HEAD Brings Back the iPrestige, 25 Years After Ivanisevic's Wimbledon Miracle

This year marks 25 years since Goran Ivanisevic won Wimbledon as a wildcard, still the only wildcard entrant to ever take the title, playing HEAD's original iPrestige. HEAD is marking the anniversary by bringing the name back. The Prestige Limited Collection, launching October 1, 2026, pairs the return of the iPrestige with the Prestige MP Limited 2026, dressed in the silver and black cosmetic that made the original Prestige Classic recognizable from across the court.

25 Years Since Ivanisevic's Wimbledon Win

By the time Wimbledon 2001 started, Goran Ivanisevic had already lost three finals there, in 1992, 1994 and 1998, and his ranking had slipped all the way to No. 125. He needed a wildcard just to get into the draw. Nobody outside his own camp gave him much of a chance.

He beat Andy Roddick in the third round, Greg Rusedski in the fourth, and Marat Safin in the quarterfinals, then survived a rain-delayed, three-day semifinal against home favorite Tim Henman. Rain pushed the final to a Monday, when Ivanisevic outlasted third-seeded Pat Rafter 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 in front of a packed, unusually rowdy Centre Court. He remains the only wildcard entrant to ever win Wimbledon. He played the whole run on HEAD's iPrestige, built around what the company called Intelligence technology. Gustavo Kuerten won the French Open that same year on the same platform.

The iPrestige name hasn't appeared on a new HEAD frame since then, until now. Today's standard Prestige line is endorsed by Marin Cilic and Francisco Cerundolo, and this limited collection sits alongside that current lineup rather than replacing it.

What's in the Collection

Two racquets and a string round out the launch, each pulling a different piece of Prestige history into 2026:

• Prestige MP Limited 2026 racquet, built on HEAD's Hy-Bor construction and finished in the silver and black cosmetic associated with the Prestige Classic era.
• iPrestige MP 2.0 2026 racquet, reviving the iPrestige name and a smaller, denser-patterned build for players chasing old-school control specs.
• Hawk Touch Tequila Sunrise, a yellow colorway of HEAD's Hawk Touch string built to accompany both launches.

Prestige MP Limited 2026

The Prestige MP Limited 2026 keeps the 99-square-inch head and 16x19 pattern that current Prestige MP players already know, built on HEAD's Hy-Bor layup for feel and stability at contact. What changes is the cosmetic: a silver and black finish that pulls directly from the look of the original Prestige Classic, rather than the current Auxetic-era design language.

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iPrestige MP 2.0 2026

The iPrestige MP 2.0 2026 is the smaller, more traditional build of the two. Its 95-square-inch head and dense 18x20 pattern sit closer to the control-first specs that defined the original iPrestige than anything currently in HEAD's Prestige lineup, and the racquet carries a bit more weight to match. HEAD lists the racquet's construction as Intelligence, the same name attached to the 2001 original, though the two are built more than two decades apart.

The smaller head and tighter pattern make this a demanding racquet built for players with a full, fast swing. It's not the frame to reach for if you're still building your stroke mechanics.

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25 Years of Racquet Design

Put these two racquets side by side and it's easy to see how far racquet design has moved, even within the same family. The iPrestige MP 2.0 2026 is built to the old specs: a smaller 95-square-inch head, a denser 18x20 pattern, and a heavier 320-gram frame, the kind of demanding setup that defined tour racquets in the early 2000s. The Prestige MP Limited 2026 is where HEAD's modern engineering has landed: a larger 99-square-inch head, a more open 16x19 pattern, and a lighter 300-gram frame.

A bigger head means a bigger sweet spot and more margin on off-center hits. A more open pattern grips the ball longer and makes spin easier to generate. A lighter frame is easier to swing fast and easier on the arm over a long match, or a long weekend of matches. Tour players want the same things: more racquet head speed with less physical toll. Racquet technology keeps moving, on tour and off it.

On-Court First Look

A full review is coming later. For now, here's a short clip of some early hitting with the iPrestige MP 2.0 2026.

Hawk Touch Tequila Sunrise

Hawk Touch is getting a third colorway. Tequila Sunrise brings back the yellow long associated with the Prestige line, joining the existing Anthracite and Gold options. It's the same string Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner both play with on tour, just in a new color.

Launch Details

The Prestige Limited Collection launches October 1, 2026. If the specs on the iPrestige MP 2.0 look heavier and smaller than what you're used to, that's by design. It's built for players chasing the same control-first feel that made the original worth remembering in the first place.