HEAD Gravity Tour 98 Review

The HEAD Gravity line is one of their most popular ones on tour and this HEAD Gravity Tour 98 Review seems to have been highly anticipated.

This HEAD Gravity Tour 98 Review was done using a teaser sample in a stylish all-black cosmetic with blue lettering. We don’t know how the finished cosmetic will look, but Henrik, who wrote his first impressions, said it was one of the most beautiful racquets he has ever seen. But also this teaser is a stunner in its simplicity.

Introduction

When you hear about a HEAD Gravity Tour 98, you think that this will be an even more controlled version of the HEAD Gravity Tour. But this racquet does something different. It is actually a slightly firmer, more spin-oriented racquet. It is more of a competitor to the Babolat Pure Aero 98 than reminiscent of the regular HEAD Gravity Tour. You do get decent power and a higher launch angle with the 16/19 pattern. In my opinion, it plays a bit more like it belongs to the HEAD Extreme family in terms of feel and performance than the Gravity.

So this was a surprise to me and will be to many players once the racquet is launched. Aggressive, spin-oriented ball striker will be happy, but players looking for the Gravity-style control and feel, will be disappointed.

Specs and Tech

Head size: 98 sq inches
Unstrung Weight: 305g
String pattern: 16/19
Beam width: 22 mm
Balance: 320 mm
Swing weight: 320 strung with HEAD Hawk Touch 1.25

This racquet is in specs very similar to the HEAD Boom Pro, but the Boom has a softer, more dampened feel, while the Gravity Tour is more raw, more like a 360+ Extreme Tour feel. I don’t feel the Auxetic 2.0 tech as much in this one as I did with the new Extremes for example. It feels more raw, which some people will love and others won’t.

Since the 16/19 string pattern is fairly open, the launch angle is quite high and as a player who prefers a slightly lower launch, I wonder how this would have played in 16/20.

Playability and Performance

The first thing that strikes you when you hit the ball is the sound. When you play with the Gravity Tour 98, it sounds like you are hitting as hard as a pro. This even bothered some practice partners, which can be a good thing in match play. I don’t know what voodoo they did here, but the racquet sounds great. Definitely more boom than the Boom, if you know what I mean.

You quickly noticed that this a racquet for ball strikers who like to dominate. If you commit to your shot with top spin, this racquet delivers a powerful ball. The launch is high, so I doubt flatter strikers will find the necessary control, but I know players who have transitioned to this racquet from 18/20, so it depends on your style and mechanics, of course.

If I take the foot off the pedal a bit, the racquet felt a little unstable at times. It feels like it was made for a faster swing speed, sort of like the Aero 98 that I mentioned above.

The feel is stiffer than other Gravity racquets. Almost brassy at times. I think sensitive arms should demo before buying, because it could potentially be an issue. At least with the wrong string and tension.

The racquet came with a set of HEAD Hawk Touch attached to it, as a part of the teaser package and I strung it up at 22 kg (49 lbs) and that still played pretty firm. For my game, the racquet played best with a hybrid setup with a multi or gut in the mains and a round, slick poly in the crosses. You mute some of the launch angle and improve the comfort.

Still, this racquet is for the modern power player, that is for sure.

Pros and Cons

I have detailed some of the HEAD Gravity Tour 98 pros and cons in the text above already, but here they are in a summary.

Pros +

Surprising power
Spin potential
Sound
Design

Cons –

High launch angle (directional control)
Stiffness
Is this a Gravity?

Summary

I liked doing this HEAD Gravity Tour 98 review. I did not know what to expect, because I thought the whole identity with the Gravity line was control with a large sweet spot. It felt counter-intuitive to reduce the head size, open the string pattern and increase the stiffness.

If you are going for your shots and trying to dominate with spin, this racquet delivers. However, it does feel a bit brassy and is far from the Gravity identity. With the head shape, it would have been difficult to place in another line, but it definitely plays more like an older Extreme to me.

I am bit confused to where this racquet belongs in the HEAD family. I understand their need for battling the popularity of the Pure Aero 98 and the VCORE 98. The HEAD Extreme Pro surprisingly plays with a bit more control than this racquet and the aforementioned ones, so this Gravity 98 has its own identity. But I think some players will be expecting a more maneuverable Gravity racquet with similar feel to the other racquets in the silo. This racquet moves faster than other Gravity bats, but it comes with more power and spin as well.

The demographic is clear, but I am curious to see how they will market this racquet alongside the Pro and MP, as it is quite different. I do like it and enjoyed hitting with, but not quite a home run for me, personally. This will be a hate/love experience for many players out there and I’m keen to hear on which side you are after testing this racquet.