Mike had a lot of fun testing the new Head Radical MP 2023 ! This racket offers an excellent mix of power and control, a lot of speed and the new Auxetic technology.
Tested racket/specifications:
Baseline:
When playing from the baseline, you quickly feel whether a racket suits you well, and that was immediately clear with the Radical MP 2023. The ball feel is pleasant: you feel exactly what you are doing and get direct feedback when you make a mistake. It is not as extreme as with a Prestige, but it is noticeable.
My baseline shots were controlled, with good length and speed. My two-handed backhand came off particularly easily, which may be due to the slightly longer grip that comfortably accommodates my second hand. The racquet is fast and maneuverable, but also produces a full ball. The swingweight of 320.5 fits perfectly within my ideal range of 315-325.
The racket has sufficient mass in the ball, which was noticeable with slice backhands. If you cut the ball in time, the racket does the work. The spin potential is decent, despite the fact that the 16x19 stringing pattern is fairly compact due to the 8 length strings that run through the heart piece. All in all, the Radical MP 2023 offers a nice mix of power, control and speed from the baseline.
Service:
Somewhat surprisingly I could easily produce full serves, normally not my greatest weapon. Serves were also very consistent and with good length without losing control, which I occasionally had in my previous test of the Prince Beast 100 300. Slice serves from the right to the outside were wonderful. In short, this racket scores better than expected (and also better than the previous Graphene 360+ version) in this area.
Just:
At the net, this new Radical MP lacked a little bit of finesse. Hard incoming balls were easy to parry, but stop volleys lacked a bit of touch. Maybe a snapshot, but noticeable to me at least. However, the racket is very manoeuvrable at the net and can therefore be positioned quickly.
Power/control Head Radical MP 2023:
As you would expect from a Radical MP, the balance between power and control is also excellently taken care of in this new version. Enough power, but always controlled without being too low-powered. The racket also feels nice and crisp and certainly not too dampened. Excellent mix of power and control, where control still has the upper hand.
Comfort/arm friendliness:
The comfort of the Head Radical MP 2023 is solid, a good 7.5 I would say. The Pro X is a slightly stiffer string than average, but this did not cause any problems for my arm or shoulder. Hard serves, for example, are excellent to block, without the racket vibrating out of control. Just nice and solid.
Head Radical MP 2023 bottom line:
The Radical MP 2023 does what we have come to expect from a Radical MP: it offers a very nice mix of power and control. Controlled power, so to speak. In addition, the feeling at ball impact has also been improved and you can easily produce a full ball without flying off the bend. A very solid option for the player with an average to slightly fuller swing that also feels nice and fast.