It's actually a high quality velvet paint head used here. It's very durable and resistant to chipping which appears to be their intention here with this PJ. But clearly not great in clay because it does get dirty. They should have offered a glossy version at the same time as well for those that play in clay. I feel like they probably will now at some point.
I get the idea, but why doesn't Head promote this new paintjob like a new feature? This is a major change for all players who are used to the classic feel. First Head should explain the change, what are the benefits etc. Because for some players it even feels like a cheaper paintjob. That's what two other players who tried those rackets told me - "It feels cheap." The reality is sometimes very different to the expectations of those engineers and designers. They need to explain the change, otherwise they will loose the "old school" customers who like gloss or classic matte finish. I think as you suggested they will release some black gloss edition later, maybe a Novak Djokovic signature racket so they just want to differentiate it from it with this new coating. Who knows what has Head in their head.
@@CzechTennisGuy they should have created some normal play tester to give feed backs on products ….. if they did that , 100% would have went the other direction , but disappointed that that didn’t went with the prestige paint jobs
Really hope your videos influence the design of the 2025 versions. All your feedback is very detailed and important from a functional perspective...something that's clearly missing from their design process.
Thanks for really excellent and really helpful review. I've been playing with a 2016 Radical Pro (16x19) and an 2013 Prestige. Strangely, I got old overnight and my footwork and timing aren't what they used to be. I have more than enough power, so I'm looking for a racquet that is a tad more forgiving, but still has great feel and control and which I can swing fully with confidence. I've been planning to demo both the new Speeds and this review confirmed my feeling that the Pro may be better for me. Can't wait to try them both out.
I've been using Head racquets for 8 years and never experienced any of these negatives. I play on Clay 90% of the time but I don't hit my shoes with my racquet. It corrupts the shape of the racquet eventually. ATP pro's do it because they can afford to. I always use an overgrip for sweat so maybe thats why I never experienced the second issue. I am really happy with my 2024 Head SPEED MP.
Did you experienced any kind of problem with the painting so far I was looking to buy a pro as well but I also play on clay courts even though I don’t like to clean the shoes with my racket
@@neh2310 So far I have not experienced any issues with the paint, but I do ensure that when not in use, my racquets are stored in a cool dry environment (basically in my home in the closet).
Man! I was very concerned right when I first saw the paint-finish. I've said - written it before. I'm a huge Head fan by the way, not a hater. I've bought the Boom Pro and played several of other in 2023. It's just unacceptable this paint-finish. Half way through this video and I have to say checking the specs, the swingweight is around 330, which is quite hefty for intermediates like me. The 2022 Speed MP was quite manageable and easy to customize. Seems like Head wants intermediates like me to either buy the Gravity MP or get pushed to the new Boom MP instead of the Speed MP
The paint-job is really something that drives me little bit crazy, but it should not take away the positives, which are huge with the PRO version. Majority of tennis around the world is played on hard-courts so the dirt shouldn't be a problem. What concerns me though is how long will the paintjob sustain the beating on hardcourts when playing slices and low to the ground shots. We know that hardcourts are like a sandpaper, very aggressive on frames and the textured rubber coating will get some beating from the ground. I can't wait to see someone with the rackets after few months of use. But maybe it will do well, who knows. Regarding the swingweight, it's not that bad. I didn't felt 330 SW. Instead it was like a 320-325. Good balance for both of the rackets and especially the PRO version with the new 310 mm balance, which really helps with the swingspeed. Without the issues with the paint and grip, these rackets are very solid and a safe bet for most allround players out there.
@@CzechTennisGuy the new paint job that maybe makes the hoop feel more stable overall os the same feel I got from the Diadem Elevate V3 (same rubbery texture) in comparison with the Elevate V2. The V3 felt more stable and that could be easily felt on returning serves, at the net and slight misshits. BUT, that is something you can easily adjust with 4 10cm lead strips (1 gram each) at 3 and 9 o'clock.
