Buying a badminton racket is easy, but picking the right one is much harder. Or, you need to know exactly which specifications are completely suitable for your style of play. Still, you don't always know how the racket will react on the court.How important are the following factors of a racket:Grip and grip size25%Stringing20%Balance point: head heavy ○○ ● ○○ Head light15%Weight: i.c.w. Balance point15%Flexibility: stiff ○○ ● ○○ Flexible15%Frame technology and material10%- 'snapback' made of steel - 'snapback' made of steel - Thickness of blade - Thickness of shaft - Aerodynamics - Maximum stringing force Total100%You can choose balance points from below:Extra head heavy(head heavy ●○○○○ head light)31,6 >> cmHead heavy(head heavy ○●○○○ head light)30,5 - 31,5 cmEven balance(head heavy ○○●○○ head light)29,5 - 30,4 cmHead light(head heavy ○○○●○ head light)28,5 - 29,5 cmExtra head light(head heavy ○○○○● head light)<< 28,4 cm Next to flexibility, the balance point is probably the most discussed and well-known term in the badminton world. We believe that this counts for about 15% in the choice of a racket. The balance can strongly influence your style of play offensively or defensively.The balance point is related to the weight of a badminton racket.It falls naturally within the law of gravity and leverage. We are not physicists and keep it a lot simpler because we just call it a heavy or light racket. To determine which balance for your badminton racket suits your playing style, we first explain the advantages and disadvantages of Head Heavy & Head Light rackets.Advantages Head Heavy badminton rackets:· It provides more power and offers the potential to hit the shuttle further back· It gives more control in a long stroke like the clearDisadvantages Head Heavy badminton rackets:· It requires more wrist strength· It slows down the stroke movement, so less useful for e.g. a smash catch.· Less useful for trick shots, quick short strokes in doubles and backhand. Advantages Head Light badminton rackets:· A lot of speed at the net and handy for smash defense· Often more power in short quick strokes (such as at the net)· Good to intercept the shuttle in between a rallyDisadvantages Head Light badminton rackets:· Limited maximum power from the back court Before you determine your balance point, make sure that the grip thickness is as thick as your desired new thickness. G4 = about 8.6 cm circumference, G5 = about 8.3 cm circumference. This is because it gives the racquet immediate weight at the end of the racquet, which makes the balance different.To determine the balance point, do the following:1. You can find this balance point by placing the shaft on the tip of your nail/finger.2. Move the shaft until you have found the center of gravity. The racket will no longer fall to the left or right.3. Measure the distance from the bottom of the handle to the balance point in the shaft.Are there any strings in the racket? Then subtract 1 cm from the determined balance point. Strings in a stringing system weigh about 4,5 grams.Assuming that the weight remains the same, we recommend that the balance point be shifted by no more than 1 cm what you are used to.Conclusion balanceA balance point that is 1 cm higher or lower can be felt well by an advanced badminton player. Only go for 2 cm difference if you really want to make a big switch. Keep in mind that it will take much longer to get used to the racket.

Roger Federer is retiring from professional tennis at age 41 after a series of knee operations, closing a career in which he won 20 Grand Slam titles, finished five seasons ranked No. 1 and helped create a golden era of men's tennis with rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Here is the Summery of some of the career highlights of the Swiss Champion, Federer: 103 titles - 2nd in Open Era to Jimmy Connors' 109 1,251 wins - 2nd in Open Era to Connors' 1,274 65 straight wins on grass (2003-08) 41 straight wins (2006-07) 24-final win streak (2003-05) 24 straight wins vs. Top 10 (2003-05) 20 Grand Slam title, 1st to reach that Milestone (2003-2018) 17 straight finals (2005-06) Roger Federer has Sight Wimbledon championships, Six Australian Open, Five US Opens and a Single Roland Garros. "As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries," Federer said Thursday in a post on his social media accounts. "I've worked hard to return to full competitive form. But I also know my body's capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear. "I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career." Federer said he intends to keep playing tennis, "but just not in Grand Slams or on the tour." He had not played a competitive match since reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2021 and announced in mid-August that he had undergone another knee surgery. But he had appeared at an event marking the 100th anniversary of Centre Court at the All England Club in July and said he hoped to come back to play there "one more time." He also had said he would return to tournament action at the Swiss Indoors in October. "This is a bittersweet decision, because I will miss everything the tour has given me," Federer said. "But at the same time, there is so much to celebrate. I consider myself one of the most fortunate people on Earth. I was given a special talent to play tennis, and I did it at a level that I never imagined, for much longer than I ever thought possible." Nadal expressed a similar sentiment, tweeting, "I wish this day would have never come," but also expressing gratitude for the opportunity to "share all these years with you, living so many amazing moments on and off the court." Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray are set to play together for the first time when they compete Sept. 23-25 as part of Team Europe at the Laver Cup in London. Named after Australian great Rod Laver, the three-day team event, which is run by Federer's management company, pits six of Europe's top players against six from the rest of the world.

