Best padel rackets for tennis players
8 rackets · prices checked 5 October 2026
If you have played a lot of tennis you will time the ball well from your first game of padel, and a soft round beginner's racket will feel dead within a month. You can skip it.
What you can't skip is the bit of padel that isn't tennis: the walls, the lob, the slow game at the net. Tennis players tend to hit everything too hard and the ball comes straight back off the glass. So I'd steer away from a diamond power racket, however natural it feels, and towards a teardrop or hybrid with a medium balance. It gives you something to hit with and still helps with the touch shots you haven't learnt yet.
All of these are pitched at intermediate or advanced players and none costs more than £200.
What gets in: Teardrop or hybrid, medium balance, a soft or medium core, pitched at intermediate or advanced players, and no more than £200.
The order: how many UK shops stock it, then how well it fits the list, then price. We have not play-tested these rackets, so “best” here means best fit on the brand’s published specs at today’s price, and nothing more. No brand or shop pays to be included. We may earn a commission if you buy through a shop link, and where two rackets tie, one we can earn on goes first. How we work.
No. 1Babolat Air Viper 2.6 2026
Teardrop · 345 to 365 g · medium balance · medium feel · advanced levelA teardrop with a medium balance and a medium core, and a textured face if you hit with topspin.
See all 4 prices →£167.99deliveredat Express Padel · 4 shops compared · 40% under RRP
No. 2Dunlop Galactica Team 2025
Hybrid · 355 to 375 g · medium balance · medium feel · intermediate levelA hybrid with a medium balance and a medium core, and a textured face if you hit with topspin.
See all 3 prices →£79.99deliveredat PDHSports · 3 shops compared · 50% under RRP
No. 3Babolat Air Veron 2.6 2026
Teardrop · 345 to 365 g · medium balance · medium feel · intermediate levelA teardrop with a medium balance and a medium core, and a textured face if you hit with topspin.
See all 3 prices →£124.99deliveredat Express Padel · 3 shops compared · 40% under RRP
No. 4Siux Diablo Pro 2026
Teardrop · 360 to 375 g · medium balance · medium feel · advanced levelA teardrop with a medium balance and a medium core, and a textured face if you hit with topspin.
See all 3 prices →£199.99deliveredat PDHSports · 3 shops compared · 37% under the shop's was price
No. 5Bullpadel Hack 04 Hybrid Cloud 2026
Hybrid · 365 to 375 g · medium balance · soft feel · advanced levelA hybrid with a medium balance and a soft core, and a textured face if you hit with topspin. A previous-season model, so cheaper than it was.
See all 4 prices →£179.99deliveredat Padel Market · 4 shops compared · 33% under RRP
No. 6Nox AT10 Luxury Genius 18K Alum 2025
Teardrop · 360 to 375 g · medium balance · medium feel · advanced levelA teardrop with a medium balance and a medium core, and a textured face if you hit with topspin. A previous-season model, so cheaper than it was.
See all 3 prices →£159.99deliveredat Express Padel · 3 shops compared · 50% under the shop's was price
No. 7Wilson Bela Pro V3 2025
Teardrop · 360 to 375 g · medium balance · medium feel · advanced levelA teardrop with a medium balance and a medium core, and a textured face if you hit with topspin.
See all 2 prices →£189deliveredat PDHSports · 2 shops compared · 30% under RRP
No. 8Head Radical Motion 2026
Teardrop · 345 to 365 g · medium balance · medium feel · advanced levelA teardrop with a medium balance and a medium core.
See all 2 prices →£123.75deliveredat PDHSports · 2 shops compared · 26% under RRP
Stuck between two of them?
The honest answer involves spending less than you think, and one spec that matters more than the rest.