The 6 Best Tennis Rackets for Beginners (2024)

So you want to start playing tennis. First of all — you’ve made a great choice! Not only is tennis a lifetime sport, but the magic of tennis is that it only requires a few key items to play — a tennis ball, a tennis racket, a court, and a friend. And while that’s a short list, you’ll want to choose your tennis racket carefully as it can impact your body, ability, and enjoyment of the game. So how do you decide on the best tennis rackets for beginners? After all, there’s a lot to choose from. No matter what your interest level or preferences are, we’ll show you how to find the best tennis racket for you.

Our Top Picks

If you’re wondering what qualities to look for in your first tennis racket, the HEAD Ti S6 has the specs you need to boost your game. Weighing in at 8.9 ounces, this racket is on the lighter end of the spectrum so it won’t tire out your arm as you strike shots across the court. Its head size, which is the area of the stringed frame, is considered an “oversized” racket at 115 square inches.

Oversized rackets, usually 105 square inches and up, are a great choice for beginners because they have a larger “sweet spot.” This means you have a higher chance of hitting the ball on the best part of the racket head to feel that satisfying pop and add some punch to your shots.

If you’re looking to emphasize more controlled shots than powerful ones, this could be your ideal beginning tennis racket. The Babolat Drive Max 110 weighs in a little heavier and its head size is a tad smaller than our best overall pick for tennis rackets for beginners. The advantage to this is that you can achieve greater control with this racket.

One reviewer writes that they became a much better player with the racket saying, “I went from lobbing shots all over the court to consistently placing powerful shots where I wanted them with a decent amount of spin. Nothing changed, I just finally started playing with a decent racket.”

It’s a little more expensive than our other picks for best tennis rackets for beginners (making it less ideal for the true beginner), but the couple extra dollars could make a difference between a shot that’s in bounds and one that you have to chase into the parking lot.

If you’re curious about playing tennis and looking for an affordable option under $30 that will set you up for success — look no further — the Wilson Adult Recreational tennis racket, Federer Version 2 is the right choice for you. Not only are the specs great for beginners (the racket features a large head size and low weight), but it also is the best selling tennis racket on Amazon with over 7,000 reviews averaging at 4.7 stars out of 5 stars.

One reviewer said, “These rackets are light, strong, responsive and forgiving,” adding that their game had improved by using the racket. With the low price, one reviewer mentioned that after a few uses, the grip started to peel off of the handle so you might need to keep an eye on the grip. However, it’s an easy and cheap fix, making this affordable tennis racket a great choice for beginners on a budget who want to try out tennis.

If comfort is king, try HEAD’s Microgel Radical Midplus tennis racket. One of the most common injuries in tennis is tennis elbow, which causes pain in the tendons near your elbow. This is due to overuse of your forearm muscles and especially occurs when you use a backhand stroke and your forearm is impacted by the force of a tennis ball hitting your racket.

HEAD’s Microgel Radical Midplus tennis racket helps lessen the impact when, “the MicroGel deforms and compresses upon ball impact, effectively absorbing and distributing the force around the entire frame.” Though improved technique will make the most difference for tennis elbow, reviewers noticed a difference in just switching rackets. One reviewer who experiences shoulder and elbow problems wrote, “My older rackets aggravate the problems. This racket is much gentler and I have little pain after playing with it.” 

Here’s a racket that can grow with you as you work your way up from beginner to intermediate player. With a slightly heavier weight and slightly smaller head size, you’ll have to work to generate more power, but the amount of control and maneuverability you’ll gain will help you place the ball more accurately and strategically.

With a nearly perfect 4.9 star rating from over 30 reviews, several reviewers credit the HEAD Graphene XT Radical S tennis racket as having improved their game. If you’re committed to increasing your power and are comfortable with a smaller sweet spot, the rewards of additional control could help you win your next match. Plus it could save you from needing to upgrade your racket in the future as your game (inevitably) gets better.

For under $50 you can get a great beginner’s tennis racket that will set you up for success with the HEAD Ti. Instinct Supreme. Featuring an oversized head which will make it easier to connect with the ball, a lightweight frame which will keep your arm from tiring out, and a head light balance which will give you an added boost of control, you can keep your volleys going back and forth across the court all day.

One reviewer said, “Great racket for a beginner at tennis. Nice weight and good feel. I am not ready to spend big bucks for a racket.” Because this racket is a “head light balanced,” (meaning the head of the racket is lighter and easier to maneuver) it is great for improving your control over the ball. The tradeoff is you’ll have to generate more of your own power. However, if you’re looking for an affordable tennis racket for the casual game with friends, this racket will help you keep the ball in play without breaking the bank.

Our Process

For this guide on the tennis rackets for beginners, our team spent 4 hours researching the most popular options from 7 brands and manufacturers big and small. We then read about 200 user reviews (both positive and negative) to discover what shoppers thought about each racket. After comparing this data, we narrowed our list down to the top 6 tennis rackets for beginners on the market. You can count on this research to guide you to a mindful purchasing decision.

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Further Reading