Best Tennis Racquet for Intermediate Players

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Buying a new tennis racquet isn’t always about spending the big bucks. Rather, it’s about getting a racquet that complements your style and skills. For in the hands of one player, a racquet can be a match made in heaven; while for another, it can be difficult to wield, leading to a bad game experience. 

But with so many racquet options available in the market, choosing a racquet that works for you can be daunting—especially for beginners and intermediate players. How then do you make sure you handpick a racquet that matches your abilities, skill level, and even your style of play? 

In this guide, our aim is to help you take the guesswork out of the equation. 

First, you will learn the general specs of tennis racquets so that you can get an idea of what to look for. Then, we will explore important questions that you need to ask yourself before selecting a racquet. Ultimately, we want to give you a headstart so that you can spend more time on the court and less time researching. 

For our independent reviews on “the best tennis racquets for intermediate players”, be sure to check out our top 7 picks at the end of this guide. You can also visit Amazon.co.uk for more.

A Guide for Beginners: Choosing the Right Tennis Racquet

6 Factors to Consider When Buying a Tennis Racket

When choosing a racket, there are several factors you should consider:

• Head size
• Weight and balance
• Hitting area
• String pattern
• Grip size
• Tension

Combined, these elements make each racquet unique to every user. But more importantly, they determine how well an individual can use a specific racquet to enhance their tennis game—taking into account factors such as skill level, objective, and physique.

Now, let’s break down each factor.

Head size

The size of the racket head is very important when choosing a tennis racquet. A small head size on your new tennis racket means better control while an oversized racket will help you with hitting harder shots.

You should choose a head size that matches your skill level and strength so that you don’t risk hurting yourself or having too much power in your game. 

Weight and balance

• Weight

Racket weights are measured in ounces, and they should be proportioned to your body weight. Heavier rackets typically offer more power while lighter rackets promote greater production of spin.

It’s important to note that, if a racquet is too light, you can always add weight to it. However, decreasing racquet weight is nearly impossible. 

• Balance

A racket’s balance is how much weight it has distributed into the handle versus its head. This factor is crucial since it affects things like manoeuvrability, determining how flexible a player can be when using a specific type of racquet. 

This means that if two people are using the same type of racket, the right balance for them might be different because their arm weights are likely different.

Hitting area

The hitting area of a racket is named by its length and width measured in square inches. Beginner players should choose larger string areas with greater length and width, while advanced players will prefer smaller hitting surfaces for more precision. 

You should consider your level of skill when choosing this factor because the wrong type of hitting are can risk injury or cause you to play poorly.

String pattern

The string patterns of different rackets vary, and it’s important to consider this factor when choosing a type of racket. 

Straight-stringed rackets offer better stability for beginners, while players with more advanced skills tend to like smaller string patterns because they allow them to get more spin on their shots. The wrong string pattern can make the difference between winning and losing games.

Grip size

The grip is the part of your racket that you hold on to while playing tennis, and it’s important to consider this factor when choosing a new one. 

People with small hands should choose smaller grips while people with larger hands will prefer larger grips. You should take into consideration how many times you plan on using your racket in order to avoid having to buy multiple types of rackets. 

Grip size can also affect your level of comfort while playing so always makes sure you look for the right fit that works for you. 

Tension

Racket strings come in a variety of tightness (tensions) and materials, so it’s vital to keep this in mind while selecting a racket type.

Generally, it’s more difficult to control rackets with tighter strings, but they provide more spin and power than string patterns with looser strings. So before you choose the right type of string for your racket, evaluate your options and consider what would work for you the most.

Categories of tennis racquets

Tennis racquets fall into three main categories:

• Beginner level racquets
• Intermediate level racquets
• Advanced level racquets

The three main types are used to describe a player’s swing type, which can either be: short and slow; fast and full; or somewhere in-between (moderate swing). Here’s a look at each category.

Power racquets

Also known as beginner-level racquets, these racquets are designed to offer strength and give more power to users. Thus, they are more suitable for newbies or players who have slow and compact swings.

General characteristics are: 

• Oversized head: 105 – 115 square inches
• Lightweight construction: 8 – 10 ounces
• Extended length: 27 – 29 inches

Also, they have a stiffer frame (66 or greater) and are head heavy retaining enough weight around the hitting zone.

Tweener racquets

Tweener racquets are designed for intermediate or recreational players. These are sportsmen and sportswomen looking to upgrade their game from beginner level and perhaps on their way to becoming advanced players. 

