Tennis Racquet Price Guide

Why Are Tennis Racquets So Expensive?

As you’ve probably guessed, not all racquets are created equal. Four of the most significant reasons for price gaps include:

• Materials
• Build quality
• Integrated technologies
• Endorsements

Let’s dive deeper into each of these and take a look at two example tennis racquets to help paint a picture of the difference between an entry-level and pro-model frame. If you’re new to the game, a quick review of the different parts of a tennis racquet will be helpful as we discuss these racquets in this section.

Wilson Energy XL	Babolat Pure Aero 2019
$25	$230
Aluminum	Graphite
V-Matrix	Aeromodular 3
AirLite Alloy	Woofer
Stop Shock Sleeves	FSI Spin
n/a	Carbon PLY Stabilizer
n/a	Cortex Pure Feel

Material

First and foremost, the materials are dramatically different. The inexpensive Wilson Energy XL is made of aluminum, which is highly affordable. Wilson does a nice job of marketing this as AirLite Alloy, but the reality is that’s simply a fancy way of saying aluminum.

On the other hand, the Babolat is made from advanced graphite, which is strong and dramatically more expensive to create. As a result, the baseline price of this tennis racquet is going to be higher.

Build Quality

Next up, we have the build quality. The Wilson Energy XL gets the job done for a beginner who’s learning the ropes, but it leaves much to be desired.

If you look closely, you’ll notice it’s a simple piece of aluminum. It starts at the handle and loops its way around to form the head before connecting back at the handle. A lackluster amount of strength and stability to the frame is added by integrating a separate piece that creates the bottom hoop of the racquets head toward the top of the racquet’s throat.

Again, the result is practical and perfectly sufficient for a beginner, but is severely lacking in stability and performance that intermediate and advanced player’s demand.

When compared to the Babolat Pure Aero, you’ll notice the frame is a single piece of graphite down to the handle. This design gives the racquet strength and stability, especially when combined with the more advanced graphite material in use.

Technology

Last but not least, the technology used within racquets can substantially increase the price.

With the Wilson Energy XL, there’s not much going on in the form of new or advanced technology. Moreover, you won’t be seeing Wilson pour much effort into improving the technology associated with this or any of their entry-level racquets.

• AirLite Alloy: again, a fancy term for inexpensive aluminum. I wouldn’t count this as a technology, but I’m giving them bonus points for creativity.
• V-Matrix: this frame technology refers to the concave shape mold used to pour the aluminum when creating the racquet. The result increases the already sizeable sweet spot the racquet features primarily due to the racquet’s 112 square inch head size.
• Stop shock sleeves: at 3 and 9 o’clock on the racquet, you’ll notice white pieces of plastic integrated into the racquet’s grommets. These make contact with the strings toward the center of the racquet and provide a minimal reduction in vibration.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have the Babolat Pure Aero 2019. Here’s a look at the technology that’s integrated into this tennis racquet.

• Aeromodular 3: not only does the racquet’s thickness or beam vary at different points of the frame, but Babolat refines the shape throughout. This design reduces wind drag and allows for increased swing speeds. This third-generation version also improves the bumper guard to protect the strings and simplifies string installation.
• Woofer: this technology allows the strings to move freely through the frame on contact for a greater response from the stringbed. As a result, the sweet spot increases while improving the feel and sometimes harsh impact of off-center shots.
• FSI Spin: the separation of the grommets where the strings enter the frame at the top and bottom of the racquet’s head is increased. Moreover, the shape of the grommets themselves is elongated, which allows for the strings to move freely and helps increase snapback and in turn, the amount of spin that a player can generate.
• Carbon PLY stabilizer: to provide added stability to the frame, a special layer of carbon is integrated into the frames graphite to reduce twisting of the frame on contact.
• Cortex Pure Feel: a unique rubber is integrated directly into the frame at 3 and 9 o’clock to absorb and reduce vibration.

Hopefully, reading through these technologies gives you a sense of the lengths that racquet manufacturers are going through to improve the performance of their high-end models. However, what pushes the price further is that they are always tinkering with them and every few years introduce new technology.

As a result, the consumer foots the bill to use these technologies, just as consumers do when a new model iPhone is released.

Endorsements

Last but not least, the world’s best tennis players heavily endorse some of the most expensive racquets on the market, like the Babolat Pure Aero 2019. In this case, Rafael Nadal uses this racquet, so Babolat can easily charge more because many players gravitate toward the racquet in use by their favorite player.

To wrap up with a quick analogy, the Wilson Energy XL is akin to a Nissan Versa, while the Babolat Pure Aero is much like a Tesla. There’s nothing wrong with a Nissan Versa. In fact, both cars serve the same baseline purpose getting you from point A to point B. However, Tesla is jam-packed with high performance and advanced engineering to give you one of the best possible driving experience, and you pay dearly for that privilege.