A Guide To The Best Tennis Racquets
Tennis racquet technology is changing fast making it hard to keep up with what racquets might best fit your tennis game. Any tennis player knows that your choice of tennis racquet governs every aspect of your tennis game.
Bigger racquets are for beginner players and provide more power. Advanced racquets are smaller, but typically a little bit heavier. Smaller racquet also help more with control, but they do have a smaller sweet spot for the player to make contact with the ball.
Choosing a tennis racquet is highly personal. It depends on your level of tennis, playing style, your fitness, and your age/weight/height and so on. From power and spin to control and feel, the tennis racquet you choose affects everything.
Whether you play singles and hit heavy groundstrokes from the baseline, or play doubles and like to serve and volley, below you will find the best tennis racquet for you.
If you want my opinion on the best tennis racquet, I say it is the Babolat Pure Drive.
A Spotlight on some of the best tennis racquet 2020:
Babolat Pure Strike
The Pure Strike 100 is perfect for intermediate players because of it’s 100 square inch head size. Players will be able to get a great feel and control for their shots from the baseline and the net. You won’t be able to create as much spin as the other Babolat racquet, but you’ll feel like you can place the ball anywhere on the tennis court.
It has Woofer Dynamic String System that helps string and frame interact with strings being more fee to move, resulting in greater trampoline effect (power) and shock absorption. The Hybrid Frame is a mix of square and elliptical frame shapes help the balance of feel, precision, and responsiveness. FSI Power: Low density string bed increases power, comfort, playability, and most importantly – SPIN!
The spin-friendly nature and ideal balance of power and control that have become synonymous with the name Pure Strike are still apparent, alongside even greater access to power, a larger sweetspot and plusher feel.
While other tennis racquets on this list may have better control or better power, the Pure Strike features the best mix of power and control.
Every player can instantly pick up the Babolat Pure Strike and enjoy playing with this racquet.
- Good power from the baseline
- Great control at the net
- Big sweet spot
- Not cost effective for those who doesn’t play regularly
Wilson Blade 98 Countervail
Wilson made this Blade 98 Countervail racquet for players who want control and comfort. Controlled and soft on the arm, stable and it gives you good power despite a low stiffness rating.
This tennis racquet is built for players who love to dominate their opponents with consistent, deep, power shots.
This racquet is a balanced all around tennis racquet. The new FlexFeel technology in this version brings it’s feel and touch to a whole new level. This makes it a great racquet for both volleys and groundstrokes. The 11.3 ounce weight makes it good for intermediate to advanced players. The open string pattern (16×19) will help you generate spin on groundstrokes from the baseline. The Blade’s stable frame gives you a very comfortable feeling on contact as well.
If you seek more control, feel, and touch, but don’t need as much help with power, this racquet is a great option.
From the baseline, players can blast groundstrokes while still easily controlling shot placement and accuracy. Up at the net, the true weight of the Countervail comes into play, allowing players to easily control and hit volleys.
Overall, the Wilson Blade Countervail is “made for walloping” and if you’re an aggressive player who loves to hit power shots then this is the best tennis racquet for power for you.
- Easy maneouver with excellent control
- Best feel and comfort
- Easy to swing
- Expensive
Yonex Ezone 100
This Yonex racquet is perfect as one of the best tennis racquets for control.
Yonex uses M40X material to the throat and Vibration Dampening Mesh to the handle for a cleaner feel. The Liner Tech Grommet and String System are meant to reduce string friction and offer a more forgiving feel.
In a striking blue and black pattern, the Yonex Ezone 100 blends power and control excellently in its frame and stringing pattern. It weighs in at a light 10.5 oz when strung resulting in a light and fast tennis racquet that is also stable at the net.
The easy-to-use racquet excelled from all areas of the court, and the playtesters raved about the combination of power and control, easy depth and excellent maneuverability. All in all, intermediate to advanced players of all ages and styles should definitely try out the versatile Yonex Ezone 100.
If you’re looking for a slightly less aggressive option than the Babolat Pure Strike or Countervail, and prefer finesse instead of simply blasting power shots, this is the perfect racket for you.
