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There are so many manufacturers on the market that each claim to produce the best tennis racquet. Each manufacturer is known for certain features and technologies that set their rackets apart from the competition. It can be difficult to select the top tennis racquet brand as each person has his own preference. Even the top tennis champions in the world can’t agree to a single consensus as to which tennis racket brands is truly the best.
I have created this in depth guide to enlighten you on the top tennis racquet brands on the market. This guide should be able to help you choose which brand you should pick when you’re out looking for the best racquet for all of your tennis needs!
Your Guide To Selecting The Best Tennis Racquet Brand – The Top Eight
To help you in your search for the absolute top tennis racquet brands, I’ve narrowed down my search to the top eight absolute best on the market. I’ve chosen the brands that I’ve listed below based on consumer feedback and professional reviews.
Don’t buy your next tennis racket before taking a second look at the brands that I’ve selected and listed below!
Wilson
Wilson is an American sports equipment manufacturer that has over a century of experience.
Started in 1913 under the name Ashland Manufacturing Company, the company first specialized in manufacturing tennis racket strings, violin strings, and surgical sutures out of animal by-products.
Not long after the company started, it soon expanded into the manufacturing of baseball shoes and rackets.
In the year 1915, Thomas E. Wilson was appointed to become the president of the company. Ashland Manufacturing Company was renamed “Thomas E. Wilson Company” by its new president and since then the company’s name has been colloquially known as Wilson.
Over the years, Wilson expanded its range of products to a plethora of different types of sporting goods. Wilson products soon gained fame and popularity amongst athletes due to their quality. Many professional sports leagues and collegiate athletic association’s made Wilson their brand of choice.
Today, they’re most famous for the balls that they manufacture for various kinds of different sports. Aside from balls, Wilson has gained popularity for their high quality tennis rackets, athletic footwear, and protective gear.
Wilson has been making rackets for almost over a hundred years and I can guarantee that they know what they’re doing and they’re good at it. Countless professional players and several world champions have attested to the superiority of Wilson’s racquets to those of other players in the industry.
One of the their most famous tennis Racquet users is Pete Sampras, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of tennis. For a long time, Pete Sampras held the No. 1 position as the greatest tennis player in the world.
Wilson racquets have an almost cult-like following and their customer’s loyalty is unusual amongst tennis racket manufacturers. Countless innovations like BLX technology has made Wilson a well respected brand within the industry.
Overall, Wilson is a great option and it is certainly one of the top tennis racket brands out there. With over almost more than a century of experience, I think that it’s safe to say that Wilson is truly one of the greatest and most respected tennis racquet brands!
Volkl
Volkl is a German sports equipment manufacturing company that started out in 1923. This company initially got a start by producing high quality skis but then they extended their ventures into producing other winter sports equipment such as snowboards and winter outerwear.
Since the 1970’s, Volkl has produced some of the highest quality tennis rackets available.
Their rackets have been endorsed by several world tennis champions such as: Boris Becker, Michael Stich, Sergi Bruguera, Petr Korda and Jana Novotna.
As one of the global leaders in the racket industry, Volkl has come up with countless innovative technologies that have set their rackets apart from those from other key players in the industry.
Every single Volkl tennis racket was developed by going through a process of trial and error and meticulous testing. As with all famous German products, Volkl rackets have the unique distinction of being of the highest quality.
With a wide array of different choices available, any tennis player is sure to be able to find the right racket for all their gaming needs. Volkl also produces high quality peripherals such as high quality strings and grips that are sure to allow you to customize your racket to your exact specifications.
Overall, Volkl is a brand that is known for the quality of their products. A Volkl tennis racquet is a certain must have for any hardcore tennis enthusiast, and I’d have to recommend this brand to anyone who’s looking for the top tennis racket brands!
Head
Head is former American company that is now based in the Netherlands.
It was started by aeronautical engineer Howard Head, after he took a ski trip and came to the realization that most skis during the time were made of wood in an era when plastics and metals were commonly replacing traditional wooden designs.
