Pro, now Tour, lineage..?

[Chairman3]

Got curious from where the Prestige Pro, now called Tour, traces its lineage?
This is the 95sq-in, 16x19, 22mm beam, higher stiffness racquet

I am thinking of trying this racquet as I am about to demo the Prince Tour 95 and it just got me wondering about the Head's lineage.

The Prestige MP now Pro as I understand is the successor(?) to the Pro Tour 630, so it made me wonder when and why the Pro now Tour came about?

Thanks gents

 

[Return_Ace]

IIRC the first "Prestige Pro" in the current guise (95sq.in 16x19) was the Microgel?
Prior to that was Liquidmetal and that only had the Mid ("93"sqin - actually ~90sqin), from the PC600 heritage and MP.
Think the aim was to have a more "modern" Prestige?

Tennis Warehouse - Head MicroGEL Prestige Racquets Review

www.tennis-warehouse.com

 

[Chairman3]

Was microgel before youteks?
I believe there were youtek prestige pro's

 

[MRfStop]

Was microgel before youteks?
I believe there were youtek prestige pro's

Yes
https://www.merchantoftennis.com/blogs/racquets/a-brief-history-of-the-head-prestige

"The Pro was also a Midplus (98 square inch head), but was slightly heavier than the standard Midplus and came with a un-Prestige like 16x19 string pattern. Most found the Microgel Prestige to be a big improvement on the Flexpoint Prestige, but it did not match the heights of the i.Prestige or even the Liquidmetal Prestige."

 

[MRfStop]

The Prestige MP now Pro as I understand is the successor(?) to the Pro Tour 630

This is potential blasphemy

 

[janelgreo]

Yes
https://www.merchantoftennis.com/blogs/racquets/a-brief-history-of-the-head-prestige

"The Pro was also a Midplus (98 square inch head), but was slightly heavier than the standard Midplus and came with a un-Prestige like 16x19 string pattern. Most found the Microgel Prestige to be a big improvement on the Flexpoint Prestige, but it did not match the heights of the i.Prestige or even the Liquidmetal Prestige."

Liquidmetal was 2003? Lol I had a Liquidmetal Radical from when I started playing back in the early 2000's that I threw in the trash a couple months ago, hated that racquet.

 

[Chairman3]

This is potential blasphemy

Forgive me, I know not what I post
I've read the various histories of racquets but always forget how they converged into the lines we have today.

 

[Chairman3]

I think I was also wondering the back story of why or how the pro model came about.
For a player, to be more "modern", to have more power, randomly without reason..?

 

[Return_Ace]

Yes
https://www.merchantoftennis.com/blogs/racquets/a-brief-history-of-the-head-prestige

"The Pro was also a Midplus (98 square inch head), but was slightly heavier than the standard Midplus and came with a un-Prestige like 16x19 string pattern. Most found the Microgel Prestige to be a big improvement on the Flexpoint Prestige, but it did not match the heights of the i.Prestige or even the Liquidmetal Prestige."

Had completely forgot about Flexpoint tbh.

Whilst not Prestige, iirc the Flexpoint was where they first started diversifying the Radical portfolio as well with a Tour model on top of the MP and OS; there was an LM Rad Tour, but that was basically just a weighted up MP, whereas the FXP Rad Tour was 100sq and 16x19 I think

 

[oldmanyellingatcloud]

I think the current Prestige Pro, now called Tour, is from the older Prestige S mold which was a 95" 16x19 Prestige in a lighter and differently balanced package. The original Microgels were 16x19 versions of the then 95" MPs.

There was a Europe exclusive Microgel Prestige Team that may or may not have been a true 102" and but 18x19 that maybe the current MP can trace its roots back to, along with the Prestige Tour 102".

I almost bought the Microgel Radical Pro as my first player's stick when it was still being sold but settled on the 95" 18x20 Radical MP.

My speculation --- and maybe people in the know can confirm or deny this --- the 100" Flex Radical Tour and Microgel Radical Pros lived on as the early thinner beam Speed models only available to pros. Those have now been reborn as Gravity's.

 

[MRfStop]

Forgive me, I know not what I post
I've read the various histories of racquets but always forget how they converged into the lines we have today.

You are forgiven
You will notice that the more recent prestige models have derived from the original prestiges and the Pro Tour 280/630. Even though the more recent prestige models are lesser quality than the originals.

@vsbabolat and @dr325i are the local experts on all things Head and can fill us all in.

 

[aus89]

Had completely forgot about Flexpoint tbh.

Whilst not Prestige, iirc the Flexpoint was where they first started diversifying the Radical portfolio as well with a Tour model on top of the MP and OS; there was an LM Rad Tour, but that was basically just a weighted up MP, whereas the FXP Rad Tour was 100sq and 16x19 I think

FXP Radical Tour was the Ferrero racquet after they poached him from Prince, believe he actually played with it (prostock longbody version ofc) as it had the holes