I recently posted about the best tennis racquets of 2011, I did fail to mention if the racquet choices were ideal for men or women, sorry about that! After a few comments and emails asking which was best for the average tennis playing woman, I decided to write up a new post with my opinion of which could be best for her.
Again, I’m going to tell you that every tennis player’s game and ability are completely different than each other so my racquet suggestions are general. I strongly recommend testing a few different tennis racquets before you decide to purchase a new weapon.
Let’s get started shall we? I received requests from female tennis players on average in the NTRP 3.5 ranking (Improved consistency on moderate shots with directional control;
improved court coverage; starting to look for the opportunity to come to the net; developing teamwork in doubles), so these recommendations are based for that players ability. I did quite a bit of research to find the best of the best and I picked one tennis racquet from the popular brands; Head, Babolat, Prince, Wilson, Yonex, and Donnay:
Yonex’s V Core 100S racquet – This powerful tennis racquet is ideal for the tennis player who likes to take big swing at the ball. The open string pattern (16×19) will allow more time for the ball to sit on the strings longer which will give more spin. Because this is a powerful intermediate tennis racquet, players will find the problem of over hitting the ball, which can be extremely frustrating at times, however; I am confident with some practice this is one of the best tennis rackets on the market for women in 2011 which is why WTA #1 Caroline Wozniacki carries this racket in her bag. Not only is this a great fit for the ladies, it’s equally as impressive for men as well.
Wilson’s BLX Blade 98 Pink racquet – This is another one of my favorite tennis racquets that I like to recommend to the 3.5+ woman. Wilson introduced their BLX line and have really been quite impressive with their equipment in 2011. I particularly like to recommend this racquet because it does have a pink look to it, but that’s just advertising. In any event, the racquet head is a little smaller (98 square inches) than most intermediate tennis racquets but that should not affect the shot making whatsoever. This powerful, control orientated BLX racquet can be forgiving on off centered stroked and when you hit that sweetspot, you will know. The Pink BLX is very stable frame which is perfect for the ladies who like to play the net often, the racquet twist when hitting volley’s were down to a minimum. A solid tennis racquet for the player who has a solid foundation of strokes.
Donnay’s X-Red 99 racquet – Now this is a pick out of the blue for me, I’ve played with all the Donnay tennis racquets and I believe they are a marvelous breed of racquets. I picked the Red 99 for the ladies because it is a great all around racquet. The open string pattern really allows for extra ball spin without sacrificing a lot of control. Placing the ball where you want is pretty easy. Another part of the Donnay frame that I absolutely loved is the extra thin beam – 16 millimeters as opposed to Head’s 21.5 millimeters – that really makes the actual racquet swing much faster!Because the frame is so thin, it’s simple to generate a lot of racquet head speed. With all that racquet head speed you could assume that controlling the ball would be difficult, but with the 99 square inch head mishits are forgiven.
Head’s YouTek Mojo racquet – This is a lighter tennis racquet that I recommend for the ladies. This is a very versatile, maneuverable, lightweight, and powerful stick is really easy on the arm and extremely easy to play with. I would say this is a pretty entry level tennis racquet for women and men, don’t get me wrong though, this is not just an entry level stick, this is also a very powerful, control oriented tennis racquet. With it’s lightweight frame, it is very easy on the joints when the tennis ball is impacted. Head developed YouTek so that the racquet would react differently on every stroke, the frame will stiffen when swinging faster and hitting harder for additional power, whereas the frame will add more flex when hitting softer and slower swings for more touch and placement. You really can’t go wrong with a Head tennis racquet, after all, they have been a leader in tennis for decades.
Prince EXO3 Tour Team 100 racquet – This racquet is on he higher end of the tennis scale, it’s little more for the intermediate player; though it should not be a deterrent. I personally like the EXO3 series tennis racquets because they are incredibly easy to play with, especially when playing from the baseline. The Tour Team is incredibly easy to work with from any spot on the court, baseline rallies are powerful and controlled, and hitting volley’s are precise with touch. This racquet will not fail to impress with the spin it can generate even on a big full swing, and you will have little to no loss of control. Just a great all around tennis racquet for the strong 3.5 tennis player, woman or man.
And finally I give to you, Babolat’s Pure Drive Lite GT racquet – This racquet is by far not at the end of this women’s racquet recommendation list on purpose, it’s the last one I was able to get to. Babolat has a long history in tennis, probably one of the longest of the sport, therefore you should really consider at least taking this stick for a test drive. The combination of power, control, maneuverability, and comfort make this the perfect tennis racquet for all levels and types of players. It won’t be hard on the arm nor will it be difficult to swing and volley. The Lite version of the Pure Drive will absolutely give you powerful penetrating shots, precise serves, and touch you need at net.
All in all, this is these are some of the better tennis racquets for women on the market, trust me ladies, you will be hitting your opponents off the court with either of these options. Some may take a little longer to get used to, however these are all excellent starting points if you want to take your tennis game to the next level!