Tennis racquets

We will start with the tennis racquet, the size and make of which has changed over the years. There were no rules about the racquet for the first hundred years of the game, but players used to use a wooden racquet with a much smaller head strung with gut. The newer racquets are made of graphite and the head is strung with nylon more often than the old gut. The rules for senior professionals now are that the racquet must be not more than 32" in length and not more than 12 1/2" in width. Obviously the hitting area must be flat and the stringing must be uniform. The string section of the head must not be more than 15 1/2" in length and not more than 11 1/2" wide. The racquet can vary in weight.

Most tennis players wind some sort of synthetic round the handle but some use leather.
This information is for senior players only. Juniors can play with smaller racquets.

There are dozens of factors to consider when buying a tennis racquet. It is difficult to know how to choose which sort of racquet you should use. The professionals bring about 5-10 racquets on court, maybe strung differently or all the same depending on the conditions of the day and the court surface. Here are some definitions of the factors you should consider.

The racquet grip
The first thing to consider is the grip. Different grip sizes can make a big difference to how a racquet feels, and an incorrect grip size can effect your game and/or cause tennis elbow. A grip that is too small is usually not a problem, because a shrink sleeve can be used to increase the grip by one size without losing the bevels or substantially changing the weight/balance of the racquet. However, when increasing a grip by more than one size you will usually end up with a round or oval (rather than the intended octagonal) grip shape. Also, building up a grip adds weight to the grip which effects the racquet's balance, stationary weight, and swing weight. If your grip is too large, then you can't do much about it. Most of today's racquet handles cannot be reduced in size.

The racquet string

The next thing to consider is the string in your racquet, and the tension at which it is strung. The string in all tennis racquets is pulled to a certain tension, usually between 45 and 70 pounds (most racquets have a recommended tension range printed on the inside of the throat). Generally, the club player will use a lower tension. The professional players will probably use an increased string tension. Lower string tensions are easier on the arm (reducing/preventing injuries) and provide more power than a tighter string. So why would anyone want to tighten their string at, say 70 pounds. Well, the extra power you get with loose strings can become difficult to control. With tight strings, the ball may only travel a foot further than intended. With a loose string, however, the ball could sail well past the baseline.

The type of string you use is also important.

The head of the racquet

This is the area of the hitting plane inside the head of the racquet.

Headsizes can be midsize / midplus: 85 to 104 square inches, oversize: 105 to 117 square inches or super oversize: 118 to 135 square inches

Racquets with larger headsizes give more power, a larger sweet spot, and are more secure for off center shots. So why would anyone want to use a racquet with a smaller headsize? If you have a big swing and generate a lot of power, then you might have trouble keeping the ball in play with a larger head racquet. A racquet with a smaller head will take some pace off the ball and improve depth control. For example, most professional tennis players have long, powerful swings and thus rarely use racquets with more than 100 square inch heads.

However, there are many other factors that contribute to a racquet's power level. Some of these factors include stiffness, string tension, and balance.

Balance is measured by the distance between the midpoint of a racquet's length and the point at which the racquet would balance if you were to support it in a single spot (balance point). A racquet is "head heavy" if the balance point is closer to the tip of the head, and it is "head light" if the balance point is closer to the bottom of the handle. If the balance point and midpoint are the same, the racquet is "evenly balanced". Compared with a head light racquet, a head heavy racquet generates more power, but feels heavier to swing. Head heavy racquets are generally best suited for beginners, while head light racquets are used by professional players.

Flexibility of the racquet

Stiffness of the racquet is the amount that the racquet bends or deforms upon contact with the ball. The bending and deformation of a racquet reduces power. Stiffer racquets are more powerful. More flexible racquets are in contact with the ball for a greater amount of time and thus allow you to put more spin on the ball. Flexible racquets are generally more comfortable as they generate less shock to the hand, arm, and shoulder. Beginners benefit most from stiff racquets, while professional players prefer more flexible racquets.

The pattern of the strings

More mains and crosses give a denser string pattern, while fewer mains and crosses give a more open string pattern. When the number of mains and crosses is the same, the racquet with a larger head size usually has a more open string pattern because there are fewer strings per unit area. It is, however, possible for the larger racquet to have strings closer together around the sweet spot and much farther apart along the frame when compared to the smaller racquet. In this case the smaller racquet could have a more open string pattern in the sweet spot.

Open string patterns "bite" into the ball more, providing better spin opportuniy. Because the strings deform more upon contact with the ball, open string patterns provide extra power at the cost of decreased depth control. An important downside of the enhanced string movement generated by open string patterns is that it will shorten the life of your strings.

Dense string patterns provide more control and longer string life, at the cost of less spin and power.