Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.3

When hitting from the baseline with the 2024 Phantom 100P, our team noticed a great deal of predictability and a plush feel. For Jason, the Phantom 100P's groundstroke performance was pleasant and user-friendly, though perhaps lacking easy power. He explained, "This racquet was really fun to hit with because of the unique, flexible response. I thought the open 16x18 string pattern really allowed me to put lots of spin on my shots. One of my favorite shots to hit with the 2024 Phantom 100P was my backhand slice. I was able to hit low, knifing slices, but I did struggle a bit to put shots away because of the power level. It didn't have a lot of free power, so I felt like I had to really swing out on my groundstrokes."

Expecting a mostly traditional feel from the Phantom 100P, Mark found his predictions and experience to line up seamlessly. He said, "From the baseline, the Prince Phantom 100P felt and performed like a classic frame and worked incredibly well when paired with a modern polyester string. I'd describe it as smooth; there is nothing twitchy or immediate about this frame. Groundstroke power is backed up by its 310-gram frame weight, along with additional power and easy access to spin from its 16x18 pattern. The result was easy generation of pace and even easier absorption of it." 

Troy was able to capitalize on the Phantom 100P's natural control capabilities and enjoyed the variety afforded to him. He said, "Solid, yet flexible, is the feel I was getting when hitting my groundstrokes with this racquet. I had a pretty good intuition as to how the 2024 Phantom 100P would feel goes because I hit extensively with the previous two iterations of this racquet, the Phantom Pro 100P and Phantom 100P (2020). I was pleased with the level of comfort and the feel for the ball, and while this is a very flexible frame, it maintained pretty good stability, even on off-center hits. My slice was amazing with this racquet; that thin flexible beam let me cut through the ball with a lot of backspin. I found very easy access to topspin and an easy launch angle, or lift, on my groundstrokes, so I really liked to use this racquet to be crafty, shape the ball and hit sharp cross-court angles." 

Volleys: 8.3

The flexible nature of the 2024 Phantom 100P paid off in a big way when our playtesters went to the net, allowing for easy pace absorption and accurate redirection. The open pattern was key for generating spin, but it managed to not take away from the softness of the frame. For Troy, the racquet's easy nature contributed to his success at net. He noted, "I loved the plush feel of this racquet when hitting my volleys. That thin beam helped me feel very connected to the ball, and with the open string pattern, I could cut under the ball easily to get tight backspin on the ball. I also found a pretty generous sweetspot with the round 100-square-inch hoop, so this racquet felt pretty forgiving compared to the 95 or 97 head size racquets that I play with frequently (Yonex Percept or Wilson Six.One 95). I didn't have too much to complain about with the 2024 Phantom 100P when it came to net play, though I would probably give it a bit more mass up in the hoop. A little weight at 3 and 9 o'clock would help torsional stability and get the swingweight up just a bit to help with easier depth on my volleys. I would probably add a leather grip to the handle to balance out the added head weight, and I think that would feel nice and dialed in." 

Mark found the Phantom 100P did most of the work for him on volleys. He said, "Basically all I had to do to produce an effective volley was park the strings on a spot under the ball, and the 2024 Phantom 100P did the rest. Whether I was reaching for a volley to just keep it in play or had time to set up to put one away, the 2024 Phantom 100P maximized my enjoyment of hitting volleys and was reliably obedient." 

Similarly, Jason appreciated the stability and overall performance of this racquet at net, but he didn't find any additional forgiveness on off-center shots. He said, "I thought the 2024 Phantom 100P felt really solid when I made contact in the sweetspot, but the sweetspot was a bit small, and the performance dropped on shots outside of it. What I did love about the 2024 Phantom 100P was the spin and touch I could get on my volleys. I was definitely willing to attempt more drop volleys because of this racquet."

Serves: 8.2

Serving with the 2024 Phantom 100P required a good deal of concentration from our team since the racquet wasn't giving any free power on serves. However, our playtesters did appreciate the frame's ability to authoritatively input what kind of serve they were trying to hit. Jason still found ways to serve successfully despite the lack of power. He described, "As expected, I wasn't hitting a huge serve with this racquet, but I was still able to serve effectively thanks to the spin I could get on my slice serves. I also thought I was finding my targets at an above-average rate."

Mark found positive results on his serves, largely thanks to the control inherent in this frame's design. He said, "I haven’t been on a roll as far as hitting service winners, but lately the serve has been my favorite shot to hit with the racquets we have been testing. This definitely applies to the 2024 Phantom 100P. Its combination of specs complemented my consistency and confidence on serve." 

The serving experience was better than Troy expected it to be, but not near the levels of what he typically prefers. He explained, "I felt like I could still hit my serves with some heaviness to them, and I could generate good pace, but I wasn't getting much free help from the racquet. For instance, I’m able to get an extra boost on my flat serves with my Yonex EZONE 98+ or the Solinco Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20. However, when it came to placing the ball and creating heavy spin on my serves, this 2024 Phantom 100P worked very well for me. I really liked hitting kick serves with this racquet; I found it easy to maneuver the head and snap my wrist, plus the open string pattern gripped the ball well."

Returns: 8.3

Our team found serve returns with the 2024 Phantom 100P to be stable and reliable above all else. These two factors are vital for maintaining consistency on the return, and our testers were happy to report that returns were a high point of this playtest. Mark enjoyed the dependable nature of this racquet when returning. He explained, "A high degree of stability, predictability and comfort was evident regardless of the shot selection, but it was most obvious on my return of serve. I never felt like I had to muscle a return back in to play or correct the racquet angle due to the 2024 Phantom 100P's weight and soft feel, which kept me from giving away many cheap points to my opponents."

The variety of Troy's return game opened up with the 2024 Phantom 100P in his hands, in part thanks to the precision-oriented nature of the frame's thinner beam. He said, "The best part about returning serves with the Prince Phantom 100P was the soft and plush feel on contact, as well as the fairly generous sweetspot. The plush feel really helped when I was facing big hitting servers, as this racquet absorbed the pace of the incoming serve very well. There was enough mass built into the frame to make it decently stable on contact, but like I mentioned on volleys, I would probably add some weight (especially in the hoop) to help with the depth and plow through. I liked hitting my slice return, which felt nice and smooth. I only noticed one slight downside on returns: a few times when I stepped in to rip a return the ball went flying on me a bit. I think with the open string pattern, if I went too flat the ball would sort of spray on me from time to time." 

Jason also had fun experimenting with his returns, and he ultimately expanded his repertoire on court. He said, "I felt like this racquet unlocked the craftier side of my return game. I wasn't able to blast return winners past my opponents, so I ended up doing a lot of slicing and chipping, and even some drop shot returns. In that regard, I had a lot of fun hitting returns with the 2024 Phantom 100P, but did I wish it had more power so I could tee off on a sitter serve? Definitely." 

Breakdown Summary