Racket comes UNSTRUNG. If you would like us to professionally string the racket, please add a string pack AND string labor to your cart.
The SPEED LITE gives you every advantage of the SPEED series in a light, easy-to-handle package that is perfect to get started. Just like its big brothers, it features the new Graphene 360 technology which provides greater stability and optimized energy transfer for more power, thus more ball speed. The new asymmetric design identity features a bold black and white color-blocking in the shaft area. Completed by truly unique see-through carbon fibers in the head, the racquet looks as beautiful as it performs. What makes the LITE's design stand out from the rest of the series is its fresh misty green pop colors. The Speed Series is endorsed by Novak Djokovic and Sascha Zverev.
Specs:
WEIGHT [UNSTRUNG]: 265 g / 9.3 oz STRING PATTERN: 16/19 HEAD SIZE: 645 cm² / 100 in² GRIP SIZE: 0-5 BALANCE: 340 mm / even LENGTH: 685 mm / 27.0 in BEAM: 25 mm
The Graphene 360+ Speed MP's increased swingweight boosted its stability and power, and several playtesters raved about the improved feel. Chris enjoyed being able to swing freely from the back of the court. He said, "I loved trading groundstrokes with the Graphene 360+ Speed MP in my hands. The racquet felt super fast and easy to maneuver, which helped me generate lots of spin and pace. I also really liked the feel at impact. This update felt much plusher, and while the racquet felt crisp and lively, I also thought it pocketed the ball better. I felt very much in control of my shots and was able to attack the ball confidently. Compared to the heftier Pro version, this MP made it easier to immediately start whipping angles and opening up the court."
Jason noticed a change in playability from previous iterations. He described, "The very first thing that caught my attention was the feel. It is much improved over the previous two versions; it wasn't too muted, and I didn't feel disconnected from my shots. The other noticeable difference was that this version didn't feel as maneuverable and whippy as the previous generations, but because of the higher swingweight I was getting more power and improved stability. It was easier to get depth on my shots and to hit a more penetrating slice. I did struggle against low slices, when I had to really try to whip the racquet up and over the ball. That was when I wanted a lower swingweight."
Kristen also noticed some updates that proved beneficial to her game style. She said, "I spent some time hitting with the Graphene Touch Speed MP a few years back, and this Graphene 360+ version definitely feels more solid in comparison. The swingweight has been beefed up a bit, which made it to feel more stable on contact and pack more punch on groundstrokes, so I felt like I could hit a heavy, powerful ball. The racquet was maneuverable enough on groundstrokes for me, and I liked that I could flatten out balls and tap into a good amount of spin. A highlight for me on groundstrokes was how well this racquet counteracted pace. I was able to redirect balls back into the court with great speed and control, and it felt ultra smooth on contact. I definitely thought this racquet was a good match for my counterpunching game from the back of the court."
There was no hiding Erik's enthusiasm for this racquet's performance. He said, "The Graphene 360+ Speed MP was honestly incredible on groundstrokes. I loved how whippy this racquet felt, and the weight made it feel like I was hitting a very natural ball. I could achieve a good amount of power and spin. This racquet was quite stable for the weight, and I was very impressed from a weight standpoint. It worked well for my game style and allowed me to defend and keep the ball from dropping too short in the court."
Similar to their experience on groundstrokes, our playtesters found improved stability and punch when moving to the net with the Graphene 360+ Speed MP. Jason explained, "The higher swingweight was definitely beneficial up at net. Even though the swingweight did go up, it wasn't unmanageable. It was great for blocking hard-hit shots back and absorbing pace. "
Always looking to sneak into net, Erik found that the updated Speed MP complemented his volley game. He said, "This racquet was very stable for its weight, and I really liked how it performed up at net. It was super smooth, and I absolutely loved the responsive feel, which kept me very connected to my shots. I found myself hitting a lot of deeper volleys, but I could definitely hit nice angle volleys when the opportunity presented itself."
