It’s about time I tell you my thoughts around the gear of the year. Here are the best racquets of 2020.
Despite 2020 being a strange and challenging year, I managed to play a lot of tennis and review a lot of racquets (strings to come in the coming days). Although the ATP and WTA tours took a break for a while, racquets were still released from various tennis brands with some regularity. I have decided to split up the best racquets of 2020 into different categories:
- Power racquets
- Spin racquets
- Modern player racquets
- Control racquets
The categories kind of speak for themselves except for the “modern player racquets”. A so-called “player racquet” used to be a racquet focused mainly on control and feel, but these days as tennis gets increasingly fast-paced and spin-oriented, even advanced player racquets offer a blend of control, power, and spin. Another thing that unites them is that they are usually heavier than the frames in other categories.
My favorite category in this gear of the year post is “control racquets”. These are the frames I most enjoy to play tennis with, although I might get better results with more modern style racquets. Since I have suffered from some arm issues this year (and I am far from alone), I have decided to put arm-friendliness as a key factor for my picks. But this doesn’t mean that I have completely disregarded stiffer racquets. The truth is that I have played some of my best tennis with more powerful and stiffer racquets, but in the end, had to put them away due to the stiffness bothering my arm.
The Best Racquets of 2020 – The video
I have compiled a video where I go through the best racquets of 2020. In the end, I decided to stick to a very control-oriented racquet as my main match frame for 2021. The reason being that I want to improve my footwork and the racquet, in this case, the HEAD Pro Tour 2.0, forces me to focus more on that. I get easier depth, more spin, and pace with other racquets, but I also don’t feel quite as confident swinging them in high-pressure situations. The HEAD Pro Tour 2.0 puts it all on me, which is a thing I like a lot. The racquet is truly an extension of my arm and gives me exactly what I put into it.
It will not be the right racquet for most players reading this post, but I think many will appreciate it as a racquet to pick up and practice with from time to time. It keeps you honest!
I will update this post with the various categories in the coming days, but for now, you will have to make do with the video.
I hope you like it! Thanks for reading Tennisnerd and I wish you all the best in 2020!
17 comments
Hi again Jonas, I have a Pro Tour 2.0 strung with Lynx Tour and it feels a bit too stiff in this frame. I was thinking about Cyclone, Ytex Quadro Twist or Hyper G soft. Any string recommendations for this frame? Thanks, Steve
Hi Steve, Lynx Tour is pretty stiff. Solinco Hyper-G Soft works well for me in 1.20 or 1.15 gauge at 51 lbs.
Excellent! Thanks again! :-)
Nice overview. Your preferences are stated and that’s ok …shows where you’re coming from. However you devote sufficient time and attention to racquets that would appeal and be suitable for the great majority of your readers.
Thanks! I try my best :)
Terrific summary of 2020 offerings Jonas, thank you. I have a Prestige MP to demo in the coming days, now I’m really really looking forward to it! ??
Great content and choice for your personal racquet, do you think head will ever release the pro tour in 16×19 just like murray has it?
Thanks Josh! I doubt it :(
Thanks and Happy New Year Jonas! With so much not possible during lockdown, it’s been great to have be able to get back into playing tennis regularly, and really enjoyed your insightful posts throughout the year.
Thanks Peter! Same to you!
Great summary, thanks Jonas. I hope you get a chance to demo some Volkl rackets next year, although the latest V-Cell range is not getting great reviews yet. Hopefully, you’ll get to try a V-Feel 8 300g, which I can recommend in the Power/Spin section (but with no problems on the arm), and a V-Feel 10 320g, which is very nice in the Control segment. You’re so lucky in Malta. No indoor tennis again in the UK until February at earliest ;-<
Where did the Prince Phantom 100X end up falling?
Would it have been close to one of these lists?
I had the impression it was very favorably reviewed here. And possibly preferred to the various 100Ps.
Thank you for a great yearly summery!
I play with the Ultra Tour, customized with leather grip and led in the hoop. But now looking for a new raquet. How would you conpare the new Head Ultra pro (former Ultra Tour) to the Head Gravity Pro?
Tack! The Ultra Pro has a slightly smaller sweet spot but is lighter to swing and offers more room for customization. The comfort and feel is quite similar on both of these frames…
What about the Technifibre TF40 305g? This was rated at 88 out of 100 on tennis warehouse. Thought this would be higher than the RS range?
Hey Jonas, great review. Would you rather the head pro tour 2.0 over the pt630 because if the lighter weight?
Hey James,
Yes, I think it’s a bit easier to use. Some extra free power and lighter swing weight.