Nr. 1 Round

The most forgiving racket we make. The round head puts the sweet spot in the centre of the face, which is exactly where you want it while you're still learning where the middle is. Soft EVA core, so the ball sits on the face a fraction longer and gives you time to place it rather than just return it.

If you're in your first year of padel, this is the one. If you want the same racket in a teardrop shape with a firmer core, that's the Nr. 1 Hybrid at the same price, shape and core are the real differences between the two.

How to read the spec

Shape decides where the sweet spot sits. Round puts it in the middle and is the most forgiving. Diamond puts it high, which makes the racket harder to use and far more punishing when you connect. Teardrop sits between the two.

Core is the EVA rubber behind the face. Soft holds the ball longer and is kinder on the arm; hard gives less and returns more of your own power. Medium is the middle.

Hitting surface is the outer layer. Fibreglass is softer and more forgiving. Carbon is harder and grippier, and the K number describes the weave - 3K, 12K and 18K are progressively softer.

Weight matters less than the internet thinks. Our rackets run between 355 g and 365 g, and honestly that spread is not something you will feel. Put an overgrip and a frame protector on any racket and you have added roughly 15 g, more than the entire difference between the lightest and heaviest racket we make. Weight only becomes a real variable below about 330g, where a racket has been deliberately engineered to be light and gives up power to get there. Ours aren't, so choose on shape and core, not grams.

Every racket in the range is built on the same 3-layer 100% carbon frame. The frame is where durability lives, and we don't cut it on the cheaper models. The difference between our rackets is the face and the core, not the structure.

What comes with it

Free delivery over R2,000 · 3 working days in the Western Cape, 5 nationally · Racket bag and an overgrip included · 30-day returns or exchange, including for manufacturing defects · 

Want to hit one first? See where to try a CTPC racket.