Attributes & Factors Influencing
Power Tennis Racquets
Attributes & Factors Influencing Power Tennis Racquets
When buying a new tennis racquet, its power level is one of several essential features to consider when exploring your options.
Sufficient power enhances your offense, helping you dictate play and keep your opponents guessing. However, too much pace can lead to erratic shots and a loss of control, resulting in unforced errors.
In this guide, I’ll share what makes a racquet powerful, breaking down the various factors and design attributes contributing to it so you can find a racquet with the optimal power level for your needs.
Key Attributes Influencing Power
Manufacturers can tweak a variety of attributes, collectively known as a racquet’s specifications, throughout the design process to influence its power. This section explores each component to help you better understand how and why they influence a racquet’s power.
Head Size
The larger a racquet’s head size, the more power it will deliver, while smaller head sizes offer more control. That’s because larger head sizes increase the surface area of the string bed, enhancing the trampoline effect where the ball sinks deeper and rebounds faster.
The maximum head sizes allowed when competing are:
- Width: 12.5 in (31.75 cm)
- Hitting Surface Length: 5.5 in (39.37 cm)
- Hitting Surface Width: 11.5 in (29.21 cm)
Most racquets have measurements considerably below these thresholds, but a handful push the envelope.
Length
Longer racquets deliver more power because they provide the player swinging it with more leverage and racquet head speed, subsequently increasing force or power when striking the ball.
The standard length for an adult racquet is 27 inches. However, many extended-length options exist, typically increasing the length by half an inch. The maximum allowed for competitive play is 29 inches.
Weight
As a racquet’s weight increases, so does its power because more force is applied when swinging to hit the ball.
As a result, heavier racquets usually feature smaller head sizes and more flexible frames. In comparison, lighter racquets use bigger head sizes and stiffer frames, each attempting to strike a balance for the target player.
However, an important caveat is that players only benefit from the power afforded by a racquet’s extra weight when they can comfortably swing it.
Balance
A racquet’s balance quantifies how weight is distributed throughout the length of a frame, measured as head heavy, head light, or equal balance.
Power increases as more weight shifts to the head of a racquet, much like a hammer. On the other hand, it decreases when the racquet’s weight shifts toward the handle. Equal balance racquets distribute weight evenly throughout the racquet, aiming for a happy medium.
String Patterns
A racquet’s string pattern refers to the number of main, those running vertically, and cross strings it has.
Open string patterns reduce the stiffness of the string bed, allowing the ball to sink further and rebound with more power, while tighter string patterns reduce power and enhance control.
An example of an open string pattern is 16×19, which has 16 mains and 19 crosses, while an 18×20 is considered closed.
Stiffness
A racquet’s stiffness measures its flex or how much it bends. A rigid frame increases power by quickly deflecting the ball, while flexible frames offer more control by absorbing pace and increasing dwell time.
Diagnostic machines calculate racquet analysis (RA) ratings by holding a racquet’s handle in place while applying pressure to the tip of the hoop at the top of the racquet’s head. The resulting measurement isn’t super insightful on its own, but it’s useful when comparing racquets.
Beam Thickness
A racquet’s beam refers to the frame’s width measured at the throat, middle, and top of its head. Thicker beams increase power by increasing rigidity or stiffness, while thinner frames reduce it to enhance control.
Materials & Construction
Most companies assemble their racquets using carbon fiber, otherwise known as graphite. However, they may alter a frame’s performance by incorporating other materials, such as basalt in the 2024 Wilson Blade, flax in the 2023 Babolat Pure Aero, or Minolon in the 2025 Yonex EZONE.
These materials and how manufacturers incorporate them to construct their racquets influence a racquet’s stiffness and flex. As we discussed above, a racquet’s stiffness influences its power.
Power Levels & Ratings
The top racquet brands and retailers usually assign a power level or rating to help players when shopping for racquets, which helps categorize racquets for easy comparison. Here are the most common power levels, including an example racquet with each rating.
| Power Level | Rating |
| Low | Yonex VCORE 95 |
| Low-Medium | Babolat Pure Drive |
| Medium-high | Wilson Ultra 108 |
| High | Head Titanium TiS6 |
Each power level offers a rough guide to help players narrow down a group of racquets that might meet their needs. However, it’s important to note that racquets labeled with the same rating will have varying power.
