Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.6

During baseline exchanges, our team was somewhat surprised by just how capable this Gravity MP proved to be. Despite it being lighter than their typical choices, this racquet really impressed our testers with its stability and spin, but mostly with its great feel. Tiffani was happy with the Gravity MP 2025 as soon as she brought it to the court, and it quickly became a racquet she felt like she would return to. She explained, "I'll be the first to admit that when I see a racquet has an unstrung weight less than 300 grams, I get a little worried about it getting pushed around on the court, but after a few baseline rallies with this 2025 Gravity MP I was no longer concerned. This updated Gravity MP feels more solid than past versions to me. With so much flex and so little weight, power was also a concern, but I found it offered controllable power. There was easy access to spin, and I could hit with good net clearance when necessary, but I could also flatten out the ball and drive it when I wanted. It's early in the year, but this racquet is already a favorite of mine for 2025."

Chris was also pleased with how playable the Gravity MP 2025 was in its stock form, and he particularly liked his spin capability on slice. He said, "I was very happy with my level of play from the baseline throughout the month-long test of this racquet. I felt connected to my shots and was able to judge their depth and direction well. I also enjoyed the overall feel of the racquet. The response felt forgiving, controlled and comfortable. The sound at impact was sweet, with a really nice 'thwack' greeting my ears on topspin shots. When it came to slice, my backhand was working very well. I was able to knife the ball and hit a low skidding slice. I also had enough control and feel to hit some nice slice drop shots."

With the Gravity MP in his hands, Jason could lean into his aggressive baseline game to push his opponents back. He said, "I thoroughly enjoyed hitting with this racquet from the baseline. It doesn't feel as whippy as the previous version, but I thought it was still fairly maneuverable. The extra heft did allow for better plow through, so that was a positive. I also thought the Gravity MP 2025 allowed me to hit with a pretty good amount of spin. The 20 cross strings gave me really good control.”

Volleys: 8.3

Up at the net, the incredible feel offered by the Gravity MP continued to make itself known to our testers. Jason left the playtest feeling very connected to his volleys. Elaborating, he said, "I thought that the racquet felt pretty solid up at net, especially for an 11-ounce racquet. I loved the feel of this update, which kept me more connected to my shots. No big complaints from me here."

For Tiffani, the Gravity MP's performance at net was better than she expected it to be. She described, "Sometimes I struggle at net with these flexible racquets. I like a bit of easy pop at net, but like at the baseline, this Gravity MP proved to me that there is some power on tap. Even when on the stretch, I was managing to get the ball back in play."

Chris also enjoyed the transition up to net, reveling in the inherent touch and feel the Gravity MP 2025 possesses. He explained, "I continued to be very happy with the level of my play every time I attacked the net with the Gravity MP. I loved the touch I had on drop volleys and angles, and I also found a high level of control when volleying deep to the corners. The spec of this racquet felt good for net play too. There was enough mass for it to feel stable, but not enough to hinder maneuverability."

Serves: 8.3

Serves with the Gravity MP 2025 were a major hit across the board, despite it not having a lot of power. After a slight adjustment period, Tiffani could rely on her serves to start points on the right foot. She said, "My serve required a little bit of an adjustment from me. I was initially hitting serves long, and I needed to be more purposeful with my motion to get the ball coming down on target. Once I got settled, I thought there was moderate power and good access to spin. I won't be serving anyone off the court, but I felt like I could get into points on at least neutral ground with the Gravity MP."

The slight lack of power didn't prove to be a major detriment on Jason’s serve. He said, "I felt like I was able to hit my targets well on serve with the Gravity MP. I wish the racquet had a bit more free power to help me win more cheap points, but I thought the spin I was able to get was helpful."

Chris would have appreciated more free power here, but the spin and precision he found made for successful serves. He described, "I was serving with confidence with the Gravity MP 2025. I found this to be a very accurate racquet, and I was locating my targets well. On second serves, I had good consistency even when serving pretty aggressively. I would have liked a tad more power, and I would drop the tension a little to juice this one up a bit."

Returns: 8.4

Across the board, our playtest team found returning with the Gravity MP to be a rewarding experience, with everyone enjoying the solid contact through the ball. Chris made good use of the racquet's forgiving nature on returns. He said, "The Gravity MP 2025 worked well on my returns. I liked the comfortable response and improved stability. I found a forgiving feel, which helped me out when my timing wasn't perfect. My returns felt controlled, and I was able to hit to a variety of targets. Both my topspin and slice returns were working well, which further opened up the options I had."

Tiffani was also pleased with the amount of options at her disposal. She noted, "I felt at home hitting all of my returns with this Gravity MP. I really liked to step in and drive returns when facing second serves. The mix of stability and maneuverability was right where I like it, and I didn't feel like I was giving up too much of either. I got a few free points when stepping in and taking the return early with my two-handed backhand."

The slightly denser pattern of the Gravity MP helped Jason be aggressive from the get-go. He explained, "Like with my groundstrokes, I thought this racquet felt very solid on my returns. When my only option was to block a shot back, my balls were landing a little shorter than I would've liked."

Breakdown Summary