Why do I like my old $49 racquet more than my new $300 one?

[Not Rafa Nadal]

Hey all,

My first post here.

I've played tennis for one year with a $49 Wilson Milos racquet (green one shown) and recently purchased the Wilson Blade (black one shown) for $300 after I wanted to take things more seriously.

I've played with the $300 racquet maybe 10 times now and for some reason I enjoy playing with the $49 one much more! The cheap one I find easy to move around, easy to middle shots, plus the ball just pops off the strings, allowing me to hit it deep and fast.

The $300 racquet I find hard to manoeuvre and the ball doesn't come off as fast and "poppy"?

Would you know the reasons for this? I took pictures of the specifications of each racquet below. Can see the cheap one is slightly lighter, more surface area and the handle is smaller at 4 1/4 vs the expensive racquet at 4 3/8.

At the end of the day, playing with the cheap one just gets me excited about tennis, whereas the other one doesn't.

Why would this be? Help!

 

[Kieran]

Hey all,

My first post here.

I've played tennis for one year with a $49 Wilson Milos racquet (green one shown) and recently purchased the Wilson Blade (black one shown) for $300 after I wanted to take things more seriously.

I've played with the $300 racquet maybe 10 times now and for some reason I enjoy playing with the $49 one much more! The cheap one I find easy to move around, easy to middle shots, plus the ball just pops off the strings, allowing me to hit it deep and fast.

The $300 racquet I find hard to manoeuvre and the ball doesn't come off as fast and "poppy"?

Would you know the reasons for this? I took pictures of the specifications of each racquet below. Can see the cheap one is slightly lighter, more surface area and the handle is smaller at 4 1/4 vs the expensive racquet at 4 3/8.

At the end of the day, playing with the cheap one just gets me excited about tennis, whereas the other one doesn't.

Why would this be? Help!View attachment 6148View attachment 6149View attachment 6150

I think the cheap one fits you better, not only the size of the head, and the weight, but also the size of the grip. There’s a way of measuring to make sure you have the right size handle. You’ll find videos online. I don’t know if your newer racket has too big a grip? There’s not a huge difference between the sizes you have, to be fair. But factor in the feel you have with the old one, the lighter weight too? Maybe getting used to the new one will take time, but eventually that could make a difference? But that old lucky racket, don’t throw it away yet, sometimes they just work better for us!

Welcome to the chat!

 

[JC255]

Rackets are a very personal thing and it sounds like you have become pretty comfortable with your $49 Wilson and theres nothing wrong with that. I think you are experiencing what most people do when they make a change to a different racket especially after playing with one for a period of time. I recently switched from the "Babolot Pure Aero" to the "Wilson Pro Staff 97 v13" and it was a nice change for me but a change none the less, and it took a minute to adjust to the different characteristics of the new racket.
You are also switching to a racket that is heavier, has a smaller head size, uses a different string pattern, and because of these changes, the new racket is going to do less for you, while expecting more from you than your old one. Moving the heavier weight, and hitting the smaller sweet spot consistently of your $300 Wilson is probably going to be a bit of a challenge for the moment while also being less forgiving when you make mistakes. When you combine all of these things, I think the new racket can seem a bit unimpressive as well as overwhelming, and I think it's safe to say thats probably what your experiencing right now just as I did during my change to the Wilson.

However, after a few trips to the court, It was the best change I could have made for me and my game. I hope this helps and good luck with the new racket. Keep us posted on how the transition goes!