Are You Playing With the Wrong Tennis Racquet? | My Recommendations for the Rec Level

I had a really crap racket as a junior, i hated it from the moment i got it. Totally screwed up my progress. Wilson advantage junior.

I finally decided to take your advice, I bought a Wilson Blade Team. It's basically a Pure Drive Lite with a 16 x 18 pattern, 99 sq inches and a high stiffness rating...so not really a Blade at all. I string it with gut mains and whichever decent poly I can find on sale for the crosses. My game has improved some but more importantly I can play as well in set three of doubles as I can in set one. Twenty five grams does not seem like much but to a recreational player, it's a lot. Thanks!

Important for people to understand the weights specified are the unstrung weights labeled on the racquet….some comments here sound like people are comparing their previous racquet weights unstrung to their new racquet weights strung

I have been playing for 2 years in middle school and at a intermediate level. I am currently using the wilson ultra v3 team. Should I switch to the Babolat Pure Drive? (I am a topspin player)

Great videos! Im a beginner and your videos have helped me more than the group lesson i took! One question: are the weight recommendations prestrung or strung weight?

Also sometimes the specs are way off. This is why I am starting a high end racquet company with spec matching. Contact me if interested in partnering.

I still use my 1991 350g Wilson Pro-staff DualTaperBeam PWS, never changed the strings, never felt different, except I grew older too,
It was my beginner racket Headsize 110, Kevlar...
ok I admit, the strings are screeching a little bit, on some strokes, maybe the beam is a little tired,
but I still prefer it a lot to the new beginner or intermediate rackets which the sellers have turned on my opponents 😀

Never injured, no tennis elbow, shoulder problems.
I guess Balance is an important factor, why the hell are sellers recommending headheavy rackets to beginners,
so they can have more power with slower swings, ripping their articulations off ?

This guy is great so helpful and knowledgeable and totally straightforward, thanks, I always learn something new when I watch his videos 😊

Also depends what you are used to. I played competive tennis 35 years ago with a very heavy racket. Came back to playing at 60 and still play much better with my 350 gram rackets. I tried some the newer, light, stiffer rackets and that caused arm issues. The heavier racket does the work for you if you swing properly.

One tip I'll give is the buy rackets on clearance. If you permanently switch to a new frame, you'll want to buy 2-3 of them. That can get expensive if you buy new rackets at rack rate.

Great and honest video! Unfortunately many of us are victims or marketing by the racket companies.

What I discovered was that it can take a little while to find a racquet to fit your playing style/preference. However once I found it, it is my job to improve my skill to compliment the racquet, not the other way around. The other way around is a never ending blame game.

Hey Nick, What about age factor ? Say age 60yo, male, height 5'11", what suitable racket weight to use for match as well practice at intermediate level?

is that weight unstrung?

My coach and a bunch of other people I knew including tennis warehouse were saying that I should use the Babalt pure Arrow, so I tried it out and I absolutely hated it. And I didn’t play that well. It’s a great rack and I’m not discrediting it it has such a huge impact on the Tennis industry.

Maybe its not the racket. It's the bad quality control. If you one feel head heavy when its supposed to be head light. Dont buy those ones. If the racket feel generally around what it was advertised it should be good.

This weight recommendation is for strung or unstrung or swing weight?

Great wisdom but I think one minor disagreement - IMO there are plenty of people who fall in between you and the other player who doesn't care what racket they use. These players get used to the racket they are using and wouldn't want to switch but eventually they pick up another racket and give it a fair try and next thing you know this new racket is the "best ever". After doing this once or twice they are over their extreme sensitivity and now realize the short adjustment period is not a big deal.

I get what he's saying, but there's no substitute for mass in terms of stability and plow through. I have hit with the volkl 10 mid and wilson blade 93, with a leather grip, overgrip and dampener and that puts the volkl at 13 oz, and the wilson at 12.8oz. If you have good technique and prepare with enough time, and your footwork is good, you will be okay. I use a shaped soft poly at low tension. I chose the racquets i did because i wanted control. With the wilson, i felt i could put the ball exactly where i want it. As long as my racquets are head light, they are fine. I have hit with lighter racquets and they absorb less vibrations. Plus they allow you to be worse and still generate spin and power with worse technique. The worse technique is more dangerous for me than a slightly heavier racquet that forces you the player to be better.

Can you verify the important of the type of the string and the strung pressure for club and rec playing level?

Very good summary and specifically about the weight i might have to reconsider my current raquet. There is one thing however i do not fully agree. You say that on modern raquets it does not really matter much about which one persons take if it is just a modern raquet. The main difference i see between raquets is the weight balance. Some are more head weighted some are more grip weighted and this is for me the most important difference in raquets. I agree it is not the brand if weight and specifically also weight balance are the same then most probably also the performance is the same.

To my person. I am 50 years of age and my last competition match was roughly 20 years ago. at that time i played in the second highest league in germany at the mens 30. So not too bad, but also not a pro. At that time my level according to german rating system was LK 5-6. As i did not play a single match since then my LK meanwhile is only about LK 24. My estimated current realistic strength if i would play competition is about LK 12-16 maybe. I still play tennis, just no competition anymore till this year and so i also did not need a Serve or Smash anymore. 2 years ago i bought a new raquet the black and white wilson pro staff from roger federer that has 315 weight. So according to your rules this would be too heavy for me. And maybe here i really have to agree. 2 years ago i took this raquet and the basestrokes forehand and backhand felt perfect for my play. Still the feeling in those is perfect for me.
But now i decided to play competition again next year after 20 years of competition abstinence. I played some trainingsmatches meanwhile and they went well except for one thing. Now i also had to use service and smash again. And the outcome is that i can serve, but the downside is that since i've been doing serves and smashes, i have serious shoulder and neck pain. I can imagine that now that I've seen this video, it's caused by the weight of the racket. It is simply too heavy. I might have to reduce this to a raquet having less weight maybe 270-max 300.

