How to Choose a Tennis Racket : A Comprehensive Guide
Posted by Admin on 17th Oct 2024
How to Choose the Right Tennis Racket: A Complete Guide
Choosing the right racket for a perfect and winning game is a difficult task. Maybe you are a new player, trying your hands-on tennis, or maybe you are an experienced player, trying to upgrade your tennis skills and tennis racket, then you can understand how daunting the situation is. But worry not - we tennisshop.ae, are here to guide you on the journey of buying a perfect tennis racket no matter what your playing style or experience is. This guide will cover everything.
Racket Parts
First of all, we will share the different racket parts so that it’s easier for beginners to understand the different parts.
Rackets Needed as Per Your Skill Level
Once you decide to buy a racket for you, remember that weight and head size are the two most crucial factors in buying rackets.
Weight
A normal strung adult racket has a weight of 9 - 12 oz. Adding weight to your lightweight racket is easy, but if it’s heavy, then lessening the weight is difficult.
A heavy racket can create not only uncomfortable strokes but can also create pain in the arms, shoulder, and wrist while smashing a powerful stroke. Again for comfort if you buy too light a racket, then it can result in lesser power and throw-off timing.
| Weight | Lighter Rackets (9-10 oz) | Heavier Rackets (11-12 oz) |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | Easily moveable and maneuverable, and can generate more swing and spin | More powerful, more stable, higher control |
| Cons | Less stable and powerful | Maneuverability is less and risk-prone for the players |
| Best for | Slower and compact strokes, mainly for junior and smaller players and players with arm injury | Aggressive players who play are at their prime form and play strong and powerful strokes |
Rule of Thumb
Lighter Racket = Less Power
Heavier Racket = More Power
Headsize
Headsize has a considerable impact on a tennis player’s performance. Larger heads provide more power than smaller heads. Larger headsize also has a larger sweetspot along with a larger hitting area. Currently, the rackets have headsize from 93 to 135 sq inches, though 97-100 sq inches are the most common. Any racket within 106 sq inches is known as a midsize racket and more than 106 sq inches are known as oversized rackets.
| Headsize | Midsize (< 106 sq inches) | Oversize (> 106 sq inches) |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | High precision, quick maneuverable | Highly powerful, hence chances of error are higher |
| Cons | Power is less, so the chances of error are less | Less maneuverable and less precision |
| Best for | Advanced players who hit the sweetspot mostly and persistently | Beginners or intermediates who need a larger sweetspot for a perfect strike |
However, there are four types of sub-classifications as per the smaller range of head size difference
Rule of Thumb
Smaller head size = Higher control
Larger head size = Higher power
Balance
The weight distribution of a racket is known as its balance. There are head-light, head-heavy, and even-balanced rackets. A headlight racket has more weight on its handle and head-heavy rackets have more weight in the head area. When the racket weight is spread evenly throughout the racket, then the racket helps in better maneuverability, control and power.
Material
Carbon, graphite, aluminum, and fiber are the four types of materials used in tennis rackets. However, many rackets come up with a blend of these materials. Depending upon certain qualities of these blends or materials, you can choose the right tennis racket for you.
| Material | Carbon fiber | Graphite | Aluminum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pros | Powerful, stable, and durable during performance | Good absorber of shock, with power and control | Soft and lightweight, low price |
| Cons | Too expensive, yet not arm-friendly | Not durable like carbon fiber | Less powerful |
| Best for | Professional players | Intermediate and advanced players | Beginners and recreational players |
Tennis racket as per swingweight
This is the factor of how the feel of the weight of the racket seems when swinging the racket. If you select a higher swingweight racket, then it may make you feel comfortable, stable, but feel heavy while swinging.
On the otherhand, if the rackets have lesser swingweight, then its easy to swing but lesser comfort and stability will be there.
Normally advanced players choose heavy swingweight rackets whereas beginners and intermediates choose light swingweight rackets.
