Best Tennis Racquets For Beginners 2019

Through personal experience giving lessons to 100+ beginners just starting tennis, my top choice for beginners is the Head Ti S6. Packed with power and easy to handle, this tennis racquet will let you get on the court and start playing immediately.

The most important part of starting to play tennis is choosing the right tennis racquet for a beginner. Your tennis racquet affects EVERYTHING about tennis and is one of the most important decisions to make.

I’ve been playing tennis for 10+ years and in that time I have coached hundreds of beginners just learning the game. Here are my top recommendations for the best tennis racquets for beginners.

After reading this article, you’ll be prepared to grab a tennis racquet and get on the court.

Whether you’re looking for the best tennis racquet for adults, beginner tennis racquets for women, or need a cheap beginner tennis racquet, we’ve got you covered.

We’ll take you through the main characteristics of the best beginner tennis and explain why throughout the entire thing.

Ready? Let’s get started.

10 Best Tennis Racquets for Beginners

Head TI S6 – Best Beginner Tennis Racquet for Adults

This is the best selling tennis racquet for beginners that Head has thus far made and it’s no surprise why.

With a frame made out of titanium and graphite, the Head Ti S6 is very lightweight on the tennis court.

The massive 115 sq inch head size gives beginners a big sweet spot allowing you to hit the tennis ball easily and get it over the net.

Read my full review of the Head Ti S6 here!

The Head Ti S6 only weighs 7.6 oz which is extraordinarily light making this the perfect beginner tennis racquet for adults

An interesting feature of this product is the extra long 27.75 inch handle which you don’t see in a lot of racquets. This is great for added reach and for help when serving the ball up. 

With a mixture of lightweight, high power, many beginners start out with the Head Ti S6 as their choice of racquet for beginners. It’s a great choice and it’s cheap!

2 Babolat Drive

You don’t often see the Babolat Drive recommended as a beginner’s racquet but I think it works well and you’ll see why.

The great thing about the Babolat Pure Drive tennis racquet is that you’ll be able to continue playing with it for years! Many intermediate tennis players use the Babolat Drive as well for it’s superb power.

For beginners, the Babolat Drive features a large sweet spot giving you plenty of space to hit the ball. This tennis racquet is also very forgiving on any mis-hits (unlike most tennis racquets).

Weighing in at 11 ounces, it’s just right for the player starting out in tennis. It’s heavy enough to provide power and stability without being too cumbersome. The Babolat Pure Drive tennis racquet also has a thick, solid frame that provides lots of power for minimum effort.

A nice touch is the Cortex dampening system. This dampens the vibrations that occur when you strike the tennis ball. On the court this results in the Babolat Drive being super comfortable to play with.

The reason I love recommending the Pure Drive as a beginner tennis racket is that it allows beginners to grow with it. As your skills develop on the tennis court, you’ll be able to stay with this Babolat racquet instead of spending more money to upgrade to an intermediate player tennis racquet.

If you’re planning on learning and staying with tennis for a while, start out with this great racquet. If you’re still not sold though, look here for my full review of the Babolat Drive

3. Wilson K Zero Performance Value Racquet -Best Beginner Tennis Racquet for Women 

This Wilson tennis racquet often doesn’t come up in conversations about beginner tennis racquets but it should.

In my opinion, this is the best tennis racquet for female beginners and for anybody who struggles with joint pain and generating power.

The biggest advantage this tennis racquet has for beginners is it’s light weight and large head size. The Wilson K Zero weighs just under 9.1 oz which is exceptionally light. On the tennis court it will feel like you’re swinging air.

The weight on the racquet is slightly balanced towards the head which gives you some weight behind your strokes.

You’ll have absolutely zero problem hitting the ball with the large 118″ head size. 3″ larger than most!

This is actually the tennis racquet I recommended to my mom when she first started playing tennis. 4 years later, she’s still going strong and still using the same racquet (although she had it painted pink)!

The Wilson K-Zero is the perfect tennis racquet for beginners looking for comfort and power.

4. Head Microgel Radical OS – Best for Control

One of the first tennis racquets I ever played with, the Head Microgel Radical is a very affordable tennis racquet for beginners.

Featuring another oversized head (you’ll find a lot of these on this list) of 107 sq inches, beginners should be able to hit the ball with ease using the Head Radical MP.

