The Prestige MP L offered a controlled response in an easy-to-swing package from the baseline. Starting off the playtest, Brittany explained, "Every now and again, a racquet will surprise me. Looking at the specs, the Prestige MP L isn't a racquet that would typically be in my wheelhouse. However, I was happily surprised from the moment I started playing. The first thing I noticed after taking a couple of swings was that the Prestige MP L was easy to maneuver. I was able to not only generate racquet head speed, but also flick my wrist for plenty of spin production. When it came to points, I loved the control and accuracy I had hitting my groundstrokes. On the other hand, I found I was missing easy put-away power (which I expected), especially on my approach shots, so I had a couple extra balls come back to me."

"Since I watched Goran Ivanisevic get his Wimbledon title way back in 2001 with a Prestige, I've wanted to be able to say I can play with a Prestige," continued Tiffani. "The problem has always been that the Prestige has been out of my reach in terms of weight. I was on the playtest for the previous regular MP (main performance) version, but our test racquet had a swingweight around 340, which is well above the low to mid-320 swingweight I prefer. For 2023, this MP L version has a static weight that I feel comfortable swinging, and it's also quite head light, which I prefer. This racquet has a 99 square inch head, but that's close enough to the 100 square inch head size I like. I was initially hitting balls shorter than I wanted, but it was an easy adjustment to get the ball landing closer to the baseline. I could also find the corners and send the ball down the line when I was in position to do so because I liked the feel and control levels."

Jason had a similar opinion, adding, "The Prestige MP L is an extremely easy racquet to swing from the baseline, especially considering it’s in the Prestige family. I found it to be very whippy, and it was effortless to generate racquet head speed. I liked the spin and control I was getting, and even though the power level wasn't as high as I'm used to, it was better than I expected. I really liked to hit shorter, sharp-angled shots with this racquet to pull my opponents off court."

Across the pond at Tennis Warehouse Europe, playtester Alex took the Prestige MP L out for a spin on the red clay. He said, "From the baseline, I really appreciate the sensation that the 16x19 string pattern offers me during rallies. I got the opportunity to add some spin and power to my strokes, which is rare for a Prestige model. I was able to generate some nice slice backhands, especially when I was in a defensive position. I mostly hit flat with this racquet, and I have to say that it was really efficient. On my forehand, I was able to create some great opportunities to finish points with an aggressive flat shot."

A global playtest wouldn't be complete without our playtesters down under at Tennis Only in Perth, Australia. After a small adjustment period, Amelia was able to really dial in her shots. She said, "I had no problems generating spin and power on both slice and topspin from the baseline. The Prestige MP L took a few hours to adapt to on my groundstrokes initially, but the more I hit and persisted with the racquet, the better I was connecting and timing my groundstrokes."

James is no stranger to the Prestige family, with the Flexpoint Prestige being one of his first racquets 15-plus years ago. Not surprisingly, he had high expectations for this MP L. He said, "This racquet felt great when I could generate racquet head speed. When I had a lot of time to set up and hit through the ball I found a lot to like about this racquet. I had some issues with a lack of stability on shorter swings and off-center shots. I was expecting a high launch angle but was pleasantly surprised with how much directional control I got from the dense string pattern. Although 16x19 is considered more of an open pattern, I found the drill pattern to be quite tight, which placed the strings closer together than other 16x19 patterns and gave very good precision. Slices stayed very low on my backhand, and topspin shots really kicked up off the court. I found the Prestige MP L to be very much orientated toward maneuverability and racquet head speed, and therefore it was lacking a lot of stability. With some added weight, I could see myself playing with this style of racquet because the larger head size is a treat on my forehand, and the lower trajectory lets me hit through my backhands."

The Prestige MP L felt maneuverable and provided a plush, connected feel on volleys. Alex found that the racquet offered a little bit of everything to help him succeed up at net. He said, "I really felt the stability of this racquet when hitting volleys. It was effortless to get the ball in, both when I was reaching from a defensive situation and when I was attacking with a put-away volley. I was also really impressed with the maneuverability. The Prestige MP L allowed me to make low volleys consistently in doubles play."

"Up at net, I was impressed with the stability of the frame and the maneuverability," agreed Brittany. "It felt stable in my hands for the most part. I also loved and appreciated the classic Prestige feel. I felt very in control of my volleys and was able to hit them in different spots and paces to end points.”

While Tiffani prefers to stay on the baseline, she found some favorable characteristics from the the Prestige MP L at net. She described, "I like the feel of really head-light racquets overall, but I especially like it at net. I could move this racquet into position easily. My typical style is to play it safe and punch volleys, but I fared OK with this MP L when trying to feather the ball. A bit more weight would have made that tactic better, but I don't use it all that often anyway."

