What head shape, balance, core hardness and weight mean for your game, and how to choose the right racket from them.
A racket does not make you a better player, but the wrong one makes the game harder than it needs to be. Three properties decide nearly everything: the shape sets the size of the sweet spot, the balance how much mass sits in the head, and the core how much the racket forgives. We sort the models by those and match them to the four player types.
Round means a large sweet spot and a lot of control, diamond means power in the head and little forgiveness, teardrop sits between them. A handle-heavy balance keeps the racket manoeuvrable, a head-heavy one adds power on the finish. A soft core forgives off-centre contact; a hard one gives direct feedback and more pace, but demands a clean technique.
We compile current models available from European retailers and classify them from the manufacturers' and major specialist retailers' own figures. All four player types and several price brackets are covered. Prices and availability come from our partner shops' product data and are refreshed daily. While none of them lists a model, we name only its price bracket.
Specs checked on:
Round, handle-heavy, soft core. The large sweet spot forgives off-centre contact and the racket stays manoeuvrable. A diamond shape with a hard core gives beginners little power but plenty of errors and a strained arm.
From the product data of the shops we are affiliated with. It is refreshed once a day, and every price is shown with the date it was read. While no partner shop lists a model, we name its price bracket rather than a number that is wrong.
From the links, yes, if you buy through them. From the selection, no: which models appear here and which type they are matched to follows shape, balance and core, not commission rates.
