Price: $259
Head Size: 100 sq. in.
Length: 27 in.
Weight: 11.1 oz.
Balance: 4 pts. HL
Swingweight: 329
RA Rating: 60
Beam Width: 23 mm
String Pattern: 16x19
What’s New
Auextic 2.0 technology makes its way into the Speed line. Head continues to expand and implement the carbon fiber construction in new parts of the frame. Along with the yoke piece, it now occupies space at the end of the handle. It helps create a more uniform and pleasing response at contact regardless of impact location on the string bed. It also is intended to amplify the racquet’s distinctive feel. So the Speed will be even more Speed-like. Additionally, the color block design scheme evolves with changes to the blade and white shading. The specs also have a new concept—a simplified and easier to read presentation on the throat versus the previous style on the beam of the frame.
What Works
The Speed MP is a top-seller for Head, and it’s no mystery as to why. The racquet has a solid, comfortable feel at contact, producing lively shots with good power and easy spin. It’s the type of frame that gives a little boost to all your strokes without going overboard, and the pleasing response is something often missing from many of the competing modern-player frames. It's a racquet that suits developing players with room for growth, and accomplished vets looking for something a bit more user-friendly.
Given the appeal, it makes sense that updates will be subtle. Those using or familiar with the Speed MP 2022, will find this latest to be a mostly seamless transition. The primary dimensions—head size, weight, beam width—all remain identical. In terms of refinement, flexibility and swingweight appear to both be slightly elevated from the outgoing model. The only noteworthy technological modification has been an extension of Auxetic construction to give the frame a more dependable response. The feel of a racquet is intangible, so that kind of improvement is in the hands of the beholder.
That said, the new Speed MP is a natural from the baseline. Some previous iterations lacked clout at times, but that’s not the case here. The racquet’s combination of balance and swingweight gives it a heavier presence than its weight would indicate. Yet, it’s still spry enough to whip through the strike zone to produce ground strokes with consistent depth and accuracy. The power is at a level where it gives you help in a pinch with a fairly stock swing, but it’s not so robust that a lack of control is a problem.