James had very similar thoughts, but he took it a step further by comparing the MP L to other members of the Prestige family. He said, "The Prestige MP L was very nimble at the net. It was a breeze to get into position, but it was lacking the mass to redirect volleys as effortlessly as the heavier Prestiges. This racquet was a bit stiffer than the classic Prestiges, but that was a good thing, and I wouldn't want this racquet to be too flexible. It felt crisp in a good way, which is what I'd want from a modernized Prestige."

Jason was volleying well with this racquet, although he did note some twisting in his hands at times. He explained, "The Prestige MP L was lightning quick on reflex volleys and great on touch volleys and drop volleys. The lower power level didn't bother me as much here, but I did notice the lack of torsional stability more. Off-center shots or hard-hit passing shots definitely rattled this racquet more than I would've liked."

When starting off points on serve, our playtesters appreciated how easy the Prestige MP L was to swing, which allowed for both controllable power and spin. The serve was a highlight of the playtest for James. He said, "This is where the Prestige MP L shone the most. I have only praise for this racquet on serves. Generating racquet head speed was effortless, which of course leads to faster serves and more spin on kick serves."

Amelia liked the ease of use that the Prestige MP L offered. She said, "I found this racquet to be enjoyable on serves because the ratio of power to control felt comfortable for me. It was easy to swing fast and very easy to generate power. My slice first serve was my favorite serve to hit because it had a lot of movement. My second serve felt safe since I was able to generate plenty of spin and eliminate double faults."

"It swings as easy as Sunday morning," continued Jason. "It was very easy to accelerate the Prestige MP L through contact and impart spin on my serves. Was it helping me hit booming serves? No. However, the combination of spin and control helped make my serves effective."

While Tiffani normally prefers racquets that give her a boost in power, she liked that the Prestige MP L let her really go up and after her serve with little effort. She said, "This racquet isn't giving any freebies on flat power serves, but I liked it anyway. I never really felt like I would overhit with the Prestige MP L, so I could swing away. Keeping up my racquet head speed meant I got some decent rotation on my slice serves. Since I am not typically a power server, I relied on placement to get into points."

Alex had mixed feelings when it came to serves. He said, "I felt really good hitting my first serves flat with some heavy power. However, it was a bit difficult for me to generate spin on my second serves."

Brittany wanted a little more forgiveness out of the Prestige MP L because her serve is a stroke that can get tight during matches. She said, "When everything was going right during a match, my serve was a highlight. When I got the racquet up and over my head with good speed, I was rewarded with some big serves and was actually winning a few more free points than normal. My first serves were landing deep in the service box, and I felt I could be pretty accurate with my targets. However, as a match wore on or I got a little tight, the racquet was not as forgiving, and I was dumping my serves into the net (both first and second serves), which led to a difficult time holding my serve."

The return was where most of the playtest team had issues with the Prestige MP L's stability, but they never felt late or out of control. Amelia has similar comments on return of serve as she had on her groundstrokes. She said, "Returns were consistent and accurate for me against hard servers on both sides. The more I hit, the more connected I felt, and I was able to go for riskier targets. I found it easy to control a harder hit first serve, and I was able to generate enough power and control on second serve returns to start the point off offensively."

As with most racquets, Brittany preferred returning over serving with the Prestige MP L. She continued, "The main reason was that I could swing freely and still have control over the ball. I never felt late on a return and didn't need to alter my strokes. I was always able to start off points on the offensive, both with first and second serve returns."

"I really liked the control and maneuverability of this Prestige MP L on returns," added Tiffani. "I didn't feel jammed very often or too slow to the ball. I think, though, this is where the lighter weight and head-light balance got overpowered. On groundstrokes, racquet head speed helped counter any stability issues I might have faced, but I noticed it more when trying to return hard-hit serves."

Jason also pointed out the racquet's lack of stability. He said, "The Prestige MP L was very maneuverable, so I was able to get it quickly into position to hit a return. However, it does get pushed around, and the lack of torsional stability is noticeable. I did like the spin and angles I was able to get on my returns, though."

James was in a similar boat. He said, "Return of serve felt unstable with this racquet. I had some timing issues that could be resolved with some extra weight, but I just couldn't get much on my shots, and it felt like the racquet was getting pushed around on faster serves when I was trying to block my returns."

Wrapping up the playtest, Alex also noted some instability at times. He said, "Regarding hitting the return, it was easy to control the point with a deep slice. However, countering a heavy serve was pretty hard because the racquet didn't give me enough plow through."