The ATP Mallorca Open is wrapping up this weekend - Ethan Quinn made the Round of 16 earlier in the week before Fabian Maroszan reached the quarterfinals with an upset, and Sky Sports confirmed the final is live right now. It is one of only two ATP grass-court tournaments running in the week before Wimbledon, making it the last meaningful data point for players - and gear buyers - before the biggest fortnight in tennis kicks off on Monday.
For the Iberian tennis crowd, this one hits differently. Mallorca is a Spanish venue, the conditions mirror what players will face at the All England Club, and the field is full of players who are genuinely trying to sharpen their game on a surface that rewards flat striking, low bounce, and quick net exchanges. That combination of factors does something predictable to the second-hand racket market every single year.
Why grass season shifts what people actually want#
Grass rewards a specific style of play: flatter trajectories, more direct ball-striking, less time to construct points. Players who thrive on clay with heavy topspin sometimes struggle, and you can see them fiddling with string tensions or swapping to a slightly stiffer frame to get the extra pace through the court. When those adjustments get spotted - a pro photographed with a different stick, or a commentator mentioning a frame change - searches for those models tick up almost immediately.
The flip side is that grass season is short. Pros rotate through kit fast, and frames they used for just a few weeks on grass often end up moving through the market at a discount. A racket that was strung up for Mallorca or Eastbourne and barely touched after that can land in pre-owned classifieds in excellent condition. If you play on clay or hardcourt but fancy trying a slightly open-patterned, stiffer frame just to see what the fuss is about, right now - immediately after grass season - is one of the better windows to find one cheaply.
The Mallorca effect on Iberian buyers#
For players in Portugal and Spain, there is also a local pride angle here. A Spanish ATP 250 finishing the day before Wimbledon starts puts grass-court tennis directly in the conversation on both sides of the border, in a way that, say, Halle or Eastbourne does not quite manage. Club players who watched Mallorca this week are going to show up to their own clubs on Sunday and Monday asking about grass-court frames, or at least wondering whether their current racket would hold up on a faster surface.
The honest answer for most club players is: the frame matters less than the string setup on grass. A lower tension - a few pounds below your normal clay setting - will give you more pop and help the ball move through faster. But if you are genuinely curious about trying a flatter-playing, slightly stiffer stick, the pre-owned market right now has good options.
What to look for if you want a grass-friendly frame#
| Feature | Why it helps on grass |
|---|---|
| Stiffer frame (RA 65+) | More direct energy transfer on low-bounce balls |
| Lower string density (16x18 or 16x19) | Helps generate pace without needing heavy topspin |
| Slightly head-light balance | Easier to flatten out the swing and hit through the ball |
| Mid-to-light weight (295–310 g unstrung) | Faster swing speed for low, skidding balls |
None of those specs require buying new. The pre-owned market carries plenty of frames that tick all four boxes, often from players who bought them for exactly one grass season and moved on.
Wimbledon starts Monday. If the Mallorca final or any of this week's results have put grass-court tennis back on your radar, have a browse through our tennis listings - there is usually a decent spike in good-condition stock right after the pre-Wimbledon week as players sort out their bags. And if you have a frame sitting in a cupboard that only comes out in June, now is genuinely the best time to sell it while demand is highest.
