Are Tennis Racquets Unisex?
The greatest thing about tennis is that all ages and genders can enjoy the sport. It’s not a surprise to anyone that tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world. However, the gear in tennis is quite expensive, and especially the racquets. Many ask before making their first purchase, if tennis racquets are unisex. Is there such a thing as a men or women’s only racquet? That’s what we will go through in this post.
Are tennis racquets unisex? Tennis racquets are unisex. The only difference between men’s and women’s racquets is the cosmetics and the way that brands market their racquets. There is no such thing as a men’s and women’s only racquet. All racquets can be used for both genders.
Differences Between Men and Women’s Racquet
First of all, there is no such thing as a men’s or women’s only racquet. Every racquet can be used for both genders. However, there are other differences between the genders racquet that needs to be considered.
I wouldn’t recommend the same racquet setup for both genders. Men are naturally stronger and heavier than women, and things like that have to be considered when choosing a tennis racquet.
Men’s Racquet=Heavier:
As I said, men are naturally stronger and heavier. Therefore, men need a heavier racquet compared to not as strong women. A heavier racquet means more powerful shots, but it only works if you can handle the stick.
Which can be a big problem if you don’t have the strength to do so. No racquets are made for men or women specifically, but you can still choose a racquet after your psychical abilities, and men tend to go for a heavier racquet.
Cosmetic
The cosmetics for tennis racquets are pretty important to stand out from the competitors in today’s marketing world. The racquet brands choose different cosmetics for their racquets to target different audiences.
For example, a pink racquet is normally more liked by women and perhaps, a black racquet more for men. That’s also a great way to target children since kids mainly choose their racquet from how it looks cosmetically, and not how it performs.
But, even though the cosmetics are different depending on which audiences they are marketing, the racquet underneath is still the same and it will perform in the exact same way.
Marketing
If Serena Williams makes an advertisement with Wilson, that ad is going to be mainly targeted for women. The same goes the other way, if Roger Federer makes the same ad, the targeted audience will be men.
Even though there are no differences between the racquets that Serena and Federer advertised for. It’s all about marketing.
Here are my up-to-date tennis racquet recommendations for men & women:
The Actual Differences Between Racquets and Genders
Everything that I stated above is things that don’t affect your performance whatsoever. However, there are actually some differences between men and women when choosing a racquet. Although there is nothing called a gender-specific racquet, I would rarely recommend the same racquet for both genders. Here are 4 things you need to think about before choosing a racquet for each gender.
Weight
Men and Women are naturally built differently, men are stronger and usually heavier. Therefore, men would benefit more from a heavier racquet compared to lighter women.
As men normally are stronger, they can handle a racquet that is a little heavier, and by that achieve more power in their shots. For lighter women, they would have a problem with controlling a heavier racquet, and it would just make them perform badly.
Head Size
In general, men tend to choose a bigger head size than women. That is because they can achieve more power in their shots, and a bigger head size allows them to do that. Racquet head sizes are typically categorized as standard (85-98 sq in), midplus (99-105 sq in), and oversized (106-135 sq inch).
A smaller head size equals a more forgiving racquet. The bigger the head size is, the more power you are going to be able to achieve. As you improve you should go for bigger head size, but from a starting point, I would suggest men starting a little bigger than women. Midplus is a good starting point for men and women should start at the standard range.
You can read more about how to choose tennis racquet in this post.
Final Thoughts
If you are thinking about sharing the same racquet with the other gender, it could work if you are a beginner that isn’t serious about becoming a great tennis player.
But, if you want to develop as a player and be the best player that you can possibly be on the tennis court, it would be a huge disadvantage to play with a racquet that isn’t perfectly suited to your physical abilities.
I have talked a lot about men and women, but what it really comes down to is your psychical abilities. A woman can be stronger and heavier than men also, and if that’s the case, then she should get a heavier racquet than him.
It’s more about your body than what gender you were born with. But, for the vast majority, men are heavier and stronger than women, and it’s from that statement this article originates from.
Remember, that everything that’s stated above is just my recommendation, and for how it works for most people. It doesn’t necessarily have to be that in your case. There are, however, no gender-specific racquets and at the end of the day it’s all up to your own preferences.