My favorite thing about this racquet though is the sheer control you have over the ball. As you’re just learning to play tennis, you want a tennis racquet that is going to help you place the tennis ball where you want it.

The Head Radical MP OS  is that racquet. One thing to note when buying this racquet though is that it is very stiff. This tennis racquet will transmit more vibrations from the ball to the arm than a more comfortable one like the Yonex.

I’ve also written a full review of the Head Microgel here!

5. Wilson Hyper Hammer 5.3 Racquet – Cheap Beginner Tennis Racquet

A cheaper tennis racquet than most, the Wilson Hyper Hammer makes it on this list because of it’s list price. The Wilson Hyper Hammer is for beginners just looking to start tennis but not willing to plop down a lot of cash for a hobby they may only play a couple times. And that’s completely fair!

Beginners typically have shorter and more compact swings which can make it hard for them to hit from baseline to baseline.

To fix this, the Wilson Hyper Hammer gives you more power in your strokes making it perfect for beginners.

The head size of 110 sq inches makes hitting the ball easy for beginners also.

Beginners everywhere love the Wilson Hyper Hammer purely because it’s cheap, it’s powerful, and it’ll get you playing instantly!

6. Prince Textreme Tour 100T 

This Prince racquet is comfortable and allows players to easily feel and control the ball making it perfect for beginners. It’s also one of the cheaper tennis racquets on this list!

The name Textreme comes from the Textreme material added into the construction of the racquet. Also used in Formula 1 Cars, this is a strong and light material that gives this racquet stability without adding much weight.

In the Prince Textreme, this results in a lightweight racquet weighing in at 11.2 oz.

Te reason I really like the Prince Textreme and think it’s a great tennis racquet for beginners is it’s mix of comfort and control. When playing with this racquet, the frame does a lot to cut down on the vibrations when hitting a tennis ball. If you want an extremely comfortable racquet that can grow with you as you become better, this is the beginners tennis racquet for you.

At such a lightweight, you’ll find this racquet easy to swing through the air and comfortable in the palm of your hand. The beauty of many of Prince’s line of racquets is the control and feel they give to players.

Coming in at a lower price than other racquets on this list, the Prince Textreme is perfect for beginners just learning the game.

7.Wilson Burn 100S

Wilson is one of the most well known brands in tennis and with good reason. Their products are always superbly made and designed with the result that they’re fabulous to play with.

This is a real player friendly racquet and one that will make a great tennis racquet for any beginner. With a 100 sq inch head size, there is ample space for those new to tennis to easily hit tennis balls in the sweet spot. One of the aspects of the Wilson Burn that I like specifically is it’s degree of control.

While testing this racquet for the full Wilson Burn 100 review, I found this racquet amazing at controlling where the tennis ball went. If you’re having trouble with your aim in tennis, I’d advise the Wilson Burn or the Yonex Ezone (below) over others on this list.

The Wilson Burn is a little heavier at 11.8 oz than most of the best beginner tennis racquets that we’ve recommended so far. On the court though, this Wilson racquet feels light and you can easily swing it through the air.

8 Yonex EZone DR Feel

Yonex is not a company that many new players will know but they are a great one nonetheless. Based in Japan they have built a reputation for designing innovative, quality products.

This racquet is made from graphite which makes it very stable but not too heavy to use for new players. I love the look of it and the way it has been designed with style and sleekness in mind. It is very comfortable to hold and use which is a real plus point.

The head size is an ample 100 inches which is great for controlling the ball even if you don’t hit it quite right. It is a head heavy racquet which gives it extra power and depth to put behind your shots. Yonex have built in an open 16 x 19 string pattern which also helps in generating power and spin.

You may not have come across Yonex before but they are a great company and this racquet in particular is worth considering. As a beginner to the sport, it has all the attributes you would need to start playing right away.

9. Wilson Blade Team Tennis Racquet

A high quality tennis racquet that’s light on the wallet, the Wilson Blade (Team version) allows beginners to develop their stroke and then grows with them as they get better at tennis.

I started playing with the Wilson Blade (see my full review here) when I  was first transitioning from a beginner to more intermediate skill level and absolutely loved it.

The Wilson Blade (Team) is the team version of a tennis racquet that pro’s play with. Featuring a 99 sq inch head size, beginners may find it a little bit harder to hit the tennis ball at first with this racquet.

