Rackets
Babolat, Donnay, Dunlop, Head, Prince, ProKennex, Slazenger, Volkl, Wilson, and Yonex are some of the brand names that you are likely to see. Labels, cards, stickers, and hangtags on the rackets provide valuable information about racket size, length, string tension, flexibility, and other features.
Approximately 75 percent of all tennis rackets are factory prestrung. Rackets for beginners are made of aluminum or low-end graphite, and they sell for between $30 and $90 (USD).
The other 25 percent of rackets are priced between $90 and $400 and are made of materials such as composite graphite, carbon fiber, and Kevlar. Intermediate players typically upgrade to an unstrung racket in the $100 to $165 range.
Be careful. Rackets that look alike, have roughly the same features, and cost about the same can play completely differently, depending on the player. What works for one player is not necessarily comfortable for another. Experiment with many rackets before spending a lot of money. Using dealer demos is a good idea.
In the late 1980s, rackets weighed between 11 and 14 ounces (312 and 397 g). By 1995, minimum racket weight had dropped to 9 ounces (255 g). Ten years later, you could find rackets as light as 8 ounces (227 g) and as heavy as 12.5 ounces (354 g). More recently, a survey of more than 200 racket models found the lightest at 8.3 ounces (235 g) and the heaviest at 11.8 ounces (335 g).
Beginners—both males and females—should look for rackets that are on the lightweight end of the range and that are relatively stiff. Lighter rackets should have the weight distributed toward the racket head to generate racket speed—more power. Heavier rackets require the effort and skill usually associated with intermediate or advanced players.
Generally, stiffer rackets provide more control, allowing for a harder swing or the player rebounding a faster ball by using a short backswing. Flexible rackets provide more power and less directional control, but both can be altered by adjusting string tension, the length of the swing, and the velocity of the swing.
Regardless of flexibility, controlling the ball is more a function of the player’s skill than the type of racket. There is no universal measure of racket flexibility, and each company has its own method of describing that feature. Read all you can about a racket’s flexibility (and other features) and talk to a salesperson who knows something about racket construction. You are more likely to find that person at a tennis specialty or pro shop than at a sporting goods or other retail store.
The ability to understand or ask questions about the various parts of a racket will help you make the right decision in buying one.
Tennis: Steps to Success Jim Brown,Camille Soulier