- Perfect for tennis elbow
- Good power
- Spin Friendly
- Varies on the string used
Babolat Pure Drive 2019
This is our pick as the best overall racquet in tennis. It provides an unmatched combination of spin and control, making it one of the best tennis racquets for doubles or singles. If you’re transitioning from beginner to intermediate, or even intermediate to advance, the Babolat Pure Drive 2019 is an excellent choice.
The 100 square inch frame is a perfect size for intermediate players. The wide frame gives it extra power, and the string pattern allows for extra comfort and spin. This racquet has everything you want for hitting groundstrokes from the baseline at any level. The Pure Drive a little heavier than some beginner racquets but it should be fine for most physically fit adults.
This racquet doesn’t have as much control as other racquets on the market if you do miss the sweet spot. However there’s not racquet with more control that doesn’t sacrifice power or spin.
Compared to other racquets on this list such as the Pure Strike and Yonex Ezone 100, the Pure Drive provides more of a muted feel to players.
If you’re the type of tennis player who loves to slam baseline shots and keep your opponent backed up though, the Pure Drive is the perfect mix of comfort and power that will allow you to win tennis matches.
- Perfect balance of power and speed
- Excellent spin due to open string pattern
- Great feel with a big sweet spot
- Good control but not the best option.
HEAD Graphene XT Radical MP
This is the best intermediate racquet for players who like to hit deep groundstrokes and control the point from the baseline.
The 100 square inch frame gives it an excellent sweet spot. Combined with the light weight this racquet has good maneuverability if you play from the baseline or at the net. However it excels for singles players looking to grind from deep in the court. You’ll be able to control the point and go for the lines better than most other racquets this size.
The players found easy access to spin and depth from the new Radical MP on nearly every shot. However, they had some issues with the stiffer feel, the lack of precision compared to some competing racquets and the occasional unstable response.
This tennis racquet is not a great racquet for doubles players who like to come to the net because it lacks some stability. But for most skill levels it’s a great pick.
If you’re a tennis player who prefers shot placement over straight power, you’ll enjoy the Head Graphene XT Radical.
- Great spin and control for groundstroke
- Excellent maneuverability
- Inexpensive
- Not great for fast paced doubles at the net
- Not great stability or control on volleys
What You Should Consider Before Choosing your Tennis Racket
I’m going to keep things simple. In my opinion, the three most important things you need to consider when buying your first tennis racket are head size, weight and grip size.
Head size
Ideally, you should choose a racket with a larger head size. A racket with a larger head size will have a larger sweet spot. This is the area in the middle of the racket where you want to hit your shots. Having a larger sweet spot is useful for beginners, because your technique is still developing. You won’t be hitting the ball perfectly every time to begin with. But with a larger racket head and sweet spot, you’ll find it easier to get the ball in, even if your timing and stroke isn’t quite right.
Weight
A good racket for beginners should be lighter in weight. You will find it easier to swing the racket and will be able to play for longer before tiring. Heavier rackets can be a little harder to move about to begin with, as the muscles you use for tennis are still developing. A light-weight racket should feel fairly effortless to pick up and swing. You probably should be cautious of getting a racket which is too light, as you may develop poor technique, like flicking your wrist. Not too heavy. Not too light.
Grip size
It’s also important to get the right grip size for your tennis racket. If your grip is too small, you’ll end up squeezing the handle too much, which will tire your muscles and eventually lead to injury. If your grip is too large, you will find it harder to use your wrist and make changes to your grip. A good grip size should feel comfortable to play with allow for a full range of motion in your wrist and forearm.
Conclusion:
All the racquets above are great options, and you’ll need a specific racquet depending on the type of tennis you play. However, the best all around option is Babolat Pure Drive.
Although it is known for power, spin, and feel, it does have great control for fast paced tennis and lightweight mobility even for doubles, making it the best tennis racquet overall. Any type of player would find it to be an excellent option for their game.
Giving Me Feedback:
If you want to let me know what you thought of my best Tennis Racquets list, feel free to do so by leaving me a comment down below.