Novak Djokovic set a new landmark of 311 weeks as world No.1 on Monday, one week ！longer than Roger Federer whose tally of a record 20 Grand Slam titles the Serb is now "devoted" to breaking.Djokovic, 33, won his 18th major at the Australian Open in February.With Federer turning 40 in August, the Serb has time on his side. He is a year younger than Rafael Nadal who also has 20 majors.The two main goals in tennis are probably the number of Grand Slams won and the number of weeks spent at No.1," Djokovic told Serbian broadcaster RTS. "I am honored to have achieved one of them, now I will devote myself to the second."Djokovic reclaimed the top ranking from Nadal in February 2020 and finished as year-end No.1 for the sixth time, tying the record set by Pete Sampras.Federer, who returns to action in Doha this week after more than a year out of action to recover from two knee operations, slipped out of the top five on Monday to sixth. His place was taken by Stefanos Tsitsipas. Djokovic made his top-100 debut in July 2005, just weeks after Nadal had won his first Roland Garros. He was top 50 in June 2006, top 20 for the first time in October 2006 and top 10 by March 2007.He first became world No.1 at the age of 24 on July 4, 2011, the day after winning Wimbledon for the first time, beating Nadal in the final.Only a six-month injury absence in 2017 saw his ranking plunge, all the way to 22 the following summer.It was just a blip - Djokovic was back at No.1 again by November and with the exception of November 2019 until January last year, when Nadal reclaimed pole position, he has been rock solid.Few would bet against Djokovic, who in 2016 was the first man to break the $100 million prize money barrier, ending his career with more Slams than Federer and Nadal. Djokovic's record was top news in his native Serbia on Monday, with headlines like "No one was ever like Nole" in daily newspaper Vecernje novosti.Videos of the most important moments of his career were projected onto Belgrade's town hall, with fans invited to gather and honor Djokovic despite coronavirus measures.Messages addressed to the tennis star were also displayed on billboards in the Serbian capital, reading "Bravo Nole," "311," and "the best player of all time."

Messages from Chinese netizens flooded the Weibo of 37-year-old Chinese badminton superstar Lin Dan, who announced his retirement from the sport on Saturday.From 2000 to 2020, after 20 years, I have to say goodbye to the national team. It is very difficult for me to say it out loud," Lin posted on his Sina Weibo account.The hashtag "Lin Dan retires" has quickly earned 180 million views on Weibo within hours, with many netizens expressing their unwillingness regarding the badminton superstar's decision.You will be our Super Dan forever! We will not forget what you contributed to Chinese badminton," one Chinese netizen posted on Weibo.Lin has won 666 singles matches including two Olympic championships at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympic Games. No one has broken his title run of 20 world championships so far.The Chinese Badminton Association later confirmed the decision by posting on Weibo that Lin submitted a formal retirement letter a few days ago.Taking into consideration Lin's personal preference and his current situation, the Chinese badminton national team agreed to his retirement," read the post.My physical capabilities and injuries won't let me fight with my teammates anymore," the iconic badminton figure wrote, indicating he will not be competing in the Olympics in Tokyo which was postponed to next July in 2021.He expressed his thanks to his family and fans, and planned to spend more time with his family. His wife Xie Xingfang, a former world champion, shared his post as a show of support.Malaysian badminton player Lee Chong Wei who retired in June 2019 also made a response on his Weibo account that he is proud of his "greatest opponent." Some netizens posted a photo of Lin, Lee, retired Danish professional badminton player Peter Gade and retired Indonesian badminton player Taufik Hidayat, with the words that "this is the end of an era, but their matches will become classics in world badminton history." Following Lin's announcement, China's Netflix-like streaming platform Youku announced on Weibo that the documentary Super Dan, Until the end of World, which shows Lin's legendary career and is directed by Chinese-Canadian film director and Academy member Yung Chang, has officially commenced filming.