Head Launches Boom Tennis Racket, Tech Focuses On ‘Easy Power’

Head tennis felt it had a racket silo absent from its range of products. Head expects the Boom frame, launching Jan. 20, fills that hole with power, specifically power coupled with forgiveness. 

“We wanted to create a racket silo that has been missing from the past Head range. We took the best practices from our current range to incorporate them all together to create a silo whose models would appeal to 80% of the players on the market,” says Jeff Bardsley, Head product manager. “Easy power and forgiveness that provides the player—no matter what level—a higher degree of confidence in their game.” 

That confidence inspired both the name and the bright blue paint on the frame. “The name perfectly represents the new playability of the racket,” Bardsley says, “the bold new color that we’ve added—you’ll be making a statement on court—and the confidence that it will help you build. Boom is catchy, easy to remember and a bold statement.” 

Head started teasing the Boom franchise in fall 2021 before an announcement and the eventual retail launch of the $259 Boom Pro and $249 Boom MP, both set for Jan. 20. 

The Boom design incorporates both the Head technologies of Auxetic and Graphene, as it has across all its 2022-23 silos. The brand-new Auxetic technology isn’t a material, but a technique of construction in the yoke of the racket, Bardsley says, using carbon fiber material to improve the racket’s impact feel to offer real-time feedback. The material becomes more compact upon impact to result in a more solid feel. The larger the applied force, the more of a reaction. 

“By incorporating Auxetic in the yoke it allows for us to create a consistent feel no matter where the ball is hit on the string bed of the racket,” Bardsley says. Head says a mishit won’t feel like one. 

Head has long used Graphene material, designed to provide stability and optimize energy transfer from the racket to the ball. 

New for the power-friendly Boom is the Morph Beam, a frame construction that merges an elongated box beam shaft with a powerful head for what Head says is a blend of feel and ease; the Uni-Pattern, a uniform string pattern meant to create a consistent ball trajectory on every shot; power grommets enlarged to maximize string movement for increased power; and directional drilling on the frame increases power and the sweet spot. 

“Boom hits the widest audience of any of our silos,” Bardsley says. “It is super comfortable and easy to play. Based on your playing style, if you are a more advanced player, you can gravitate into the Boom Pro, but the majority of tennis players will really feel the difference with the Boom MP. Boom should be a confidence builder for any player who takes it on court.” 

Head-sponsored players Coco Gauff and Lorenzo Musetti are both endorsing the new Boom, although it appears that Gauff is still playing with her old Head Graphene 360 Speed specifications in the Boom paint aesthetics. 

Head plans to add two Team models to the Boom silo in May.