Tennis Racquets
How To Choose a New Tennis Racquet
(First
Published August 2004)
Choosing a new tennis racquet among the hundreds that are available
on the market can be a daunting task for any tennis player, regardless
of their degree of racquet knowledge. Racquets from dozens of manufacturers
range in price from $50 to over $400. Some popular racquets remain
inline for a few years, but for the most part, racquet manufacturers
will release new products every year. How do you select a new racquet?
This article will help you sort out some of the issues relevant
to finding that perfect racquet by breaking down racquet shopping
into three segments; beginners and recreational players (NTRP 1.0
to 3.0), intermediate and club level players (NTRP 3.5 to 4.5),
and advanced and competitive players (NTRP 5.0 to 7.0).
The beginner or recreational player should primarily be looking
for a racquet that makes the game easier for them and hence
more fun. Moderation in all attributes of the racquet will most
likely apply here. A racquet that is too heavy will be difficult
to maneuver; a racquet that is too light will be unstable and
vibrate when the novice player hits the ball off-centre (this
happens frequently when learning). Racquets range in weight
from about 8 to 13 ounces. The average recreational player will
benefit most from a racquet in the middle (approx. 10 ounces)
of this weight range. This will allow them the mobility they
need in a lightweight frame, but still provide them with enough
weight for stability. Racquets range in head size from midsize
(85 to 95 square inches), to midplus (96 to 105 square inches),
to oversize (106 to 115 square inches), to superoversize (115
to 135 square inches). Again, the novice player will benefit
most from a moderate midplus or oversize racquet. Racquets of
this size will offer the player a good balance of power and
control with a sweetspot large enough to centre the ball easily.
If the novice player sticks to shopping for a recognized brand
(Wilson, Head & Prince are the top 3 brands, Dunlop, Yonex,
Babolat, Volkl and Slazenger also make good quality tennis racquets),
they can expect to pay $80 to $150 CDN for a graphite composite
racquet that meets these requirements. Spending more will likely
provide them with a racquet made of higher- grade materials,
which often results in a lighter racquet (less than 10 ounces),
or a stiffer racquet (equals more power). Spending less will
provide a heavier racquet, or perhaps one made of aluminum instead
of graphite. Racquets typically come in five different grip
sizes. To summarize, these are my recommendations for beginners
and recreational players (NTRP 1.0 to 3.0):
• Moderate weight (10 to 11 ounces)
• Midplus or Oversize head
• Stick to quality brand names in the $80 to $150 price range
Intermediate and club level players (NTRP 3.5 to 4.5) should
have an idea of what characteristics they are looking for in
their equipment.
Are they looking for a racquet that will add more power to
their game? Do they generate enough (or more than enough) power
already
and will therefore be looking for a more control-oriented racquet.
At this level of play we can break players into three major
categories and look at equipment specific to those categories.
The first
player type is someone who has well-developed technique (they
are 3.5
to 4.5 after all), but doesn’t hit the ball that hard. They
probably have a short, compact swing and or a counterpunching
style. Perhaps
they serve and volley a lot, or play a lot of doubles, but
the bottom line is they don’t generate a lot of their own power,
so will rely on the racquet to provide that for them. These
types
of players will look bigger (oversize and superoversize) head
sizes,
lighter racquets (for faster swinging) and a frame that is
quite stiff (this also results in more power). Power oriented
racquets
(sometimes referred to as game improvement racquets) are usually
more expensive due to the high tech materials used to make
them lightweight and powerful. Expect to pay $200 to $400 CDN
for
this type of racquets. At the other end of the spectrum is
the second
type of player. This player generates a lot of power through
a long, fast swing, is often quite athletic but mostly just
likes to hit the ball hard. An aggressive player like this
can generate
as much power as they require, so they need a racquet that
will help them harness their power and add control to their
game.
