The Head Graphene 360+ Speed 135 is ideal for control-focused players looking to optimise their length game and access some serious touch at the same time.
I decided to jump on court and put it to the test, here are my thoughts...
(Below is our video review of the Head Graphene 360+ Speed 135. If you'd prefer to read our review, it continues under the video).
I found the specs of the Speed 135 to really suit a power-focused playing style.
I could access some great power without exerting too much energy as the 135-gram weighting allowed me to get some weight behind the ball, plus, the open 12 x 17 string pattern really added to this.
With that said, the frame of the Speed 135 has a really forgiving feel to it which gave me some consistency and lenience on off-centre hits.
When it comes to volleying, the Speed 135 provided great levels of control and comfort on contact with the ball.
Of course, since it’s on the heavier side, it still favours a larger more sweeping swing style (as opposed to a shorter, punchier swing) so this racquet really works its magic when you’ve got a bit of extra time on the ball.
With that said, I could still react reasonably fast to balls coming directly toward me thanks to the head-light balance point, and the larger sweet spot really helped with those off-centre hits when playing at a faster pace.
When taking the ball in short, I was delightfully surprised with the level of touch I could access with the Head Speed 135.
I could really feel the ball well and guide it into those front corners with a slightly larger swing, especially when I had a bit of extra time on the ball. Perhaps this touch is down to the Graphene 360+ Technology featured in the frame as it is designed to provide a nice bit of flex and a clean impact feel on every shot.
Although it's on the heavier side overall, the Head Speed 135’s head light balance point definitely helped when it came to maneuverability.
Although this racquet is on the heavier side, I still found that I could react fast to balls coming directly towards me during a figure of 8 drill, plus, the forgiveness of the large sweet spot really helped when the pace sped up.
But, ultimately, I’d say this racquet works its magic when you’ve got a bit of extra time on the ball to accurately guide your winners into those front corners.
I’d say that the Head Graphene 360+ Speed 135 is perfect for accuracy-focused players looking to control the rallies on their own terms.
With that said, I’d also say that this is a great racquet for power if you’ve got a bit of time on the ball to play with a larger swing.
It’s also important to note that this racquet comes with an open 12 x 17 pattern which is great for delivering power, but if you’re looking for a bit more control, it can be restrung in a more dense fanned 16 x 17 pattern too.
I’d give the Head Graphene 360+ Speed 135 an 8.5/10 for control, 8.5/10 for power, 7.5/10 for maneuverability, and 9/10 for feel.
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