The 5 Best Padel Tennis Rackets For Beginners In 2023
Here's everything you need to know about picking out a great padel racket and five of our top picks
Are you just getting into padel tennis and looking for a place to start with the right racket (paddle)?
Padel is a hugely popular social sport that has continued to grow in popularity alongside regular tennis in recent years. As well as being fun and easy to learn, padel is a great way to meet new people and develop a social circle.
But where should you start when you’re looking for your first padel racket?
In this article, we’re going to bring you everything you need to know about picking out a great padel racket as a beginner. We’re going to cover the main things to keep in mind when shopping for one, and also reveal our pick of some of the top choices available to buy right now on Amazon.
So, with the introductions out of the way, let’s start taking a look at the key things to know about padel and shopping for a racket.
(Photo: Adobe Stock)
What Is Padel Tennis?
Padel (also known as Padel Tennis) is an innovative form of tennis that’s known for being fun and easy to learn. Typically played in doubles, padel is played on a small court which is roughly a third of the size of a tennis court, and is a really great sociable activity.
In its current form, the sport originated back in the 1960s when Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera set up the first-ever padel court at his holiday home in Acapulco. Padel then made its way to countries such as Spain and Argentina and continued to grow in popularity.
Today, although Padel continues to be very popular in Spain and Argentina, it has developed into a worldwide phenomenon. In 2022, it was estimated that there were more than 25 million padel players in more than 90 countries worldwide.
(Photo: Adobe Stock)
Shopping For A Padel Tennis Racket – Things To Consider
If you’re looking for your first padel tennis racket, it can sometimes be a bit daunting when it comes to picking one. Here are some of the key things to bear in mind when shopping for your first racket.
• Racket Shape And Weight – The two key points to look at when shopping for a padel racket are the shape and weight. Padel rackets come in a range of different shapes, and the main ones are: Diamond, Round and Teardrop. If you’re a beginner, it’s generally better to go for a round-shaped racket, mainly because they have a larger sweet spot and are therefore easier to manage. That being said, essentially you’ll want to go for a racket with a bigger face, and there are plenty of ‘oversized’ options out there, such as ‘teardrop oversize’. The next aspect to look at is the weight. A heavier racket will allow you to produce more power in your shots, however they can also be a bit trickier to control. In general, beginners are better off going for a slightly lighter racket, simply because they are easier to control and get to grips with as you work on your game.
(Photo: Adobe Stock)
• Brand And Company – It’s always worth taking a bit of time to do some research into the company behind the racket you’re looking at. Are they established in the padel tennis world and do they have a good reputation? All of the rackets we’ve featured on this page are made by high-quality and well-known brands, but doing some of your own research is never a bad idea.
• Customer Reviews – It’s also worth checking some customer reviews to see what people are saying about the racket you’re considering. What are players saying after having used the racket, and what are people saying on social sites such as Reddit? Checking out some comments from first-hand users can be very helpful when deciding which option to go for.
(Photo: Adobe Stock)
Best Padel Tennis Rackets For Beginners 2023 – Our Pick
So, now that we’ve covered some of the key things to look at when shopping around for a padel tennis racket, it’s time to unveil our pick of five of the best options on the market right now.
All of the options shown below were available to buy on Amazon at the time of writing. Bear in mind that some of the rackets shown below come in a variety of styles and colours, and therefore they may differ from what’s featured on this page. We’ve also put the face shape next to the name of the rackets below to make it easy to compare them.
1) Head Evo Speed (Teardrop Oversize)
Where to buy: www.amazon.com
(Photo: Amazon.com)
The first padel racket on our list is the Head Evo Speed (available here on Amazon). Head are one of the biggest names in racket sports, and the Evo Speed Padel Tennis racket features an oversized teardrop face to make for a larger sweet spot that’s perfect for beginners. This racket has been engineered to deliver comfort, power and attacking speed, and is a perfect choice for newer players. It features Innegra technology for enhanced shock absorption and stability, and has a nice glossy finish. Specifically designed to be easy to play with, the Evo Speed had an average score of 4.8 out of five stars from 102 ratings on Amazon at the time of writing.
2) Wilson Pro Staff Team V2 (Round)
Where to buy: www.amazon.com
(Photo: Amazon.com)
Next on our list is the Wilson Pro Staff Team V2 (available here on Amazon). Wilson are another huge and trusted brand in the racket sports space, and the Pro Staff Team V2 Padel racket has a longer handle and larger sweet spot, making it another great choice for beginners. This racket also has a special hole pattern designed for enhanced control. The frame construction provides a special mix of stability and paddle responsiveness. This racket had an average score of 4.4 out of five stars on Amazon at the time of writing.
3) Babolat Contact (Round)
Where to buy: www.amazon.com
(Photo: Amazon.com)
Next up on our list is the Babolat Contact (available here on Amazon). This lightweight and comfortable racket is a great option if you’re looking for your first padel racket. The frame is made from a blend of fiberglass and carbon to provide sturdiness while also making it lightweight. It has a round shape for a large centred sweet spot perfect for beginners. At the time of writing, it had an average rating of 4.8 out of five stars from 31 reviews on Amazon.
4) Head Flash Pro (Teardrop Oversize)
Where to buy: www.amazon.com
(Photo: Amazon.com)
Next up on our list is another option from Head, the Flash Pro (available here on Amazon). Featuring a teardrop oversized head shape, this racket has a larger sweet spot, which makes it perfect for newer players. It also features Head’s Innegra tech for shock absorption and racket stability, plus power foam for increased power. At the time of writing, it had an average score of 4.8 out of five stars from 17 ratings at the time of writing.
5) Nox X-One (Round)
Where to buy: www.amazon.com
(Photo: Amazon.com)
The final option on our list is the Nox X-one Padel Racket (available here on Amazon). This is a beginner friendly racket which has a large sweet spot to help with control for newer players. It provides a really useful blend of power and control to help beginner players. This padel racket is a really great choice for beginner players, and it had an average score of 4.5 out of five stars from 12 ratings on Amazon at the time of writing.
How We Selected The Best Padel Tennis Rackets
There are loads of great padel rackets out there, and if you’ve done any research for yourself, you’ll know that it can be a bit tricky to find the best one for you.
To put together this article, we conducted our own online research. This included checking out what people were saying and recommending on social sites such as Reddit, and also seeing what players were saying in padel reviews on Amazon.
We also checked out some of the top-selling and highest-rated padel rackets on Amazon to see what some of the most popular and well-regarded paddles were. We then combined all of this information to put together this guide.
Although we really do hope that this article has been a useful resource to you, we do strongly recommend that you do some of your own research before making a purchase. This could include reading through some racket reviews for yourself, or seeing what other publishers are recommending in their own articles.
(Photo: Adobe Stock)
Anything Else To Bear In Mind?
We recommend that where possible, you visit your local racket sports shop to try out a few different options for yourself.
As well as helping you to get an idea of how each racket feels in your hand, it can also give you the chance to speak to store staff and get some tailored advice to help you make a decision.
If you’re shopping online, be sure to carefully check the returns, refunds and exchanges policy of the site you’ll be shopping from before making a purchase.
(Photo: Adobe Stock)
Wrapping Things Up – Our Final Thoughts
This brings us to the end of our guide to some of the best padel tennis rackets for beginners. We hope that this article has been useful and has helped to point you in the right direction when it comes to finding your perfect racket.
We’ve placed the Head Evo Speed (available here on Amazon) at the top of our list, but all of the rackets featured on this page should really be considered as great options for beginners!
