Racquet Recommendation for 14 year old Junior Girl

Hello Everybody,

My daughter has really been getting into tennis and would like to get a new racquet. I was wondering for some racquet advice for her. She had been playing with a Head Extreme 360 Lite with a 4 1/4 grip, but then she started playing with her 11 year old brother’s Babolat Pure Drive Lite 4 ⅛ and likes the feel of that better. So I have a couple questions.

1. She is 14 and fairly strong, but prefers lighter racquets. Should I purchase a “lite” racquet for her or a regular weight racquet?

2. She is about 5’3” and 100 lbs. She says she prefers the 4 ⅛ grip, but I think her fitting is more a 4 ¼ grip. Is a smaller grip perhaps better because she prefers it?

3. What are popular racquets for up and coming juniors? I was considering the Lite versions of Pure Drive or maybe the Aero Pro Lite. Any recommendation would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

Joe
 
What string is she using? Most people on here, myself including are very anti stiff Babolats for juniors due to long term arm health.
- Smaller grip is fine - can always make it bigger.
- My advice would be the heaviest racket she can maneuver. 300-310g rackets are more head light than babolats, and even though the static weight is higher, they would be easier to maneuver and better for the arm.
- Most would recommend a more flexible racket with an RA under 65.
- Up and coming juniors are playing with Yonex ezones and Vcores, Head Speeds and Gravities, Wilson Blades, and of course a large Babolat presence.
- I am more partial to Yonex Ezone - good power and comfort. My son is 12yo and barely 80lbs and has been playing with with a 310g Yonex Ezone for 2yrs and loves it.
 

Fxanimator1

Hall of Fame
Hello Everybody,

My daughter has really been getting into tennis and would like to get a new racquet. I was wondering for some racquet advice for her. She had been playing with a Head Extreme 360 Lite with a 4 1/4 grip, but then she started playing with her 11 year old brother’s Babolat Pure Drive Lite 4 ⅛ and likes the feel of that better. So I have a couple questions.

1. She is 14 and fairly strong, but prefers lighter racquets. Should I purchase a “lite” racquet for her or a regular weight racquet?

2. She is about 5’3” and 100 lbs. She says she prefers the 4 ⅛ grip, but I think her fitting is more a 4 ¼ grip. Is a smaller grip perhaps better because she prefers it?

3. What are popular racquets for up and coming juniors? I was considering the Lite versions of Pure Drive or maybe the Aero Pro Lite. Any recommendation would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

Joe

Based on her height, I’d say 4 1/8 is a good size for her. My son used that size on his racquets when he was about that size. We had him using Blade 98L.
 
What string is she using? Most people on here, myself including are very anti stiff Babolats for juniors due to long term arm health.
- Smaller grip is fine - can always make it bigger.
- My advice would be the heaviest racket she can maneuver. 300-310g rackets are more head light than babolats, and even though the static weight is higher, they would be easier to maneuver and better for the arm.
- Most would recommend a more flexible racket with an RA under 65.
- Up and coming juniors are playing with Yonex ezones and Vcores, Head Speeds and Gravities, Wilson Blades, and of course a large Babolat presence.
- I am more partial to Yonex Ezone - good power and comfort. My son is 12yo and barely 80lbs and has been playing with with a 310g Yonex Ezone for 2yrs and loves it.

Thank you so much for your response! That was one thing I was afraid of—the stiffness. I am somewhat concerned of a too stiff racquet for her. It just seems like I see Babolat racquets everywhere. I personally don’t see a lot of Yonex in the juniors. Perhaps I should ask this question on the board. Thank you.
 
Thank you so much for your response! That was one thing I was afraid of—the stiffness. I am somewhat concerned of a too stiff racquet for her. It just seems like I see Babolat racquets everywhere. I personally don’t see a lot of Yonex in the juniors. Perhaps I should ask this question on the board. Thank you.

Good point about Yonexes not being as prevalent on the junior circuit. I do/did see some at Southern section tournaments. This seems to be the function of the pro shop/club/academy the juniors are associated with. Most clubs in US have contracts with Wilson, Babolat, and Head (but rarely Yonex) which in turn allows the treaching pros to provide decent discounts to their players. But on these boards most would agree that the quality of Yonex rackets is superior out of all the big brands. I am a bit biased though ;)
 
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