Patience here will be rewarded though. Beginners using the Wilson Blade will soon be hitting powerful strokes and serves. Additionally, as you progress in tennis, you won’t have to constantly upgrade your racquet.

Many intermediate players use the Wilson Blade racquet as well due to it’s superb mix of power and control.

10. Head Ti Conquest Tennis Racquet

With the recent introduction of the Ti Conquest, Head is attempting to continue their dominance in the beginners tennis racket market.

Coming in just over $20, the Head Ti Conquest is the absolute cheapest tennis racquet in the beginners market. And to be honest, you get what you pay for.

This tennis racquet features an oversized head, lots of power, and a stiff frame. It’s essentially all of the core technologies that a beginner wants packed into one compact and lightweight frame.

Will it be as good as the others on this list? No. Do you need it to be? If you just want to get out on the court quickly, grab this tennis racquet today.

If you start playing tennis more frequently, upgrade to a better racquet (such as the others on this list!)

How to Choose a Tennis Racquet for Beginners

Large Head Size

One of the trickiest things when playing for the first time is timing your shots so that you strike the ball correctly. Ideally, you want to hit the tennis ball exactly in the center of the racquet. This spot is called the sweet spot.

Having a racquet with a larger head size gives you more space to hit the ball and allows you to hit the ball in the sweet spot more often. The best beginner tennis racquets will usually have a bigger sweet-spot allowing you to easily build up the habit of hitting the tennis ball correctly.

Luckily, there are lots of racquets now that have big head sizes and generous sweet spots so you have plenty of choice(for my favorites see below!). A large head size is especially important if you are a beginner as it will help you enjoy the game more and improve quicker.

Guess what the biggest part of enjoying tennis is? Hitting the balls over the net! A tennis racquet with a large head size (specifically 100 sq inches or greater) will allow you to do this.

Power

As a beginner, you need something that will give you a good amount of power so you can get the ball over the net and be competitive in games. In fact, power is usually related to head size. So when you grab a racquet with a larger head size, it will typically give you more power.

But why is power important? When you first start learning tennis, you will most likely have a shorter stroke. Common beginner mistakes are forgetting  to setup for the shot properly or follow all the way through.

What this means for you though, as a beginner tennis player, is that your shots won’t have a lot of power! And as a result, you’ll stand  in what’s called “No Mans Land”.

Choosing a powerful tennis racquet will allow you to stay at the baseline and still get shoots over the net. My favorite tennis racquet for power that I recommend for beginners is the Head Ti S6. If you’re just starting out, its combination of a large head size and powerful strings is designed exactly for you.

A powerful racquet combined with a large head size, will make you unstoppable against your friends.

Lightweight (7 – 10 oz)

A good starter racquet will also usually be lightweight as this will allow you to play longer and help develop your form and techniquess. Heavier pieces of gear tend to be harder to play with and maneuver so it’s best to go lighter to start with.

If you go somewhere in the middle between 7 to 10 ounces, you should be fine and have a good balance between punch and playability.

Determining Your Grip Size

Overall: Your grip size varies by person but on average:

Men – 4 1/2

Women – 3 

In terms of how to check the grip like a pro, check if you can fit your little finger between the ends of your thumbs and other fingers when holding the racquet.

If you want more information on how to find your grip size, check our article on it!

Now, to answer some of the most frequently asked questions that I get, I’ll answer them all at once here.

What’s the Best Tennis Racquet for Female Beginners?

Honestly, there aren’t many differences from the list above! Most women prefer a more arm friendly racquet that gives them more control than the Head Ti S6 though.

I would recommend the Wilson K Zero as the best beginner tennis racquet for women. It’s very easy on the joints, packs a punch, and looks great! You used to be able to get it in pink as well.

Besides the Wilson K Zero, I would also recommend the Wilson Ultra Team version. It’s in the same price range and it’s a very comfortable tennis racquet that many women play with.

What’s the Best Tennis Racquet for Beginners to Intermediate?

For people a little more advanced than a beginner but still working their way up to an intermediate level in tennis, I would highly recommend a tweener racquet. I’ve written a full post on the best tweener tennis racquets here but I’ll suggest my favorites below.

 

What’s the Best Cheap Tennis Racquet for Beginners?

There are definitely cheap tennis racquets for beginners available! The Head Ti S6 is my #1 Pick for a cheap tennis racquets for beginners. Ranked in price (from highest to lowest), other options include

Last update on 2020-01-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API