I am a new player (6 months in, 2.5, playing 3-4 times a week more if I can.)

I am really interested in a new racquet, I currently have the first racket I played with, I went to a tennis store in march and said I am taking my first class tomorrow and need a racket. They gave me a used pro staff 97LS v11.0. I didn’t like it much at first but have gotten used to it.

While hitting with a partner I switch rackets and noticed how easy it seemed to hit the sweet spot on theirs (100in ezone alpha, not wanting that one particularly).

Was this more so in my head or is there really a difference that’s worth exploring?

My racket is 10+ years old, would I benefit from a more modern stick?

If I am to early in my development to get a new racket how long of playing until you think I should start to consider?

Thanks any and everyone who responds!

I had a pretty incredible opportunity to spend a few days with EQ.

It was a blast filming some challenges with him. Amazing dude. Even better forehand. More challenges to come!

Tennisrecord.com has me at a 3.61. I thought I'd get bumped last year but didn't. I haven't played a single 3.5 match this year. I entered one large tournament this year at 4.0 and won against strong competition (all matches in 6-7 UTR range).

Time will tell!

Just given what I have seen in the past, I expect to be back at a 3.5 rating for another year lol.

I am a captain of a 2.5 womens team and unfortunately, many on my team are inexperienced so we don’t have a very strong talent bench. Me and like 3 others are really the strongest and I want to give our team a fighting chance at winning some lines this season. This may mean that I and some others will play more matches than others. I am worried that will land badly with my team though because I am the captain.
I will be honest, last season I took the “lets have fun, everybody will get an equal chance to play” and we got our asses kick every match. This season I did tell them numerous times that I want to be more intentional with the lineup to make us more competitive etc. i am looking at my lineup plan for next week and i really think if i played w this one lady on my team, we would have a better shot at winning than if someone else played. I fear the drama ladies on the team will be vocally critical and the others will silently resent me for scheduling myself for what will be the third match in a row.

Hello Tennis Community,

I am a long time table tennis player and started my tennis journey roughly one month ago. Has been a blast so far, joined a club and having alot of fun

Unfortunately I cant get a coach so I am stuck with online advice and recording myself. I hope some of the more experienced players here can help me to improve my fh and bh

Most of the time I feel like I am jammed, or impact the ball too late, or my spacing just feels wrong. I probably have some bad habits from table tennis too

My goal is to have a consistent technique, where I can hit the ball without having to use much arm muscles. maybe 1 out of 10 balls I succeed, use very little of my own power and yet the ball is stable and fast, maybe because I hit it nicely in front? Chasing that feeling but its currently still difficult :D

Thank you for your advice and have a nice day :)

Hi,
My friend brought me cool racket from Turkey, it's unknown for me 7/6 or 76 brand, looks and feels like other local brand, anybody knows this brand , is it good ? Model B3

That their www
https://www.sevensix.global/

Thanks

VA

Alright, might get a lot of hate for this but.. these Cuurt Muuv shoes actually did fix my plantar fasciatis issue completely. I was having some extreme heel pain from my super narrow Kswiss Ultrashot 4s, and these Cuurts actually resolved my issue after switching. I think I can attribute that to the wider toe box and my big toe not being too constrained. I also find them to be lasting very long as a big toe dragger and slider, the soles are holding up really well (indoor and outdoor). Movement in these feel more stable and comfortable, I feel I have more easy power and connection to the ground and I'm not afraid to really run after a ball because I am so stable. Furthermore, they are pretty well cushioned for tennis. I know, unpopular opinion on this board. I saw a recent post about these shoes and the company was getting a lot of hate for shipping/returns. All I can say is, if you have plantar fasciatis or knee pain, you may be surprised with the results. Total game changer for me, I can play tennis for an extra hour pain free. My only advice if you do get them, you should get a good Profoot PF arch support insole, it will make the shoe much more comfortable and add just a bit of heel drop

Happy hitting!

Fyi this is not a paid review or sponsored post, just my honest opinion after using these for 2 months! Hope it helps some, plantar fasciatis sucks. I find these shoes are great if you add a bit more heel drop.

I have a dilemma that has been plaguing me for years, so I am looking for helpful and serious advice here.

Serve is my best shot, but I am also OK at all-court play. Some of that really depends on the racquet. Really.

Here is why:

1. On serve, I do best with a headlight, maneuverable racquet that allows me to accelerate it overhead and hit serve with spin or slice. I do extremely well with EZONE 98 or Boom Pro. If I switch to a less maneuverable racquet, I feel like I cannot generate a proper racquet head speed, and spin-controlled fast serves.

2. It is the opposite on the groundstrokes. I find myself playing very well with a heavier, chunkier racquet that I can feel on my return or volley, or naturally "throw" at the groundstroke. I do really well with the 2024 Speed MP or Speed Pro. When I switch to a lighter or whippier racquet, I feel like I lose the confidence in where my shots are going.

I am strong and muscular, but I am not young, so I am also avoiding injury risks from using too heavy racquets on my serve, or too stiff and too light racquets on my groundstrokes.

One racquet that I found a really solid, happy medium was the EZONE 100, but for some reason it gave me bad tennis elbow. Probably because it allowed me to arm the groundstrokes due to its massive power and low swingweeight.

Any thoughts and recommendations are welcome, either on technique adjustments or on the best choice of racquet that balances my preferences (1) and (2).

Hi guys, this is the previous post i made. I played tonight with this racquet and although i won the game i felt pain so what u guys suggested me was clearly right. This is an L3 grip, although it’s a test racket so when i compare it to another L3 head racquet it feels slightly smaller. So my question is: I red online Zverev plays with an L3 (4 3/8). How the hell is this possible??? I mean it HAS to be false information. No Pro Players use an L4 grip? I can’t convince myself this is true.

