Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.8

Although the changes to the Head Speed Pro 2024 were slight, our team did instantly note some differences from the baseline. Chris, who called the previous version of this racquet his weapon of choice for about two years, immediately noticed a softer response from this update. He described, "With the softer feel came a slightly lower launch angle. At first my shots were either landing a tad short or finding the top of the net. The racquet's response was plusher, but it lacked some of the launch and arc over the net of the previous two versions. I was able to adjust pretty quickly, but I did find myself having to adjust each time I switched between the two — something to keep in mind if you are going to have both new and old versions in your racquet bag. Another notable difference was the feel of the paint. This new Speed Pro has a very soft feeling paint with an almost velvety quality and a little bit of grip to it. The racquet did not slip out of my left hand as easily on my one-handed backhand. I was cognizant of the change in feel while playing, and on a tactile basis, I'm more of a fan of glossy paint. With those differences aside, it was business as usual. Like previous Speed Pros, this racquet packed tons of feel and control, with improved comfort and stability."

Troy, who usually favors racquets between 95 and 98 square inches, found this 100-square-inch racquet to be versatile from his first hit. He said, "For me, the Speed Pro 2024 felt very forgiving, with a relatively large sweetspot. I tend to prefer heavier racquets (12 to 12.5 ounces), so this one felt easy for me to maneuver. The feel on contact was pretty solid and stable, but it was maneuverable enough for me to crank up the racquet head speed whenever I needed to. I typically prefer a more open string pattern to help with spin and increase the launch angle, but this 100-square-inch head and 18x20 string pattern worked well, enhancing the control and feel. I would say topspin potential was decent. My backhand slice felt nice and controlled, and the flexibility of the Speed Pro 2024 provided plenty of arm comfort. It had a slightly muted or dampened feel, but still enough control that I felt confident swinging freely."

Going into 2024, Michelle is approaching each playtest as a potential trial for a new racquet of choice. She explained, "The Speed Pro is a racquet that has always worked well for my game, but because there are other Head racquets I like more (see: Radical Pro), I tend to forget about the Speed line for more serious consideration. All that said, of all the Speed Pros I’ve hit with, this update is my favorite; the feel was just so solid. As someone who prefers stiffer setups, this racquet is soft without feeling noodley, and it did not lack put-away power. I felt really connected to the ball and the stringbed on my groundstrokes. There was enough mass behind the ball that I felt like I could hug the baseline and push forward on any type of ball when I was attacking or trying not to give up too much court. It allowed me to go from offense to defense and back again with ease. The Speed Pro 2024 was stable and offered consistent depth. I started to get picky once into point play and I was craving a tiny bit more free power (I'm not saying I need it, just personal preference). I am still not as comfortable with the tighter string patterns, so I think that might be why I lose some power hitting the 18x20 versus a 16x19; this becomes most noticeable when switching from more open patterns to tighter patterns."

Like its predecessors, this latest evolution of the Speed Pro turned out to be a great backcourt stick for Mark's game. He said, "Nimble yet stable, the Speed Pro 2024 felt fast and easy to swing off either wing. Along with the slightly wider spread to its 18x20 pattern, generating both topspin and slice was easy and predictable. Our test sample was pretty close to the listed strung weight and balance, so I have to say the Speed Pro 2024 is well suited for my game because it gives me just enough stability while maintaining maneuverability from the baseline."

Volleys: 9

Our team was more than satisfied with the Head Speed Pro 2024's performance at the net. Once again, Troy noted this racquet's versatility and ease of use when hitting volleys. He said, "This racquet is a bit lighter than what I usually play with, so I found it relatively easy to maneuver, but there was still enough mass to maintain stablility on contact. Like I mentioned before, I tend to play with slightly smaller head sizes, so the sweetspot felt pretty generous. When it came to hitting my volleys, and more specifically the drop volley and short angles, it was just lacking a little bit of precision and feel. Now I am not saying that I couldn't hit those types of volleys with this racquet, but when it comes to Head racquets, I prefer the Radical Pro 2023 and the Prestige Pro 2023 when going for those precise touch and feel volleys."

"This racquet felt amazing at net!" added Michelle. "I loved it. No complaints. The feel and stability made it nearly perfect when inside the service box. It performed really well on every shot."