For beginner players-
Low swingweight- 305 and 305> (higher maneuverability)
For Intermediate players-
Mediumswingweight- 310 to 325 (medium maneuverability, medium stable)
For Advanced players-
High swingweight- 325 and 325< (highly stable)
String pattern in rackets
Often, recreational players ignore the string pattern of the rackets. But, the strings create a lot of impact in a strike and feel. Tennis rackets can be divided into two categories as per the string structure, they are open and closed.
Tennis racket as per swingweight
This is the factor of how the feel of the weight of the racket seems when swinging the racket. If you select a higher swingweight racket, then it may make you feel comfortable, stable, but feel heavy while swinging.
On the otherhand, if the rackets have lesser swingweight, then its easy to swing but lesser comfort and stability will be there.
Normally advanced players choose heavy swingweight rackets whereas beginners and intermediates choose light swingweight rackets.
For beginner players-
Low swingweight- 305 and 305> (higher maneuverability)
For Intermediate players-
Mediumswingweight- 310 to 325 (medium maneuverability, medium stable)
For Advanced players-
High swingweight- 325 and 325< (highly stable)
String pattern in rackets
Often, recreational players ignore the string pattern of the rackets. But, the strings create a lot of impact in a strike and feel. Tennis rackets can be divided into two categories as per the string structure, they are open and closed.
Open String Pattern
If you are using an open string, then you will have a higher launching angle and much more ball rebound. With the same tension that a closed pattern has, an open-strung racket is much more livelier. The open string rackets help in more spin. The only problem with open string is that, the durability of the racket is less.
Closed String Pattern
Closed string rackets offer less rebound energy, and a more controlled feel. However, the ball doesn't spin much. This spin can be controlled by the faster swing of the racket for experienced players as the racket control is high.
Relationship between tensions and functionalities
Here is a chart of the relationship between tensions and functionalities:
Relationship between tensions and functionalities
| Low tension | High tension | |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Less | More |
| Power | More | Less |
| Spin | Less | More |
| Comfort | More | Less |
| Durability | More | Less |
Grip size of Rackets
Racket grip sizes are measured in 2 ways:
- USA size- 4 (0) to 4-⅝
- EU size- 0 to 5
Adult women normally feel comfortable with a USA grip size 4-1/2 which is EU size 2. Whereas, males prefer a 4-3/8 USA grip size or EU size 3.
The Beam Size of Rackets
The thickness of the racket head is called its beam size.
Thicker beams of a racket make the racket stiffer. More power is generated to the ball with thicker beam rackets but the control is less. A thin beam racket can have higher control but the strike on the ball has a much lesser power than the thick beam rackets.
Frame Stiffness
The frame stiffness is perceived differently by different players and this depends upon the string installed on the frame. Flexible rackets offer much control and comfort, but get deflected while striking a smash. Stiff rackets can provide better power but less control.
Generally, stiffness is measured by RA which analyzes the flexibility of a racket. The number of RA varies from 55 to 75.
- Low stiffness - 55 to 60 RA
- Medium stiffness - 61 to 65 RA
- Rather stiff - 66 to 70 RA
- Very stiff - 71 to 75 RA
Rule of Thumb
RA 66> should be used by players having elbow or shoulder issue. Stiffer rackets are good for beginners and intermediates. Softer rackets are normally for advanced players.
Length of Tennis Racket
Tennis rackets are normally in the length of 19 inches to 29 inches. However, 27 to 29 inches are considered standard for adults. Here is a guide on how to select a racket as per the age of a player.
Conclusion
To wrap up, there is no perfect racket as such that can be tailor-made. All you need to do is check all the specifications above depending upon your level of playing, your age, your swing type, your body type, etc., and select the best one that suits all your requirements. Maybe you will not get a 100% perfect racket for you, but you can modify the racket a bit to make it suitable for you. For example, you can use an overgrip for a perfect grip size, dampeners to increase weight, and different other such techniques.