Thanks again. Your Video maybe explained my pains.

What’s your thoughts on racquet string? I hit with a eastern, semi western grip, and hit with very little topspin, and the ball goes over the net some what flat. Great job on the video my friend.

I play with a Pro staff 97RF tried a pure aero and could keep the ball in far too powerful for my game.

I will say as a 6’5” 250lbs man, a heavier racquet is right in my wheelhouse currently but my girlfriend definitely benefits from having a lighter racquet so I would say your personal physiology will play a factor. All in all just choose what feels the best to you, nobody knows yourself better than you.

summary of the two types of players: some of y'all are just over thinkers

Honestly, as a recreational player, if you focus on your technique and fitness first, the difference is going to be much bigger than, say, switching to a different string pattern.

As an amateur male player I want to switch from old long body Prince graphite to one of those Wilson racquets with good control and precision. I am more precision guy rather than spinner. Which Wilson graphite models do you recommend in a lower price range?

I have been playing with the Wilson profile 2.7 90. I also play with the Prince Graphic, and the Wilson Pro Staff. I am looking for a modern racquets. I use a eastern/ semi western grip, and I have a lot of control over the ball. I love your story my friend. Great video! Thank you

Too much waffling. Telling us your life story but not giving us valuable advice

the only neccessary test for grib size should be, you should grip the racket and it feels comfortable

under 300g seems a little bit light for me, i am totally recreational, probably around 4.0 and is using the pure strike 16x19, which has 323g and it feels just right

Hey! Brand new viewer here looking to purchase a racket. When discussing weight ranges, are you referring to strung or unstrung? Thanks!

I’ve been using Wilson BLX Pro Open (300g) for 13years (bought it when I was 13yo).

I want to replace it with one more suited for me, but no idea what.

It’s just that the current racquet feels too light / easy to swing but I’m neither a great player, so not sure what to look for. 😓

I watched Sampras playing with a borrowed racquet (it was an improvised match because Nadal had pulled out of the IW semis). He apologized 10 times at least for missing shots, complaining about the racquet. Keep in mind he wasn't hitting at the limit, he had John McEnroe on the other side, he was trying to be nice.

Bad example in the video. pure aero and pure drive are quite similar rackets so no point comparing them.
At least for me the racket makes big difference. I used to play with Wilson blade 16x19, and bought babolat pure aero for collecting this iconic racket, and immediately lost control of the ball. The ball was flying and I had to exaggerate my windshield wiper swing to utilise the spin potential of the racket.
The racket, the string, the tension - all of these will change the trajectory of the ball and you have to make adjustments if you are serious

I play with the Yonex Vcore Pro HD 2019 version. It weighs 320 grams, I find it a bit difficult to swing but I love how it feels in my hand and that's why I play with it.

I am a sucker for feel

Pure Drive wrecked my elbow. Looking for a new racquet now. Like thin beam sticks.

Yup i remember falling in love with the Pure Drive pretty quick - its light weight made my swing faster, it was easy on the arm, the sweetspot was bigger and it really enhanced my slice and volley game. Downside was it brought too much topspin into my game, but that was also my fault because i experimented with thinner poly strings. Went back to synthetics eventually also because of my arm.

Im kinda considering wilson and yonex but idk which one to pick

I respectfully disagree with the premise of equipment not being important. We all know that tennis is a HIGHLY mental game. If the equipment you use is safe, consistent, comfortable, and reliable, then you absolutely have a mental edge. However, while your technical shot itself may not have significant difference, the second you lose that reliable confidence and begin to question your equipment, you lose mental edge and focus. I also disagree on the racquet not making a difference because in the modern era hitting with different racquets not only gives a slightly different hit response, but also a significant difference in vibration back up into the arm and shoulder. Example, I hit with a technifibre for an hour a few days ago and my shoulder and hand/wrist have been sore as hell for a couple of days. The week before I played 2 sessions back to back, each an hour long, with a Volkl V1. I had NO PAIN at all. I couldn't even tell that I played! My point is, equipment matters. Maybe not to a few certain elites. But there are reasons the best Pro's customize and do not play with off the shelf sticks. Thank you for the great content and I hope you read this as an opinion and not a disrespectful response. Love your channel.

I still play with my 2 prince graphite Michael Chang rackets 🙂. And I’ll challenge ANYone to a duel!

I beg to disagree with your racket weight table. I'm a rec, but not 5.0 player, and I can't play with a strung racket below 11.9oz; and with the overgrip and shock absorber my current racket is over 12oz; anything less than that and I'd not be able to play with it...

I will say that head light versus head heavy did impact my serve speed. I could tell I wasn’t accelerating the racket head as fast on serve with a head heavy racket and I could see the slower pace on my serve as well.

Well, Nick both the aero and pure drive have identical string patterns and string spacing - that is why the ball flies the same way. I am pretty sure the ball wouldn't look the same if you hit with a pro staff or a prestige for instance.