Mark also loved volleying with this Speed Pro. He said, "Compared to previous editions, the Speed Pro 2024 felt the plushest, which I noticed at net more than I did from the baseline. Perhaps thanks to the Auxetic 2 technology, it seemed to hold the ball on the stringbed incredibly well and assist with directional control."

Chris also noticed the improvements to the Speed Pro 2024 the most at net. He said, "This racquet felt very stable, and comfort was excellent. I had lots of feel on my touch volleys. Adding some spin to the ball was easy because the 18x20 stringbed offered a good blend of grip and control on the ball. This was a no-excuses racquet for me because I felt very dialed in. If I missed a volley I felt it was all on me because the Speed Pro 2024 performed impeccably."

Serves: 8.6

The Head Speed Pro 2024 performed well when it came to serving, but it left some of our testers yearning for a little more net clearance and a higher launch angle. Although Michelle found success serving with this racquet, she did notice that she was missing some extra spin potential because of the tighter string pattern. She explained, "I mainly noticed this issue on lower percentage serves, when I went a bit flatter and bigger. With that being said, this was one of those racquets I enjoyed hitting bigger, flatter serves with because they were so effective. I caught myself not wanting to go for higher percentage second serves. Instead, I tried to dial in my first serve. When I'm not competing, that is totally fine for me (despite the fact that I hate hemorrhaging free points); I could usually make the correction and find the right execution the second time around."

"I found a lower launch angle on my serve compared to the outgoing version," echoed Chris. "The amount of power and spin I was getting felt very similar, so I did find my groove after a few adjustment serves. It felt like I may have gained some consistency; I was dialed in and felt confident serving with this racquet. What I liked most was that I could be aggressive with my second serve and still keep my consistency."

For Mark's game, the Speed Pro 2024 was extremely even tempered, and nowhere was that more evident than on serve. He described, "The mid-11-ounce weight and 100-square-inch head size, combined with the wider 18x20 string pattern, had a good effect on my serve speed, but especially complemented the shape and precision of most of my serves."

Troy enjoyed a good balance of power and control when serving. He said, “The Speed Pro 2024 didn't quite have the easy power of a Babolat Pure Aero Plus 2023 or Yonex VCORE 98+ 2023, but it packed some added punch compared to more traditional player's racquets like the Head Prestige Pro 2023 or Dunlop CX 200 Tour 18x20. I could maneuver this Head Speed Pro 2024 pretty easily, so that helped me get some good pace on my flat first serves, as well as my topspin and kick serves. The precision wasn't quite as good as the slightly smaller head size racquets that I usually play with, like a Head Radical Pro 2023 for example, but for a racquet with a 100-square-inch head size and an 18x20 string pattern, it had enough control to find my spots."

Returns: 8.5

While our playtesters craved more access to spin on serves, no one had any issues when returning with the Head Speed Pro 2024. Although Mark was not hitting service return winners, he was consistently hitting his spots with decent pace. He said, "I take short, volley-like swings on my returns, and similar to how it felt on volleys, the Speed Pro 2024 held the ball on the strings, which improved my directional control."

When it came to returning with this updated racquet, Chris had zero complaints. He said, “The Speed Pro 2024 felt great on returns. I felt like I was reacting well, and the racquet felt fast through my swing. At contact, I appreciated the stable response and plush feel. My topspin returns had decent spin, and I felt very accurate when returning with this racquet. When hitting slice, I was able to mix up knifing drives, short angles, and deep floating returns depending on what I wanted to do with the ball or what I was forced into by the incoming serve."

Maneuverability and stability shone for Troy's return game. He explained, "Typically speaking, I would want a heavier racquet, something like around 12 ounces strung, but in this case the stability was good in stock form. The built in control gave me the confidence to step in and attack the ball when I had time. The 18x20 string pattern kept me connected to the ball, which helped me execute my slice backhand returns with ease. Likely the best part about this racquet was the forgiving sweetspot on returns, because whenever I was facing a big-hitting server my returns were usually landing in, as long as I could get the racquet on the ball. I don't think this racquet needs much help in terms of weight, but that's the only thing I might change. I would add a bit of weight to this racquet for a little easier depth and plow through."

The 18x20 string pattern worked well on Michelle's returns. She said, “The precise control allowed me to feel confident hitting out, which I appreciated. The Speed Pro 2024 didn't limit my ability to find angles either, because the swingweight was manageable enough to dip balls off the court or pinpoint my target down the line and let it rip!"

Breakdown Summary