1. Playing frequency
The most important thing to consider when choosing your racket is your playing frequency.
How to choose an adult tennis racket
Based on 6 important considerations, follow this guide to choose the best tennis racket for you!
Whether you're a beginner or seasoned player, choosing a tennis racket is an important step in your tennis playing journey.
However, there are a few considerations that will obviously influence your racket choice: playing frequency and player needs are two for starters.
Read this guide as we help you through the 6 different criteria to choose the perfect racket!
Beginners
First and foremost you'll need control.
Therefore, an aluminium or composite racket with a large surface area and a balance point at the handle will make playing easier.
Regular player
You will be looking for comfort.
In order to improve your game, you will need a graphite racket with a balance point at the head and a surface area of 645cm².
If you are looking for control, opt for a racket weighing between 260 - 280g.
If you are looking for power, opt for a racket weighing between 280 - 295g.
Advanced player
You will be looking for power and precision.
To win, you will need a graphite racket with technical concepts.
With the balance point at the handle, your racket should have a surface area of 630 - 645cm².
The weight of your racket should be more than 295g.
2. Racket weight
Your racket weight should be an important factor in choosing your tennis racket, as it plays a major role in the effectiveness of your swing.
It’s likely that you will be able to find a racket model of your preferred weight.
Heavier, more powerful rackets are largely seen to be around 320g and beyond, whereas lighter rackets are anything from 310g and below.
It’s also important to note that strings themselves will add around 30g to the racket.
3. Racket length
For adults, tennis rackets can vary between 27 - 29 inches long, although it’s common for them to be on the longer side.
In general, longer rackets are lighter than the standard frame.
They also offer more reach and power on your serve, as you can hit the ball from a higher contact point.
This, in turn, will enable you to steepen your angle when hitting downwards.
However, longer rackets are harder to control so it’s crucial to try them out before you buy one.
4. Racket head size
The surface area of your racket is an important point to keep in mind.
Below are the three types of surface area available and what they mean in terms of your game:
Racket with mid-size head
A small surface area means around 600cm².
This surface area is aimed at intensive players.
You need good control to play with these rackets as the small surface area makes them harder to use.
Racket with a mid-plus size head
Rackets with a medium surface area range between 630cm² - 645cm².
They are suitable for all kinds of players, whether beginner or more seasoned.
Racket with an oversized head
Rackets with large surface areas vary between 660cm² - 740cm².
Rackets with a large surface area are perfect for beginners or players who like to use a lot of spin.
Its large surface area increases power.
5. String type + tension
For beginners, intermediates, seniors or players troubled by tennis elbow:
A multifilament stringing is what you want for your tennis racket.
With multifilament strings, you should begin the tension with 53 - 55lbs and then adjust accordingly.
The higher the tension of the racket the more control, whereas the lower means more power.
For advanced players:
You should look for polyester stringing.
However, if you decide to go for a half-polyester, half-multifilament hybrid, it needs to be a little different.
You’ll want to string the tension on the polyester 2lbs lower than the multifilament (53 - 55lbs).
Polyester is seen to be stiff material so you should avoid stringing it above 54lbs.
6. Racket grip size
Your racket's handle size plays an important role and it is worth considering this in detail when choosing your racket.
Size 0: Suitable for children
Size 1: Suitable for teenage beginners or women with small hands.
Size 2: Standard women's size or men with small hands.
Size 3: The most common size. Standard size for average-sized men or women with large hands.
Size 4 and 5: Suitable for men with large hands (and those taller than 182cm).
Below are two ways of finding the right size (it’s recommended that you use both!):
Ruler test
Start by making sure you have a ruler (a very important step!).
Place the fingers of your racket hand together, then align the ruler’s edge with the bottom horizontal crease of your palm.
In general, the measured length will be between 10.16 cm - 12.7cm.
This will give you a great starting point when looking for the right size.
To get it as correct as possible, hold your chosen racket with the grip size that is closest to what you measured, then employ the index finger test (swipe left).
Index finger test
Hold the racket in your swing hand, with your palm placed on the same grip level as the strip face.
Place the index finger of your non hitting hand in the space between our ring finger and palm.
Be mindful that if there is not enough space to fit your finger, the grip is probably too small and can mean more hand strength, which can result in tennis elbow.
You’d want the index finger to fit nicely between the palm and finger of your hitting hand, with little to no space, this should give you the most comfortable, secure grip on your tennis racket.
Ellysa jamaludin
Digital sports leader, racket & team sports
Choosing the right equipment is like picking the right armour in a battle - that's how important it is!