If you are in a hurry and just want to find out what the best tennis racquet for beginners is, then we recommend the HEAD Ti. Conquest Tennis Racquet as the best one.
If you are thinking about stepping into the world of tennis, then you will need a decent tennis racquet to start your journey with. And you’d most likely want to do so with the best tennis racquet for beginner, right?
Well, below, you may be able to find exactly what you have been looking for.
In this article, we’re going to review the following tennis racquets:
- Babolat 2018 Pure Drive Tennis Racquet
- Wilson Hyper Hammer 5.3 Tennis Racquet
- HEAD MicroGel Radical Tennis Racquet
- Wilson Tour Slam Adult Tennis Racquet
- HEAD Ti. Conquest Tennis Racquet
What to consider in the best tennis racquet for beginners?
Before moving on to our top 5, we would like to talk about the things that matter in tennis racquets. On this guide, we are going to focus not on the things that you would generally want to consider but the things that you should consider as a beginner.
Head size
First comes the size of the tennis racquet head. Since you are a beginner, you would want to look for something that is more forgiving.
Tennis racquet sizes are usually categorized this way:
- Midsize: 80-94 square inches.
- Midplus: 95-105 square inches.
- Oversize: 110-115 square inches.
- Super oversize: 116-135 square inches.
The larger the racquet head, the larger its sweet spot will be. The sweet spot, if you didn’t know, is the area where contact with the ball will produce an accurate shot. A larger sweet spot, in its turn, means a more forgiving racquet.
We’d recommend beginners go for a racquet with a larger head. Oversized heads should be good enough for most people. However, don’t go too big since a large tennis racquet may be too forgiving and thus won’t allow you to learn on your mistakes and improve your accuracy.
Plus, a racquet with a larger head is going to be heavier, which isn’t exactly the thing that a beginner would want.
Another property of a bigger head is increased striking power, but we think that this isn’t a thing that you should worry too much about at the beginning. Your task is to buy a well-sized and forgiving racquet that will allow you to improve your skills.
Head shape
The head shape also plays a role in forgiveness. Racquet heads can be shaped either like an oval or a teardrop. The former is the traditional tennis racquet head shape, while the latter offers a larger sweet spot and increased forgiveness.
As a beginner, it may make more sense to go for a teardrop-shaped racquet. But keep in mind that if you decide to switch to an oval-head racquet in the future, the unfamiliar shape may need some getting used to.
Racquet length
Tennis racquets traditionally measure 27-28 inches in length, but there are oversized variants measuring 28-29 inches. Preferred by shorter players, short racquets are lighter and provide more control over the racquet. Longer racquets provide increased reach and power but are heavier, due to which beginners should opt for traditionally-sized racquets.
Weight
Racquets are usually weighed as follows:
- Heavy: Over 11 ounces.
- Mid-weight: 8-10.9 ounces.
- Super light. 9-9.4 ounces, sometimes less.
The racquet weight significantly impacts its performance. Heavier racquets offer increased striking power at the cost of control, while lighter racquets deliver better control but less power.
Lighter racquets are better for beginners since they are less fatiguing on the arms. As a beginner, you won’t have the endurance to play with a heavier racquet for hours, so you should probably go for a lighter racquet which would allow you to practice longer. Anything less than 10 ounces should be good enough.
The weight balance also plays a crucial role in a racquet’s performance. The weight of a racquet can be shifted to the handle (head-light), to the head (head-heavy), or be right in between (even-balance) for even weight distribution.
Head-light tennis racquets offer better shock absorbency and better control, while head-heavy racquets are more powerful but offer less stability. Even-balance racquets, needless to say, are somewhere in between.
We’d say that a head-light tennis racquet is going to work better for a beginner, mainly because it will better absorb shocks, protecting your untrained joints and muscles. An even-balance racquet should also be good. As for head-heavy racquets, we think they are better for players who already have some experience in tennis.
Spin potential
Any tennis racquet is going to have some spin potential – some more and others less. While spin is a great thing in the arsenal of a skilled player to confuse opponents with, we think that a racquet with excessive spin will make learning difficult. Due to this, if you are a complete newbie, pick a racquet with a minimal amount of spin.
The spin potential of a racquet mainly depends on its string pattern:
- 16×19 and 16×18 patterns have minimal spin.
- Open-string patterns like 14×16, 16×15, 16×16, 18×16, and 18×17 tend to have the most spin.
- Patterns like 16×20 or 18×20 offer a balance between the two worlds.
The string pattern isn’t the only thing that increases a racquet’s spin potential. Every manufacturer uses their own tricks, so you should carefully read the product description of the desired racquet to see what it’s spin potential is.
Flex
Lastly, consider the flex (or stiffness) of the racquet.
A more flexible racquet will flex when hitting the ball, wasting the energy of the strike and delivering less power. However, a flexible racquet is going to be better at damping shocks, which makes such racquets more preferable for beginners, as well as those who have arm joint injuries or pain.
A racquet shouldn’t be too flexible though since an overly flexible racquet may significantly lack power.
Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to determine and compare the flex of different racquets since manufacturers use their own scales. You may need to rely on the user to reviews in order to estimate how rigid a racquet is.
You can read more about Best Tennis Racquet Brand.
Best tennis racquets for beginners reviews
Babolat 2018 Pure Drive Tennis Racquet
Quite a pricey racquet, the Babolat 2018 Pure Drive racquet is a good choice for beginners who already have some experience in tennis and want to up their level. In particular, this tennis racquet is a good choice for players who want to learn to spin the ball.
This racquet features a soft shock-absorbing material integrated into the string fiber which reduces shock and vibration for a better ball feel. Aside from that, Babolat has employed its new FSI string bed technology for increased ball spin.
