Heavy vs Light Tennis Racket: Which Weight Should You Use?
By Ben, PH Tennis
Quick Summary
Do you want tennis to be easier, or would you like to get better? The weight of your racket can make a huge difference.
There are hundreds of articles and videos about why heavier is better and how to choose the right weight for you. But very few cover this point: heavy rackets make tennis easier. Light rackets help you get better.
If you want the basic answer, use the heaviest racket you can manoeuvre. But if you want to make your tennis better, most club players should consider a racket lighter than they think. It lets you swing fully, commit to every shot and develop proper racket head speed.
Heavier isn't wrong. If you want tennis to be easier and more enjoyable, that's absolutely fine. It's your choice to make.
Watch the video above to hear the full case for heavy and light rackets.
Heavy vs Light at a Glance
| Heavier racket | Lighter racket | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does for you | Makes tennis easier | Helps you get better |
| Power | Way more powerful | Less impact into the ball |
| Stability and defence | Way more stable, easier to defend with | Much harder to defend with |
| Manoeuvrability | Harder to manoeuvre | Easy to throw about and manipulate |
| How you play | Forces you to play more carefully | Lets you commit 100% to every shot |
| Suits | Short swings, slow surfaces, players already really good | Club players wanting to improve, aspiring juniors |
What This Is
This is about the differences, the advantages, the pros and the cons between heavy rackets and light rackets. It's a little bit different and a little bit more nuanced than usual, so bear with me.
Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way first. You can't use a racket that is too heavy, and you can't use a racket that is too light. You want a racket that is roughly the appropriate weight. If you're a junior, you're not going to use something really heavy. Likewise weaker players, or maybe someone who's a bit older. Female players tend to use lighter rackets. You've got to stay within the realms of sensible reason.
But there are so many little things the weight can change, and that's what this is about.
My Verdict
Heavy rackets make tennis easier. Light rackets help you get better.
If you're trying to make your tennis more fun, more enjoyable and a little bit easier to play, go heavier, as long as it stays within your control. If you're really trying to take your game to the next level, use a racket lighter than you think. Make it as hard as possible for yourself, and you'll improve.
Either way is fine. Tennis is fun, and you're allowed to do it however you want.
What Weight Changes
Heavier rackets are harder to manoeuvre. They are way more powerful and way more stable.
Lighter rackets you can throw about and manipulate more easily, but they put less impact into the ball and they're much harder to defend with.
So straight away you get playability pros and cons. If you want the basic answer, use the heaviest racket that you can manoeuvre. But if you want to make your tennis better, now we get into the important stuff.
Why Most Players Should Go Lighter
You Are Not Carlos Alcaraz
This is going to wind so many people up. The weight of pros' rackets is not easy to find out. They customise, and they change throughout the season. But as far as my research can tell, with strings and grips and all, Carlos Alcaraz's racket weighs about 330 g. Novak Djokovic's is a little heavier, at about 350 g. All the pros are going to be in this sort of range.
My point is this: as much as I'd like to be, and as much as we all think we are, we are nowhere near as fit, as strong, as fast or as genuinely athletic as these players. So why on earth would we use a racket that's basically the same weight?
As it happens, I use a very similar racket to Carlos Alcaraz, and with strings and grips on, it weighs basically exactly the same. He is much better at tennis than I am. So if he is better at tennis, should I not be using something a little lighter, to help me play tennis how I need to?
A Heavy Racket Forces You to Be Careful
Racket head speed, aggression, commitment to the contact. These are all things coaches are going on about all the time, especially at club level. Most of you reading this want to be able to rip the ball, put a bit more spin on it and really go for it. And my point is you can't, because your racket is too heavy. It's too powerful. It's not manoeuvrable enough. So you're forced to play a little more carefully.
I'm going to make a little suggestion. Close your eyes and imagine hitting a tennis ball as hard as possible with the racket you currently play with. I bet it goes out. And that's the point. Because it goes out all the time, you have to be careful, and everybody is running around with tennis rackets that are ultimately forcing them to be careful.
This isn't a bad thing if you want your tennis to be easy. You can play at 60 to 70%, get a load of balls in the court, and defend when required because you've got a nice, heavy, stable racket behind the ball.
But if you want to be the next Alcaraz, the next Shelton, the next Sabalenka, whoever it is, you are going to have to be able to commit 100% to every shot you play. Until you are a professional athlete, maybe that means you need a racket lighter than you think. If I hit a ball as hard as I possibly could with a racket that weighed 270 g, it might not be going out. Now I'm starting to learn the correct level of commitment, the correct racket head speed and the correct intent I want to develop as a player.
Juniors: Don't Go Too Heavy Too Early
This is especially important for aspiring juniors. Do not go too heavy too early, because the lighter racket is going to force you to do the work, and that makes you better at tennis. As you get older and stronger and develop as an athlete, the weight can come up, because you'll be good enough to keep the control.
I think Rublev is an absolutely fantastic example. If you watch the way he obliterates a forehand, there is no way we could do that with the same racket. Our ball would go out every single time. He is so much physically stronger than us that of course the tool in his hand can be bigger and stronger.
We see this in almost every other sport. As players get older, bigger and stronger, the equipment they use scales up with them. In tennis, we are so close to using what the pros use. We have customers come into the shop all the time, and players on court, using Wilson Pro Staff RF rackets that weigh more than some professionals are using. Ultimately, what that player is saying is, "I've got such good technique and I'm in such good physical condition that I can use a racket heavier than a professional." And that just doesn't make sense.
Playing with a Pistol
Playing with a pistol is a PH Tennis coaching concept we've been using for years.