A
control-oriented racquet is usually more traditional. It will
have a smaller headsize (midplus or smaller), less stiffness
(due to
either softer materials or a slim profile) and typically be
a little heavier in weight. Control oriented racquet don’t
require the technology
found in power racquets and this is reflected in their prices
tags. Look to pay $150 to $250 CDN for one of these. The third
type of
player is one that has a good balance of power and control
in their game already. This player will look for a moderate,
versatile racquet
that also offers a good blend of power and control. This type
of racquet will should provide sufficient power when the player
wants
to be aggressive and put the ball away, as well as supply adequate
power when the player is on the run, or trying to dig out a
tough ball in the corners. These types of racquets, sometimes
referred
to as “tweeners” will set you back $150 to $250 CDN. In summary,
the 3.5 to 4.5 player should be aware of the following when
shopping for new equipment:
• Power vs. Control ratio. These
two are always relative. Does the racquet provide both for
the way you play?
• Demo before you buy. Looking again to find that perfect balance
of power vs. control. Never evaluate racquets based upon which
one you won or lost with or which one other’s said you played
better with. Look for the racquet that feels best to you, the
rest will
come.
Advanced and competitive players with NTRP ratings of 5.0 to
7.0 are usually well educated about their equipment. They are
also
highly skilled and mostly very athletic. For these reasons
the majority of players in this category will require a control-oriented
racquet as described in the previous section. The power vs.
control
ration explained above is also very important to the advanced
player. It is important that the racquet matches the player
style rather
than the player adapting to the racquet. Once an advanced player
finds the type of racquet they like, they will also need to
pay more attention to some subtle issues such as the density
of the
string pattern, handle shape and matching the weight and balance
of multiple racquets as they will likely have two or more of
the same model. Racquets will have a variety of string patterns,
the
closer or denser the strings are the more control a racquet
will have. This also deadens the feel of the racquet and prevents
the strings from moving, which results in less frequent string
breakage.
More open string patterns will offer slightly more power and
will “bite” the ball better, allowing the player to impart
more
spin
on the ball. More open string patterns are much harder on strings
and players will find the need to restring much more often
depending on how hard the hit, how much spin they hit and what
type of
string they like to use. Many players are conscious of grip
sizes, but
few pay much attention to the actual shape of the handle, despite
the dramatic effect this can have on the playability of the
racquet. All handles will have eight sides, but some will feel
squarer,
rectangular, or round depending usually on what brand they
are. For example, Wilson and Prince as with most North American
manufacturers
have a fairly symmetrical, square handle, Head and Volkl as
with most European brands tend to have a more rectangular handle
shape.
Other brands like Yonex, will offer a more round handle shape.
Some players will adapt to various different shapes with ease,
others will not. This is an important aspect, often overlooked,
by competitive players when selecting new equipment. Advanced
players will require more than one identical racquet due to
frequent wear
and tear and regular re-stringing. Manufacturers due their
best to maintain tight quality control standards, but many
as with most
mass-produced products “identical” racquets due have slight
manufacturing tolerances. These tolerances can be +/- 3 to
5 grams of weight
and +/- 0.5cm of balance. Players will vary dramatically in
how tuned in to these tolerances they are, but it is not uncommon
for
an advanced player to require his or her racquets to be match
and possibly customized beyond that. Some players will have
a favorite
racquet, despite have four or five racquets that are supposed
to be identical. This is not a good thing! A competitive player
needs
to be able to go to the bag at any point during a match and
pull out a racquet they can play with confidently. Advanced
players
need to learn how to tune their own equipment (stay tuned to
future articles) or find a racquet technician that can make
all their
equipment perform the same. Here is my summary for advanced
players looking for new equipment:
• Pay attention to the power
vs. control ratio.
• Demo intelligently. Look for racquets with attributes that
meet you profile, narrow it down to two or three and spend
lots of time
with those. Consider purchasing one with your ideal grip
size, string and tension for an extended demo before you
invest in
a whole batch.
• Don’t have favourite racquets. This will only damage you
in the long run as racquets are always fatiguing and changing.
The
more
you use your favourite, the less you use the other, the more
different they will become. What happens when the favourite
breaks?
There are more models of tennis racquets available now than
ever before. Technology is constantly changing and bringing
us newer
products. The most important thing for any player of any
level to remember is to find the racquet that feels most
comfortable
when you play. Hopefully my guidelines will help narrow the
field for you to accomplish that.
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