Tennis racquet
A strung frame with a handle used to hit the ball in tennis.
Overview
A tennis racquet is made up of a head with a strung hitting surface, a throat, a shaft and a grip. The strings form the surface that makes contact with the ball, while the grip and frame give the player control over power and direction.
Racquets vary in head size, weight and balance to suit different playing styles, but they all share the same basic job: transferring the player’s swing into the ball cleanly and consistently.
Good to know
- Strings can be restrung when they lose tension or break.
- Grip size and overgrips let players fine-tune how the handle feels.
- Head size affects the trade-off between control and a larger hitting area.
Where it’s used
Sports that use tennis racquet:
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Tennis racquet in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Frequently learned together
Taught side by side in the same stage of a learning path.
- Tennis ballBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Tennis learning path.
- Sports bagBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Tennis learning path.
- Tennis courtBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Tennis learning path.
- Hard courtBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Tennis learning path.
- GrassBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Tennis learning path.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Tennis racquet to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Facilities
- Tennis courtA rectangular marked court, divided across the middle by a net, where tennis is played as singles or doubles.
- Padel courtAn enclosed court, much smaller than a tennis court, walled with glass and mesh so the ball can be played off the walls.
- Sports hallA large indoor hall with multi-sport line markings, used for court sports like basketball, volleyball and badminton.
- Ice rinkA sheet of prepared ice, usually rink-boarded with rounded corners, used for skating and ice sports.
- Fitness studioAn open indoor room used for instructor-led group fitness classes such as yoga, aerobics and indoor cycling.
Playing surfaces
- Hard courtA rigid acrylic, concrete or asphalt court that gives a true, consistent, medium-paced bounce — the standard multi-use outdoor surface.
- GrassNatural turf grown on soil — the traditional surface for many field sports and, in tennis, a fast court with a low, skiddy bounce.
- ClayA soft, granular racquet-sport surface of crushed brick, stone or shale that slows the ball, gives a high bounce and lets players slide into shots.
Techniques
- Topspin ForehandA forehand groundstroke hit with a low-to-high swing that puts forward spin on the ball so it dips and kicks up on landing.
- One-Handed BackhandA backhand groundstroke struck with a single hand on the grip, driving through the ball with a full extension of the hitting arm.
- Tennis ServeThe overhead stroke that starts every point, hit from behind the baseline into the diagonally opposite service box.
- VolleyA shot played near the net by blocking the ball out of the air before it bounces, using a short, firm punch rather than a full swing.
- HeaderA technique for controlling or striking the ball with the forehead in football, used to pass, shoot or clear the ball in the air.
Learning paths
Beginner guides
- Your First Tennis Session: What to ExpectA friendly, honest look at what actually happens at your first tennis session — how it is usually run, what tends to surprise beginners, and how to turn up relaxed and ready to enjoy it.
- Your first basketball sessionA first basketball session is a friendly, fast-moving introduction to handling the ball, moving your feet and sharing simple play with others — no experience or prior skill needed.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Equipment
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-07-09
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