So.. I bought a new racquet for the upcoming tennis season!
I researched a LOT just to buy the right racquet, and I’m very satisfied with my choice. So today, I would like to share the information I researched! I hope it helps if your planning to buy a new racket!
The two rackets I really struggled through were the Wilson BLX 6.1 95, and Babolat Aero Storm. (Wilson- Red, Babolat- Yellow)
Wilson BLX 6.1 95
Everyone knows Wilson right? Wilson is the classic tennis racket brand which has a variety of options. The Wilson BLX 6.1 95, also known as Rodger Federer’s new racket is a popular racket for both women & men. This was my coach’s racket and I had a chance to use it. This racket is known for it’s light weight and soft hit,(less vibration).
In contrast
Babolat Aero Storm
Probably one of the uprising tennis brand would be Babolat. Among all of the Babolat rackets, Babolat Aero Storm is the most popular. This racket was also used by a well known player Rafael Nadal, and is known for it’s level of control and safe, comfortable hits. I had a chance to use this racket as well, and I was impressed by the solid feel at impact. This racket was significantly heavier than the Wilson racket , and this made me struggle a lot more for disicion.
So, leading to another question…
Heavy rackets vs Light rackets
Light rackets(Wilson BLX 6.1 95)
The racket I used before was a very old, female racket which was really light. Light raquets are good for beginners and are usually the larger head sized ones too like 105 square inches or more. However once you start to hit the ball harder, than you do NOT want to have a light racket. Light rackets are good for you to get used to playing easy tennis, but when you hit the ball harder, it loses control and vibrates to the point where it is likely to go out.
Heavy rackets(Babolat Aero Storm)
Heavier rackets are usually smaller than lighter rackets. It is safe for a player who has a strong hit, because with less vibration the ball will still sometimes go in and give you another chance(Something a light racket will not do). Also this might sound weird but heavy rackets are better for your elbows because the raquet weight will change the direction of the ball rather than putting stress on your elbow when you are making a power shot. Proof that heavier rackets for better hitters is the pros. Almost (very close to every) all of them use heavy rackets.Rodger Federer uses a raquet which weighs 12.6 ounces. It may be heavy but gives him a LOT of control and really, once you get used to the racket it doesn’t feel heavy.
I chose to buy the Babolat Aero Storm model. Although I was really attracted by the brand Wilson(haha) and the slim design of Wilson BLX 6.1 95, as my weakness is consistency of hitting safe balls I decided to purchase Babolat Aero Storm. By researching all of this information I also learned a lot about tennis, and that it’s not all about the player, but actually the racket can make a difference. I hope my blog post helped, if your finding just the right racket for you(:
Left-Wilson BLX 6.1 95 Right-Babolat Aero Storm