Choosing a tennis racket can be very confusing. There are so many to choose from and they all have a gimmick or fancy sales pitch to make you think there is some secret technology that is going to make you better as soon as you pick up the racket. It’s just not true.

First let us get rid of the myth that lighter is always better. This is certainly not the case or Pro’s would not put lead tape on their rackets. And almost all of them do. It’s kind of like a baseball bat. If you can handle the heavier bat then you can get more power with it. When you play with a racket that is too light you start to rely on pushing the ball or just flicking your wrist instead of being in position and using your full swing. And with the polyester string and modern way of hitting people are getting much more torque when they swing. A lighter racket can get pushed out of the way by the heaviness of the ball. To heavy is also not good. Then you can’t maneuver it when you need to. It’s best to experiment and find a frame that you can handle comfortably. Don’t sell yourself short; if you learn the modern game and are truly using your body to hit the ball then you will be able to handle a heavier racket.

Grip size can also be confusing. Some say a bigger grip gives you more stability and better volleys. This may be true but a smaller grip is more maneuverable and easier to generate racket head speed with. And racket head speed is very important when taking a modern swing because you need the topspin to keep the ball down in the court. So I recommend finding a grip size that is comfortable in your hand, easy to maneuver but still feels solid and stable.

Another great way to choose a racket is to find out what pro’s have a similar game to your own and see what racket they are using. Most likely the racket they are using or some version of it will be a good fit for you. You will see that guys with similar games will use similar rackets. Take Lleyton Hewitt and David Nalbandian. They are both counter punchers and both have a two handed backhand. They use the same racket. Another example would be Tommy Hass and Tommy Robredo, they both have a one hand backhand with similar style and use the same racket. David Ferrer and Nikolay Davydenko have similar games and use the same racket. Roger Federer and Pete Sampras are arguably the two greatest players of all time. They both have great serves, amazing control and one hand backhands. It’s no surprise that Federer uses a newer version of the Sampras racket. This doesn’t mean you can handle the exact same racket as a pro; however you might be able to. At the very least you will probably end up using a similar racket to someone who has your same style of play.

If you are still confused with what racket to get then keep it simple. Use the racket that feels the most comfortable and gives you the best results.