Dunlop Speed Attack 2.0

Technologies

Pros

• ✓The oversize headshape stretches the sweet spot into territory where most round rackets already buzz in your hand: balls taken near the throat or the frame still leave with direction on tight volleys. The Aeroframe at the base of the frame cuts through air resistance, and you feel it on the bandeja and vibora, where you get there in time even when your opponent has wrong-footed you cross-court. The fibreglass face over the medium-hardness Pro EVA core soaks up impact well: you can go three sets without punishing your elbow or wrist, with a soft but not dead touch. The rough Extra Grip finish bites into the ball on slices and topspin, letting you close the face on a wall exit without the ball sailing long. Medium balance and a fixed 365g: the racket responds the same in game one as in the last game, without the precision drop-off typical of head-heavy rackets once fatigue sets in.

Cons

• ✗Power is kept in check: on a flat smash you have to supply all the arm acceleration yourself, because this racket won't fire the ball for you when you're going for a quick kill. The Speed Attack name promises more aggression than it delivers; with a round shape and medium balance there's no mass concentrated in the head, so the vibora comes out controlled rather than biting. The touch is comfortable but not especially communicative: anyone used to a crisper response will miss feedback on the finishing volley and the short cut shot. Only one weight, 365g, with no fork option: if you're after a lighter racket to gain hand speed at the net, this model won't give you that choice.

A fixed 365g, a 38mm profile and a fibreglass face: the Dunlop Speed Attack 2.0 is a mid-range round padel racket with a Pro EVA core and Aeroframe construction that trades outright hardness for sweet spot, comfort and hand speed.

The name is a bit of a red herring. Anyone reading "Speed Attack" and expecting a third-row cannon will find something else: a forgiving racket with very fast handling and generous ball exit, where raw power sits firmly in the mid-range.

Aeroframe and the 38mm profile: where the Speed Attack 2.0 gets its swing speed

The Aeroframe works at the base of the frame, the area that first cuts through air as you accelerate from below waist height. You feel the result more on overhead shots than on the flat drive: the bandeja is ready earlier and the vibora arrives with the face still set, not dragged through late.

The 38mm profile pulls in the same direction. It's the maximum thickness allowed, but spread across a round body it doesn't pile mass up top — instead it stabilises the frame laterally. That's why this racket handles off-centre hits without twisting, and why it also absorbs some of the energy another build would send back as raw power.

The oversize headshape rounds out the picture: it extends the usable hitting area beyond what's typical for a round racket, and that's the real selling point of this padel racket.

Fibreglass over Pro EVA: this Dunlop's comfort pairing

Fibreglass on the faces is a touch decision, not a max-performance one. It flexes more on contact, widens the contact window and softens the vibration that reaches your forearm. In exchange, the response is less crisp and the feedback the racket gives you on the finishing volley feels a bit blurred.

Underneath sits the Pro EVA core, a rubber denser than soft conventional EVA but well short of the hard EVA found in power-hitters' rackets. That mid-range hardness is what carries the ball exit: the rubber compresses, recovers and returns energy without you needing to swing all-out just to clear the net.

The rough Extra Grip texture on the faces rounds off the package and adds what the racket lacks in power: spin. Even on sandy, dirty balls it keeps biting, and that's where this racket wins points it wouldn't win by hitting hard.

Dunlop Speed Attack 2.0 spec sheet

Is the Dunlop Speed Attack 2.0 really an attacking racket?

Not quite. It's an all-round racket with an attacking edge built on spin, not raw pace. The round shape with medium balance spreads mass through the whole body, so it attacks through placement, slice and hand speed, while the flat smash depends almost entirely on your own technique and arm acceleration.

Put another way: the "attack" this racket offers is the vibora closed in tight to the centre and the deep bandeja that keeps you camped at the net, not the smash down the middle that ends the point in one hit.

Shot by shot: where the Speed Attack 2.0 delivers and where it falls short

• **Wall exit:** this is where it shines. The wide sweet spot and manoeuvrability let you readjust mid-swing when the ball comes off the wall wider than expected.
• **Volley:** a firm, comfortable block with huge margin on off-centre contact. It lacks bite for the crisp finishing volley.
• **Bandeja:** fast swing speed and the rough grip give you height and depth with minimal effort.
• **Vibora:** comes out controlled and with spin, but without the head-heavy weight that turns it into a genuine winner.
• **Flat smash:** the weak point. It needs arm; the racket doesn't make up for what your technique lacks.
• **Defence and lobs:** comfortable and precise, with very little vibration on balls forced off the back glass.

Who is this Dunlop racket actually built for?

For the intermediate player who already builds the point and doesn't want the racket punishing every mishit. Also for anyone coming back from an elbow or wrist injury who needs to dial down impact hardness without sacrificing ball exit.

It's especially well suited to the backhand-side position, where control, wall exits and bandeja play matter more than raw pace. As a pairing, it works well alongside a partner who closes out points from the forehand side.

It's not the pick for a player who finishes points on power, nor for anyone after a demanding racket that rewards the perfect strike: the 365g weight and medium balance are dialled in to forgive, not to punish.

Verdict: forgiveness and comfort over raw power

The Dunlop Speed Attack 2.0 delivers on what its build promises, even if not on what its name suggests. Fibreglass, Pro EVA and Aeroframe combine into a comfortable, fast-handling, highly forgiving racket, with a sweet spot that's its best selling point.

If your game runs on consistency, spin and keeping opponents away from the net, this is a solid buy. If you're after a racket that adds power to your smash, this model will come up short at the decisive moment of the point.