How does the Prince graphite 110 compare to the rackets today?

The classic Prince Graphite 110—particularly the original-era models—is still a remarkably serious tennis racket by modern standards. Its defining characteristics were a 110-square-inch head, 27-inch length, relatively thin ~19 mm beam, flexible graphite construction, 16×19 string pattern, head-light balance, and unusually high mass. Depending on the exact production run and individual frame, a strung example can easily end up in the 12-ounce-plus range. That combination gives it a very distinctive form of performance: rather than relying heavily on frame stiffness to generate power, it uses mass, leverage, a large stringbed, and flex. The result is exceptional plow-through and torsional stability. When you strike the ball cleanly, the racket feels extremely solid and connected to the ball, with very little twisting or flutter. That basic engineering concept remains fundamentally sound today, which is why the Graphite 110 doesn’t feel like an obsolete racket so much as a racket designed according to a different philosophy.

The biggest difference compared with a modern performance racket is how that performance is obtained. A contemporary 98–100-square-inch racket around 300–315 grams unstrung can produce tremendous stability while remaining considerably easier to accelerate. Modern frames use stiffer and more sophisticated carbon layups, optimized mass distribution, wider or variable beams, improved aerodynamics, and stringbeds designed around modern polyester strings. Consequently, a modern racket generally gives you substantially more racket-head speed for the same physical effort. That matters enormously in today’s game, where players generate high levels of topspin and racket-head velocity. The Graphite 110 can certainly produce spin, particularly with modern polyester, but it doesn’t encourage the same explosive upward swing as a modern spin-oriented frame. Its large head and open-ish 16×19 pattern help, but its substantial mass and traditional geometry make it more of a smooth, penetrating, mass-based weapon than a high-RPM weapon.

Where the Graphite 110 can still be extraordinary is feel, stability, and the quality of a well-struck ball. Its thin, flexible beam and substantial mass produce a combination that is actually difficult to duplicate with today’s very stiff frames. There is a noticeable sense of the ball staying on the strings, followed by the racket driving through the shot rather than simply launching it. At the net, on returns, and against a hard incoming ball, that stability can be spectacular. You can shorten the stroke and let the racket’s mass absorb and redirect pace. The 110-square-inch head also gives you a large effective hitting area. The drawback is that the same mass that makes it so stable becomes a liability when you are late, stretched out, or trying to generate extreme racket-head speed repeatedly. A modern 300-gram frame is much easier to maneuver and accelerate, particularly on serves and defensive shots.

The strings are also crucial to the comparison. A Graphite 110 strung with the type of synthetic gut or nylon traditionally associated with it behaves very differently from the same racket strung with a modern co-polyester. Modern polyester can add substantially more spin, directional control, and snapback, effectively making the old frame considerably more compatible with contemporary tennis. Conversely, putting a traditional soft string in a modern stiff racket can make that modern frame feel much more like the classic control-oriented experience. This is why simply comparing the bare-frame specifications can be misleading. The Graphite 110’s performance is really the product of the frame, its unusually high mass, its flex profile, and the stringbed acting together.

So, against today’s rackets, I would not call the Graphite 110 inferior so much as specialized. For a technically sound player with a smooth, full swing who values feel, stability, plow-through, and a heavy penetrating ball, it can still be an outstanding racket. For the modern high-speed baseline game, however, I’d generally take a well-fitted contemporary 98–100-square-inch racket because it gives you most of the stability and power with substantially better maneuverability, easier serving, greater spin potential, and less fatigue. The fascinating thing is that Prince hasn’t abandoned the underlying concept: modern Graphite/Phantom models still emphasize relatively flexible construction, thin beams, substantial mass, and exceptional feel. In other words, the Graphite 110’s basic engineering wasn’t rendered obsolete by modern technology; modern technology largely figured out how to achieve some of its strengths with less weight and greater speed.

Get a yonex racket...it is made in Japan with precision engineering. Damn near every other brand is made in China