A few days ago, we asked you the following question: would you be willing to play with a racket with no or almost no hole ?

We admit it, we expected a certain conservatism from players who – due to the strength of the market offer – all play with racquets with many holes: on average, there are between 40 and 70 in the best-selling palas on the market. Your answers show us, on the contrary, that lovers of padel don't shy away from innovation.

An unconditional “yes”

■ 100% yes.- To the question “Would you be ready to play with a racket that has no or almost no holes?”, we even obtained 100% affirmative answers. 60% of you still ask to be convinced by a test, while 40% answer with an unconditional “yes”.

■ From 15 to 68 holes.- Just as the magazine “Tintin” was presented as “the newspaper for young people aged 7 to 77”, our respondents oscillate between 15 and 68: we are not talking about their age, but the number of holes in their rackets. The average is 46 holes.

However, many of our readers didn't have the patience to count the exact number of holes in their pala and answered “don't know”, “no idea” or “many”. Moreover, some perhaps did not have... their eyes in front of the holes: thus this player who estimates at 20 the number of holes on his Head Electronics… while this model has 69! But for some, it is true, a good 69 can almost bring you back to your 20s…

■ Lightness, penetration and effects.- Let's come to our senses by studying your answers to the question "What do you think the holes in a racket are used for? padel ?” Hypothesis that comes up most often, the holes are supposed to reduce air resistance, promote penetration in the air and aerodynamics. Many of you also tell us that the holes are used to lighten the racket. Seb thinks that they are there to “avoid flying off with them”; the fact that he plays with a Babolat “Air” Viper may explain this aerial fantasy!

Furthermore, 30% of you think that the holes give more spin to the ball, while 10% of our respondents think it's just a matter of design or marketing.

■ True or false ? We had fun making a number of hypotheses about the supposed advantages and disadvantages of holes in rackets. As in the spontaneous responses, four out of five respondents (80%) believe that the holes promote penetration into the air. You are 55% to think that they lighten the racquet but 45% to believe that they can weaken it. As indicated above, three out of ten respondents see a link between holes and spin. And 25% think they can dampen vibrations.

On the other hand, certain hypotheses do not convince you: you are only 10% to believe that the holes can reinforce the vibrations, increase the power of a racket or make it heavier.

■ Especially to look pretty? Our questions which invited you to judge the credibility of certain pro-hole or anti-hole arguments confirm that, according to you, the holes have little effect on vibrations and that they serve “mainly to look pretty”, while lightening our snowshoes.

Soon a Head single hole

However, the idea that making holes necessarily lightens a racket remains to be demonstrated. Indeed, just as a convertible car is often heavier than the equivalent sedan, a racket with holes must include – to remain solid and rigid – structural reinforcements. However, these can weigh heavily on the scale.
This is what the latest novelty recently unveiled by the brand Head : a racket with a single hole, which already arouses curiosity and desire among players and journalists. This model, whose official name has not yet been made public, weighs only 345 grams but is said to be as solid and powerful as much heavier racquets. And it would have, according to the promoters of the Austrian brand, many other qualities still: our colleague Stéphane Penso will check it out soon.

extremely head padel 2023 pala 1 hole
extremely head padel 2023 pala 1 hole
extremely head padel 2023 pala 1 hole

The future of our palas will depend on the commercial success of future rackets with almost no holes. And if it was soon the end of the holes in the padel ?

Read also our article on hole phobia ou trypophobia 

After 40 years of tennis, Jérôme falls into the pot of padel in 2018. Since then, he thinks about it every morning while shaving… but never shaves pala in hand! Journalist in Alsace, he has no other ambition than to share his passion with you, whether you speak French, Italian, Spanish or English.

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