Does a longer racquet really make any difference?

dberke

New User
I currently play a Prince Tour Diablo mid. (standard 27" length and about 12.4 ounces strung) My tennis level is 4.3 and I play 3 times a week.

I've been thinking about trying some new racquets and thought about a longer racquet as an option 27.5".

My question is whether .5" really makes any difference with racket speed. Theoretically, based on the physics I get that it should make a difference, but I'm curious if anyone has really seen a change in practice.

I'll also mention that I am only 5'7" tall so people might say that the "extra reach" wouldn't be a bad thing. Again...does 1/2" more reach really make any difference?

Thanks for your opinion.
 
It can give you some extra mphs on your serve. The maneuverability is reduced and will have a higher swingweight if all other specs are equal.
 

kalic

Professional
I tried longbody for the first time (Prince Precision Boron LB) after about 10 years of playing with regular lenght. I thought that I would not notice, but everything was strange. Don't buy before trying.
 

furyoku_tennis

Hall of Fame
the specs on a longer racket are quite different from a regular one. for some people its hard to get used to the extra length and it makes quite a difference, for others it doesn't make quite as much of a difference since they play with a regular length stick with similar specs.
 

mlnsdj

New User
doesn't necessarily make serves harder. didn't for me. but it did throw my timing off by just a tiny bit and made me extremely uncomfortable. may not happen if switching to new frame, but from APDC to APDC+, that's what happened to me. must have significant demo time bfore buying...
 

ronalditop

Hall of Fame
I think extended racquets are specially effective when used by players who hold the grip really high, or are too short. My father for example likes to hold the grip with all his hand in the handle, which makes him lose quite some reach. Thats why he needs to use extra long racquets, mainly 28''.
 

Steve Huff

G.O.A.T.
It makes a difference if you have arm problems. The added length increases the leverage on your arm and will make the problems worse.
 

Tennis_Monk

Hall of Fame
It makes a huge difference!. It basically moved me a whole one level up. I use Pure drive Team + and been using it for 5 yrs now. I have selected this racquet after extensive play testing of 6 months against a thoughtful selection process.

I am not sure of extra miles on serve but i got reliability on my serve.I have a decent serve and with + i am able to put more first serves in--i would have gladly paid for this factor alone as my serve is my primary weapon.

My forehand more or less stayed the same. I may have gotten slightly more power on my forehand.

My backhand sucked before and after. About 6 months ago, i once again switched to 2hbh but this time with sucessful results. I cant attribute this to +

I rarely come to net -- i love net rushers and putting passing shots them.

So far i dont have any arm or shoulder problems. I use Luxilon Alu power rough on mains and crosses.
 

Deodorant

Rookie
iono i find the .5" doesnt make the feel any different. ive tried the apdc and the + version, same thing but yea its all preferences.
 
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