Prince Phantom 100P Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 87

When it came to commanding points from the baseline, our team found this Phantom 100P to be an offensive weapon because of all the plow through it provided. As a playtester on the previous Phantom Pro 100P review, Tiffani started with some comparisons, saying, "I fell in love with the first version of this racquet but found it slightly out of my reach to use as a daily racquet. This Phantom 100P is quite similar, and transitioning to it from the Phantom Pro 100P would be seamless for those who play with the original. This racquet has the same characteristics and swing speed through the air, but it felt slightly crisper at contact. The comfort was not altered, and the touch remained outstanding. With the first version, I needed a bit more help when I was pushed off the baseline or was on the stretch. This Phantom 100P felt a smidge more responsive in those situations, so in that sense it was more forgiving. However, with a swingweight creeping toward 330, it is a bit demanding for me, and I really needed to be on my A-game. I struggled to get enough topspin when trying to hit short cross-court angles. I could almost ignore that problem because I really enjoyed the plow through, comfort and pocketing this racquet offered. When I hit a backhand slice just right, it felt sublime."

It took Jason no time to discover the benefits of this racquet's plow through. He said, "Looking at my PlaySight data, not only was I hitting balls with more depth, but I was also averaging 5 mph more compared to my current racquet. I grooved with this Phantom 100P right away. It helped that the specs are right in my comfort zone, so I was able to play my game without making any adjustments. I was getting really nice pop on my groundstrokes with it, especially on my forehand side. A slight negative for me would be that it isn't as whippy as I typically like. I found it more difficult to hit angles and shots on the run."

Mixing up shot selection is a big part of Erik's game, and he had some ups and downs while on the baseline. He explained, "This Phantom 100P is extremely stable, and the plow through is excellent. Slices tended to pop up because I would open the racquet face to compensate for the lack of head speed due to it being harder to maneuver. There was a good amount of power with the Phantom 100P, but it had very nice control as well. This racquet was a little tough to get into position when I was on the run. However, I loved it on my forehand slice. I could knife defensive forehand slices on the run, and the racquet would carry through contact effortlessly."

Kristen had similar sentiments to her fellow playtesters on groundstrokes. She added, "When I think of the Phantom 100P, the first word that comes to mind is solid. The way it moves through the air and contacts the ball — it's just such a stable feeling racquet with really nice plow through. It offered good pop off the stringbed, and I felt like I could really up the power and get my shots to land deep thanks to the open string pattern. The box-beam construction didn't cut through the air like the rounder beam on the whippier Phantom 100X 305g, but it did provide added power, plow through and stability. Although I found it to swing a bit easier through the air than its predecessor, it still became a pretty demanding racquet the longer I was on court. As much as I love the feel of the Phantom 100P, it's probably a bit more racquet than I need."

Volleys - Score: 86

The Phantom 100P wasn't always easy to use at net, but when our testers were on time and in position, the feel was outstanding. Of all the playtesters on this review, Erik moves forward most often. With this racquet in hand, he was able to tap into his bag of tricks at net. He explained, "The Phantom 100P was a little sluggish if I wasn't totally dialed in and staying low. The feel of this racquet is not as plush as the Phantom 100X; it's slightly stiffer but very responsive. I found myself able to hit a variety of volleys with this racquet and liked the feel at net. I could hit deep volleys, but I could also soften up my hands and hit shorter volleys as well. I felt very connected to the ball. Overall, this racquet is very solid at net."

Kristen also noted the importance of timing when volleying with this Phantom 100P. She said, "It's not as maneuverable as my racquet of choice, but when I was well prepared I could maximize the solid nature of the frame and easily punch balls into the open court. I noticed that I was often catching the ball a bit late, so I needed to really be on my game to get those harder reaction volleys back."

All that feel and stability boosted Tiffani's confidence to get more creative at the net. She said, "This racquet felt so solid at net, and it absorbed pace very well. The maneuverability was less of an issue at net than at the baseline, and this racquet felt just quick enough to move into position. My favorite aspect was easily the feel. Like with the previous version, this Phantom 100P enhanced my touch, which admittedly is almost non-existent. I was hitting drop volleys with success."

Jason put the Phantom 100P to good use on volleys. "I loved the feel of the racquet," he said. "I felt well connected to my shots, so I could hit volleys with better depth control. Thanks to the near-330 swingweight, there was enough mass to absorb pace and block shots back without getting bullied by hard-hit shots."

Serves - Score: 85

When a racquet has a higher swingweight, it can really pack a punch. The Phantom 100P let our testers load up their serves with power. Jason said, "Serving with this racquet was fantastic and fun. I was able to still be consistent by slicing my serves in, but they were going in with more pace than normal. The added pop and the spin I could get thanks to the open string pattern had me winning more points and holding serve easily."

Erik enjoyed the consistent response. He said, "I found myself getting really good plow through on serves. The Phantom 100P was quite predictable, and I was able to hit serves nice and deep in the service box without fear of hitting long. On second serves, I found I had nice spin and control as well. My favorite serves to hit were the flat serve up the T on the deuce side and the body serve on the ad side."

For Kristen, the benefits of the Phantom 100P's extra weight outweighed any negatives. She described, "This racquet took a bit more arm power to maneuver overhead than I'm used to, but the result was a heavy, powerful serve that I could load with spin. I felt super connected to my serves, and I felt that even if my motion was slowed down a bit, the ball was getting such nice plow through behind it that it was landing deep enough in the box to keep me in the point."

Tiffani liked her results when she could execute her serves properly. She said, "Because the serve is one of my weaker shots, it was not always easy for me to tap into what this racquet had to offer. I needed to feel like I was exaggerating my motion to get spin because this racquet was slightly slower through the air than what I typically use. However, on flat serves, I really did like how it pulled through my motion once I got it moving. The Phantom 100P put a good amount of weight behind the ball, and I liked hitting flat serves up the T."

Returns - Score: 86

When it came to firing returns back with the Phantom 100P, the stability and power worked in our playtesters' favor. Kristen described how the racquet's hefty nature came into play, saying, "The Phantom 100P offered amazing feel and great stability on returns. I felt like as long as I was able to get the racquet on a ball, it was going to be moving back through the court with good depth and drive. This racquet really performed well on shorter swings and blocking back pace through the court. I had great feel and control over where the ball was going to land."

Likewise, Tiffani focused on technique to find success on returns. She said, "I loved the Phantom 100P's stable response and comfortable feel on returns. Full swings were not on the menu, but even when I kept my stroke compact, this racquet could drive the ball back with power. Hitting back toward my opponent was an effective play. Because I wanted to give myself a bit of room for error in case I hit the ball late, the middle of the court was a smart target. As a bonus, this racquet had more plow through than my own, so those shots at the server could push my opponent back, giving me the upper hand to start the point."

Jason liked to mix up his shot selection on returns. He explained, "I felt like the Phantom 100P really did everything well here. When it was time to be aggressive, I could hit with tons of pace, and the spin helped keep the ball in. Thanks to that higher swingweight, when I was forced to block back a shot the ball landed with good depth, so I could recover and be right in it for the next ball. When the situation called for a drop return, and there are those times, I loved the feel and could judge depth well."

Erik, though, had some ups and downs with his return game. He said, "Serve returns took some getting used to. When I was really going after my returns and staying low, I could pinpoint my targets and hit with some nice precision. I thought the stability was very good with this racquet, so blocking back harder serves was great, but if I got stretched on the return, the racquet was tough to maneuver and get into position due to the higher swingweight."

Overall - Score: 87