Rackets411.com

In 2005, Prince Sports manufactured racquets with a revolutionary technology that caught the eyes of many. The O3 technology was a shock and an innovation to the tennis world that changed how players played. Since the birth of the “funny-shaped” holes, Prince expanded their idea even further with the development of the O3 Speedport technology. The newly shaped O-ports are more aerodynamic, said to be 24% faster through the air with a sweet spot that is up to 59% larger than a traditional racquet.

The Prince O3 Speedport Pro White is the upgraded version of the original O3 Speedport White. It got beefed up with an added 0.3 oz. and is also complemented with a more closed string pattern (18×19) to give you a more control oriented racquet. The O3 Speedport racquets have a stronger and more stabilized frame, which creates a bigger sweet spot. The O3 Speedport Pro White, weighing 10.9 oz. unstrung, with a 100 square inch headsize, is the racquet for players who can generate their own power and are looking to maximize control in their game.

Groundstrokes

From the baseline, the Speedport Pro White held up nicely. With the tight string pattern, I had a great sense of directional control while moving the ball side to side at will. I also felt the extra speed generated from the racquet to give me additional spin and power. Even hitting shots on the run felt nice because I was able to generate that extra speed needed to lift the ball up and over the net for clean passing shots. From the baseline, I felt a relatively large sweetspot, which was great because even my mis-hits seemed to be going where I wanted them to. However, the Speedport Pro White seemed to lack a bit on depth whenever I tried to go for a big shot, and the string bed did not feel as lively as I thought it would be.

Volleys

At the net, the Speedport Pro White felt more solid than at the baseline. With the tight string pattern, I felt a nice, solid response on my volleys. Drop volleys felt superb with the racquet because of the spin generated and the feel the racquet provided. Overheads also felt great and the Speedport Pro White seemed quite forgiving. It surprised me when I thought that I had mis-hit an overhead, only to find that it became a winner. Since the Speedport Pro White is heavier than its counterpart, the O3 SpeedPort White, it gave up some points in maneuverability. Other than that, the Speedport Pro White was pretty firm at net.

Serves

Serving with this racquet, I was able to generate more spin on my slice and kick serves and a flatter flat serve than I usually hit. I also found that the racquet saved me at times when I had to hit the corners to win crucial points. Placement of my serves became the key to winning my service games, and the Speedport Pro White helped a lot with making my serves land precisely. However, I did feel that the Speedport Pro White did not give me enough pace on the ball at times. When I was deep in the match, serving seemed to become harder - possibly due to its added weight?? When I did put in the extra effort though, the racquet gave me a good payoff.

Serve Returns

While returning serves, the Speedport Pro White had a nice, crisp feel. Even when I was trying to rip the ball for a clean winner, it would rarely go past the baseline. When a powerful serve came to my backhand side, the accelerated backhand slice that the racquet enabled me to produce seemed to neutralize that fast serve and put the ball in play nicely. Generating topspin on my returns was also quite easy, even if I only had a few moments to react. Overall, defending against the serve proved superb with the Speedport Pro White.

Overview

The O3 Speedport Pro White provides a solid stringbed and pleasing amount of control. The midplus headsize was forgiving at the baseline and at the net, giving direction and some control even on my mis-hits. With this racquet, I also generated loads of spin and power, which was a nice characteristic to discover in this racquet’s list of capabilities. I recommend the O3 Speedport Pro White for players who are looking for control and are able to generate their own power when deep shots are needed.

Reviewed by: Michael Tan

To purchase the Prince 03 Speedport Pro White click here