Imagine you're playing a shoot 'em up computer game. You wake up on a base or a spaceship, and they give you one tiny little crummy gun. You walk around a corner, there's a baddy, you shoot him, and he drops a slightly bigger gun. You pick that up, walk around another corner, and now there are two baddies, but you've got a slightly bigger gun. You shoot them both, and they drop something even bigger.
This is how all computer games are made. You don't necessarily get better. They give you bigger and bigger weapons to deal with bigger and bigger challenges.
And this is a real problem in sport. So many players say, "I can't win at the moment. Why don't I get a bigger racket?" if they're a junior, or "a heavier racket" if they're an adult. What's actually happening is you're not changing your abilities. You're not changing the environment at all. You're just using a bigger weapon.
We call it playing with a pistol because if you wanted to get better at that computer game, you wouldn't pick up the bigger weapons. You'd complete the game with that first little crummy pistol. The good computer game player, and the good tennis player, will beat you with a weaker weapon and a worse tool, which makes the player more important.
So for long-term tennis development, play with a pistol. Don't use a heavy racket. Don't use a big racket. Make it as hard as possible for yourself, so you improve. Don't cheat the system by using bigger and bigger weapons.
When a Heavy Racket Makes Sense
Is there any benefit in a heavy racket? Yes, of course there is. They are so much easier to defend with, and they are so much more powerful.
If you have a short swing, if you're playing on a slow surface, or if you're already really good and you feel the racket is starting to hold you back, then a heavy racket might be the solution.
There's still a calibration to make. Too heavy and you start risking injury, and you make tennis miserable lugging around a big heavy lump in your hand. Too light, and all the work you're putting in gets you no reward.
Who Should Go Lighter, Who Should Go Heavier
Go lighter if: you want to get better, you want to rip the ball and commit 100% to every shot, or you're an aspiring junior. A lighter racket forces you to do the work.
Go heavier if: you want tennis to be easier and more enjoyable, you have a short swing, you play on slow surfaces, or you're already really good and feel your racket is holding you back. Keep it within your control.
Light Rackets I Recommend
Let's just start considering lighter rackets, especially as the light rackets on the market these days are getting better and better.
- Head Extreme MP L: a brilliant light racket.
- Babolat Pure Aero Team: another brilliant light racket.
- Wilson Defyer 100L: a lovely racket as well.
- Yonex: almost all of their light rackets are brilliant.
Try Before You Buy
Just think twice and ask yourself whether you could use a lighter racket, and whether it might make you a little bit better. The only way to really know is to get one in your hand.
Our demo service lets you test any racket properly, wherever you are in the UK. Add £25 to any adult racket order and we string it, fit an overgrip, add protection tape and send it out. Get on court and test it properly. If it's wrong, return it for a full refund on the racket, minus strings and the demo fee. If it's right, we refund the £25.
Book a racket demo with PH Tennis
Not sure what weight is right for you? Book a one-to-one virtual consultation. We spend 20 minutes talking through your game, your current racket setup and strings, to guide you towards the rackets we think you should be testing next.
FAQ
Is a heavy or light tennis racket better?
It depends what you want. Heavy rackets make tennis easier, with more power and stability. Light rackets help you get better, because they let you swing fully and commit to every shot.
What weight tennis racket should I use?
The basic answer is the heaviest racket you can manoeuvre. But if you want to improve, consider a racket lighter than you think, so you can develop racket head speed and commitment to the contact.
What are the advantages of a heavy tennis racket?
Heavy rackets are way more powerful, way more stable and much easier to defend with. They suit short swings, slow surfaces and players who are already really good.
What are the disadvantages of a heavy tennis racket?
They are harder to manoeuvre and force you to play more carefully. Too heavy and you start risking injury.
What are the advantages of a light tennis racket?
You can throw a light racket about and manipulate it more easily. It lets you hit as hard as you can and keep the ball in, which teaches the right racket head speed and intent.
Should juniors use a heavy racket?
Not too early. A lighter racket forces juniors to do the work, which makes them better. The weight can come up as they get older, stronger and develop as athletes.
How heavy are professional players' rackets?
Pros customise and change their rackets through the season, so exact weights are hard to find. As far as we can tell, Carlos Alcaraz's racket weighs about 330 g with strings and grip, and Novak Djokovic's about 350 g.
What does "playing with a pistol" mean?
It's a PH Tennis coaching concept. Instead of reaching for a bigger or heavier racket to win, you develop your game with a weaker tool, which makes you the more important factor and makes you better in the long term.
What are the best light tennis rackets?
We highly recommend the Head Extreme MP L, the Babolat Pure Aero Team and the Wilson Defyer 100L. Almost all of Yonex's light rackets are brilliant too.
Where can I demo a tennis racket in the UK?
PH Tennis offers a UK-wide demo service. Add £25 to any adult racket order, and the racket is strung, gripped, taped and sent out. If it's not right, return it for a full refund minus strings and the demo fee. If it is, the £25 is refunded.
Find out about our demo service
Final Thoughts
So my question, the one I'd like you all to ask yourselves, is this: does the racket I'm using really need to be that heavy? If I dropped a bit of weight, would it make me do a bit more work? Or can I not be bothered with that? And that's absolutely fine. This really is the dividing line between trying to improve and trying to make tennis easier, and you can do it whichever way you like.
Just think twice, and ask yourself whether a lighter racket might make you a little bit better. When you get better, put the heavy one back in your hand, and watch those wins roll in.
I hope that has given you some food for thought, and maybe it'll make you think twice before buying your next Pro Staff 97. Thank you very much for reading, and subscribe to the channel so you never miss a thing from PH Tennis.
About PH Tennis
PH Tennis is North London's premier tennis store, serving Enfield, Middlesex and beyond. We're the place to come for tennis rackets, honest advice, restrings and demos.
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