Gear Q&A: Looking for racquets that create a “heavy” shot

Jon Levey answers your Gear Q&A. Email your question to tennis.comproshop@gmail.com.

From my experience, "tweener" frames weighing around 300 grams, are the most powerful. However, when reading racquet reviews of these frames I often see that testers seem to miss the "heavy penetrating" shots that only heavier racquets seem to generate. So, what type of racquet produces the "heaviest" shot?—Alex

Alex,

In reviews on this site, I’m certainly guilty of using this shorthand without clearly defining it. The traits of a heavy ball are open to interpretation, but it’s essentially a shot that carries a wicked combination of speed and topspin that make it more onerous to return; all that rotation feels like there’s extra weight on the ball and it takes greater effort to turn it around. If one gets above your shoulders it can seem like you’re hitting a brick.

It’s different than a shot that only has a lot of pace. That kind of ball can travel through the court quickly, but doesn’t carry as much “substance” at contact—it doesn’t fight your racquet quite the same way. It needs the accompanying spin to make it heavy. That means you need significant racquet head speed to whip the face up and through contact. When that is combined with stiff polyester strings designed for spin, the ball compresses on the string bed, giving more of an opportunity to put work on it.

Basic physics tells us that along with acceleration, mass is the other part of the force equation (f=ma). So, if you’re swinging two racquets at the same speed, the heavier one will normally deliver the more forceful ball. (The weight distribution and stiffness of the frames can disrupt this assumption). The sticking point is whether swing speed slows significantly because of the additional weight. It may not seem like much, but for some players an extra five grams placed toward the top of the frame can feel like strapping a piano to the racquet’s back.

It may not seem like much, but for some players an extra five grams placed toward the top of the frame can feel like strapping a piano to the racquet’s back.

Yet for players accustomed to heavier frames, going down in weight can be equally disruptive. Players who typically use a 315 gram (or more) racquet unstrung, can sometimes find a 300 gram model too whippy and underpowered. Their stock swing doesn’t generate the same velocity and penetration. Instead of getting the racquet in motion and letting the mass take over, they need to channel Andry Reblev’s aggression to make up the difference.

This can cause timing issues and inconsistent contact. As a result, the racquet may slow down in order to center the ball more repeatedly. Meaning shots won’t have quite the same pop and heaviness. Under these circumstances, adding a little more weight to frame is a better option than figuring out how to constantly swing it with massive acceleration. Hence, the old adage of a player using the heaviest racquet they can comfortably swing.

Another possible reason for the discrepancy, and why lighter frames are tagged with the more powerful label, is because heavier frames are often designed to enhance precision and control.

This usually means more flexibility, thinner beams, smaller head sizes and less inherent power, especially outside the sweet spot.

Users of these frames typically have the mechanics to consistently make pure contact and provide most of their own pace, so they don’t want much assistance from the racquet. But a lighter, stiffer tweener frame is more forgiving and will offer more help when the stroke or impact isn’t clean. Consequently, it can play more powerfully.

Can you deliver a heavy ball with a lighter frame?

Absolutely. And the truth is, the difference between 300g and 305g frames can be difficult to detect. As we’ve seen in the pro ranks, lighter frames are becoming more of the norm. They are swinging stiffer racquets with less weight faster to produce power and spin. Swingweight—how heavy the racquet travels through the air—has become the more important metric. Finding the right balance between rapid acceleration and just enough heft is the key.

For some players, more mass does translate to a heavier shot. But it’s a not a requirement. As long as you’re generating the requisite swing speed to compensate for the lower static mass, there’s no reason a lighter frame can’t carry serious weight.