TECHNIFIBRE 2013 TFight 295 MP Tennis Racquet Review
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Groundstrokes
The TFight 295 MP plays as more of a tweener frame than the similarly named TFight 295. The 295 MP gets an increase in head size to 100” and feels a touch more head heavy even though it is listed at the same 3pt head light spec as the other 295. Ground strokes have good pop off both sides and you get a bit of an increased sweet spot and forgiveness with the larger head size. Shots aren’t as penetrating as they are with heavier frames in the line. I felt this racquet performed better when hitting with topspin. Flat shots tended to lose a bit of control and sail at times. The 295 MP does not fall into Tecnifibre’s “Tour Prepared” section of the TFight line and the change in feel is noticeable. The Tour prepared models have silicone in the handle, which cuts down on vibration and helps make off center shots feel more solid. The 295 MP has a hollower feel on shots and while the increased hitting area helps get some balls back, it is a bit more jarring on off center shots. Similar to the 295, the 295 MP has a tendency to twist when put up against bigger hitters. The decreased mass makes it more difficult to absorb the power from big hitters. I found myself playing a bit more defense with the 295 MP off the ground than I would have liked.
Volleys
Volleying with the 295 MP was my least favorite part of my time with it. I felt the larger head size as well as the more head heavy feel made it more difficult to maneuver at the net. I prefer head light, high mass frames that I can turn around quickly on volleys. I also felt the frame lacked the mass to really aggressively put away volleys. Like the other 295, it seemed to float a fair amount of volleys and leave them sitting for my opponents. The 295 MP also lacks the feedback of the frames in the “Tour Prepared” part of the TFight line. I found it more difficult to execute touch and angle volleys with the MP due to its hollower feel. Overall, the 295 MP can hold its own at the net but it is not the precise, aggressive volleying weapon that others in the line are.
Serves
The 295 MP produces good pop on serves and performs well with flat and slice serves. The light weight makes it easy to accelerate the racquet head through the serve. Similar to the 295, it doesn’t have the mass to put serves deep into the box, thus allowing better opponents the time to return more aggressively. Kick serves produce adequate spin but also don’t seem as heavy as frames with more mass. The 295 MP also doesn’t have as much directional control as the 295. I found it more difficult to place serves wide with the MP. I also struggled with serving due to the grip issue the racquet had. The handle would slip around frequently on serves due to the grip malfunctioning,
Comfort
The 295 MP is a comfortable frame, however comfort and feel are not the same. I felt it lacked feedback on shots and had more of a hollow feel that I associate with a lot of tweener frames. I didn’t have any notciable arm issues with the racquet. Like the other 295, I did find myself over swinging at times in an attempt to compensate for the reduced weight.
Overall
The TFight 295 MP is a solid baseline oriented choice in the tweener segment. Its increased headsize and sweet spot make it an easy frame for topspin ground strokes. The light weight and closer to even balance make it a solid choice for 3.0 – 4.0 players with medium length strokes. Higher level players would most likely want to add lead if playing the 295MP. Overall, the 295 MP is a confident singles racquet that plays best from the back of court and in the hands of mid range or junior players in stock form.
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