Tweener racquets often borrow some power characteristics of power racquets, mixed with control elements of control racquets (explained below). As such, they tend to be very spin-friendly and provide a balance of both power and control. 

General characteristics include:

• Mid-range weight: 10–11 ounces
• Mid head size: 95–105 square inches
• Standard Length: 27 inches

In addition, they have medium frame stiffness (between 61–70) and possess an evenly balanced head weight.

Control racquets

Otherwise referred to as advanced-level racquets, these racquets are primarily designed for professional tennis players with topspin forehand and aggressive attacking skills. 

The racquets are thinner, lighter, and have more flexible beams to help players retain more control with less power. In many ways, these racquets are the opposite of beginner-level racquets. 

General racquet characteristics are:

• Small head: Below 95
• Heavier construction: 11+ ounces
• Standard length: 19–27 inches

Moreover, stiffness is low to mid-range—typically ranging between 50 to 70.

Tennis Racquet Specification Chart

	Power racquets	Tweener	Control racquets
Who is it for?	– Players with slow, short swings – Players seeking to generate more serving power and depth on groundstrokes – Ideal for beginners and leisure players	– Best for intermediate players seeking to combine power and control – A great option for junior players transitioning into adult racquets – Suitable for players with great spins	– Players with faster, longer swing – Players who want more control – Best option for physically imposing players
Racquet Head Size (sq. inches)	Above 105	95–105	Below 95
Racquet Length    (inches)	More than 27 in.	27 in.	Less than 27 in.
Racquet Strung Weight	Below 10 ounces	10–11 ounces	Over 11 ounces
Beam Width (mm)	Above 27 mm	23–27 mm	Below 23 mm
Power vs Control	More power, less control	Balanced racquet	Less power, more control

 

Chart summary of racquet specifications

It’s important to note that besides the above types of racquets, there is another category known as Junior Tennis Racquets—but these are specially made for kids.

That said, let’s now examine in detail some of the characteristics of the best tennis racquets for intermediate players.

Characteristics of the Best Intermediate Tennis Racquets

Extra Control

One of the crucial elements with the best intermediate racquets is that they give you extra control. As a beginner, most of the focus is on getting enough power and getting the ball over the net. But as you advance, you need control of where the ball is going. 

That’s why intermediate-level racquets are built with mid head size and standard length to help players gain control as they slowly master their game.

More Spin

The best tennis racquets for intermediate players usually don’t just overwhelm players with power—they also add tons of spin. 

As such, one of the characteristics associated with intermediate racquets is that they focus on spin capabilities. To this end, they are designed with improved frame designs and specific string patterns, allowing players to add more spins to their shots. 

Heavier Weight

Intermediate racquets are usually heavier than beginner-level tennis racquets but are slightly lighter compared to advanced-level racquets. 

This balance in weight is important because as you move from beginner level to an intermediate player, your shift on what you can handle should be gradual. An abrupt switch from a lightweight to a heavyweight racquet could be the fastest ticket to injury. 

Symmetry

This is a general characteristic of all racquets. Unless you prefer otherwise, a racquet should be symmetrical in shape and design so that both sides of the head are identical. This will keep your stroke mechanics consistent on both sides resulting in fewer unforced errors due to poor contact (hitting the ball off of one side of the strings instead of at the centre).

Stable Grip

Stiffer tennis racquets always feel more stable in the hands of a player. This is especially important for intermediate and advanced players who are playing competitive opponents where they have to counter their opponent’s power shots.

Having a solid, yet comfortable intermediate-level racquet will ensure that you improve or grow your playing techniques while enjoying the game. 

Best Tennis Racquet for Intermediate Players: Our Top 7 picks

This is our independent tennis racquet review that you can trust. To bring you this well-researched, unbiased selection, we based our recommendations on the following checklist:

• Popularity – This includes top ratings by customers
• Customer reviews and feedback
• Prices
• Sellers’ rank—both in top 100 in Sports & Outdoors and in Tennis Racquets

We also gathered more information from playtesters with firsthand experiences with using all the tennis gear. Here are our top 7 selections: 

Wrapping Up

With hundreds of tennis racquets on the market, understanding the different types can help guide your decision-making and narrow your options to find a great fit.

To that end, we hope this resource has helped point you in the right direction. For more racquet options, make sure you head on to Amazon.co.uk.