Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.8

With such a varied global team of playtesters, there were sure to be differences in opinion, but every tester on this roster of seven found something to enjoy with the Head Speed MP 2024's performance from the baseline. Kicking off the review was Zsofi, who had not played much with Head Speed racquets before, but it's easy to say she was impressed. She said, “After the first few shots I hit with this Speed MP I had to let out a quick 'wow!' because the racquet felt so comfortable and stable. Even though I didn't have a vibration dampener in the stringbed, it felt like I did. I like to take balls very early and on the rise, so I need to have a super stable racquet that doesn't get pushed around and allows me to really play my game, and the Speed MP did just that. It is an extremely stable racquet, especially considering its weight."

Jason, on the other hand, knows the line well, and he currently uses the outgoing Speed MP. As soon as he picked up the Speed MP 202 he could tell there was more weight in the head. He explained, "The increased swingweight was immediately noticeable. This update features a 10-plus point uptick, and it showed. I was definitely getting more plow through than I do with the previous version, but I wasn't necessarily getting more depth because the launch angle seems to be lower with this update. This racquet was more taxing to use, and because of that, I was late more often and had to labor more to get the swing speed up for spin."

Tiffani had similar thoughts, adding, "When I was rallying from the baseline, I noticed that my balls were landing shorter than I was expecting. It also felt like the Speed MP 2024 was harder to swing than the previous version. I wasn't sure if the two were related, because with the outgoing model I could really whip up topspin and my swing speeds. With this 2024 version, I was hitting more driving shots with better plow through (rather than spinnier balls with higher net clearance), and the stability was improved. However, I did find it harder to play with overall. I liked the control when I was on time and hitting the ball out in front, but when I was on the run or hitting the ball late, this racquet was not as forgiving. Overall, I liked the feel and the balance of control and power, but I wanted it to swing a bit faster."

Although she is a big fan of 100-square-inch, 300-gram (unstrung) racquets, Brittany needed a bit of time to adjust to this Speed MP. She said, "During my first hitting session, I noticed my groundstrokes landing shorter than expected. I believe this was due to a lower launch angle. Once I got used to the feel, I was able to dial in my depth a little more consistently. I found the Speed MP 2024 to be a controllable racquet from the baseline. There is some power, but you do have to provide it yourself with some racquet head speed. To my benefit, I did use the plow through on slice backhands to keep the ball low and penetrating through the court on both offense and defense."

Unlike the previous three playtesters, the reviewers from Tennis Warehouse Europe and Tennis Only in Australia found the Speed MP 2024 to be plenty maneuverable. Alex described, "I really appreciated the maneuverability of the Speed MP 2024 from the baseline. It was easy to generate slice and spin with the perfect amount of power. When I played long rallies, the Head Speed MP allowed me to keep the ball inside the court by hitting deep with spin to give me more time and allow me to finish the point."

Benji kicked off his review with very high praise, saying, "The Speed MP 2024 is my favorite all-around racquet to play with! I can easily play with variety. I can adapt my play style with this racquet and quickly transition from a defensive situation to take the offensive. I also found this Speed MP 2024 very maneuverable, which allowed me to pick my spots on the court as I wished."

"Groundstrokes were very solid, and I was still able to make great shots on off-center hits," added James. "The Speed MP 2024 was very comfortable, and it had a plush feel without feeling too soft."

Volleys: 8.1

There were some varying thoughts on the Head Speed MP 2024 at net, though the majority of the review team praised the stability. Alex had no downsides to report on volleys. He said, "At the net, it was the same story as from the baseline. The maneuverability helped me control the low volleys and allowed me to finish points with enough power when given the chance."

James continued the praise, adding, "Volleys also felt very comfortable with the Speed MP. It offered great directional control and placement, plus it felt very stable at the net for a 300-gram racquet."

The Speed MP 2024's stability was a big plus for Jason. He said, "With a 330 swingweight, the Speed MP 2024 felt really solid up at net. It held up well against bigger hitters as well as off-center shots. I really liked the feel; it's responsive but comfortable and not muted. There is enough power to put away overheads and sitter volleys."

The other playtesters did have some issues at the net. For some, like Tiffani, the racquet wasn't always easy to maneuver. She explained, "I really appreciated the comfortable feel and stability at net. I could maneuver the Speed MP 2024 OK, although I would like it more if it was a little more head light so I could handle body shots a bit more easily. I'm not much of a volleyer and like to keep it simple."

Brittany also thought the Speed MP 2024 felt a bit demanding on volleys, but she was still successful in her ventures to the net. She said, "While I had a pretty consistent experience no matter what stroke I was hitting, I wanted to mention that the Speed MP 2024 felt particularly stable up at net. However, it also felt less whippy, so it took more effort to get it into place and generate racquet head speed. When it came to feel, I found a comfortable and flexible response that allowed me to hit some fun craftier volleys when I had time."

