Yes. The quiz and your four picks are free. You sign in with email or Google to get them. That is how we hand you your results, not a paywall. The one paid bit is reruns. A retake runs a fresh AI analysis, and that isn't free for us. So it's a small in-app purchase, or earn one by inviting a friend. Your first set of picks is always free.

Three ways. Pick whichever suits you:

• Take the quiz. 12 questions in about two minutes. We read your answers against every racket we track, check live stock at shops we trust, and hand you four rackets with the reason each one fits you.
• Read a guide. Our ranked picks for a category, like beginners or left-side players, with the why behind each.
• Read a review. One racket in full, including who should skip it.

Whichever route you take, you get a live price from a shop we trust.

Yes. Nobody pays us to rank one racket over another, so your result is never steered toward a shelf someone needs cleared. The pick is only ever about your game.

No. We're not a shop, and we hold no stock. We match you to rackets, then point you at trusted retailers with live prices. You buy direct from them.

Start with three things: shape, weight, and how firm the core is. Then match them to your level and your arm, not to what a pro plays. A round head with a softer core is forgiving and easy on the arm, good for starting out or a sore elbow. A teardrop or diamond head with a firmer core hits harder but wants cleaner timing. Not sure how it adds up for you? The free 12-question quiz reads your level, style, and budget, then matches you four rackets with the reason for each.

For your first racket, look for a round head, a soft core, and a weight around 355 to 365 grams. It'll be easy on your arm and quick at the net. A round shape keeps the sweet spot where beginners actually hit, and a soft core absorbs mishits instead of punishing them. Skip the diamond-shaped power rackets the pros use. They're stiff and unforgiving until your technique catches up. Around €80.00 to €120.00 gets you a real EVA-core racket you won't outgrow in a month.

Shape decides where the power and the sweet spot sit: round is control and forgiveness, diamond is power, teardrop is the middle. A round head keeps the weight low and central, so the sweet spot is biggest and control is easiest. That's where nearly every beginner should start. A diamond head moves weight to the tip for maximum smash power, but the sweet spot shrinks and it demands clean technique. A teardrop splits the difference.

If your arm, elbow, or shoulder flares up, look for a round head, a soft EVA core, and a lighter frame around 350 to 360 grams. That's as gentle as a racket gets on the joint. A soft core flexes on contact and sends less shock up the handle, and a lighter round racket is easier to swing without straining. Stiff, head-heavy diamond rackets transmit the most vibration, so those are the ones to avoid. Some frames add anti-vibration tech in the handle too. A nice extra, though the spec above does the real work.

Choose control if you're still building technique or you play a patient, placement game. Choose power if your technique is clean and you finish at the net. Control rackets (round head, softer core, even balance) keep the ball in play and forgive mishits. For most players that's the safer bet, because power you can't aim is just errors. Power rackets (diamond head, firm core, high balance) reward you once you're already generating your own pace. Unsure? Control is almost always the right first answer.

Most players do best around 355 to 370 grams. Light enough to react at the net, heavy enough to carry power. Go lighter (350 to 360g) if you're protecting an elbow or just starting out: easier on the arm, quicker in the hand. Go heavier (365 to 375g) for more punch on the smash, but expect a tired arm and slower reactions. And balance matters as much as grams: the same weight feels heavier in a head-heavy diamond than in an even round.

Most rackets last one to three years, depending on how hard and how often you play. Hit once or twice a week and a frame lasts well over a year. Play four or five times a week and you might wear one out in a few months. Replace it when you feel the signs, not when the calendar says so: a dull, dead feel on contact, new buzz through the handle, lost power, or a crack in the frame or face.

Not always. A well-matched €100.00 racket often beats a pricier frame that fights your game, especially while your technique is still settling. The extra money buys stiffer carbon: sharper feedback, more power. That pays off once you're timing the ball cleanly. Below that, brand matters less than fit: the same shape and core feel similar across brands. And we don't score or rank rackets on hype. We show live prices from vetted shops, so you're comparing real, in-stock offers at any budget.