Choosing a new tennis racquet is a lot more complicated than you might at first imagine. Each manufacturer produces a large range to suit all types of player.

But it’s not just your game that can be adversely affected by your choice of racquet - it’s also possible to permanently injure yourself if you make the wrong buying decision. Hopefully, this article can give you at least a little guidance if you have no idea what to look for.

There are three different types of racquet to choose from. Beginners should go for a power racquet. Intermediates should look at tweener racqets and for the advanced player, a control racquet is the best choice.

It’s also possible to change the dynamics of a tennis racquet by having it re-strung with different types/patterns of strings. Of course, this should always be done by a professional and it shouldn’t cost too much.

The beginners’ power racquets have a larger head which obviously gives them more chance of actually connecting effectively with the ball. They also have a slightly heavier head which again gives the beginner a better chance of success.

Intermediate level tennis players should be looking at tweener racquets as their ideal choice. These come with a selection of different head sizes and are often longer and a little lighter than power tennis racquets.

The advanced player will more than likely choose a control racquet which have smaller heads and more weight. It takes a fair bit of experience to be able to get the most out of a racquet like this but once mastered, the pro can do amazing things with a tennis ball.

While choice of racquet is crucial, it’s worth learning as much as possible before making that purchase about grip size, racquet length, string types and patterns, head size and the overall balance, weight and flexibility of the racquet.