Choosing a Tennis Racquet

All tennis players will at some point figure out what they like about a certain type of racquet, and it is a good idea to try some different racquets before you find a favourite one. It is common knowledge that players who choose the right racquet will get a big boost of confidence, and will begin to play much better tennis. The manufacturers of tennis racquets, like for example Head, Wilson, Prince, Babolat, and Yonex, are introducing new lines of racquets all the time. You can count on these manufacturers will release a new racquet every year. The racquets will come in different price classes, so depending on your budget, there will be a lot of racquets to choose from. There are many guidelines you can follow in order to finding the perfects tennis racquet for you. These guidelines will now be discussed below.

Let’s start with grip size.

Having the right grip on a tennis racquet is essential. You would want to choose the best size of grip for your needs. The size is normally measured as the length of the perimeter of the octagonal cross-section of the handle. There are of course different grip sizes, and they go from 3⅞ and 4 are for juniors, then we have 4¼, 4⅜, 4½, and 4⅝ are for adults. The average size for women is about 4¼, and the average size for men is 4⅜. It is good to know that if you can always modify your grip and make it bigger by adding an overgrip. This way you will increase grip size by 1/16, or half a grip size.

Next up on a tennis racquet is head size.

For those who don’t know head size is the measure of the hitting area. Most midsize racquets have a hitting area of about 85-95 square inches. It is important to know that if you want as much power and spin as possible in your strokes, then a bigger head size is recommended. However a very large head size will reduce your maneuverability and stability. If you go for a smaller head sized racquet, then you will have more control, but also less power. A normal rule of thumb is that more accomplished tennis players will often use a mid-size and mid-plus racquet. Because these players feel that they are able to generate a lot of power on their own, and instead want to have a greater racquet control. Beginner and intermediate tennis players tend to like racquets with larger heads, since it gives more power, but also a larger sweet spot.

Racquet Length

Up until recently the standard length of a tennis racquet have been 27 inches. Manufacturers have now begun to introduce extra long racquets that are 27.5 up to 29 inches long. These new racquets are often called extended length racquets, and will give players even more power in their strokes, and also a bit longer reach.

Then we have “Flex”

Different racquets have different flex or stiffness. The stiffness of a racquet is how the racquet’s resistance reacts when the ball hits the racquet. That means if the racquet bend or deforms upon impact. A tennis player that plays with a racquet that is very flexible will have a racquet that bends more, which will cause energy loss and loss of power. Players that have a short swing should get a racquet that is stiff, since it will give the most power. While tennis players with a long swing, would want a racquet that is less stiff. Generally speaking a stiff racquet will have a solid feel to it, while the more flexible racquets will feel softer. An important thing to keep in mind is that very stiff racquets have resulted in players getting a tennis elbow.

String Pattern

A fully strung tennis racquet will have a string pattern of many strings going up and down (these are called mains), and many strings going side to side (crosses). A racquet that has fewer strings is called a racquet that has an “open” string pattern, this because there is a lot of empty space in the string bed. An example of a racquet with “open” string pattern is a racquet that has a 16X18 string pattern, where the “closed” string pattern would be 18X20.

Players that want as much spin as possible in their strokes, should have a racquet with open strings, because then the ball has the opportunity to embed itself more into the strings, due to their wider spacing. Recent studies have however shown that stringbed properties do not directly affect the spin potential of a racquet. You should know that if you do want an open string pattern, then you would get higher deflection angles, which will give you higher arch in the balls trajectory.

There is one drawback to racquets with open sting patterns, and that is related to the strings durability. Since there is more impact stress on each string on racquets that have an open string pattern, that will result in increasing abrasion, which again will lead to string breakage.

The two last factors to consider are weight and balance.

The tennis technology has come a long way when it comes to weight. Up until the 1990s, tennis racquets had an average weight of 12-13 ounces. Wilson did however do something about this, when they introduced the Hammer technology, which lead to a weight reduction to 10-11 ounces. Today there are manufacturers on the market that will offer you tennis racquets with even less weight than that, some are below 10 ounces. These super light racquets will however give less power, but more maneuverable. Heavier racquets will be more powerful and stable, but less maneuverable. Beginner tennis players should choose a fairly light tennis racquet.

At last we have the balance of the tennis racquet.

It is important to be aware of that two racquets with the same weight can have totally different balancing. There are racquets that have more weight distributed on the head, and there are racquets that at the same time have more weight put into the handle, these are called head heavy racquets. The opposite kind is of course a head light racquet. A tennis racquet that is head heavy will offer more power and less maneuverability, and a head light racquet will provide more control and maneuverability. It is common that accomplished tennis players will like to choose a head light racquet.