Your country club’s pro shop is likely to be more crowded than usual this summer; tennis is experiencing a renaissance. Since 2003, racket sales have jumped 26 percent, and a racket “arms race” is under way, as manufacturers roll out new technology in hopes of main­taining that momentum and stimulating new sales. “Everyone is searching for a material that can separate their rackets from all the others in the industry,” says Max Brownlee, general manager
of Babolat U.S.A.

Forget your old 10-ton graphite ax. Today’s rackets incorporate a chemistry degree’s worth of advanced materials intended to make them lighter and stiffer—which increases power—with ever-larger sweet spots. We were skeptical of the superlative marketing pronouncements, so we put several new rackets to the test. The best of them had us back to high-school-varsity form. You may never play like Roger Federer, but the new technology could help get you one game, set, and occasionally even a match closer.

Babolat
Pure Drive, $185
What’s New: Babolats have the Woofer, a set of pulley-like grommets to help the strings flex evenly for crisper shots. A rubberized insert in the throat of the third-generation Pure Drive cuts vibration.
Does It Deliver? Our top choice: The Pure Drive is like a BMW, balancing power, ­precision, and control.

Dunlop
Aerogel 5Hundred Tour, $199
What’s New: This racket is built with Aero-gel—the lightest solid material on earth—which NASA uses on some of its spacecraft.
Does It Deliver? Hit the ball just so and you get a satisfying thwack. But the too-small head reduces your chance
of hitting it right.

Wilson
K Six.One Tour, $209
What’s New: Built from a special carbon fiber meant to boost power-generating stiffness, this Wilson made its winning debut in Roger Federer’s hands at the 2007 Australian Open.
Does It Deliver If You’re Not Federer? Yes, if you’ve been lifting weights. It’s the best racket for control but too heavy for the typical weekend player.

More New Releases:

Head Metallix 4, $225
Pro: Balls rocket off the strings of the Metallix 4, which is great for players who don’t have much strength.
Con: Hits with an annoying ping.

Prince 03 Speedport Blue, $269
Pro: Oversize string holes aid aerodynamics.
Con: Unresponsive feel.