Back again with an update and a request for advice. I eventually got around to demoing several racquets - tried new Head Speed MP and Pro, Gravity Tour and Babolat Purestrike 2024 16x20. By some margin, I preferred the Speed Pro. The demo racquet had been strung by the shop with standard black Lynx 1.25mm (i.e. not Tour) at 54 Lbs. What stood out was the sense of perfect weight distribution and the lovely plush feel and surprising amount of forgiveness for off-centre shots. I could positively feel the ball pocketing on the string bed and the directional control made me feel like a better player than I am. Instant love! Having used Lynx Tour recently and liked it (54 Lbs in my Radical Pro) I had the Speed Pro strung with Lynx Tour champagne 1.25mm and took the advice of the stringer to go with 50 lbs to account for the dense18x20 string pattern. Compared to the demo racquet, the string bed feels very hard and the plush, forgiving feel is gone. The sweet spot feels like it's shrunk to about 3cm! It feels like a different racquet. So, have I made a mistake putting in a relatively stiff, shaped poly string? Tennis Guy, I notice you used Head Hawk Touch in both Speed racquets - would you recommend that for the Pro? Head recommend Hawk Power 1.25mm for this racquet. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks, Dave
Hi Dave, totally missed your comment. I think the Head Hawk Touch is the best feel oriented string from Head. Many pros use it and I like it, too. It performs well, it's quite comfy and forgiving. Speed rackets in general play well with medium stiff strings. They don't need powerful strings, rather more feel and touch oriented strings. Cheers!
@@CzechTennisGuy Head lynx Tour 1.25 is the best for this racket? How heavy is it on the joints? Any way to use a blend between this one and the iso speed which comes very close to natural gut?
@@btf10 Head recommends the following, which is interesting. For Speed MP - Head Lynx 1.30 mm. For Speed Pro - Head Hawk Touch 1.25 mm. In my opinion it is because of the durability. With MP, you will destroy strings faster because of the 16x19 pattern. With Speed Pro and it's 18x20 pattern, they recommend more feel oriented string with thinner gauge.
Pro is very stable strong racket. Very solid on serve and net play. However for me was to high swing weight. So was quite heavy to maneuver. Especially when playing matches with a lot of unpredictable balls. I switched to Yonex Percept 100d and that racket is much more playable.
@@CzechTennisGuy These new Speeds are like babies ! You need to take a little bath every night before bedtime ! I was interested as I play with both 2022 versions ... but this is a lot of work even because unless you put lead/tungsten under the grommets it will probably fall with that rubber coat . I have especially tin he MP a little weight at 3&9 , can it be done on this one in your opinion ?
@@keymonkey7352 That's another good point I did not think about. I don't know if the tungsten or lead tape will stick well to this type of paintjob. My guess is it won't be too good because it's soft and textured little bit. I guess someone has to try it before we can judge. But I'm sceptical at this point.
Hi! Great honest reviews! My question is: I play with a lose grip. A soft grip. O don’t grip hard! Is higher swingweight good or top heavy better for my style?
Hi, what's up? I found your channel recently, and I'm enjoying a lot your reviews, so a have a question. I'm stronger, I can create power shots, two-handed backhand, and my biggest issue is generating topspin in my shots. So, I've been playing with Head Speed MP 360+ 2021 Black Novak Djokovic's version, and I like my racket. But a guess it's time to step forward, and thinking about buy the new Speed 2024, PRO version, or buy someone HEAD EXTREME, because I read it's the model of Head's rackets which generate more spin. So, what is your suggestion: stay with Head Speed and advance to Pro version of this 2024 2.0 auxetic, or change to Extreme (Tour or Pro)?
Hi and thank you for your support. I don't recommend going up for Speed Pro if you want some extra spin. It's a racket that "sucks out" the spin from your shots. It's for flatter hitters or very good advance players who can generate the spin anyway. I recommend you try the Extreme series, the Tour should be a good update for you. It's super quick to swing and spin potential is higher than with the Speed MP. Good luck.
They made the swingweight for speed pro 330 same with gravity pro so basically the maneuvravrability gone.why we didnt go direct for gravity pro when now they have same sw.I dont understand this.
Do you know the reason why you don't have these indoor courts? They are quite easy to build - it takes 1 or 2 days and about 8-25 people to help depending on how many courts you have.
@@CzechTennisGuy We have some indoor centres which have acrylic courts but no clay courts. Not sure why we dont have covered clay courts considering the rest of europe plays mainly on clay.
Good video thanks. I have the old old 2018/2019 GrapheneXT Speed Pro - thinking it might be time to get new rackets. I play high level, worth it to test the Speed Pro 2024? Don't play on clay at all. And what racket do you normally play with?
Thank you. Try the Speed Pro 2024 for sure. It's a great racket despite the negatives I mentioned. I play with Artengo TR960 Control Tour 16x19 that is customized. Check out my setup: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hJttarcsl9g.html
Hi Michal. Did you try the New Babolat Pure strike 100 2024 (300gr and 16/19) ? If yes, which you prefer between it and the New speed mp ? How should you compare the both ? Many thanks and great vidéos. 🙏
Hi Lemax, I'm in the process of testing the new Pure Strike 98 16x19 and also your requested Pure Strike 100 16x19. I just got off the court few hours ago so I can compare. Pure Strike 100 is quite unforgiving compared to the new Speed MP. It's sharp, it rewards players with flatter style of play, it has a cleaner response, more raw feedback, but it can be little bit unpredictable when not hit correctly. I would say if you are someone with a very aggressive type of game, good anticipation, good movement, fast swing and more straightforward type of tennis, the Pure Strike will grow with you. But if you want something little bit forgiving, more versatile, more muted, softer and more comfortable, the Speed MP is the winner.
