Best Racquets for Beginners

Best Racquets for Intermediates

Best Racquets for Advanced Players

A Closer Look at Best Beginner Racquets

If you are just starting your tennis journey, you'll want a light and comfortable racquet that makes learning the game easy. Here are the three racquets you should be looking at.

Why it’s the best: Coming with strings installed, the Head Ti.S6 comes ready to play. It offers ample power and spin, it delivers impressive maneuverability without compromising stability or comfort. This racquet is ideal for beginners looking for an extra large sweetspot.

Why it’s the best: The O3 Legacy 120 offers a very luxurious hitting experience. As such, it gives the beginner a large margin of error, ensuring that comfort and performance remain high even when contact is less than perfect. It also has Prince’s time-tested O3 Technology, which produces excellent vibration dampening. If you’re looking for pure comfort and easy power, start here.

Why it’s the best: With bright colors, this Boost Aero Rafa stands out on the court. It has a smaller head size than the other racquets on this list, giving it a bit more control. Still, this racquet is easy to swing and offers easy pace and spin. Plus, as an added bonus, this racquet is inspired by one the game's legends, Rafael Nadal and comes with strings installed.

Looking for more options? Find more on our Beginner Racquets Gear Guide.

A Closer Look at Best Intermediate Racquets

If you're an intermediate player, you will be able to rally with moderate power and consistency. You'll want a racquet that complements your developing style, whether it be grinding out long points from the baseline or banging forehand winners from a dead sprint. Here are the racquets you should be looking at across the most important categories.

Why it’s the best: Since its launch more than 20 years ago, the Pure Drive has become one of the most popular and versatile racquets ever made. Like the Pure Aero, this racquet delivers an easy learning curve to virtually any player who is looking to swing big and load the ball with pace and spin. Although it has inspired an army of clones, the Pure Drive is the undisputed king when it comes to light power frames. Read our full review for more.

Why it’s the best: This racquet was built for the tornadic and angular mechanics of the modern game. Players looking to hit spin-loaded balls that drop hard and explode off the court will love how fast this stick whips through contact. Although it is weighted for intermediate players, the Pure Aero transcends ability level, making it as good for the dedicated beginner as it is for the wily veteran in the market for speed and spin. Read our full review for more details.

Why it's the best: Yonex updated the popular VCORE 100 in 2023, and for our playtesters, this latest version is an improvement on an already great racquet. A couple of them said it is their favorite version yet. This racquet excels at delivering power and spin when you need them. With a redesigned head shape, this version of the racquet offers an even larger sweetspot than past generations. Find out why we loved it so much in our full review.

Why it's the best: As the lightest member of the Prince Tour family, the Tour 100 290 delivers the blend of power, control and feel of the line in an easy-to-use package. When our playtesters took this racquet to the courts, they were impressed by its all-around playability. The racquet feels stable for its weight at contact and played well from all areas of the court. Although it's great for intermediate players, we found this racquet would also be a great option for customization as players get stronger and improve. Read our full review for all the details.

Why it's the best: Since its introduction to the market years ago, the Radical MP has undergone some (please pardon the wordplay) radical changes. However, the changes have been more subtle in the last few versions, which is a good thing. This Radical MP offers controllable power and a comfortable response. Our team of playtesters found this racquet to be a good fit for a variety of game styles. Find out more in our full review.

Pro tip: If you’re looking for more control, select a racquet with a more flexible beam and smaller head size. For players with flatter mechanics, a dense string pattern can help with control. For players who hit with spin and higher trajectories, a more open (spin-friendly) string pattern can help with control. You can add control to your current racquet by increasing string tension and/or selecting a firmer string.

Why it’s the best: We went back and forth whether to pick the EZONE 100 or the EZONE 98, and in the end, we went with the EZONE 100 since it's slightly more forgiving and more powerful but still as arm-friendly. Strong intermediates who want just a touch more control and something a little heavier will find it with the EZONE 98. Read more about why we love this racquet in our full review.

Why it's the best: If you're for a power-loaded frame with a uniquely flexible feel, Wilson's Clash 100 v2 is an easy solution. This power-loaded racquet makes it feel easy to hit shots deep into the court and also puts a priority on comfort. Our TW playtesters found this second version to feel a little more stable than the original racquet. Take a deeper dive with our full review of the Clash 100.

Why it's the best: Now in its second version, the CX 400 Tour blends the precision and feel of the CX line, but it also offers power more readily. For 2024, Dunlop redesigned the beam to enhance stability, control and feel. For added comfort, there is Vibroshield (a highly elastic material placed in the midsection of the hoop and shaft along with Sonic Core with Infinergy in the head.

Why it's the best: The Textreme Warrior 100 is an all-around performer, delivering easy power and spin and is an overall easy-to-use experience for the intermediate level player. What makes this racquet stand out even more is its price tag under $100. Read more about this racquet's playability in our full review.

If you're an advanced player, you have a fully developed game and extensive experience playing competitive matches. In addition to finding a racquet that complements your strengths, you’ll need enough mass to drive the ball powerfully through the court or redirect higher levels of pace. Here are the racquets you should be looking at across the most important categories.

Why it’s the best: There's no denying the power and spin of the Pure Aero line. There's a reason it landed on this list three times. The Pure Aero Plus takes the power and monster spin of the Pure Aero then ramps it up a notch. The added length of this racquet makes your biggest serves and groundstrokes even more damaging. Our playtesters love this racquet strung up with their favorite co-poly string so they can take their biggest cuts while finding extra control via massive spin.

Why it's the best: This VCORE 98 Tour is the heaviest member of the VCORE series, which itself is designed to appeal to players who want to bring power and modern spin to the court. This VCORE 98 Tour delivers a solid feel with enough plow through to hit heavy shots. For its weight, this racquet swings fast as well, making it easier to crank up topspin. For our playtesters, there was little to complain about in the power and spin departments, although some did crave a bit more control at times. Read more in our full review.