Best Tennis Racquets for Advanced Players For 2023 – Our Reviews and Comparisons

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Before discussing which racquets are preferred for hardcore tennis players, we should review what constitutes an advanced player. If the following description sounds like you, then you are an advanced player.

• Play tennis regularly
• Prefer an aggressive game
• Ball control and placement, power application, and ball spin are important
• Serve with power and spin

All of these aspects of gameplay would rate you at least a 4.0 under the NTRP rating scale. If this sounds like you, you definitely need a professional racquet.

One good tip, a no-brainer, is to look at the pro’s and see what racquets they use. If it’s good enough for them, it will work for you and we have listed that information for you here.

Bear in mind, for the bad aspects of each racquet, reviewers are really reaching and nit-picking any little thing they find just to have something negative to say. These racquets are, as a lot, very fine tools.

Basically, you can pretty much dismiss any negative comments on any of these racquets and simply choose one that best fits your playing style. So, without further ado, here are our top racquet picks for 2020 in the advanced tennis player tier.

Comparison Table

Our Best Tennis Racquets for Advanced Player Reviews and Comparisons

1. Babolat Pure Drive

Product Highlights

The Babolat Pure Drive is Dominic Thiem’s (5th-ranked) racquet and is also favored by 6 of the top 100 ATP players. Many players consider the Pure Drive to be the best all-rounder.

This racquet is very popular and appropriate for both beginning players and advanced, aggressive players. It is a power racquet but also is very capable of good ball control and spin application.

The wide frame, oversized sweet spot, and more open string pattern (FSI technology) make it an easy racquet to play with. The Cortex frame and Woofer technology have good vibration dampening.

Features

• Graphite frame
• Oversized head (100 in2)
• 11.2 oz strung weight
• 4 HL
• 27-inch length

What We Like About Babolat Pure Drive

This is a power- and spin-oriented racquet for power players. Despite the vibration dampening, it still has a very good ball feel.

What We Don’t Like About Babolat Pure Drive

Some users do not like the slightly muted feel of ball strikes and do not have as much control.

2. Head Graphene 360 Speed Pro

Product Highlights

Product Highlights
The Head Graphene 360 Speed Pro is Novak Djokovic’s (2nd-ranked) racquet and favored by 7 of the top 100 ATP players. It employs a blend of graphite and graphene 360 in its frame.

Graphene 360 is applied to the frame at 3, 9, and 12 o’clock head positions to provide strengthening of the beam for more power, but in a balanced manner that does not sacrifice ball control.

Widened string spacing allows for a decent spin application and the headlight balance favors maneuverability and swing speed.

Features

• Graphene 360/graphite frame
• Oversized head (100 in2)
• 11.5 oz strung weight
• 6 Hl
• 27-inch length

What We Like About Head Graphene 360 Speed Pro

The Speed Pro offers an excellent blend of maneuverability and ball spin. It is a fast-swinging and stable racquet.

What We Don’t Like About Head Graphene 360 Speed Pro

Recovery from striking the ball outside the sweet spot could be improved with a slightly heavier head or a less headlight frame.

3. Tecnifibre T-Flight 305 XTC

Product Highlights

The Tecnifibre T-Flight 305 XTC is Daniil Medvedev’s (4th-ranked) racquet and favored by 7 of the top 100 ATP players. It is a graphite polymer frame embedded with Dynacore HD, which is a long-braid continuous carbon fiber that permeates the entire frame of the racquet.

There is also additional matrix material to strengthen the beam laid into the lower shaft and at 3, 9, and 12 o’clock positions on the head (Xtreme Touch Construction technology). Grommet strips feature bumps (called Horse Back Strips) that assist strings in shock absorption and transfer of energy to the ball.

This is a power racquet that can be used for aggressive serves.

Features

• Dynacore HD/graphite frame
• Standard head (98 in2)
• 11.4 oz strung weight
• 3 HL
• 27-inch length

What We Like AboutTecnifibre T-Flight 305 XTC

This power racquet has a good balance of ball feel and flexibility. Stability is good and the racquet is maneuverable for ease in redirecting pace.
Excellent ball plow-through and control.

What We Don’t Like About Tecnifibre T-Flight 305 XTC

Some players would like a more head light balance in the racquet and have opted to re-wrap the grip in a heavier material (such as leather) or add some grip weight.

4. Babolat Pure Areo 2019

Product Highlights

The Babolat Pure Aero is Rafael Nadal’s (1st-ranked) racquet and favored by 8 of the top 100 ATP players. It is a somewhat stiff, graphite-framed racquet that focuses on power and spin.

The proprietary Cortex vibration dampening material is placed at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions on the head, which results in a moderately softened impact on ball strike. Spin is applied by Babolat’s FSI technology, which employs a wider string spacing in the stringbed and oblong grommets for the main strings at the 6 and 12 o’clock head positions.

It retails for $230.

Features

• Graphite frame
• Oversized head (100 in2)/li>
• 11.2 oz strung weight
• 4 HL
• 27-inch length

What We Like About Babolat Pure Aero 2019

Players report the ability to exert heavy hits with high spin, sending shots that drop quickly. The trajectory response of the racquet favors deep court placements.

The maneuverability of the racquet lends itself well to control the game pace.

What We Don’t Like About Babolat Pure Aero 2019

Some players feel that the racquet should have better stability.

5. Wilson Pro Staff 97 Countervail

Product Highlights

The Wilson Pro Staff 97 Countervail is Roger Federer’s (3rd-ranked) racquet and favored by 8 of the top 100 ATP players. It is a polymer composite-framed racquet made of graphite and aramid, using a proprietary Countervail polymer weave system.

Aramid stands for aromatic polyamide and is a class of heat-resistant polymer used in the aerospace industry. The Countervail technology is a proprietary polymer weaving system developed by Materials Sciences Corporation in coordination with NASA and the Department of Defense and has demonstrated superior vibration dampening ability compared with standard graphite structures.

It also boosts the power transfer and control of players while dampening vibration (by 30%) without sacrificing ball feel. This results in a 40% improved shot accuracy and control at the point where the player is exhausted from play.

Players also typically experience 10% less fatigue than players using other vibration-dampened graphite racquets.

Features

• Graphite braided with aramid and Countervail frame
• Standard head (98 in2)
• 11.7 oz strung weight
• 7 HL
• 27-inch length

What We Like About Wilson Pro Staff 97 Countervail

The swing weight is nicely balanced and allows for fast swings, but with power. Spin application is good and the racquet is maneuverable, allowing players to easily adjust the pace.

What We Don’t Like About Wilson Pro Staff 97 Countervail

Some players find the racquet lacks a good ball feel. The stringbed is slightly unpredictable, with shots going deep or long from the same head strike zone and application of force.