About a third of the people who join Racquet Network are beginners. Therefore I am often asked what I think is the best tennis racquet for a beginner to purchase.
Generally speaking, this is a good question for intermediate or advanced players, but a poor question for beginners. Intermediate and advanaced tennis players have played long enough to develop a constitent game style. Therefore it is possible to give them advice on some racquet choices that may suit their game style.
Beginnners, however, do not have a consistent game style. Most, in fact, won't have a consistent game style for two or three years. Therefore spending a lot of money on a tennis racquet that suits a particular game style is at best a shot in the dark.
A better question for beginners is this: "Where should I invest my money?"
In most cases, the answer is found in an appropriate mix of tennis balls, lessons and practice. Every beginner's tennis bag should contain a low end tennis racquet (no more than $70.00) and 10 open cans of balls. Otherwise, beginners will spend most of their court time chasing after missing balls.
Beyond these two essentials, beginners should invest in lessons and practice time. Typcially, every tennis lesson should be followed by 10 hours of practice time. Therefore wise beginners will look for clubs that offer easy and affordable access to ball machines as well as group practice times. They will also look for other beginners who want to get together to rally and practice.
Tennis beginners: invest in yourself by practicing twice a week and taking lessons every two weeks. Follow this rule of thumb and you will develop your very own game style in fairly short order. Then and only then should you consider investing in a high-end tennis racquet.
