There was a time when padel rackets came in three shapes: diamond, round, and teardrop. But during the last few years, new molds have arrived, and the least we can say is that brands are investing in them. Let's talk about hybrid padel rackets!
Explaining the logic behind padel racket shapes
As you probably know if you often read our articles, padel rackets are now technical objects that consist of an inside core made of foam and an outside core usually made of carbon and/or fiberglass, sometimes with added materials like graphene, Kevlar, aramid, etc.
To compose the racket, you need to assemble those materials and cook them in an oven. Just like with many other manufactured objects, a mold is used to create the racket. The choice of that mold determines the shape of the final product and some of its characteristics.
With a diamond shape, more weight is distributed towards the head of the racket, resulting in more leverage and thus more power.
With a round shape, the weight is distributed towards the grip, making the racket feel lighter in your hand, resulting in more maneuverability and control.
As you've probably now understood, the weight distribution with teardrop shapes is in between, meaning that they are less head-heavy than diamond-shaped but more so than round-shaped. It's no accident if teardrop shapes have been favored by all-around players for years. As a result, versatile models like the Nox AT10 Genius 18K Alum 2024 by Agustin Tapia, Siux Electra Pro ST3, or Bullpadel Neuron 2024 are currently among the fans' favorites.
Falling in between the three traditional categories
Padel is gaining more and more players worldwide, and in a highly competitive market, brands want to satisfy players as much as possible. That's why they are increasingly creating unique molds that offer specific characteristics.
A good example is the new Radical line of three models (Elite, Motion, and Pro) from Head. With that series, the Austrian brand decided to create models with a hybrid shape that lies somewhere between teardrop and round. The goal is to have a bit more output than with a traditional control racket, but a little more maneuverability than with a normal teardrop racket.
As you can imagine, that also exists between teardrop and diamond shapes. A good example is the Babolat Air Viper 2024, which displays a special shape that's a mix of a diamond and a teardrop. Thanks to this and other features, this racket is among the fans' favorites due to its unique combination of power and maneuverability.
Hybrid everywhere!
If the term “Hybrid” usually refers to the shape, it can also fit other characteristics of padel rackets nowadays. Indeed, to meet the needs of a wide variety of players, brands try to offer more versatile options.
ou can see it with inside cores made of different foam densities, like the Bullpadel MultiEva, the Babolat X Eva, or the Nox MLD Black EVA, but also with the faces, where many brands create models with for example a combination of carbon and fiberglass on the hitting surface (Head Extreme Motion, Wilson Bela Elite V2.5, Bullpadel Vertex 04 Comfort, etc.).
To allow players to customize their rackets, brands like Adidas have decided to incorporate a weight management system in some of their rackets, like the new Alex Ruiz's Adipower MTW Pro EDT 2024, which allows you to change the balance and overall weight of your racket!
Conclusion
As you can see, it is increasingly common for brands to offer solutions that allow every player to get the sensations they want on a padel court. Now, you just have to be aware of what you need to make the right choice when purchasing a new racket. If you're not sure yet, don't forget to take our quiz!
