The Best Pickleball Paddles for Tennis Players
With so many tennis players discovering the competitive fun of pickleball, one of the biggest questions is what paddle type is going to best bridge the gap between the sports?
Because tennis racquets are substantially longer and heavier than any pickleball paddle, the response is often to suggest a long, heavy paddle. However, the answer is not that simple. At Pickleball Warehouse we have quite a few multi-sport athletes who love playing pickleball, and although there is some consensus on paddle shape, most reported feeling confident with a paddle weight of 7.8 ounces or more. With that said, let’s highlight some great paddle options!
Gearbox Pro Ultimate Elongated and Pro Ultimate Hyper
The Gearbox Pro Ultimate paddles weigh around 8 oz, and whether you prefer a compact or elongated shape, you’ll get easy power and a plush, quiet response. The Gearbox Pro Ultimate Power offers more of a racquet length feel and elongated power, while the compact shape of the Gearbox Pro Ultimate Hyper provides a bit more core-based pop due to its generous sweetspot along with a very connected feeling to the ball.
Tecnifibre TF Blitz
For players who thrive with longer paddles and want that “racquet” feel, the Tecnifibre TF Blitz delivers that and more. Almost everything about the TF Blitz is maximized. It features a 16.6 in overall length, 6 in long handle, curved tip to increase sweetspot size, along with a lively 15 mm polypropylene core. And premium raw carbon fiber hitting surfaces harness the Blitz’s substantial power. The result is an all-court paddle that affords extra reach, generates realistic power from the backcourt and also allows you to easily speed up or slow down play near the NVZ. The Tecnifibre TF Blitz is not the heaviest paddle on the list at around 8.1 ounces, but it is the longest and most “racquet” like.
Selkirk LUXX Control Air Invikta
You can expect weight- and length-based power combined with core-based control from the Selkirk LUXX Control Air Invikta. For players who enjoy swinging freely from the baseline and then want to switch to surgical precision during tight kitchen line exchanges, the LUXX Control Air Invikta is one of the better paddles for certain. Its length of 16.45 inches issues plenty of reach and leverage-based power that will be familiar to players who are accustomed to racquet lengths. Paired with one of the thicker cores available, the LUXX Control Air Invikta exudes what you would expect: a level of control that green lights a player’s own power from the baseline, while also delivering effortless precision in terms of absorbing and redirecting pace near the kitchen line.
Pickleball Apes Pulse S
The Pickleball Apes Pulse S is a favorite among tennis and pickleball enthusiasts who want the best of both worlds with its hybrid length of 16.4 inches and semi-hefty mid-8-oz range of weight. Other standout features include Pickleball Apes’ Poly Aramid Fiber Weave hitting surface, which grips the ball like a tennis racquet’s open string pattern for incredibly easy access to spin and control of points. A 16.5 mm Narrow-cell polypropylene core boosts control even more and also complements the power with precision.
Franklin FS Tour LE Dynasty and the FS Tour LE Tempo
We started this off with two of the same paddles offered in either a compact or elongated shape, and we will wrap it up doing the same with the Franklin FS Tour LE Tempo and the Franklin FS Tour LE Dynasty. The Tempo is a compact shape, and the Dynasty is Franklin’s elongated choice; both are available with a more power-oriented 14 mm polypropylene core or precision-based 16 mm core. The Tempo and Dynasty 14s are in the low to mid-8-oz range, and the 16 mm versions start in the mid 8’s and get close to 9 ozs! These paddles also check all of the boxes for performance in terms of raw carbon fiber hitting surfaces, along with a huge sweetspot and the high degree of comfort that is inherent with heavier paddles.
In Conclusion
Between the Pickleball Warehouse playtesting team and the ever-expanding crew of players we compete with, there is a lot of variety in terms of having different sports backgrounds. Hockey, golf, racquetball, padel and tennis to name a few, all of which use a long lever to get the ball (or puck) moving. In terms of tennis players, whether they use a two-handed backhand or not, most feel more confident and comfortable using elongated paddles. And due to the fact that even the lightest tennis racquet weighs more than a heavy pickleball paddle we find that many coming from tennis prefer a paddle weight of at least 8 ozs.