Buy a junior racket that is too long and a child compensates with poor technique to swing it — buy one too short and they will outgrow it in a season. Racket length should be matched to height first and age second. Here is how to get it right.
Junior racket sizes at a glance
- 19 inch: under 100cm tall, roughly age 4 and under.
- 21 inch: 100–115cm tall, roughly ages 5–6.
- 23 inch: 115–130cm tall, roughly ages 7–8.
- 25 inch: 130–145cm tall, roughly ages 9–10.
- 26 inch: 145–155cm tall, roughly ages 10–11, a useful step between junior and full length.
- 27 inch (full length): 155cm and above, roughly age 11 upwards, or as soon as a child is comfortable with an adult frame.
Why height matters more than age
Two nine-year-olds can differ by 20cm in height, so age alone is an unreliable guide. Stand the racket upright next to your child: the head should reach roughly to the middle of their palm when their arm hangs by their side. If the frame reaches their fingertips or beyond, it is too long.
The "room to grow" mistake
It is tempting to size up so a racket lasts longer, but an oversized frame is heavier and harder to control through the swing. Children develop poor habits — two-handed forehands, exaggerated backswings, mistimed contact — purely to manage a racket that is not proportional to their reach. A correctly sized racket costs less than the coaching needed to undo bad technique later.
Weight and grip size for juniors
Junior rackets are strung lighter than adult frames, typically 220–260g unstrung depending on length, so grip size rarely needs separate consideration — junior grips are built proportionally into each length. Focus on length first, and let weight follow from there.
When to move up a size
Re-check the palm test every few months. A junior who begins bending their elbow excessively to control the racket, or who has grown 5–8cm since their last size, is usually ready for the next length up. Most juniors move through two or three sizes between ages 5 and 12 before graduating to a full 27 inch frame.
Our recommendation
Bring your child into store for a quick fitting rather than guessing from a chart — it takes two minutes and avoids an expensive mis-size. We stock junior ranges from Wilson, Babolat, Head and Yonex across all six length categories, with free length-appropriate stringing on request.