Tecnifibre Junior Tempo Iga 26 (250g) Tennis Racket

The top of the Iga Swiatek junior range, in 100% graphite

The Tecnifibre Tempo IGA 26 closes the girls' junior range and is aimed at performance players aged 9 to 11. At 66 cm, it sits just two and a half centimetres short of an adult racket. 250 g, a 660 cm² head, a 16x19 pattern and above all a 100% graphite frame.

What you are actually paying for

Against the Tempo IGA 24, the 26 inch adds only 5 g and 5 cm, with a head size that is exactly the same at 660 cm². Yet its recommended price almost doubles. The reason lies not in the dimensions but in the material: the 24 is a graphite composite, the 26 is 100% graphite. No blend, no lesser reinforcing fibre. That is what changes energy return and the precision of feel at impact, where a composite stays duller.

What sets it apart

• 100% graphite frame: the construction of adult competition rackets, brought to a junior format.
• 66 cm length: the last step before adult. The player gains leverage on serve and from the baseline.
• Only 250 g: lightness remains the priority, so as not to restrict the swing speed of a still-growing player.
• 660 cm² head: generous, keeping good forgiveness despite the performance focus.
• 16x19 string pattern: the versatile reference layout, which will follow her onto adult frames.
• In the Iga Swiatek line's colours, designed with the player.

The Extreme Tennis team's take

Let us be clear about who this is for: a ranked player, or one about to be, training several times a week and playing tournaments back to back. For recreational play, even regular, the Tempo IGA 24 already offers graphite at half the price and will be enough. The other question is timing: at 66 cm, the player is a year or two from moving to a 68.5 cm adult frame. If she is already close to 150 cm and growing fast, look straight at lightweight adult models rather than investing in a size she will leave behind within twelve months. Two-year warranty.