Adidas RX Series Padel Racket

I keep coming back to the RX Series whenever a 3.0-3.5 player asks me what their second racket should be. It is one of the few sub-£120 rackets that actually has a carbon fibre face rather than fibreglass dressed up with a graphic, and you feel that difference on every clean strike.

The teardrop shape and medium balance are what make this an upgrade racket rather than a starter. You get more attacking weight than a true round shape like the Bullpadel Indiga, but the medium balance keeps it manoeuvrable enough that you can still volley quickly. The EVA Soft Performance core is genuinely soft for a carbon racket — there is more give on impact than the Metalbone or Extreme Pro, which is exactly what you want when your timing is still inconsistent.

Where it stops being magic is at the very top of the game. If you are already a 4.0 hitting heavy bandejas, the RX runs out of pace and you will feel the racket flex on a full smash. That is fine — it is not pretending to be a tour stick.

Ideal player is the player progressing from a borrowed club racket or a sub-£60 fibreglass starter who wants something they can still use comfortably 18 months from now. Wrong owner is the absolute beginner who would do just as well on a £60 round.

UK retail is messy on this one. Padel Nuestro UK and Pure Racket Sport both stock it, sometimes at £100, sometimes at £130 with bag included. Worth comparing on the day you buy.