Weighing 11.2 ounces, this racquet delivers a significant amount of power, which is somewhat balanced out by the head-light design which makes the racquet more controllable.
While this racquet delivers great performance, there are a few things that make it unsuitable for complete newbies. Among them is the heavy weight of the racquet, its ball spin properties, as well as the head size. The head in this tennis racquet is sized relatively small at 100 square inches and has a traditional oval shape, which means that it has a smaller sweet spot and will require better accuracy from you.
Pros:
- A good buy for long-term use.
- Delivers powerful hits.
- Added control thanks to the head-light design.
- Imparts a good amount of spin to the ball.
Cons:
- Expensive.
- Not the greatest option for complete newbies.
Wilson Hyper Hammer 5.3 Tennis Racquet
The Wilson Hyper Hammer 5.3 tennis racquet has a much more forgiving design, but it may again be unsuitable for complete newbies. However, it has much lower entry requirements.
The Hyper Hammer 5.3 tennis racquet has an oversized 110 square inch head with a larger sweet spot, which makes it not as demanding on the player’s accuracy. The elongated teardrop shape of the racquet head also increases the sweet spot size.
Weighing 9 ounces, the Wilson Hyper Hammer 5.3 tennis racquet is very lightweight and controllable, as well as less fatiguing on the hands. It also has a head-heavy design for a slight increase in the swing power.
The Hyper Hammer 5.3 racquet features a 16×20 open-string pattern. Such patterns tend to offer a moderate amount of spin, which makes this racquet more predictable than the Babolat racquet. However, this racquet nonetheless delivers some amount of spin, which may become a distraction for less experienced players.
Pros:
- Forgiving oversized head.
- Lightweight and controllable.
- Head-heavy design for increased momentum.
Cons:
- May produce distracting ball spin.
HEAD MicroGel Radical Tennis Racquet
The HEAD MicroGel Radical tennis racquet is quite an interesting piece of equipment.
This racquet is built with MicroGel which uniformly distributes the force of impact around the frame. This means that, on one hand, a lower portion of the swing energy will be transferred to the ball and that, on the other, this racquet will be less straining on the joints. If you have arm joint pain or injuries, this racquet may be an excellent choice for you.
To compensate for the loss of power in this racquet, HEAD made it 10.4 ounces heavy. However, this racquet still remains a rather slow hitter and delivers less power than one would expect from its weight.
The Radical racquet has an 18×20 string pattern which appears to deliver a moderate amount of spin. This spin should be far weaker than in the Babolat racquet, but it may still be a bit distracting if you are a complete beginner.
Another thing that we don’t like too much about this racquet is its 98 square inch head, which will be more demanding on the player’s accuracy. Plus, with a heavier weight, this racquet may be a little fatiguing.
Pros:
- Delivers a solid & vibration-free feel.
- Great if you have joint pain.
- Good amount of power.
Cons:
- Small racquet head.
- Generates little power for its weight.
- The 18×20 string pattern may produce distracting spin.
Wilson Tour Slam Adult Tennis Racquet — Best Budget Tennis Racquet
The Wilson Tour Slam tennis racquet is quite a forgiving racquet, which is exactly what a beginner would want.
The Tour Slam has a regular 16×19 string pattern that offers more straightforward performance for the player. The head in this racquet is oversized as well, measuring 112 square inches. Plus, it has a teardrop shape and thus a larger sweet spot.
This tennis racquet weighs 10.3 ounces, which allows it to deliver a good amount of power. In its turn, the head-light design in this racquet imparts a little more controllability to the racquet.
The Wilson Tour Slam tennis racquet is also very inexpensive, which is excellent for beginners.
The only thing that we don’t quite like about this racquet is its weight. It’s on the heavier side, and while it delivers an increased amount of power, it may make playing with this racquet more fatiguing.
Pros:
- Inexpensive.
- Large racquet head.
- Quite powerful.
- Controllable head-light build.
Cons:
- A little on the heavier side.
HEAD Ti. Conquest Tennis Racquet — Best Tennis Racquet For Male & Female Beginner
And the last racquet on our list is what may be the best tennis racquet out there for an absolute beginner. The Wilson Tour Slam was pretty close to being the best option for beginners, but its problem was the 10.3-ounce weight.
Weighing 9.7 ounces, the HEAD Ti. Conquest racquet is noticeably lighter and right around the spot where a beginner’s racquet should be.
Aside from lightness, this tennis racquet has a nicely sized teardrop-shaped 108 square inch head made of durable titanium. The frame of the racquet won’t be too shock-absorbing, but it will deliver a good amount of power.
The head-light design, on the other hand, makes this tennis racquet more controllable and stable, which should allow it to compensate for the lack of shock absorbency in the frame.
Being a very inexpensive tennis racquet, HEAD Ti. Conquest is excellent for beginners. The only downside in this racquet is its flimsy handle, but a simple overgrip may be a good solution for increasing the grip’s service life.
Pros:
- Inexpensive.
- Nicely sized racquet head.
- Not too heavy.
- Head-light design.
Cons:
- Flimsy grip.
Conclusion
We’ve overviewed 5 great tennis racquets, but we think that the HEAD Ti. Conquest racquet was the best for beginners of them all. It’s got the best balance of features as described in our buying guide – it is light, has a large & teardrop-shaped racquet head, a head-light design, and little spin potential. And it is inexpensive!
Another candidate was the Wilson Tour Slam racquet, but its heavier weight makes it not as suitable for complete beginners. It should be good for stronger and more experienced players though.
The other racquets also had a lot to offer, but they are on a bit more advanced level. They are by no means bad, but they aren’t the best for players with zero experience.
Well, our personal pick was the HEAD Ti. Conquest racquet. Which one will be yours?
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