Head Gravity Pro 2023 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 88

Chris, who has always been a big fan of the plush feel of the Gravity Pro, was happy to report that this updated racquet felt super plush and very comfortable. He began, "I hit the new Gravity Pro side by side with the previous version, and I found this to be a solid update. My targeting was better with this new version, and I was also hitting more penetrating shots. The specs felt similar, so maneuverability felt unchanged, but the sensation at contact was more solid. I found a similar amount of pace and spin on my shots, but with the new version I was able to push opponents off the baseline better."

"For me, the Gravity Pro has always been a great weapon from the baseline, with lots of mass powering up this frame and a tight string pattern to help tame that power and shot depth," added Mark. "This update follows suit. The 20-mm beam provides tons of good feedback and groundstroke control. Topspin was easily developed, especially when the Gravity Pro was paired with an edgy polyester string like Lynx Tour. Per usual, the 18x20 pattern turned my backhand slice into a more offensive shot. Of any playtest in memory, the new Gravity Pro ended up being one of the easiest racquets for me to play with from the back court."

A solid response, good control and nice feel were all traits that Troy noted when hitting with this updated Gravity Pro. He said, "As far as the weight and swingweight, the specs of this racquet line up well with what I like, and it's ready to go in stock form. If I were to make any adjustments or customization, I would likely either add a leather grip or install some tungsten putty inside the handle to make a slightly more head-light feel. I loved hitting flatter shots with this racquet, and my slice backhand was amazing. That said, I would have liked a bit more open string pattern when it came to hitting topspin or cross-court angles. In a dream world, I would try this solid, thin-beam Gravity Pro with a string pattern like the Gravity MP; I would enjoy that very much. But then again, I am a big fan of the 2023 Radical Pro, so I guess I could just pick that one."

Thin-beamed, 18x20 racquets normally just aren't Michelle's style, but she attacked this playtest with enthusiasm. She explained, "While it felt like it had been a minute since I picked up a Gravity racquet, I quickly remembered that I enjoyed this model when it debuted a few years back. The added Auxetic technology in this update did much of what it has done to the rest of the Head racquet families, it made it feel even more solid. I loved that the new Gravity Pro swung fluidly and still had good mass behind the ball; it felt stable. I felt like the racquet was a bit firmer at the tip with more flex in the throat, so I didn't notice a noodly sensation, which is what often turns me away from racquets with thinner beams. I was confident taking big cuts and found great precision. The swingweight is right where I like it, just above 330 — manageable, yet still fast coming through the ball. I'm not looking for loads of spin, so I didn't ever feel limited by the tighter string pattern. I will say that every now and then I felt like I was missing the sweetspot and wanted to get a better hold of the ball, but the stringbed was forgiving, and even an off-center hit was often rewarded with the ball remaining in play. For my linear shots, it worked really well; I felt precise and had just the right amount of control."

Volleys - Score: 86

Our playtesters were very satisfied with the Gravity Pro when they came to the net, and all of them found the racquet to feel accurate and solid, with not a single complaint from the team. The set of specs that complemented Mark's ground game had the exact same effect at net. He said, "Crisp and clean is how I would describe my volley with this racquet in hand."

This racquet possessed a very solid feel for Troy when he was hitting volleys. He said, "I did not mind the 18x20 pattern when it came to volleys, and I actually preferred the added ball feel and connection to my shots. I very rarely would implement topspin on a volley, so the dense pattern is more beneficial on the slight backspin or slice I put on my volleys. It felt very plush, and due to the overall mass and swingweight, it was easy to volley the ball deep. That hefty feel made it easy to hit my volleys with solid pace, while keeping the ball low off the bounce. Maneuverability was decent in stock form, but as I mentioned above, I would probably give it a leather grip or a bit more tail weight for a more head-light feel."

"At net, the Gravity Pro was stable enough to punch volleys away," said Michelle. "I had no issues finding touch as well. I really have no complaints volleying with this racquet. There wasn't any fluttering, and I had good pinpoint precision. I could stick the shot, swing at the shot or even add some touch to the shot and get rewarded. It's versatile and effective."

Chris tuned into how accurate the racquet felt at the net. He explained, "I was able to place my volleys with confidence. I loved the stability of the Gravity Pro at impact. The feel was comfortable and plush, yet I also felt very connected to my shots. All of my volleys were working well with this racquet, and I had zero complaints."

Serves - Score: 84

The weight of the Gravity Pro helped our playtesters serve effectively. They all felt precise and accurate, though they did note a lack of access to spin at times, especially on second serves. Troy leaned into the predictability of this racquet with his serve and found a good amount of control. He described, "The more roundish head shape helped on spin serves. However, it didn't really give me any boost or enhance my serve in any particular way; what you can put in will be what you get out performance-wise. I didn't feel as precise as I typically do with a 95 or 97 square inch head size, but the 18x20 pattern helped me to muster some extra control out of the 100 square inch head. The mass and swingweight of this racquet felt great when I hit flat serves — I felt like I could pancake the ball easily and get some decent pace on my flat first serve. The 18x20 pattern didn't give me quite as much bite on my kick and slice serves; I was left wanting a bit more bite and grip on the ball that I usually find from a more open pattern."

"I was dialed into my serve targets with the Gravity Pro, and I enjoyed hitting T serves," added Michelle. "I wouldn't say I was hitting my hardest serves, but I did feel really consistent with this Gravity Pro. It was one of those racquets that I used effectively, but it didn't add a ton of anything extra to my first or second serves."

The serve was another shot where Chris could put the mass of the Gravity Pro to good use. He explained, "I liked the way the racquet plowed through the ball to help me drive serves with power. The dense stringbed provided the control I needed to keep those powerful shots on target, and the plush response kept everything comfortable."

As much as Mark loved the performance of Head's update to the Gravity Pro for both groundstrokes and volleys, he enjoyed serving with it even more! He said, "My serves were consistently falling in. I could access enough pace and spin to prevent my opponent from going into attack mode."

Returns - Score: 88

With its 330-plus swingweight, solid feel and 18x20 string pattern, this Gravity Pro was a great returning racquet for our team. Michelle felt in command and connected to her returns. Our big hitter commented, "I could take big swings and go for my low-percentage shots with confidence. I could accelerate through the ball, and I never felt the racquet flutter or wobble. The swingweight wasn't too demanding, so I could also access nice angles from my returns! And I could effectively block back big first serves to keep me in the point. This was a great racquet to return with!"

Thanks to the solid response of the Gravity Pro, Chris was able to drive through his returns with a lot of confidence. He said, "When defending against bigger incoming serves, I appreciated how much depth I could still find from this solid racquet. I liked the forgiving feel because it allowed me to swing big and not worry if I was slightly off the sweetspot."

Based on the specs, Mark predicted that this would be a hard racquet for him to return with. He was happy to be mistaken here, saying, "Sometimes it feels great to be wrong. I was able to effectively return serves using both slice and topspin."

What made this racquet click for Troy on returns was the solid, stable feel and large sweetspot. He said, "The hefty feel and the round head shape made this racquet feel forgiving on my returns. I could keep my swings rather short and still get a decent amount of depth on my returns. The rounder 100-square-inch head size also made for a large sweetspot, so even if I was stretched out or slightly off balance, I felt like I was contacting the ball consistently. My slice backhand return worked well for me in doubles. I was finding easy plow through and a smooth feel on contact."

Overall - Score: 86