During the late 1960’s, Head created a tennis division when Howard Head figured out a way to strengthen tennis rackets by introducing an aluminum frame. Up until that time, most rackets were made out of wood.
Ever since Head came up with its first tennis racquet, it has been a game changer in the industry. Nowadays Head is one of the most popular tennis racket brands on the market with several world champions including Maria Sharapova endorsing the brand.
The success of head tennis racquets can mostly be attributed to the technological innovations and simple designs. Inexpensive pricing partnered with superior quality also play a factor in the popularity of head tennis racquets.
Head is one of the top tennis racket brands to consider for anyone that loves to play tennis. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or professional player, I’m sure that Head has something for you. You certainly can go wrong with choosing this awesome brand!
Yonex
In an industry that is dominated by European and American brands, Yonex is unique as it is an Asian brand. Yonex is a Japanese company that was founded in 1946 by Minoru Yoneyama as a producer of wooden floats for fishing nets.
After some moderate success, Yonex was forced out of the wooden float market due to
the invention of plastic floats which phased out their wooden counterparts.
After being pushed out of the market, Yoneyama made a commitment to never again let his company get left behind by technological advancements.
In 1957, they started producing badminton rackets for various different brands and by the early 1960’s Yonex started manufacturing rackets under their own name. After Yonex started manufacturing aluminum badminton rackets
in 1969, it found that the same kind of technology can be applied into tennis racquets.
The first Yonex tennis racket was released in 1971, and the company quickly gained popularity as one of the top manufacturers of rackets in the world. Soon after Yonex release their first racket made out of stainless steel, the company began experimenting with graphite and soon they release their first graphite material tennis racquet.
By the 1980’s, they had become one of the world’s most well known brands. To this day, Yonex continues to be a global leader in the tennis racquet industry and their rackets have been sought out by players from all over.
Yonex is truly the first major Asian player in the racket industry and it is truly one of the greatest tennis racquet brands on the market today!
Prince
Prince is an American company started in the 1970’s that is purely devoted to providing the market with the greatest tennis racquets available.
Founded in 1970 by Robert H. McClure of Princeton, New Jersey (hence the namesake) as a maker of tennis ball machines, Price soon went on to making rackets.
Today, Prince has expanded their product line to include footwear, apparel, and other types of tennis equipment. players from all over the world have chosen Prince as their brand of choice due to the quality and craftsmanship that Prince has put into all of their products.
Notable tennis players such as: Johan Brunström, Taylor Townsend, Mike Bryan, and Jelena Jankovic have been known to solely use Price tennis racquets. Countless consumers have praised Price for the innovative designs and durability of their rackets.
A number of key technologies have been introduced by Prince into the tennis racket industry. The most notable technology that Prince has introduced is their Textreme technology which provides their rackets with improved control, enhanced power, and a better feel.
If you’re looking for the greatest tennis racquet brands, then Prince in undoubtedly one of the best out there. Reliable high quality rackets, simple designs, and innovative technologies have made Prince one of the most sought out brands.
You surely can’t go wrong with this wonderful brand!
Babolat
Babolat is a French tennis, badminton, and squash equipment company that is best known for the string and tennis rackets that they produce. Started in 1875 by Pierre Babolat, this brand is the oldest manufacturer on the list.
From the company’s inception until 1994, it focused on making racket strings but then it
expanded to become a “total tennis” company that produces racket frames.
After gaining a good reputation for their rackets in Europe, the Babolat company expanded to the United States in the year 2000, and after-which gained a global foothold.
In recent years, the sales of Babolat have increased rapidly in North America and Europe. Many tennis champions have professed their preference to Babolat and have claimed that it is their brand of choice.
Notable players that have used or use Babolat tennis racquet are: Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Aside from being used by many top ranking tennis champions, Babolat is also famous for pioneering Connected Sport technology.
