Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.2

With the Boom MP 2024's 295-gram unstrung weight and sub-320 swingweight, our playtesters were able to whip up easy topspin to really get the ball moving around the court. Brittany offered comparisons to the outgoing model, saying, "Because I playtested the original Boom MP over two years ago (plus the prototype a couple of months before that), I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from this update. The first thing I noticed was how maneuverable the racquet was. From the baseline, this allowed for faster racquet head speed and great spin potential. I was able to really whip my wrist to add spin to the ball and hit my favorite shot, the angled groundstroke dipper to pull my opponent off the court. While my backhand slice is not my strongest shot to begin with, I did struggle to consistently hit it when I was in a defensive position. When it came to point play, I found myself hitting a little more conservatively and aiming for bigger, safer targets."

Jason also picked up on the effortless maneuverability. He said, "The new Boom MP 2024 felt really easy to swing from the baseline. The sub-320 swingweight allowed me to accelerate the racquet quickly for great access to spin. When faced with shots on the run or pickup half volleys, I was able to hit an effective shot because of the great maneuverability."

"Since I was on the playtest for the first generation of the Boom MP, I went in having an idea of what to expect," began Tiffani. "As soon as I started rallying from the baseline, I knew Head had not made any jarring updates, and the transition from the older model to the new one would be easy. This racquet offered loads of spin potential with its open pattern and wider head design. I could definitely hit with good topspin and plenty of net clearance even though I strike a fairly flat ball off both the forehand and backhand. I wouldn't call this racquet precise like a Prestige, but the directional control was good enough to move the ball around the court, which is my playing style. The only issue I had was that it could get pushed around against bigger hitters, and when I didn't counter with enough racquet head speed my shots were landing shorter than I would like."

This Boom MP took Mark by surprise, in a good way. He explained, "Typically frame weights under 300 grams get listed as 'good rally sticks' in my book; in other words, they are fun to play with until you try to change the direction of the ball. To my surprise, Head took an agile racquet and was able to add or maintain a level of stability that is normally reserved for heavier racquets. From the baseline, it was easy to control shot depth, absorb pace and change the direction of the ball, making the new Boom MP not only a great racquet to rally with, but a great competitive stick for me as well. Part of that easy shot control was due to the open 16x19 pattern, which was wide enough to promote easy access to topspin but not so wide that it cut into the quality of my backhand slice."

Volleys: 7.9

This Boom MP 2024 was quick to get into position, making it easy to use up at net. For Mark, that meant he could execute his net game without worry. He said, "My volleys felt crisp, and for the most part, clean. Whether it was a touch or half volley scenario, the Boom MP had just enough weight in the hoop to make punch volleys effective, even on off-center contact of the ball."

While the other playtesters found the Boom MP 2024 user-friendly at net, they did share some minor critiques. Jason first noted his positives, saying, "The Boom MP 2024 has excellent mobility, which made it really enjoyable up at net. I could get the racquet into position quickly for those faster volley-volley exchanges. I was also getting nice underspin on my volleys because of the open string pattern. I thought the feel could've been better, though. It felt slightly muted to me, so it was tough to gauge depth when hitting touch volleys."

Tiffani had similar thoughts. She added, "The highlights on volleys for me were the comfort and maneuverability. I could get the racquet out in front and punch a good volley back into play. Although I did enjoy the racquet's comfort, the feel was a bit dampened for me at net, and when combined with the lighter weight, I had some issues when trying to place a drop volley. I had much better success keeping my volleys simple and straightforward."

Maneuverability was also the highlight for Brittany. She said, "Approaching the net, I loved how easy the Boom MP was to get into position. I felt like I had really quick hands up at net during reflex volley exchanges or when I was getting jammed with a shot into the body. The sweetspot was pretty forgiving, and while no specific type of volley stood out, I was able to execute all of them consistently. I did notice the lighter weight of the racquet up at net, especially if I was trying to volley back a hard-hit passing shot or if I had to reach out of position. The result was the racquet twisting in my hands, and it got pushed around."

Serves: 8.4

The Boom MP 2024's easy-to-swing nature made serving easy for our team. Brittany was pleased all around on this shot. She said, "I was actually surprised by how well I served with the Boom MP. I found I could tap into a little bit of everything — pace on the first serve and spin on the second. With how maneuverable it was, I was able to get it up and over my head throughout an entire match and maintain racquet head speed without any arm fatigue. This allowed me to serve to the best of my ability."

Like Brittany, Mark praised the overall performance of this racquet on serve. He said, "Spin on my service ball was decent with the Head Boom MP 2024 in hand, but pace and accuracy were even better. Overall, the Boom MP 2024 was easy for me to play with from all parts of the court, but specifically, the Boom MP served up turnkey performance on serves.”

"This Boom MP 2024 does offer some nice zip on the ball, but I didn't feel like I was hitting a very heavy, powerful serve," added Tiffani. "I was most successful when using slice. The head shape and string pattern worked really well and grabbed the ball easily to create some nice rotation. While I'm not going to be serving anyone off the court with this racquet, I could get into points on neutral territory."

Jason had a similar strategy with his service games. He said, "I really had no issues serving with the Boom MP 2024. Easy acceleration made it easy to put plenty of bite and spin on my serves. I wasn't necessarily hitting the hardest serves with this racquet, but my serves were still effective because of the spin I was able to impart on my shots."

Returns: 8.0

The Boom MP 2024 was once again a reliable ally when it came to returns. The racquet's light weight made it easy to swing, but it also caused some instability against big serves. Tiffani explained, "I really liked how quickly this Boom MP 2024 came around my body, and I felt like I could get my racquet on just about any return. I also liked the comfortable feel and didn't notice any jarring when not striking the ball cleanly. However, I noticed the lighter weight of this racquet most on this shot. I wanted a little more stability because when I was taking a stab at the ball, I was leaving a short, weak reply. A little more weight in the head would help this issue, and with such a head-light balance, there's room to customize."

With a strong return game, Brittany put this racquet to good use here. She said, "The Boom MP lived up to its name on returns. I found plenty of power and depth, and for the most part I was able to control it. I could get the racquet into position with ease and was able to step in to my returns. There were just a couple of instances on some flat and heavy first serve returns that I was trying to block back where I felt some instability."

Jason found his returns most effective when he took charge of the point right away. He said, "For the most part, I really liked it on returns, but it struggled a bit against bigger serves. I felt like it got pushed around slightly, so my chipped returns landed shorter than anticipated, but I thought it was great when I went on the offensive. I could take big cuts at the ball thanks to the whippy response and the access to spin."

Although the return might not be Mark's favorite shot to hit, the Boom MP 2024 boosted this aspect of his game. He said, "My return of serve has never been my best shot, but the Boom MP 2024 may have complemented it the most. Up to the point where serve pace was huge, I was able to step in and hit my returns with decent authority and really good directional control. Most often it was a chip return, but I did use the topspin option more frequently than usual."

Breakdown Summary