Guide
Round, teardrop or diamond
Every padel racket is one of three shapes, and the shape tells you more about how it plays than the brand on the front does.
Written by the ProPadel team in Dublin. Last updated 20 August 2026.
Round
The sweet spot sits in the middle of the face and the balance is low, near your hand. That combination makes a round racket quick to move and very forgiving when you do not middle the ball.
The trade is power. You have to generate it yourself. For a beginner that is a feature, not a bug, because it forces you to learn a swing instead of relying on the frame.
- Best for: beginners, control players, anyone with a sore elbow
- Sweet spot: centre, large
- Balance: head light
Teardrop
Sweet spot slightly above centre, balance slightly forward. Teardrop is the compromise, and it is the shape most club players settle on once they have played a season or two.
It gives you enough head weight to finish a point from the net without giving up the ability to block a hard ball back into the corner.
- Best for: intermediate players and most club standard
- Sweet spot: upper middle, medium
- Balance: even to slightly head heavy
Diamond
Sweet spot high on the face, weight forward. When you catch it properly a diamond racket produces a smash the other pair does not get back.
When you do not catch it properly the ball goes nowhere and your arm feels it. Diamond rackets ask for a technically sound swing and give very little back to anyone who has not built one yet.
- Best for: advanced and professional players
- Sweet spot: high, small
- Balance: head heavy
A quick way to decide
Ask yourself where the ball comes off the frame when you mishit. If you regularly hit low on the face, a diamond racket will make your life miserable. If you are consistently hitting high on the face and the ball still feels dead, you have outgrown a round racket.
If you genuinely do not know, teardrop. It is the shape that is hardest to be wrong about.