For example, the Babolat Pure Drive is significantly more powerful than the Head Speed MP. Despite that, most retailers tag them with an identical low-medium rating, so you’ll have to evaluate each attribute we discussed above to better gauge and compare a racquet’s power.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison.
| Spec | Babolat Pure Drive | Head Speed MP |
| Head Size | 100 in² / 645 cm² | 100 in² / 645 cm² |
| Length | 27 in / 68.6 cm | 27 in / 68.6 cm |
| Strung Weight | 11.2 oz / 318 g | 11.1 oz / 315 g |
| Balance | 32.99 cm / 4 pts HL | 33.02 cm / 4 pts HL |
| Swingweight | 317 | 330 |
| Stiffness | 68 | 60 |
| Beam Width | 23 mm / 26 mm / 23 mm | 23 mm / 23 mm / 23 mm |
| Composition | Graphite | Auxetic 2/Graphene 360+/Graphite |
| String Pattern | 16×19 | 16×19 |
As you can see, the Babolat Pure Drive is three grams heavier, eight points stiffer, and has a marginally thicker beam, which increases its power relative to the Head Speed MP.
Relationship to Control & Comfort
Although sufficient power is an essential ingredient to tennis success, it’s crucial to understand its connection to control and comfort.
Power vs. Contol
Many players who shop for a new racquet will often question whether or not they should opt for a more powerful or control-oriented racquet, which is a worthy question, especially when first getting started.
Power and control are inversely related. Increasing a racquet’s power reduces its control, and increasing control reduces power.
Ultimately, you’re looking for as much power as you can reliably control. That’s why more experienced players who have developed sound technique, strength, and experience usually opt for mid to lower-power racquets. Rather than relying on the racquet to generate all the power, they can produce it themselves and covet racquets that offer precision.
Conversely, beginners lacking the attributes to effectively generate power often benefit from more powerful racquets.
Of course, that doesn’t mean beginners need to hunt down the most powerful racquets, but extra power is usually beneficial. Likewise, experienced players, including the pros, don’t always play with the lowest-powered racquets. It’s all about finding balance through an honest assessment of your playing style and skill level.
Power vs. Comfort
Most higher-powered racquets tend to offer players less comfort because their frames are stiffer. This rigidity enhances energy return when striking the ball, resulting in more power. However, it also increases the shock and vibration players feel in their arms, which can lead to discomfort.
There are exceptions to this rule. For example, the Wilson Clash 108 is a comfortable frame with above-average power, but it’s a relatively rare exception as most higher-power racquets offer less comfort.
Although comfort isn’t a concern for all players, it’s beneficial for many to recognize the tradeoff and attempt to strike a balance. Injuries like tennis elbow are due to overuse, so you likely won’t feel the effects initially. Instead, the pain slowly creeps up over time.
Why Power Helps Beginners
New players often lack the necessary technique and skill to generate sufficient power that allows them to play the entire court.
However, higher-powered racquets can help compensate by increasing a player’s depth of shot or how far the ball travels, making it easier to rally from the baseline and avoid overhitting by swinging too aggressively.
As a bonus, these racquets usually have larger head sizes, increasing a beginner’s margin for error when swinging to hit the ball. Of course, it’s not completely necessary for a beginner to use a powerful racquet, but it can help flatten the learning curve and make playing more fun.
Customizing Your Racquet
Beyond selecting a racquet for power, players can customize their existing racquets to make them more powerful.
The easiest way to add more power is to add weight to the inside edge of your racquet’s head at the tip of the hoop, which would be the 12 o’clock position when you hold your racquet out in front of you.
Adding weight at the top gives you more mass as you swing through the ball. If you think of your racquet like a hammer, the more weight at the top increases the force you have to drive a nail. That same concept applies to adding more weight to your racquet, providing you with extra mass to drive through the ball.
Steps For Adding Weight
To add weight, you’ll need to pick up some tungsten tape and a pair of scissors to cut it into smaller pieces. Here are the steps:
- Cut two pieces of tungsten tape, each weighing between one and 1.5 grams.*
- Once cut, remove the sticky backing from the tape.
- Next, apply one piece to the middle inside edge at the top of your racquet’s head at 12 o’clock.**
- Then, flip your racquet and apply the second piece of tape to the other side.
