Racquet possibilities for player returning from hiatus

[Aces High]

Hi all! I'm new to the forum and coincidentally, am also in need of a bit of advice. I used to play tennis a few times a week recreationally until I was about 16. Back then, I would describe myself as about a 3.5 level player. I was playing with a Prince TT Bandit OS, I believe. I'm now 21, and have grown substantially both in height and weight and am looking to get back into the game. I went out and hit with a friend with my old racquet and found that it had far too much power for me. I was hitting long even when not taking full swings and had virtually no directional control. Obviously some of this could be due to my being rusty, but I think a lot of it has to do with the power and control of the racquet.

Sorry for the long back story. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could help me out and point me in the right direction as far as a new racquet is concerned? Any advice from the veterans here at TT would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

 

[bobtodd]

Welcome back

I too recently returned to tennis, however I am much older. I started with a Wilson 6.2 K, not enough weight. Next, bought Babalot Pure Drive but it was too stiff and caused arm issues. Next, Head IG Youtek Radical MP, liked it but still wanteda little more heft, so I ended up with the Head IG Youtek Prestige MP. Really enjoy this racquet and I am still trying string choices. I suggest trying the Head IG Youtek Radical Pro or Prestige Pro because they will give you more power and may hit closer to what you had before.

 

[MikeHitsHard93]

Hi all! I'm new to the forum and coincidentally, am also in need of a bit of advice. I used to play tennis a few times a week recreationally until I was about 16. Back then, I would describe myself as about a 3.5 level player. I was playing with a Prince TT Bandit OS, I believe. I'm now 21, and have grown substantially both in height and weight and am looking to get back into the game. I went out and hit with a friend with my old racquet and found that it had far too much power for me. I was hitting long even when not taking full swings and had virtually no directional control. Obviously some of this could be due to my being rusty, but I think a lot of it has to do with the power and control of the racquet.

Sorry for the long back story. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could help me out and point me in the right direction as far as a new racquet is concerned? Any advice from the veterans here at TT would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

I find that a lot of guys come back to tennis in their early twenties, so you're not a minority! You will get a bit more control with a smaller head size, but you should work on developing topspin consistently. That will help you with your consistency in shot placement.

I would demo one racket from each of these categories:

Soft+open pattern (ex: prince exo3 tour)
Stiff+open pattern (ex:babolat pure drive)
Soft+closed pattern (ex: head radical mp)
Stiff+closed pattern (ex: Wilson blade 98)

The rackets I have examples of would be a good variety to demo because they give you a perspective of the general feel of types of rackets. They are all usable at your level and you can develop your game with them. These also happen to be very common rackets in D1 colleges.

Welcome back, and have fun!

~Mike

 

[craigb]

One question - did you get new strings in your old racket or are you using the 5 year old ones? If it's the old ones new string job in the upper end of the recommended tension range for your racket might make it more usable for you while you find a new racket.

 

[RetroSpin]

I find that a lot of guys come back to tennis in their early twenties, so you're not a minority! You will get a bit more control with a smaller head size, but you should work on developing topspin consistently. That will help you with your consistency in shot placement.

I would demo one racket from each of these categories:

Soft+open pattern (ex: prince exo3 tour)
Stiff+open pattern (ex:babolat pure drive)
Soft+closed pattern (ex: head radical mp)
Stiff+closed pattern (ex: Wilson blade 98)

The rackets I have examples of would be a good variety to demo because they give you a perspective of the general feel of types of rackets. They are all usable at your level and you can develop your game with them. These also happen to be very common rackets in D1 colleges.

Welcome back, and have fun!

~Mike

Very good advice Mike.

 

[pmata814]

I find that a lot of guys come back to tennis in their early twenties, so you're not a minority! You will get a bit more control with a smaller head size, but you should work on developing topspin consistently. That will help you with your consistency in shot placement.

I would demo one racket from each of these categories:

Soft+open pattern (ex: prince exo3 tour)
Stiff+open pattern (ex:babolat pure drive)
Soft+closed pattern (ex: head radical mp)
Stiff+closed pattern (ex: Wilson blade 98)

The rackets I have examples of would be a good variety to demo because they give you a perspective of the general feel of types of rackets. They are all usable at your level and you can develop your game with them. These also happen to be very common rackets in D1 colleges.

Welcome back, and have fun!

~Mike

Excellent post mike.

Now to the OP...are u hitting long by a couple inches or a couple feet? If its the latter its not the racquet its your technique. Regardless, you should consider investing in some lessons to get you back on track. If you can afford both (lessons and new racquet) Mike already made an excellent suggestion.

 

[spinovic]

Mike's advice on trying some variety is good. I would also suggest a little more variety in specs - by that I mean try different static weights, swingweights and balance.

You do need to see which feel you prefer - stiffer or softer.

In my experience, the thing that stands out most to me with racquets is the spec combination of weight, balance and swingweight. For example, the Radical Pro felt more sluggish to me than some other heavier racquets because the balance is closer to even and it has a high SW. You really need to demo and try out some different racquets to figure out what spec set you like and are most comfortable with.