4 Questions to Ask Yourself

These four questions will help guide you as you choose a racquet.
What’s Your Budget?
If you’re on a tight budget and want to spend less than $50, no worries, head on over to my guide for inexpensive tennis racquets to find yourself a great racquet and get started playing.
This article focuses on the best tennis racquets for women that are ideal for beginner and intermediate players regardless of price. As a result, my recommendations feature racquets that are $150 and up.
If you’re a beginner and willing to spend a little extra, but you’re not quite ready for a high-end performance racquet, then be sure to also check out my article on the best tennis racquets for beginners for more options.
What is Your Long-Term Goal as a Tennis Player?
Knowing your long-term goals can help you choose the right racquet. If you’re committed to the sport and looking to become proficient enough to compete or join a local women’s league, then you may want to choose a higher-quality racquet that you can grow into as your skills evolve.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to play casually with friends or infrequently, you may want to stick to a less expensive frame. Remember, you can always upgrade later if you catch the tennis bug.
What Type of Stroke Do You Have?
Beginners and elderly players tend to have compact strokes and swing the racquet slower. If you fit into either of these categories, you’ll want to look for a lighter racquet with a large head size that is easy to maneuver, offers you more power, and increases your margin for error when swinging.
Here’s a table outlining roughly how racquet weight corresponds to a player’s experience level:
Weight | Range | Power | Level |
Lightweight | 8-9.5 ounces | High | Beginner |
Midweight | 9.6 – 11.5 ounces | Medium | Beg. + Inter. |
Heavy | 11.6 – 12.6 ounces | Low | Advanced |
Here’s another table showcasing various head sizes:
Head Size | Measurement | Type of Racquet | Level |
Oversized | 105+ in² | Power | Beginner |
Mid-plus | 98 – 104 in² | Tweener | Beg. + Inter. |
Mid | 85 – 97 in² | Control | Advanced |
Intermediate and advanced players often tend to have full swings and faster strokes that they’ve developed over time. At this stage, increasing your racquet’s weight and decreasing the head size will enable players to generate power derived from their sound technique combined with the racquet’s weight while also increasing control.
Which Style of Play Do You Have?
As your skills develop, your game will fall into one of three primary styles of play. If you’re an intermediate or advanced player already, then you likely know which category you fit into:
- Aggressive Baseliner: You like to hang out on the baseline and hit with a ton of topspin.
- Net Rusher: You enjoy moving to the net and hitting volleys to close out points.
- All Court: Your comfortable and enjoy playing from all areas of the court.
Different types of racquets are more conducive to these styles of play, but it’s worth noting you can use any racquet for each. If you’re a beginner, there’s no need to consider your style. It will develop over time with the help of an instructor.
Although you may have a style of play that you’d like to emulate, you can use any racquet to achieve your goals – the racquet doesn’t dictate your style. Instead, a racquet will only enhance a player’s ability to execute.
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