In this article, a comprehensive and brief guide on How to choose a tennis racket is given. Just look at the contents and have an idea what you’ll get after 5 minutes read.
A tennis racquet is a primary component for playing tennis along with the tennis ball. It’s very helpful to have knowledge of the racket’s specifications if you want to experience a quality tennis game.
In order to pick the best tennis racket, you should keep in mind some basic and important factors about yourself like your
- Play Style,
- Skill level(beginner, intermediate, advance),
- Right-handed/left-handed,
- type of court surface you’ll play,
- body shape
Your racket
- Head Size
- Grip Size
- Weight (Strung and Un-Strung Racket)
- Length
- Type of Racket(Power or Game Improve, Control, Tweener)
- Balance
- Frame Stiffness
.
It plays a very important role and if you can answer some questions before buying then you are almost ready to buy the racket you really need.
tennis racket buying guide
Beginner’s Tip
If you are a beginner and want to know how to choose a tennis racket that fits you most. You can try different random rackets to check suitability for your grip, head size, length, and weight. Which suits you take & test more variety for an accurate estimate.
You may be interested!
We have recently published a comprehensive guide for beginners on how to choose the best racquet for a beginner?
Generally, Head Size/Frame Size, Length, Grip & Weight of racket are considered for choosing a racket for yourself.
Head
Generally, it’s believed that the width of the frame is directly linked to the power of racket to play ball, or simply
- More width is more power
- Less width is more control
and
- More Frame width is more power.
- Less Frame width is less power.
Now what if you are a new player then it’s recommended to buy a large head racket, it’ll give you more power and control in-game initially. If you are experienced or going to start the game after some time then you should buy a small head.
Tip for Intermediate Tennis Players
Determine your play style and choose Power/Attacking/Aggressive or Defensive then choose racket accordingly.
Head Size (Sq. Inches)
| Category | Size (Sq. Inches) |
| For Adults | 106-118 |
| For Kids/Junior Players | |
| Mid | 80-94 |
| Large | 110-115 |
| X-Large | 116-135 |
Weight
As obvious that weight is important and has a decisive factor in-game and performance. Weight will affect the playing style of players both control and power. Mostly rackets range from 9-11 Ounces. Strings can add 30g to the weight of the racket.
It’s can be summarized that
- Heavier rackets have more power than lighter ones – Less than or Equal to 310g
- Lighter rackets are easy to maneuver & control Greater than or Equal to 320g
Experienced players need light head rackets to have control of the ball further it’ll absorb shocks easily as it has a heavy grip/handle. Players generate their own power to play ball rather than rackets.
It’s also a point of interest that when a player plays more singles, he needs to hit the ball through the net, requires more power with the heavy racket, and if he plays more doubles then he needs control, requires a lighter racket.
Length
The standard racket size is 27-29 Inches long for adult players. You can choose this length to play professionally as well. Before selecting a length It’s to be considered that Longer Rackets are difficult to control and have higher swing weight.
But it’s good to play groundstrokes and additional leverage serves. It’s of more concern when your playing style is controlled. The shorter Racket is easy to handle.
For junior players, different sizes are available according to age
| Age | Racket Length (Inches) |
| 6-8 | 23″ |
| 9-10 | 25″ |
| 11-12 | 25-26″ |
| Struggling for Standard size court | 26″ |
Grip: Find Your Best Grip Size
Griping a racket is a primary skill to play tennis. The standard size of grip for adults ranges from 4 – 4 – 5/8. One can also find its exact grip size by holding a scale from top ring finger to middle palm line. You may also determine another way to
- Hold any racket like you would while playing, slide index finger of the opposite hand between tips of fingers & palm-base. If it’s quite tight and not enough room then it’s small for you.
- If you feel that enough room is there then it’s large for you.
- While if you feel comfortable holding it and tip just touches the base of palm then it’s perfect for you.
- Tip: If you’re in between the small & large sizes then small is good as you can adjust it by overlapping tapes etc.
what are tennis racket sizes
Racket With & Without Strings
Tennis rackets are available with or without strings. It’ll affect the player’s performance. Usually, it’s better to buy a pre-strung racket for beginners and for entertainment. Rackets without strings can be customized at the level someone is comfortable and usually experienced players do this and buy an unstrung racket.
Remember that strings quality and tension impacts your playing style directly. If you have your favorite racket then you may face any situation at the venue easily.
Best Racket For Beginner?
Following racket is recommended as the best racket for adult beginners either for recreation or new learner.
Weight: Light Weight 9-10 Oz (255-283 grams)
Length: 27” (inches)
Head: 106-118 Sq. Inches
Balance: Heavy-Head, Balanced towards the top
Read in detail how to choose the best tennis racket for beginners.
Like!! Thank you for publishing this awesome article.
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Thanks for the tip that I should watch out for discounts when buying tennis training equipment. I’d like to take up sports soon in order to do something interesting while working out. Tennis is something I used to play back in high school so I might have an easy timer relearning the fundamentals.
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