*Different brands offer pre-measured pieces of tungsten tape with varying weights, so you’ll need to cut it to achieve these weights.
**Many racquets feature a marking at the middle of the racquet at this location. If not, you can count halfway to the number of main strings your racquet has, i.e., for a 16×19 racquet, you’d count over eight main strings to find the middle.
Once you’ve finished adding weight, I’d encourage you to play with the racquet to get a sense of the change in feel and power. From there, you can use that experience to decide whether to add more weight, subtract some, or stick with your existing customization.
It’s worth noting that adding weight to increase power modifies your racquet specs. Here’s what you should expect.
| Weight | Swingweight | Balance Shift To Head |
| 1.5 g | 5 | 0.5 |
| 3 g | 10 | 1 |
| 6 g | 20 | 2 |
| 9 g | 30 | 3 |
Going this route is an inexpensive and easily reversible path to test enhancing your racquet’s power and see if it complements your game.
Other Ways To Increase Power
Several factors influence power beyond your racquet, including strength, technique, and the choice of strings, tension, and stringing frequency.
Understanding and exploring each of these will provide you with additional tools to help maximize the power of your shots.
Strength
Building muscle and increasing strength improves your capacity to swing harder and generate more power; it’s a simple fact.
Of course, there are diminishing returns. Too much bulky muscle will limit a player’s ability to remain flexible and move quickly, so players often aim for lean athletic builds and take their fitness seriously.
One of the best parts about developing strength is that once you have it, you can adjust your power by modifying how hard you swing. Of course, developing strength doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s helpful to consider your ability to make changes here when evaluating your equipment.
For example, if you buy a high-powered racquet and kick off a strength training routine, you’ll likely outgrow it quickly.
Technique
Learning the fundamentals and building sound technique is one of the most effective ways to enhance the power of your shots.
Top players like Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek might not be the strongest on tour, but they generate power efficiently because they’ve spent years developing near-flawless technique and footwork.
Like strength, learning the proper technique takes time and practice but pays significant dividends to your power in the long run. To that end, working with a proven instructor who’s effective and doesn’t allow you to cut corners is essential as you learnn to play tennis.
If you learned to play tennis independently and want to add power to your game with a new racquet, consider taking some lessons to improve your technique before investing in a new racquet. Building your skills on solid fundamentals will allow you to generate significantly more power relative to new equipment in the long run.
Strings
Your strings, which come in direct contact with the ball when you swing, account for nearly half of your racquet’s performance, including power.
Therefore, when looking to enhance this attribute, it’s crucial to consider the strings you choose along with the frame. Here’s a snapshot of the different types of tennis strings and their respective power.
| Type of String | Power Level |
| Natural Gut | High |
| Multifilament | Medium to High |
| Synthetic Gut | Medium |
| Polyester | Low |
As you might expect, the available strings in each category offer varying degrees of power. Therefore, this area is worth exploring deeper to adjust and dial in the right power for your racquet.
My article discussing my favorite strings is a great place to start.
String Tension
String tension, or the weight you apply to your strings when restringing your racquet, also influences power.
Broadly, higher tension results in a lower shot trajectory and less power, while lower tension results in a higher shot trajectory and more power.
Of course, there are diminishing returns on both ends of the spectrum, but if you’re looking to add power to your racquet, one of the easiest ways to accomplish the task is by dropping the tension of your strings a few pounds, increasing the string bed’s trampoline effect.
For the best results, experiment often. Once you settle on a tension, don’t stick with it forever. Change it periodically to ensure you achieve the optimal power level for your ever-evolving game.
Stringing Frequency
Another factor that receives less attention regarding power is the age and wear of your existing strings. As you play, the strings you’re using repeatedly stretch, slowly losing their resilience and, in turn, power.
However, it’s not just power that suffers. The elasticity that helps you generate spin and enhances comfort and the connected feel you get from a quality set of strings diminishes the more you use them.
Therefore, to maximize the power and overall performance of your strings, make sure to restring often. I’m not a big fan of rules when it comes to restringing because it’s nuanced, but a basic rule of thumb I recommend for players is to take the number of times you play per week, multiply it by two, and you’ll get the minimum number of times you should string yearly.
If you’d like to explore the topic further, check out my guide on how often to restring your tennis racquet.
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