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Here is the complete review of the brilliant and bold racquet from Prince called the Prince Phantom Pro 100P. Something as rare these days as a flexible players’ racquet.

The Prince Phantom Pro 100P comes in a setup feating a box beam, razor-thin CTS beam which goes from a thin 16mm in the shaft (for feel) to a thicker 20mm in the head (for power) listed as 59 RA. No matter what the performance of the racquet, you really have to commend Prince on releasing such a flexible racquet in a time where power and dampening of shock seems to be the only marketing methods.

Comparing the Phantom Pro 100P to the Phantom is easy, since the traditional Prince Phantom has the unique Prince ports system that makes for a uniquely flexible feel that is definitely not for everyone. The Phantom Pro still possesses that thin beam and nice feel, but without the ports which gives a bit more direct feedback. Something I personally prefer.

The other Phantom Pro has an even more flexible than the 100P and lower static weight and swing weight which means lower power (but also stability), other than that there’s not much separating the two Phantom Pro racquets.

If you want to compare the Prince Phantom Pro 100P to its predecessor, the Prince Textreme Tour 100P’s, the Tour 100P has a more traditional 22.5mm / 23.5mm / 21mm beam. Also, the RA of the new Phantom Pro 100P is three points lower (RA 59 compared to the Tour 100P with RA 62). What Prince also has done for the Textreme Phantom Pro 100P is to increase the swing weight from the 100P’s 321 to 329 which I think is a move in the right direction since for a lot of players it won’t need lead tape to play stable.

I’m usually not a fan of 100 sq inch racquets, but the control and feel of the Prince Phantom Pro 100P is exceptional and despite that the power level is not bad. It must be thanks to the CTS beam that allows the racquet to be bit thicker up in the hoop for more power. It can’t rival a power machine such as the Babolat Pure Drive Tour Plus (read and watch my review here). Below is the video review of the Prince Phantom Pro 100P.

This is a racquet that plays great from all areas of the court and I especially like it on the one-handed backhand. I usually feel that 100 sq inch racquets are a bit cumbersome to use for that wing, but here I appreciated the large-sized sweet spot. It actually took me a longer time to dial in the forehand, possibly because I’ve been playing so much with spin-friendly frames such as Angell K7 Red and Babolat Pure Drive Tour Plus where it’s ridiculously easy to generate spin. The Prince Phantom Pro 100P is not bad in the spin department, but I somehow expected more RPMs on the ball on my shots which made me hit my forehand on the tape of the net a number of times before I managed to dial it in.

The thin beam really makes slice and drop shots a pure joy to hit. It almost felt like a Wilson Pro Staff 85 but with 15 extra sq inches! This makes me believe this racquet is perfect for someone with a cunning all-court game that is not all about pace or spin. You can really move the ball around easily and “craft the point” with this racquet. Why not mix it up with different spins, hit a drop shot, move to the net and finish the point?

What really surprised me was that it worked really well on my serve without any practice. It wasn’t as much of a serve monster as the Babolat Pure Drive Tour Plus, but it was easy to get some good swing speed and placement consistency. I enjoyed htiting a racquet below 350 grams which is where I usually end up after lead-taping my racquets. It really helped my swing speed and makes me wonder whether I should really play with racquets around 353 grams when there are stable, lower-weight options on the market.

As you can hear I really enjoyed playing with the Prince Phantom Pro 100P, but it didn’t really win me over a hundred percent as a racquet I would switch to and it’s not easy to pinpoint why. The round-ish head-shape irked me a bit, but it shouldn’t be a big deal. I think I just enjoy the Angell K7 Red a bit more on ground strokes and for the extra spin and noticeable flex it gives me. It can also be because I’m so much looking forward to the baby brother of the Phantom Pro 100P – the Phantom pro 93P. If that frame shares the characteristics of this racquet in a smaller head size, it will be hard for me to resist!

