Tecnifibre Tempo 26

Black/White

Since their formation in 1979, French brand Tecnifibre have lived up to their name, remaining at the forefront of tennis tech and producing some of the most innovative products on the market.

In fact, you might be using one of their inventions without realising it: back in 1983, they came up with the idea of utilising polyurethane to make synthetic strings more comfortable to play with, a concept that’s been a mainstay of the industry ever since.

It’s a good example of the company ethos of putting the player first, especially those who are just starting out. That’s always been the thinking of founder Thierry Maissant, who young players can thank for the specifically sized and weighted junior frames that are now commonplace. Frustrated by his own experiences as a junior, having had to play with rackets that were too long and too heavy, he began his business by commissioning some shorter, lighter frames, selling them under the moniker of Major Sports in the late 70s. Major Sports then secured a partnership with the French Tennis Federation to produce rackets for their new mini tennis programme, and the Tecnifibre brand was born.

To this day, they place special focus on young players, catering for all ages with their extensive range of junior frames and supporting up-and-comers with initiatives such as their Young Guns Contest, which helped Daniil Medvedev launch his career when he took home the cash prize in 2016.

Medvedev still uses a Tecnifibre racket, of course – the control-focused T-Fight – while another prodigious talent, Iga Swiatek, wields the Tempo, a range that’s tailor-made for female players. There’s also the all-rounder’s TF40, the arm-friendly yet powerful TF-X1, and the accessible T-FIT collection, which brings top-notch performance to casual players. A true tennis brand with players at its core, you can’t go wrong with Tecnifibre.