Tennis FAQs

How We Chose Our Selection Of Tennis Rackets

Brand - In a competitive and popular category like tennis rackets, there are plenty of well-known market-leading brands. Almost everyone, whether they're a fan of tennis or not, will no doubt be familiar with popular brands like Head, Wilson, and Babolat. These brands spend a lot of money in research and development, so it's always an excellent idea to check out what they have on offer.

Price - You can spend as little or as much as you want on a tennis racket and in the end, it will come down to what budget you have available. The advanced materials and technology used in the worlds best tennis rackets cost more money to develop. Generally speaking, the more budget you have at your disposal, the better quality and more durable the racket will be that you can invest in.

Reviews - There's no better way, save from trying out the racket yourself, of understanding the likely performance of a tennis racket than reading what other consumers have to say about their own experiences using it. Consumer reviews might not always be technically accurate, but they do provide an honest appraisal of any potential problems you would do well to avoid.

Features To Look For In Tennis Rackets

These are the key attributes that we recommend you first evaluate before making your final product selection.

Control - As you become more experienced, you will be the one wanting to control your racket as opposed to the other way round. Starting out, the larger surface area the head has and the heavier and stiffer the racket is, the easier it is for you to place your shot, no matter how poor your return might be. As your gameplay improves, it's all about you being able to expertly direct the ball and control your racket to deliver precisely placed shots. That's when a more flexible racket frame with smaller head size will be more appropriate.

Power - Starting out, you won't be able to generate as much physical power yourself. This is something that will increase over time, along with your technique. So consider purchasing a racket that can create that pace and speed for you. The more powerful rackets tend to have larger heads and stiffer frames and overall are longer.

Touch - How a racket feels when you swing, it is part of the nuance of playing a game of tennis. Ultimately you want the racket to feel like a natural extension of your arm so that you have ultimate control over all your shots and not the other way round.

Comfort - Comfort is most often associated with vibration or rather lack of it. Starting out, you will want to minimize shock so that you can play and place more precise shots. Heavier rackets enable this control and connectedness, better allowing the novice player to handle and absorb shock.

Stability - Do you require a racket that gives you confidence or one that delivers lots of responsiveness? The heavier a racket is, the more stable it will be, and the easier it will be to strike and return service with accuracy. As you become more experienced, stability becomes less important, and precision and placement take over.

Maneuverability - An easy to maneuver racket will feel lighter to hold and more natural to swing plus will provide faster response times when it comes to position and angling the direction of the head.

Tennis Racket FAQ

Q: How do I choose a tennis racket?

A: Besides your available budget, you also need to consider your skill level, style of play along with your weight and size. Starting out, it's best to go for a more generic and basic racket whereas you progress you should choose something optimized for your gameplay and tailored to your exact measurements.

Q: What grip size should I go for?

A: To determine the most suitable grip size, examine the size of your hand. Look at your palm and measure the length of the horizontal line running from your palm up to the start of your ring finger. That measurement is likely to be anywhere from 4 inches up to around 4 5/8 inches. If in doubt, head to your local sports store where an expert will be able to kit you out professionally.

Q: What weight tennis racquet should I go for?

A: It's not just about what feels best and is more comfortable to grip and swing. The weight of the racket you purchase will also affect the pace and control of your gameplay. As will the type of grip control you go for, the size of the head itself as well as the racket's overall length and width.

Generally speaking, lighter rackets of 255-270 grams are easier to control but provide less power. Mid-weight rackets of 280- 310 grams offer a nice balanced combination between both control and power. Whereas at the top end, heavier rackets weighing around 330 grams provide a great deal more energy and give the player a lot more control and dynamism.