Prince 03 Speedports

Screen Shot 2014-11-19 at 11.10.26 AMSo you wanna play like James Willstrop or Nicol David? Or how about Peter Nicol, you know, the guy who topped the World rankings for something like five years? While Prince Sports can’t turn you into any of these players, they can supply you with their racquets.

What are we talking about? The new line of 03 Speedport sticks from Prince. By now you’re familiar with the 0-ports introduced by Prince a couple years ago which allows greater string movement and larger sweetspots than traditional small string holes. It is the aerodynamics of the Speedport line-up that Prince is currently promoting. If you’ve never seen him do it, Willstrop can circle the ball with the head of his racquet three or four times before he actually strikes it—and still hammer the ball with the best of them. According to Prince, the Speedport racquets are “up to 24% faster through the air than traditional frames, increasing racquet speed throughout the entire string pattern.” In other words, the aerodynamics make it easier to swing (so you can reach out quickly for balls you might have had to let go before), and you can swing harder (thereby imparting more power on the ball).

The Speedport Black, weighing in at 147g (strung) and favored by Willstrop and David, is nimble, head heavy, and packs plenty of power with its slightly flexible frame. With virtually no vibration, the Speedport Black provides excellent feel for the ball and, despite the head-heavy balance (about 38cm from the base), it plays much lighter.

The Speedport Tour, featuring a gold paint job (by the way, the Speedport Black is actually black this year instead of silver), tipped the scales at nearly 159g (strung), is also head heavy (though less so than the Black; the Tour’s balance point is about 36.5cm from the base), but features excellent feel for dropshots and volleys. The Tour frame is more stiff than the Black which enhances its feel. And the added heft provides lots of power despite not being quite as nimble.

You’d be best to try both models if you’re curious about how they would fit your game. The technology is the same, but their playability differs. Maneuverability is better with the Black, but feel for the ball favors the Tour. Either way, Prince has provided two solid entries to their 2008/2009 line of racquets.

For more, visit www.princesquash.com