❔ Question ❔

Does hot temperature soften the racket core a bit for a while?

Where I play it’s gotten more than 32 degrees lately, I felt my core had softened, is this actually possible

Comments (20)

Yes, it’s well known, Tapia uses two hardness rackets one for summer and one for winter

So I bought a new racket, first two days it worked amazingly, 3rd day I felt sudden loss of control, I felt the core got softer than it should be, accidentally left my bag in the car one day, anyway, was gripping last night and kept the racket in the Air conditioned room overnight, now it feels back to normal…

u/epegar1w ago

Leaving the racket on a car, especially if exposed to the sun in a hot day is the worst you can do. I don't think the materials will come back to their original state, but I'm not sure about that.

u/jenwhite19741w ago

Yes. Some players use different rackets in different temperatures

u/Percevaul1w ago

Heat and cold play a huge role in the way a racket behaves which is why you should never pick a 10/10 rigid racket to play in cold weather (foam will not help) and you have to adapt a ton to play with a soft racket in summer days (try to block a bajada with a soft racket at 30°+ C. Also, never leave the racket resting in the sun (or inside of a car) which can permanently damage the foam.

u/Over_Dragonfly8570OP1w ago

Also what do you mean 10/10 rigid? The one I got is EVA soft, is this why I feel it’s gotten back to normal after keeping it in an AC room

u/Percevaul1w ago

I meant the most rigid racket you can think of. It's an arbitrary scale. For me a 10/10 rigid racket would be the Lebron Viper.

u/BrightQuail90993d ago

That’s really interesting that the AC room helped that’s actually the exact problem I’m trying to solve. I’m looking at building a portable cooling case with a freezable insert so you don’t need to find an AC room, it just cools the racket down for you after sun exposure. Would you find something like that useful?

u/Over_Dragonfly8570OP1w ago

Yes brother I know now actually, it’s super new so I’m really hoping it’s fine now, otherwise I’ll sell it and get a new piece

u/timour771w ago

The foam becomes more flexible and elastic in the heat. I makes the racket more springy, making the ball fly off the racket with more power but less control. They make special thermal covers for rackets, also fancy padel bagpacks have foil-like lining in them. Not sure how it helps because when you start playing the racket heats up and changes unpredictably.

u/Over_Dragonfly8570OP1w ago

I bought a new racket, first two days it worked amazingly, 3rd day I felt sudden loss of control, I felt the core got softer than it should be, accidentally left my bag in the car one day, anyway, was gripping last night and kept the racket in the Air conditioned room overnight, now it feels back to normal…

u/dandaka1w ago

AI bot

u/MidwestRacquetSports1w ago

Yes This is definitely a big factor in high level play and there is no avoiding it. Finding the right racquet for warm temps vs cold temps is key. In some cases at high altitude players are specific in those conditions with another as well.