Buying New Raquet

[Tom-E]

Hey!

I'm interested in any good advice on purchasing a new raquet. I'm a young player, 16 but I've been playing almost daily for a few hours since 2 years ago so I'm not all that bad. I'm also average adult size, so I dont think ill need a junoir raquet.

I switched from some random cheap raquet to a Head Ti S5 fairly quickly and have been using it for almost as long as I've been playing.

Since the 2 years I have improved a lot, I would consider myself to be a 3.5 player but I plan to keep improving.

I've been looking at the reviews and I was interested in buying a Babolat Pro Drive Plus (or whatever Roddick's raquet is) but I'm not sure if thats the best choice. I see alot of people in my club using them, but for $180 and all the talk I hear about pros having custom raquets I'm not sure that its just the material I'm paying for, but the name.


So I'm searching a raquet that will last me the next 2 years again, I want something heavier, I dont know a lot about any other specifics. If this is any help; I'm strong enough to generate my power, my forehand shots are fast considering i have an 8 ounce raquet.

Thanks for your time!

 

[MTChong]

Babolat is a pretty good stick if your elbow and arm can handle it. I don't think it is necessary for you to get a Babolat Pure Drive however seeing as you say you can generate your own power. The Ti S5 is also a pretty powerful stick... I'd recommend something like a Diablo MP; it isn't too heavy, but it has a moderate headsize, nice flex, and is a good platform for customization. I would also suggest you try out the Radicals, either the LM or the Flexpoint; the O3 Tour from Prince also seems to be a viable choice.

In short: Try out the Diablo MP, O3 Tour, or Radicals.

 

[wtennis206]

I have played with a lot of racquets, and I would suggest the AeroPro Drive by Babolat or the Liquidmetal Radical MP, as stated above. Both are great sticks that will last a long time. Good luck.

 

[krnboijunsung]

Demo the racquet first. A good all-round racquet is the i.radical or the TT Warrior.

 

[TennsDog]

It seems like you are still in the stage where you don't quite know what you want in a racket, so I would suggest doing a lot of demoing. Going from an 8oz racket to a 11.5-12oz racket would be a big jump. You might want to try something in the middle range as well..around 10 or 10.5oz. Try a bunch, see what types of things you like in a racket (i.e. flexy/stiff, full heft/not so heavy, larger/smaller head, etc), and then go from there.
All that being said, I think the Radicals are a good place to start, while some of the Babolats might be worth a demo too. Again, you won't know without trying them out first.

 

[kabob]

Changing weights drastically can cause an injury, guy. Last year, I switched from a 10.9-oz racquet (Dunlop 300G) to a 12.7-ouncer (PS Tour 90) to go back to my varsity tennis roots and it killed my forearm and shoulder. Since then, I've gone to a 12-ounce racquet that was more forgiving on my arm (Fischer Extreme FT) until I was strong enough and had improved skill-wise enough to switch back to the Tour 90.

 

[highsierra]

I like krnboijunsung's suggestions. iRadical and TT Warrior are very good sticks and are much more affordable, not because they're inferior, but because of they are older models due to markting tricks. Other affordable but excellent rackets include Wilson PS Tour 95, H Tour, PS Surge 5.1/ Surge X etc. Of course, these suggestions cover a wide spectrum of stiffness, weight, length and feel very differently from your Ti S5.

It's most like you'd want to change rackets again in a year or so when you develop further and center your game around one particular style (e.g. S&V, baseline, all court etc). Unless you grew up not knowing money could be an issue, shelling out $150+ now for a hot racket that a pro you idolize uses doesn't make sense.

 

[junelay]

try the wilson ncode series, lots of different specs ranging from tweeners to advanced player´s racquet