Although Chris had a slight preference toward the Pro model at net, the MP proved a worthy contender. He said, "I volleyed well with this racquet. I was able to cut the ball with spin very easily to give it some added angle or to get it to drop quickly. On deep aggressive volleys, I had to give the shot a little more punch compared to the Graphene 360+ Speed Pro model that I was hitting side by side. Getting depth was not difficult, but this racquet lacked some of the plow through power of the Pro. Again, I liked the response of this Speed MP very much, and the racquet was comfortable while still giving me enough feedback to feel the ball."
Kristen appreciated the improved stability, but she needed to fine-tune her timing. She described, "I noticed the higher swingweight more when I moved to the net, and it took me some time to adjust for that in terms of my timing. Initially, a lot of my volleys were soaring long. However, the racquet felt solid and came through the ball with nice mass for power and punch."
The Graphene 360+ Speed MP's power story continued on serves, where spin was also plentiful, providing great kick and placement. Erik used those attributes to his advantage, saying, "I felt very confident hitting serves with this racquet. I got excellent pace and really nice spin to hit kick serves. My favorite serves were the slice serve out wide on the deuce side and the kick serve out wide on the ad side."
Chris felt right at home stepping up to serve. He said, "Serving with this racquet felt very natural since the weight, balance and swingweight are almost identical to my Tecnifibre TF40 305 in stock form. I quickly found the groove and felt ready to stay on the gas, even in tight match situations. I liked the access to spin I got with this racquet. Both my slice and topspin serves had some nice bite to them, which gave me lots of options every time I stepped up to the line."
Serves didn't come as seamlessly for Kristen, who found she needed to put in more effort than normal to get the racquet head moving. She explained, "I struggled getting dialed in on serves because this Graphene 360+ Speed MP felt much heavier overhead than I prefer. I felt like I was exhausting a lot of energy on service games just getting the racquet moving. I never truly got dialed in on flatter first serves, but I had more success when hitting spin serves. This racquet felt pretty spin-friendly, and I could get my serves landing deep in the box."
"I really enjoyed serving with the Graphene 360+ Speed MP," Jason added. "The higher swingweight meant more free power on my serves, which is always appreciated. The open string pattern gave me great access to spin on my slice serves as well. "
Our playtesters loved swinging big and turning up the heat on returns, but even when opting for a safer route, the Graphene 360+ Speed MP delivered. "Feeling like the Black Eyed Peas, I was bringing the 'boom, boom, pow' with this racquet on my returns," said Jason. "The combination of the weight and swingweight allowed me to really attack and hit big returns, and the spin I could impart on the ball helped control all that power. The only downside was that my return would fly on me a bit if I didn't get enough topspin on the ball."
Kristen relished the feel and response on one of her favorite shots. She said, "I much preferred returning over serving with this racquet. Like on groundstrokes, the way the racquet absorbed pace was beneficial on service returns, and it offered such a smooth feel on contact. When I had time to set up I could really drive through the ball and hit an aggressive return. And when I was under more pressure or I caught the ball a bit late, I could still slice back returns effectively."
"Taking a good rip at returns was fun with the Graphene 360+ Speed MP," said Chris. "I was able to generate lots of spin to control the pace, and I had plenty of feel to help me pinpoint my targets. Since I was getting lots of racquet head speed, the racquet came through the ball with better than anticipated stability. Again, I was loving the blend of comfort and feel. My returns pretty much felt dialed in from the get-go, and I can't ask for much more than that."
The Graphene 360+ Speed MP felt reliable in Erik's hands on returns. He said, "I could be very aggressive on second serve returns, but I loved blocking back big first serves with this racquet because of how solid it felt in my hand. There was a good amount of power, but I certainly reined in that power with a lot of spin when required. Overall, I really liked returning with this racquet."
Does head actually use graphene?
It was not surprising when Head started to develop products with graphene in 2013. Making them the first sporting goods manufacturers to work with this new material. The move is especially remarkable since only three years had passed since Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov had received the Nobel Prize in physics.
What is Graphene 360?
Graphene 360 - Amplify Your Energy Graphene 360 forms the structural base of the racquet, strategically positioned in the shaft and extending into the racquet head. It strengthens the frame, providing greater stability and optimized energy transfer from racquet to ball - maximizing the power of your game.