Does my 80s tennis racket need replacing?

itm

itm

itm

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22 Feb 2011
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I've just started playing tennis again regularly as a hobby (having not played for over 20 years). I'm very much in the beginner category - had a few lessons in 1990 but don't remember much about them!
I'm still using a racket that I bought in the 1980s. It's all white and carries the TECNO Pro brand. On the shaft is written: "Super Mid CAT (Computer Aided Technology) S-2-Glassfiber. There's a photo here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/862b12wsfx12txj/20180701_231043.jpg?dl=0

My question is: if I were to spend £70-90 on a new racket today, would I expect to get something significantly better than this? If so, could anyone recommend something that's reasonably lightweight?
 
You might be able to get something better but unless you don't feel comfortable using your current racket I wouldn't bother.

I replaced mine last year, after nearly 20 years of use, and apart from a slightly tighter string tension it's the same size and weight as my old one. Most importantly, it's made no difference to my game :)
 
Pigeon_Killer said:
You might be able to get something better but unless you don't feel comfortable using your current racket I wouldn't bother.

I replaced mine last year, after nearly 20 years of use, and apart from a slightly tighter string tension it's the same size and weight as my old one. Most importantly, it's made no difference to my game :)
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Thanks. I suspected that might be the case, but didn't know whether tennis racket technology had moved on dramatically in the last 30 years
 
itm said:
I'm still using a racket that I bought in the 1980s.
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That's more than 30 years! Personally I would definitely replace it ... you can get a cheapo one from Sports Direct or eBay for £20 .... I think a new one will be much lighter than the 80's one and probably a lot less stiff with shock absorption. Go into a store (Sports Direct, Decalathon, etc) have just hold one and swing it a few times. If you don't like you can still use your old raquet.
 
Weazle said:
That's more than 30 years! Personally I would definitely replace it ... you can get a cheapo one from Sports Direct or eBay for £20 .... I think a new one will be much lighter than the 80's one and probably a lot less stiff with shock absorption. Go into a store (Sports Direct, Decalathon, etc) have just hold one and swing it a few times. If you don't like you can still use your old raquet.
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I'm not unhappy with the weight of my current racket - it weighs 350g. I have swung a couple of rackets in the shop before, but you really need to hit some balls with them to get an idea of whether they would be an improvement. I just don't know what improvements have been made over the last 30+ years to change the quality of strike.
 
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