I didn’t feel this racquet was in any way or form string sensitive or needed any lead tape to play well. Both poly and multifilament strings should play fine in this racquet. Buy it, string it up and get on the court and work on your game. Just a no BS racquet with great playability.

Well done Prince for sticking your guns with comfortable, player-friendly tennis racquets in a time of power and stiffness. I hope you keep doing this for many years to come.

PRINCE PHANTOM PRO 100P SPECS

Head Size: 100 sq. in. / 645.16 sq. cm.

Length: 27in / 68.58cm

Strung Weight: 11.5oz / 326.02g

Balance: 12.79in / 32.49cm / 6 pts HL

Swingweight: 329

Stiffness: 59

Beam Width: 20mm / 18mm / 16mm /

Composition: Textreme/Graphite

Power Level: Low-Medium

Stroke Style: Medium-Full

Swing Speed: Medium-Fast

Racquet Colors: Black

Grip Type: Prince ResiPro

String Pattern: 16 Mains / 18 Crosses
Mains skip: 8T,8H
Two Pieces
No Shared Holes

String Tension: 45-55 pounds

Are you intrigued by the Prince Phantom Pro 100P? If so, why? If not, why?

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One highly anticipated racquet for tennis nerds is the Prince Phantom Pro 100P and I’m lucky to currently be play-testing one. Here are my first impressions after the first couple of hours of play.

The Prince Phantom Pro 100P is something so rare these days like a box beam, sub 60 RA racquet and I really appreciate Prince for trying to release something different from the standard thick beam, powerful racquet with some sort of dampening material.

The Prince Phantom Pro 100P comes with a CTS Beam, which goes from a thin 16mm in the shaft (for feel) to a thicker 20mm in the head (for power), which is in contrast to the Prince Textreme Tour 100P’s more traditional 22.5mm / 23.5mm / 21mm beam. Also, the RA of the new Phantom Pro 100P is three points lower (RA 59! compared to the Tour 100P with RA 62). What Prince also has done for the Textreme Phantom Pro 100P is to increase the swing weight from the 100P’s 321 to 329 which I think is a move in the right direction since for a lot of players it won’t need lead tape to play stable.

I’m usually not a fan of 100 sq inch racquets, but the control of the Prince Phantom Pro 100P is exceptional and I didn’t feel the need to immediately add lead tape to it to go out and play a competitive set. Also, I felt the racquet to be more powerful than I had expected with an RA of 59, but definitely not like the other racquet I’m going to be testing after the Phantom – the Babolat Pure Drive Tour Plus!

Contrasting racquets! The beam width of the Prince Phantom Pro 100P is less than half the one of the Babolat Pure Drive Tour Plus. Also: RA 59 vs RA 71! The Babolat Pure Drive Tour Plus is of course also extended, but I still think the comparison of these two very different racquets will be interesting and I hope you agree.

I still need to dial in my forehand with the racquet since I’m so accustomed to playing with a 95 sq inch racquet (the HEAD Liquidmetal Radical Tour), but that shouldn’t take too long I hope. The slice and touch of the Prince Phantom Pro 100P is what I appreciate the most, with its thin box beam it really cuts through the air reminiscent of a Wilson Pro Staff 85 but its 100 sq inch racquet offers a large sweet spot. I’m yet to find out how consistent the string bed is, but after the first couple of sessions, I’m really enjoying this racquet from all areas of the court. I think it’s especially good as a racquet if you’re an all court player who likes to mix it up with different spins, drop shots and the occasional storming of the net.

What surprised me was that it worked really well on my serve without any practice. It wasn’t as much of a serve monster as the Babolat Pure Drive Tour Plus, but it was easy to get some good swing speed and placement consistency.

I’m currently playing the racquet in stock form with a Yonex Super grap over grip and with RS Lyon strings. I’m really curious about how it would play and look with Solinco Hyper-G strings (green on black).

Here’s a clip from the first practice set with the racquet with some comments on how I think it plays.

Strung Specifications