About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the racquet, which I purchased with my own money in June of 2022.

My take

The Head Graphene 360+ Extreme MP is tailor-made for the modern power game in the hands of intermediate to advanced players. It offers plenty of power, easy access to spin, and is more comfortable than many of its competitors.

About the gear

• Model: 2021 Head Graphene 360+ Extreme MP
• Grip Size: 4 ⅜ / EU 3
• String and Tension: Head Lynx Tour 16g Mains/Head Velocity MLT 16g Cross 55lbs
• Head size: 100
• Racquet Length: 27
• Any Customizations: None

About me

• Height: 5’11”
• Weight: 185 lbs
• Previous Racquet Played With: Head Graphene 360+ Gravity MP
• Experience: 28 years
• NTRP/UTA Rating: 5.0

Test conditions

• When I bought these: June 2022
• Days tested: 6 days
• Court Surfaces: Hard
• Match Play/Practice Session/Both: Both
• Where I’ve used it: Kingsford, MI

How it performs

What I was looking for

I am currently playing with a Head Graphene 360+ Gravity MP which I have had for a year now. I was looking at other models in the Head lineup to see if they suited my game any better. Almost 20 years ago, during my senior year of high school, I played with the first Head Extreme series racquets, the Intelligence i. Extreme MP, and had fond memories of the silo. Back then it helped give me added pace on my serve, easy spin on my ground strokes, and touch at the net. I hoped the newest variation might give me similar feelings.

Why I chose this gear

I did an extensive demo period of this racquet, the Head Graphene 360+ Extreme Tour, 2021 Head Radical MP, and my Head Graphene 360+ Gravity MP. All but the Extreme Tour are considered MP, or Main Performance model racquets from Head. The MP models in their new naming convention are for players that are looking for true performance racquets but aren’t regularly competing in tournaments or tour-level events. The MP racquets are targeted at club players who still want to play high-level tennis but can’t handle the more demanding tournament-level racquets. These are for a broad range of NTRP ratings from 3.0-5.0. This fits my currently playing style to a t. I have lost a couple of steps from my college days but I can still play high-level tennis and the MP racquets give me a little added boost. The Extreme Tour was included in this group because it offers specs that are just slightly more demanding than the others so it wasn’t a stretch to jump from the others to the Tour. In the end, I didn’t end up choosing to make a switch at this time as the Gravity MP still suits my game the best but the Extreme MP was a very fun racquet to play with that brought back good memories for me. It still has that power and easy spin that I loved in high school but it wasn’t enough to convince me to make a switch at this time.

What I love about it

• Power: The extreme series has long been known to offer plenty of power on groundstrokes and serves and helped usher in the modern power/spin game along with the Babolat Pure Aero and Pure Drive racquets in the early 2000s. This current Extreme MP model is no different. The ball jumps off the strings with ease. It is easy to hit with lots of topspin and when combined with that power makes for a very heavy ball to return. This was especially noticeable on my serve where my playing partners struggled to get the ball back in play effectively.
• Maneuverability: The 11.2oz strung weight and headlight balance make the Extreme MP very maneuverable. This makes it easy to hit winners while on the run or slightly out of position as well as being a deceptively good serve and volley racquet.
• Stability: For how light and maneuverable the Extreme MP is, it handles hard-hit balls and aggressive serves really well. The thicker cross-section of the lower part of the racquet head helps stiffen the response on impact.
• Versatility: The Extreme MP really shines on all areas of the court. It’s designed for power groundstroke players but also enhances big first serves and its maneuverability makes coming to the net a lot of fun
• Other: The Extreme MP is a very comfortable racquet, especially when compared to other power/spin racquets such as the Babolat Pure Aero and Yonex VCore 100.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Control: I found that I was a bit more erratic on my groundstrokes with the Extreme MP than with the Gravity MP I have been using for the past year. I liked the spin that I could generate with the Extreme but I wasn’t as accurate hitting my targets. This could be corrected with different string and tension, but during the test period, I definitely noticed more shots going just past the baseline or missing wide.
• Feel: While the Extreme MP is a softer/more comfortable racquet than similar racquets such as the Babolat Pure Aero or Pure Drive and Yonex Vcore 100, it does lack some feel and touch around the net especially compared to my Gravity MP.

Favorite moment with this gear

This racquet really was a lot of fun to play with throughout the week but my favorite thing about it had to be the number of times while serving that I would get a big first serve in and my playing partners would have a weak return that I could easily put away for a winner. That was almost a signature play for me using the original Head Extreme in high school so it brought back pleasant memories.

Value for the money vs. other options

The Head Graphene 360+ Extreme MP is competitively priced with other similar racquets such as the Dunlop SX300, Babolat Pure Aero, and Yonex Vcore 100.

Final verdict

The Head Graphene 360+ Extreme MP belongs in the hands of big-hitting, fast-moving, top spin hitting players. It is easy to generate pace and spin but can be a bit tough to control at times. A player who hits with heavy spin and lots of margin for error would be the ideal partner for this racquet.