Recently, I played with a 2.0 friend who kept hitting moonballs. Even as a 2.5 player, I found them surprisingly difficult to deal with.

My biggest problems are timing and finding the right contact point. The high arc of a moonball seems like it gives me plenty of time to prepare, but somehow I still feel rushed when the ball finally comes down. Especially when the ball lands deep and bounces high, it's hard to find a comfortable contact point. Deep moonballs also take away my hitting space. I often find myself moving backward instead of stepping forward and taking the ball aggressively, which makes it difficult to hit with both power and consistency. I've tried moving back, taking the ball earlier, and adding more topspin, but I still feel like I'm reacting to the shot instead of controlling the rally.

For 3.0-4.0 players, how do you usually handle moonballs? Any tips or strategies that have worked for you?

I’ve been practicing with looser swings where the acceleration is driven more by my body and my arm is whipping way more now. But after shadowing this a bunch, I feel a light soreness in my arm, nothing painful.

Is this the right feeling? Or could you still “arm” the ball and be loose?

Hey guys,

I wanted some opinions on my newly purchased racket

So, I went and tested out a variety of rackets in-store yesterday, and there was one that, as soon as I picked it up and had that first swing, just instantly clicked and felt amazing. Almost like the racket was made for me!

It was the Pure Aero 2024 (the exact one I used in the first image).

The guy at the store said they didn't have any for sale as it's an older model, but recommended the newer 2026 model (second image, the one I ended up buying).

He promised before purchase that it would feel exactly the same as the 2024 racket — he even said he would string it up with the exact same string specs I demo'd.

So today I went to pick up my racket, gave it a go — and it doesn't feel at all like the 2024. Cue instant buyer's remorse.

The staff member informed me that it's because the demo racket was "broken in," which is why it feels better. But even just holding it and not hitting any balls, it feels so different.

Is the store owner just full of shit? Now I'm stuck with this racket and can't get a refund as it's been restrung.

I don't know whether to use it and see if his "broken in" claim is right, or to try to sell it and buy the 2024 model.

What's everyone's experience with the different models? Is it as big of a difference as my brain is telling me?

I played competitive tennis for 8 years (top 5 in my country's U18 ranking, 15/2 in France) and I've helped a lot of club players. The most common pattern I see: running around the backhand on every ball.

It feels safe, but good opponents spot it fast. They aim at your backhand corner, play faster, and wait for your off-balance forehand to hit the open court.

The fix usually isn't the swing. It's 3 things:

1. Late preparation: turn your shoulders as soon as you see the ball coming to your backhand side.

2. Contact point too close to the body: hit it out in front, even if the swing is short.

3. No safe target: aim crosscourt, high over the net. That ball is hard to punish.

Simple drill: 15 min against a wall, backhand only, crosscourt height, count your rallies. Aim for 20 in a row before adding pace.

Curious: what made your backhand finally click? A drill, a coach's cue, a change of grip? I'm always looking for new ways to explain it to players.

Happy to answer questions about your backhand in the comments.

Ive been playing with my speeds pro for a year and a half, and never been able to match totally with it. Groundstrokes felt decent, i can easily plowthrough balls and stay consistent with a heavy ball, but it just feels so sluggish, cant figure out if its the 23mm beam, the 100 inch head, the high swingweight or even the 31cm balance. Also ive been adding lead, such a head light balance didnt let me flow through my forehand.

Looking for a faster racquet with a thinner layup and a stiffer feel. So i landed in the idea of buying some fresh (not really, they are used) tf40s. Currently at least a 8 utr, heavy leftie game with a more aggresive side coming up to the net, two handed backhand and mostly a clay court player. Been a blade player since forever, and i hate that soft feeling this last blades have.

Any thoughts? What can i expect from the tf40? What about its launch angle? Also, im not able to demo in my country.

A major indoor pickleball establishment in my area closed this week. This is right about the time when indoor activities are picking up because it’s getting colder outside.

This is bad news for my club more people will be looking to book our courts for pickleball. But I’m hoping that overall it’s a good sign that pickleball is on the decline.

What do you see in your area?

I demoed the latest Tecnifibre T-Fight 300 alongside a few other racquets. Once I picked it up, it had the best balance of the lot, and I played great with it. They wouldn't sell me the demo unit and only had blue ones in stock (whereas the demo was white). The blue one didn't feel or balance the same way. I wonder if they have slight manufacturing variations, or if I accidentally demoed a different year model.

Hey all!

So, basically i just started stringing and since i'll receive my second Ezone 98 today i really want to start experimenting with different strings.

I'm playing for two years now, the strings i tried are

- Head Velocity MLT 1.3

- Yonex Rexis Speed

- Solinco Hyper G Soft 1.25

So, just changed to poly (Hyper-G Soft)and actually like how it plays, i can swing freely without balls flying ou but my arm has to get used to it. Not experiencing pain, but i do feel more in my arm haha.

Small list of strings im interested in:

- Yonex poly tour pro / air

- Head Lynx Tour (but im afraid its too stiff for now)

- Iso cream

My question to you, what strings should i definitely try in my second racket? 😬

Is this too much heel slippage? I have it tied with runners knot otherwise it would be even more, idk if I should just get over it and get used to it but it really bothers me at all times. (Gel res X asics).

Is this a good racket I found an 100sq for $100, but if I end up not liking it is there a demand for people wanting to trade them?