I previously reviewed the YouTek Prestige Pro, which I liked a lot; so I decided to give the Head YouTek Prestige Mid a review. A smaller head size, a tighter string pattern, and a little more weight made this particular Head racket review a good one! I have always been a big fan of Head tennis racquets, so this review is written with a little extra racquet love. The Head YouTek Prestige Mid paint job is awesome, there’s something really sexy about the color scheme, the red pop, and the black is subtle enough to compliment the colors.
Anyway, enough with the aesthetics of the Head YouTek Prestige Mid. The Head YouTek Prestige Mid is a little stiffer than my current racquet, and a tad heavier. Those small differences were apparent when out on the court.
Head YouTek Prestige Mid playtest
I did my warm up routine with my go to racquet (read my guide to testing tennis racquets), then I picked up the Head YouTek Prestige Mid, I was very impressed at first. The weight was distributed throughout the Head YouTek Prestige Mid nicely and did not feel heavy in my hand at all. The swingweight was essentially the same, it did not feel like I was swinging a heavy racket. The Head YouTek Prestige Mid felt nimble and quick. I was looking forward to picking up the pace during my session.
As I reached full speed practice balls, the flaws started to show up quickly – trust me, not too many flaws. I absolutely loved taking long powerful swings with the Head YouTek Prestige Mid. It was easy to get the racquet head acceleration that I needed to hit the ball with authority. Off both wings, I was able to put some major pace on the ball, if I had ample time to set up. I found that if I wasn’t set early and had the tennis racquet all the way ready for a long swing, I could not hit the ball with good power. I tried taking a handful of short swings to see what I could come up with, though I was disappointed. What I had encountered was a tennis racquet that would not forgive anything less than long fast strokes. Essentially, the Head YouTek Prestige Mid would send a sitting “fluffer” in the middle of the court on short swings.
Aside from the lack of power on short swings, the Head YouTek Prestige Mid was more forgiving than I had imagined. Because the head size is 93 square inches, that makes the sweetspot significantly smaller than that of a mid plus racquet (98 sq in.). Even on off centered ball contact, the ball would make it’s way over the net with enough pace to make it look like I was meaning to hit like that. Iwas impressed with the forgiveness of the Head YouTek Prestige Mid.
I’m more partial to playing with an open string pattern (16×19), however; the Head YouTek Prestige Mid gave me enough spin to not really have to worry about trying to produce extra spin. My hitting partner mentioned that the balls that I was hitting to him were accelerating through the tennis court, rather than kicking up like he’s used to. The swingweight of the Head YouTek Prestige Mid made for getting the ball on the strings longer much easier that I had anticipated. The spin I was able to produce was impressive, as well as the low sliding slices. Penetrating forehands with acceleration, and drop shots that would stop on a dime, were common when hitting with the Head YouTek Prestige Mid. Did the dense string pattern really give me more control and less spin? Yes and no, I was able to direct the ball easily, though I didn’t get the kicking spin I generally get with racquets that have a 16×19 string pattern. I really enjoyed the spin I produced and the control was pretty good but not an “all control” tennis racquet.
Serves and volleys were pretty fun with the Head YouTek Prestige Mid, I was really able to crank on the ball and hit it flat and low, which I followed up with a volley. At the net, the Head YouTek Prestige Mid performed exactly as I had expected; I could drop volley easily – even with a powerful passing attempt. Volleying deep was easy as the Head YouTek Prestige Mid frame is a little sitffer than most, so I could really guide the ball to the corners. Kick serves were at times really difficult to get, the stringbed would react differently when I would try to catch the top of the ball in the service motion. It wouldn’t have that power that I was getting off the ground, so I opted for just a slice serve, which sufficed but was predictable enough to have put away easily.
Head YouTek Prestige Mid final thoughts
Overall, the Head YouTek Prestige Mid is exactly what it is, a players tennis racquet. It takes a lot of discipline, strength, and preparedness to be able to use it to it’s maximum capabilities. It’s powerful enough and forgiving enough for an experienced club player but I would caution the novice tennis player – it takes timing and power to hit good shots with this tennis racket. It is a beautiful looking tennis frame, and it’s a powerhouse on court, so you should definitely consider this racquet if you’re strong enough to handle it.
Head YouTek Prestige Mid racquet specs:
Head Size: 93 sq. in.
Length: 27 inches
Strung Weight: 12.2oz
Balance: 7pts Head Light
Swingweight: 328
Stiffness: 63
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