Prince Phantom 93P 14x18 Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 83

The playtest of the Phantom 93P 14x18 started on a positive note from the baseline. Chris really enjoyed rallying with this racquet. He said, "The Phantom 93 14x18 offers addictive levels of spin and plow through. I had fun seeing how much hop and penetration I could get out of my shots. As with the 18-mains version, I found this racquet easy to maneuver for its weight. The smaller head seemed to cut cleanly through the air, which allowed for some nice racquet head speed on a full swing. Slice was the one shot that could fly on me if I hit a little flat, so I made sure to maximize spin. While the response was lively, I still felt in control of my touch shots. With the 18x20 version I would use soft hands to feel the ball to a short target, but with this version I utilized spin to cut away pace and depth. I needed more time to get used to the racquet's weight on angle shots so I could flick them a bit easier, but on the flip side, I loved the solid heft on down-the-line drives. The open string pattern gives the racquet a very forgiving feel for a mid, and I loved the comfortable feel it offered."

Mark's initial impression from the baseline was also very positive. He said, "The feel and performance reminded me of the previous Phantom Pro 93P 18x20, which at one point was my racquet of choice. That said, the inherent higher launch angle of an open pattern made the 14x18 version of the 93P feel just a bit livelier than its dense-patterned equivalent. Consistently hitting deep groundstrokes with lots of shape required a little less effort compared to the 18x20 version. However, I was more challenged to keep my backhand slice low due to that higher launch angle."

"The Phantom 93 14x18 offered really good feel and stability on my groundstrokes," added Jason. "Even though I found the racquet tougher to generate racquet head speed with, I was still getting nice depth on my shots due to the higher launch angle. The weight of the racquet really helped block back hard-hit shots and allowed me to hit knifing slices. Where I struggled the most was hitting my forehand on the run. I felt like I wasn't getting the pace or the angles I was used to, and to top it off, the 93-square-inch head size was not nearly as forgiving as what I'm used to with 98 to 100 square inch heads."

As soon as he started rallying from the baseline with this racquet, Troy noticed a much higher launch angle compared to the 18x20 version. He said, "As I said in the review of the previous version, it was much easier to get the ball to rise up over the net and dip down fast on the other side compared to the Phantom 93P 18x20. When it came to the topspin potential and high launch angle, this racquet was unique due to its head size. I found amazing touch and feel whenever I went for a drop shot or short angle. I was also rewarded with a lively and spin-friendly response when ripping heavy topspin groundstrokes. There was a very solid and stable feel on contact, much like the 18x20 version; it was a nice and classic feel in that sense. The downside was when I tried to attack and flatten out my shots, the ball trajectory was a bit sporadic. Sometimes the ball to jumped off the stringbed and sprayed longer than I would have liked. On flatter strokes and slices is where I preferred the 18x20."

Volleys - Score: 86

Weighing just over 12 ounces, the Phantom 93P 14x18 felt stable at the net. Mark couldn't ask for more. He said, "I felt great volleying with this racquet in hand. If I were to be picky, occasionally I was not able to predict the exit angle of the ball as well as I could with the 18x20 version of the 93P."

When Jason made clean contact in the sweetspot the Phantom 93 14x18 felt fantastic. He said, "The mass could handle hard-hit passing shots; I just had to get the racquet out in front and let it do the work. Swinging volleys were more of a struggle. I found myself making contact a bit late because I just wasn't used to the extra mass and higher swingweight. However, the great feel made for a higher success rate with drop volleys."

Just like when he used the 18x20 version, Troy found good stability against heavy hitters. He explained, "I could block the ball back deep, and this 14x18 string pattern offered more power, which also helped with the depth on my volleys. I had very good control, but it was not quite as precise as the 18x20 version. The touch and feel of this racquet allowed me to caress the ball around the court and place my volleys in the corners with ease. Since I don't hit topspin on my volleys I have a slight preference for the 18x20 version at net. The Phantom 93P 18x20 gives me just a bit more feel and connection to the ball when it comes to volleys."

Chris had fun at net with the Phantom 93P 14x18. He said, "The response was a little more point and shoot with the open string pattern, and it felt like the ball was getting in and out of the stringbed quickly. I had fun punching volleys away and was able to tap into easy pace. I could up the spin on touch shots by cutting under the ball to get them to drop short quickly while curving away from my opponent. The Phantom 93P 14x18 was a stupidly fun racquet to hit with when looking to play a drop volley loaded with spin."

Serves - Score: 83

An open string pattern meant loads of kick and spin potential when serving with the Phantom 93P 14x18. Troy thought this was where the racquet really shone. He described, "When hitting my kick serves I was rewarded with easy net clearance, and I could generate a lot of arc on the ball. This allowed me to easily get the ball jumping up high above my opponents' shoulders, which made it tough for them to hit aggressive returns. I found good precision, but I wasn't as pinpoint with my placement as I was with the 18x20 version. When I went big on a flat first serve the wide-open string pattern helped to add some pace compared to the 18x20 version, but the ball was also a little less predictable when it came to depth control."

The serve was one of Chris' favorite shots to hit with the Phantom 93 14x18. He said, "I found impressive pace on first and second serves. My flatter deliveries didn't have the precision I get from either the 18x20 version or the similarly dense stringbed of my Tecnifibre TF40 305. However, I found I could add spin to maintain consistency on faster serves and just aim for slightly safer targets."

Similar to his experience with the Phantom 97P, Jason struggled to serve with this racquet. He explained, "Because I couldn't use my opponent's pace to help with power, I found that I was swinging harder than normal to compensate. On a positive note, I loved the 14x18 string pattern for getting spin on my slice serves."

"I really enjoyed serving with this open-patterned masterpiece," added Mark. "It turned out the serve was my favorite shot to hit with this updated racquet. I might say that my serve was better complemented using the 14x18 over the tight-patterned alternative. I was able to generate a little more action on the ball, regardless of whether the string choice was round or gear shaped."

Returns - Score: 80

The mass of the Prince Phantom 93P 14x18 provided a stable feel against big servers. Troy described, "With racquets that offer this type of solid, hefty feel, I love how I can block serves back deep with little effort. When I needed to chip returns back and felt rushed for time, I liked how the 14x18 pattern offered me a little more power and depth. The downside was when I had the time to take an aggressive swing on my returns, the ball occasionally sprayed a bit long. With the 18x20 version of this Phantom 93P, I felt like I could really slap at the returns with no fear of spraying the ball."

Chris liked taking a good rip at the ball on his returns. He said, "The racquet responded by adding some useful spin and pace to my shots. Again, the comfort was exceptional, so even if I caught a hard serve a little off center it was no biggie. I was able to use a firm co-poly string in this racquet to further enhance the spin and add some nice control."

While Mark admits his return of serve is not always the most reliable part of his game, he was pleased with the success he found with the Phantom 93 14x18. He explained, "The more I returned serves with this stick the more I enjoyed hitting that shot. I felt particularly effective when the serve was aimed up high to my backhand. I could just chop down on the ball, relegating my opponent to a defensive reply and fewer post-serve smiles."

Jason really appreciated this racquet's 12-ounce weight when returning against bigger servers. He said, "The Phantom 93 14x18 allowed me to return shots with depth and spin without needing to take full cuts. Control was a tad bit tougher because of the higher launch angle and because I was a little late when trying to swing out. I found the most success by being aggressive and aiming for large targets. The spin I could get on my forehand was giving my opponents a noticeably tougher time versus my own racquet. I just wanted more free power."

Overall - Score: 84