Round, teardrop or diamond: padel racket shapes explained

Shape is shorthand for where the mass sits. That is really all it is, and once you see it that way the rest follows.

Round

The widest part of the face is low, near the throat, and the balance point sits closer to your hand. The sweet spot is central and large.

What that gives you: control, forgiveness, and a racket that is quick to move at the net. What it costs you: top-end power on the smash, because there is less mass out at the contact point.

Round rackets suit beginners, defensive players, anyone with arm trouble, and a surprising number of very good players who would rather never miss than occasionally hit a winner.

See round rackets

Teardrop

The widest point sits in the middle of the face and the balance is medium. This is the compromise shape, and it is by far the most common because most players want a bit of both.

The sweet spot is smaller than a round racket's and sits slightly higher. You get more power than a round racket and more forgiveness than a diamond. If you have played for a year or two and you are not sure what you want, this is usually where you end up.

See teardrop rackets

Diamond

The widest point is high on the face and the balance is head heavy. Maximum mass behind the ball at the top of the racket, which is where you contact a smash.

The sweet spot is small, high, and unforgiving. Hit it and the ball goes further and faster than either other shape. Miss it and you get a dead, jarring response, and over time that repeated shock is what people are talking about when they blame a racket for their elbow.

Diamonds are for advanced attacking players who consistently find the middle of the face. If that is not you yet, a diamond will make you worse rather than more aggressive.

See diamond rackets

Hybrid, and other words brands invent

Several brands now sell "hybrid" shapes, which usually means a teardrop pulled slightly towards a diamond, or a diamond with a lower balance to soften it. Some of it is genuine engineering and some of it is a way to have more products. Look at the balance figure in millimetres and the weight rather than the word on the box, because those are measurable and the word is not.

The thing the shape does not tell you

Two round rackets can feel completely different. A round racket with a hard EVA core and an 18K carbon face is a stiff, punchy racket. A round racket with a soft FOAM core and a fibreglass face is soft and slow. Same shape, opposite experience.

So treat shape as the first filter and not the last one. Once you have picked a shape, the core hardness and the face material decide how it feels, and those are the specs worth comparing next. Our spec sheet guide goes through the rest of them.

A note on what brands say your level is

Almost every racket is labelled for a level. Take it loosely. The level marking mostly tracks how forgiving the racket is and how much it costs, and brands have an obvious interest in flattering you. Plenty of intermediate players are better served by something sold as a beginner racket, and there is no prize for using a racket that is too demanding.