The Speed MP didn't fully jell with Zsofi's net game. She said, "Generally speaking, I do prefer racquets with a bit more response and a crisper feel, so I wouldn't say that the new Speed MP is the best choice for me on touch shots, and that is one area where I struggled a bit. As a result of that, I tried to avoid touch volleys and went for more confident shots."

Benji agreed, adding, "Net play is maybe the only area where I think this racquet has room for improvement. I didn't feel super comfortable when I was at net, and I wanted more stability."

Serves: 8.3

When put into the right hands, this Head Speed MP 2024 was very effective on serves. That was the case with Benji, who said, “My serve felt almost unbreakable with this racquet. The Speed MP 2024 was a very reliable weapon on both my first and second serves."

Another big server, James, was also very confident when serving with the Speed MP 2024. He said, "Serves were sublime. I felt like I could get extra pop on my fast serves and massive amounts of spin on my kick and sliders. I was serving very consistently and got a lot of free points."

You can count Jason as another fan of serving with this Speed MP. He added, "I was surprised by how well I was serving with this racquet. I even managed to get a few aces! The swingweight allowed me to carry more momentum through contact, which resulted in a bigger-than-usual serve. I did notice that when I would miss, it would most often be long because I couldn't accelerate it up and through quickly enough. Even though I usually hit mostly slice serves, I was actually enjoying hitting more flat serves because of that power."

Both Brittany and Tiffani found it necessary to focus on their strokes to find success. Brittany explained, "On serves, I really focused on generating racquet head speed. Once I got the Speed MP 2024 up and over my head with some good momentum, I was able to hit a serve with decent pace (although with additional effort). I mainly focused on slice serves and being precise. I felt like I could go for smaller targets and win a couple of free points that way. Second serves were tougher for me because I wasn't able to get topspin by flicking my wrist because the swingweight is a little higher and my arm was fatiguing faster than normal."

Tiffani continued, "When I went up and after the ball with my swings, I could get a good serve off. There was good plow through, and I liked how my serves felt harder to handle for my opponent. When I mistimed my serve or wasn't smooth through the stroke, the Speed MP 2024 felt sluggish overhead, and I muscled my way to a not-so-great serve."

Zsofi had a mostly positive experience on serves, though her second serves weren't quite to her liking. She said, "I enjoyed this Speed MP 2024 on serves and overheads, and I especially liked how I could tap into its stability a lot during those shots. However, I kind of felt disconnected on second serves, where I wished the racquet provided a bit more response for more accurate placement."

Unlike Zsofi, Alex thought this racquet excelled on second serves. He said, "I got the feeling that the power was there, but not always the precision on my first serve. Luckily, it was easy to kick the ball with good margin on my second serve.”

Returns: 8.6

Returning with the Head Speed MP 2024 is where our playtesters seemed to be on the same page, and all were impressed with this racquet's stability. Zsofi raved about its performance on this particular shot, saying, "I absolutely loved the Speed MP 2024 on returns! I felt like I was able to take basically any serve confidently on the rise, and with that, take control of the rallies early on. It's an amazing racquet to return with."

Similar to Zsofi, you could find Benji hugging the baseline when returning with this racquet. He said, "The stability is perfect for hitting good returns against first and second serves. I played very aggressively, and I could even hit my returns while standing on the baseline or sometimes inside the court."

Although she didn't have quite as easy a time as either Benji or Zsofi, Tiffani still found a lot to like on returns. She said, "The key for me was a compact stroke. This was not a racquet I could whip around quickly. I liked how stable and comfortable it felt on contact with just about any serve that I returned. However, as I said before, this Speed MP 2024 was not as forgiving as the previous model, so it was harder to get it around on time. On the flip side, I got better stability and could hit driving returns with proper technique."

Brittany appreciated this racquet's dependability here. She described, "The Speed MP 2024 felt solid in my hands on returns. No matter how hard the serve was, I felt comfortable stepping up and taking a cut at the ball. Like with groundstrokes, I did need a small adjustment period to get my returns accurately going where I wanted, and I made a conscious effort to have a shorter, more compact takeback. When it came to second serve returns, I had a little more time and freedom to take a more aggressive swing."

Jason took a slightly different approach with his returns, but he still agreed that stability was a key feature. He explained, "When it came to returns, I had more success being defensive and blocking the ball back. The solid and stable response, along with the heftier swingweight, meant I could get some nice depth on my shots. Much like my groundstrokes, I was late more often than I usually am when I tried to take a big cut at the ball."

"I felt confident returning with the Speed MP 2024, especially when I was in a defensive position on my opponent's first serve," added Alex. "I could answer with a strong return and turn the point to my advantage."

James concluded his review on a high note, saying, "The Speed MP 2024 was very maneuverable on returns. I could get the racquet into position quickly, and I found all my targets."

Breakdown Summary