Hi Tennis Guy how do both feel to swing i.e. although the MP is lighter SW is almost identical but the pro has more head light so as i am a 64 year old all court game with not a lot of top spin do you think the extra 10g will be too much?
Hi, it depends on how for how long can you handle the high swingweigt. The Speed pro is overall heavier so expect being tired faster compared to the MP version. I think for 1,5 h play both can feel similar, but playing any longer will definitely make you feel tired more with the Pro version.
Hi! Thanks for your detailed review, as always they are very interesting. I am using Gravity tour 2021 slightly custom with 350gr weight and 31.8cm balance (~330 swingweight). My level is intermediate as I started 2.5years ago and I have to improve in technique still to get more effortless double-hand backhand. I would try a different racket to get more access to power and easy to use without scarifying too much directional control. What do you suggest between Speed 2024 MP/Pro and Boom Pro? Thank you so much.
Hi, I suggest you start with Speed MP or Boom Pro. They are pretty similar, although the Boom Pro is pretty control oriented. I hope my late response is of some use.
@@limes..100 It depends on how many times per week you play, how many shots you play in a match and so on. Pros lately use lighter rackets, because they play longer rallies then ever before. Also strings help them a lot in last decade so they don't need as heavy rackets as in the past. Tennis has developed in a way that requires the players to play longer, stronger and faster. For that reason heavy rackets above lets say 320-330g (unstrung) on tour are a scarce nowadays. Most players use rackets around 300-315g.
Hi Andreas, thank you so much for your support and for the Super Thanks! 👍 The Gravity Pro is a different type of racket. The best example is in comparison of two players who endorse these rackets. And I know they don't use these exact models, but they play a tennis style that perfectly fits these rackets. Jannik Sinner (Speed Pro) plays super aggressive, close to the baseline, hits balls very early and tries to finish the point as soon as possible. Doesn't play with huge spin. Sasha Zverev (Gravity Pro) plays semi-aggressive, plays slower, cat and mouse game with long rallies, plays with more topspin. The biggest difference is in the headshape - Speeds have classic headshape with tighter sweetspot, Gravity's have more round and wider sweetspot for bigger spin potential and more space for the offcenter shots. Both feel similar in hand, but Speed Pro feels overall more balanced and solid. Gravity Pro can be a monster hard to control at some point (Rublev style) and it doesn't like flatter shots like Speeds do. The swingpath is also different for both rackets. With Speeds you can swing more horizontal (flat) but with Gravity's you have to swing more vertical (spin). I like both rackets, but tiny little bit more the new Speed Pro.
Thanks, down to my last Speed MP from 2008/2009 which is rounder, longer (+0.25) and skinnier (20mm). Gravity might be a winner (or a senior orientated racket!)
Over time, that soft, rubber finish will become a gooey mess like it did when HEAD used this with the “Intelligence” racquets. Also, lower balance of 31cm may not always mean better manueverability if the weight and swingweight remain the same. By definition, lower balance at the same weight and swingweight means higher polarisation, which can make a racquet feel more sluggish.
No, it's glossy and people say it plays different then the standard version. The Legend version feels more like a pro stock racket, which is in my opinion a nice bonus for players who can really swing fast and want to have the power more under control. For some people this might feel more muted and less alive, though.
@@CzechTennisGuy Thanks for your reply. I tested the original black and white MP and kinda like it. Due to the better cosmetics, I am considering ordering two Legend MP. I am test by adding a few grams led tape and increase based on feel. With only 300 grams I tweak it easily to increase the headlight.
You probably never played on clay, did you? It's a must thing. Every player does it, including the best pro's in the world. Clay is sticky. It fills the outsole herringbone pattern if it's little bit wet and muddy. And that's almost always at the beginning since we have to spray the clay court with water before every training / match. If it's too dry, it crumbles and the court gets damaged. So water is essential for a clay court. The wet clay makes your outsole very slippery and you have to clean it almost after every rally you play. It's not an habit, it's a must or you will be sliding like on ice.
Almost every tennis racket (Wilson, Babolat, Head etc.) is made in China. Yonex has most of their premium rackets made in Japan in their own factory. I hope one day the factories will come back to Europe and to USA.
