The HEAD Prestige Lineup, Explained

The Prestige name has been on tour since 1987, and it has never chased the parts of the game that got easier. While most of HEAD's lineup shifted toward bigger, more forgiving frames like the Speed, Boom and Extreme, the Prestige stayed put: a flat, predictable beam built for players who want to place the ball themselves instead of letting the racquet do it for them. The lineup covers three racquets, the MP L, Pro, and Tour, all built on that same no-frills idea of stability and control.

Prestige MP L: The Entry Point

The MP L is the lightest and most forgiving racquet in the Prestige family, built for players who want the line's control identity without the weight and demands of the Pro or Tour. It carries a 99-square-inch head, the largest in the lineup, paired with a 21.5mm beam and an open 16x19 string pattern that adds a bit more spin and margin than its siblings. At 10.6 ounces unstrung and 11.2 ounces strung, with a 6-points-head-light balance and a 315 swingweight, it is noticeably more playable than the heavier Pro and Tour while keeping the flat, predictable response the Prestige name is built around. That lighter spec is the whole idea. It is what lets more players get into a genuine Prestige-level control frame without the demands of the two heavier models.

The MP L carries the same Auxetic 2.0 construction as the rest of the lineup, with the racquet's usual Auxetic bridge now joined by an Auxetic cage at the end of the grip for a more refined feel at contact. That structure reacts to the racquet's flex in real time, giving a player active feedback on each shot rather than dulling it. Graphene Inside reinforces the frame at key points for better energy transfer and stability, and a Full Cap grommet system rounds out the build alongside the same elongated shaft and classic flex the Prestige has carried since 1987.

String recommendation: HEAD Hawk Touch 17 at 50 pounds.

Prestige Pro: The Demanding Middle Ground

The Pro is not an easy racquet, and it is not supposed to be. It packs a thin 20mm beam and a tight 18x20 string pattern into a compact 98-square-inch head, a combination built to reward a full, committed swing rather than bail a player out on a late or mishit ball. At 11.3 ounces unstrung and 11.9 ounces strung, with a 7-points-head-light balance and a 325 swingweight, it carries the stability a committed ball striker needs on both wings without ever feeling front-heavy in hand.

The move to Auxetic 2.0 carries the Pro forward, extending the carbon structure that used to live only at the racquet bridge down into the end of the grip as well. That structure reacts to the racquet's flex at contact, and HEAD frames it as a way to give a player more real-time feedback on each shot rather than a change aimed at adding power. Combined with the Pro's Full Cap grommet system and an elongated shaft that has carried the Prestige's classic flex since 1987, the racquet delivers the kind of feel and precision advanced players look for from a true control frame.

String recommendation: HEAD Hawk Touch 17 at 50 pounds.

Prestige Tour: The Sharpest Tool in the Bag

At the top of the lineup sits the Tour, the smallest and least forgiving racquet HEAD makes under the Prestige name. Its 95-square-inch head is built for players who already generate their own pace and spin and want a compact hitting surface to work with. Beam width comes in at 22mm, and unstrung weight lands at 11.1 ounces (11.7 ounces strung), with a 6-points-head-light balance and a 329 swingweight. That wider 22mm beam gives the Tour a slight edge in stability over the slimmer Pro, even with a smaller head, reflected in a swingweight that comes in a touch higher than the Pro's 325.

Like the Pro, the Tour moves to Auxetic 2.0, adding an Auxetic cage at the end of the grip for a more direct connection to the ball. That structure reacts to the racquet's flex at contact, and HEAD frames it as a way to give real-time feedback on each shot. Graphene Inside reinforces the frame at key points for better energy transfer, and the same elongated shaft and classic flex that has defined the Prestige since 1987 round out the construction. Between the open 16x19 pattern and that 22mm beam, the Tour combines spin and stability in a way few 95-square-inch frames manage.

String recommendation: HEAD Hawk Touch 17 at 50 pounds.

Still Winning at the Highest Level

HEAD's broader lineup has moved hard toward power and forgiveness over the past several seasons, with racquets like the Speed, Boom and Extreme built to make the game easier for a wider range of players. The Prestige never followed that path. Marin Cilic and Francisco Cerundolo both endorse the Prestige series on tour today, proof that a flat, control-first frame with roots going back to 1987 still has a place at the top of the men's game.

None of that makes the Prestige an easy racquet to pick up. It offers little in the way of built-in power or forgiveness, and every model in the lineup asks the player to supply their own pace, spin and timing. For the player who wants that kind of scalpel-like control and is willing to put in the work to earn it, the Prestige family remains one of the clearest control options on the market, whichever of the three fits their game.

HEAD is carrying the Prestige name into its next chapter with the Prestige Limited Collection 2026, a 25th-anniversary tribute to Goran Ivanisevic's Wimbledon run built on the same control identity as the MP L, Pro and Tour above.