Babolat is truly a global leader and innovator in the racket industry. Their market dominance in much of Europe is testament to that. This is a brand that deserves a second look if you’re looking for the best tennis racquet brand out there!
Tecnifibre
Like Babolat, Tecnifibre is a French sporting equipment manufacturer that specializes in manufacturing equipment for tennis and squash. This brand was founded way back in 1979 by the current CEO Thierry Maissant.
In the year 1983, Tecnifibre created its first tennis racket string with a then brand new technology: polyurethane.
Then in 1985, Tecnifibre expanded into the stringing machine business.
By 2004, Tecnifibre finally started producing rackets. The company initially started with two collections for their launch: T-flight, and T-flash.
Today, Tecnifibre tennis racquets are some of the most sought after rackets available on the market. With a global market, this brand is known the world over and is very respected within the industry.
There are several notable users of Tecnifibre racquets. Tennis players that consider Tecnifibre as their brand of choice include: John Millman, Marius Copil, Donald Young, Jérémy Chardy, and Janko Tipsarević.
Throughout the brands development, Tecnifibre has built a global reputation as one of the best brands on the market. The good reputation of Tecnifibre can be attributed to the quality of products that they flood the market with.
Tecnifibre prides itself as an all French brand with all their products made in France. Thierry Maissant wanted the world to know what the French are capable and I believe that he successfully did so.
Despite being a relatively new player in the industry, Tecnifibre has definitely been successful at making a name for itself as a brand and I believe that the future is only going to bring the brand more prestige and respect.
Tecnifibre is definitely a brand to consider and look out for when you’re looking for the best racquet racket brand!
Dunlop
Dunlop is an English sporting goods company that specializes in tennis and golf equipment. Related to Dunlop Tires, this company started manufacturing sporting goods in the year 1910, when it began manufacturing rubber golf balls.
In 1924, Dunlop started manufacturing tennis balls, and in 1925, the company acquired FA
Davis which was a company that had expertise in manufacturing tennis racquets.
By the 1970’s and 80’s, Dunlop had fallen behind its competition because it was slow to adopt new materials that rackets were increasingly being made from, believing that wood would remain the dominant material.
After business declined in the 1980’s, Dunlop finally decided to make it a point adopt new materials and technologies to stay ahead of its competition. Ever since then, Dunlop has been an innovator in the racket industry.
It should be noted that more Grand Slams have been won with Dunlop tennis rackets than with any other brand. That fact in itself already proves that Dunlop is one of the greatest tennis racket brands ever!
Today, notable users of Dunlop rackets include: Nicolás Almagro, Tiago Fernandes, Ross Hutchins, Jonathan Marray, and Philipp Marx.
With all the facts that I’ve stated above, it is safe to say that Dunlop is indeed one of the greatest and best tennis racquet brands. You can’t go wrong if you purchase a Dunlop racket !
Best Tennis Racquet Brand – A Round Up
Each one of the eight tennis racket brands that I have selected have their strong and weak points. No two people have the same exact needs and specifications that need to be catered to, and one person might prefer a certain brand to another.
Every player has his or her specific needs and preferences and each brand has their own solution and answer to these needs and preferences. Everyone has their own preference which is why there really isn’t any clear consensus in the market as to which brand is really the best.
Style and design wise, each of the eight brands that I’ve selected has their own fundamental elements that they adhere to. Style and aesthetics isn’t really what should be looked at when looking to purchase a tennis racket but it is still a major factor that affects the decision on every tennis player.
My personal favorite brand amongst the eight is Volkl due to the highly technological features that they incorporate into their rackets. Volkl is an amazing brand that incorporates German quality into all of their rackets.
If you’re looking for a budget friendly tennis racket, I suggest that you consider Yonex or Wilson as these brands produce rackets that give you the best value for your money.
Head is a great brand if you’re a beginner level tennis player that is looking for a simple, budget friendly, durable, all around tennis racket.