Do you have tennis racket?

[alexwgoody]

I have 3 Donnay Andre Agassi ones from the 80's. I don't like the new ones because they aren't as heavy on the end as mine, and I can't find any other orange and gray rackets.

 

[blackdarkeye]

i have wilson ntour, but the new prostaff looks great

 

[visionology]

Have an older Prince TT. Honestly I've only been playing for a couple years and while I've progressed quite a bit, practicing more and running drills would help me a lot more to improve my game than a new or high end racquet.

All the new racquets start at $150-200 and then in a couple years end up in the bargain bin while the latest buzzword racquet comes out.

 

[intent]

I have a Wilson that I got from Wal-Mart when I first started. I think it was like $20-30.

Now I'm looking to upgrade to a tweener, but have no idea what to look for. I doubt I'll spend over $100 on it. The biggest problem I have with my beginner Wilson racquet is that I tend to hit shots long.

 

[crazyquik]

I have a wooden racquet of some kind that hangs on the wall. Just for looks though.

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

Originally Posted by Douglas

I'll +1 what unexpected wrote - the array of racquets out there is truly dizzying and it's hard to find a racquet that meets your requirements.

I use a Babolat Pure Drive racquet that's almost identical to the one Andy Roddick supposedly uses (his is apparently the "Plus" version which is slightly longer, but I think all pro racquets are heavily customized or modified, and sometimes they're straight up players' racquets dummied up to look like a particular model of tweener for marketing purposes). It has a lot of pop on serves, and offers solid, if not stellar, control for a topspin-playing baseliner (like me) who's able to generate a fair amount of power on his own. I'm an intermediate player, probably a low 4.0. But it's a racquet I sort of fell into - I happened to demo one, why it was that one vs. another I have no idea, but I liked how it felt and I bought it several years ago, and I've had no reason to change. I may never change, frankly.

If you're looking for a racquet, a great place to go to learn more is tennis-warehouse.com. They have outstanding in-depth racquet reviews that include comments from players of differing abilities, and they provide information about what kind of player it was that used the racquet and how he/she liked it. You should be able to find someone of your game ability/type and see what they liked and disliked about certain racquets. Problem is, it's hard to actually demo a racquet from the Internet, and most retailers charge you an arm and a leg for demos, knowing you're likely to go online for a good deal. But it's a good source of info, if nothing else.

Good luck!

Well said about tennis-warehouse.com - they are cheap to demo with too. I think if you're starting out it won't make that much difference what kind of racket you use, as long as it's a beginners racket. I just bought a Babolat Aero-Pro Drive Cortex a few months ago which is the racket Nadal uses (I think he actually does use the same one in this case, though it is doubtlessly customized to his spec). This racket has noticeably improved my game (coming off a Head Radical Tour) - my forehand is cleaner and crisper now and it seems more fluid taking the ball on the rise. I also find the Babolat has plenty of pop and is good for generating spin. I think your Pure Drive is a firmer racket, but I never used one.

 

[ramuman]

I just moved to a location with some decent outdoor courts nearby. Does anyone have a <$100 racquet suggestion? I just hit around a couple of times and had fun. If it helps, I used to play racquetball. This means that I'm somewhat competent at following the ball into the racquet, instinctively (perhaps influenced by watching Federer and Henin on TV) hit one handed both on my forehands and backhands, and have some but not exceptional power. I also can't get a serve in for the life of me - that should have nothing to do with the racquet...more so the fact I've played twice.

I don't intend to shell out for lessons or do this extremely seriously, but I do want to play a half dozen sets a week or so. I'm currently using some really crappy aluminum Wilson that a friend gave me. I'll play around with string tensions later, for now I just want a frame suggestion.

If it helps, I'm a size UK 9.5E in the C&J 348 last.

 

[jcru]

I play with the Head Tour Series mid-size that Goran Ivanisevic used way back when; they are now made under a different name. As has been written on this thread (and perhaps a bit counter-intuitive), more head weight can be helpful in keeping in check your form & follow-through. Mid-size could be good given your racquetball background.

I suggest going to a tennis shop and asking around for demo racquets that they'd be willing to sell at a discount. Kennex a couple of years ago and now Babolat produced a wide range or racquets in order to enter the market, so there might be a good price on one of these.

Have fun -- and don't forget to stretch.

 

[uvmboi13]

Wow a lot of you guys have really old school racquets.

Currently use the Wilson KBlade Tour. I have 3 of them at different tensions.
On a good day, I will use my Head Prestige Classic 600.

I bought it on Tennis Warehouse for $199 and today it is still probably worth that much due to the rarity and pure demand for it.