News

Kennelbach, Austria — For 25 years, one racquet has constantly redefined maximum control and feel on the court and became a legend itself: the HEAD Prestige. To celebrate a quarter of a century of Prestige racquet excellence, HEAD is launching the revitalized YouTek™ IG Prestige series for 2012 and adding the innovative S-model to the range.

The Prestige philosophy can be summed up in three words: Heritage, Precision & Class. Tennis legends like Henri Leconte, Thomas Muster, Goran Ivanišević, Gustavo Kuerten or Marat Safin have been using the HEAD Prestige series initially introduced in 1987, and have praised the unique feel and sound which only tennis players, who have ever picked up a Prestige, can share.

“It is a feeling very tough to describe, but everybody who has ever played with a Prestige racquet understands” confirms Robin Soderling. “The Prestige racquet gives me the best mix of both power and control.” The Swedish two-time French Open finalist is HEAD’s lead endorser for the new Prestige line, including the Pro, MP and Mid, as well as the new S-model, latest product of HEAD’s innovative product design development.

In line with HEAD’s YouTek™ philosophy of combining superior technologies to provide each player with the right racquet for his or her individual needs, the new S-Model will enable more tennis players to experience the unique playing characteristics of the legendary Prestige. The special setup and reduced weight of the Prestige S allows for a broader range of players to use it. The racquet features a new 16/19 double grommet string pattern for a more comfortable game and better sound, while a unique new shaft construction yields improved ergonomic and enhanced torsional stiffness.

All of the new YouTek™ IG Prestige racquets are showcasing HEAD’s Innegra™ and D3O™ technologies. Innegra™ belongs to the lightest performance fibers in the world today. In combination with carbon fiber, Innegra™ forms an ultra-tough, hybrid-composite frame structure. The material, also used in Formula 1, results in a racquet frame offering improved stability and increased shock absorption. Tests show that vibration on ball impact is reduced by up to 17 %, resulting in unique control and precision.

The new Prestige models are also visually stunning, designed with monochrome color ways inspired by the traditional Prestige Red, textural contrasts, geometrical icons and tone-on-tone detailing.

The new YouTek™ Prestige will be visible on the courts of the Tennis Tour and available in Retail stores around the world in-time for the Australian Open, the first highlight of the 2012 tennis season.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Prestige, HEAD will launch prior to the Australian Open a brand new Facebook application and a series of Prestige videos. On www.youtube.com/headtennis, and www.facebook.com/headtennis tennis fans will have a chance to join legendary Prestige players of the past and today in celebrating the history of the racquet — and thanking the Prestige for Absolute Precision since 1987!