Agustín Tapia and Alejandro Galán are the two most talked-about rackets on tour right now, but they're not chasing the same job on court. Tapia, partnered with Arturo Coello, sits at world #1 with 20,454 ranking points as of FIP's latest update (21 September 2026) — he's the all-court player who can defend a smash one point and finish the next. Galán, partnered with Federico Chingotto in the "Chingalán" pairing, sits at world #3 with 18,289 points — and he's built his career on hitting the ball harder than almost anyone else in the game. Their signature rackets, the NOX AT10 Genius 18K Alum and the Adidas Ale Galán Metalbone HRD+ 3.5, follow the same split. If you've been deciding between "Tapia's racket" and "Galán's racket" based on which name you hear more on TikTok, here's what the actual spec sheet says.

The short version

These two aren't in the same shape category, and that's the whole story. The NOX AT10 Genius 18K Alum is round-shaped with even balance and a multilayered EVA core, rated 9.0/10 for control and 8.9/10 for maneuverability — it's built to give you time. The Adidas Metalbone HRD+ 3.5 is diamond-shaped with head-heavy balance and an EVA High Memory core, and it posts the highest power rating of any racket we stock: 9.6/10. Here's the number that actually surprises people: the AT10 — the world #1's own match racket — is 870 AED, while the Metalbone HRD+ is 1,270 AED. The more expensive racket here belongs to the world #3, not #1.

NOX AT10 Genius 18K Alum — built to give you time

• Shape: Round
• Weight: 365–375 g
• Balance: Even
• Core: MLD Black EVA (multilayered)
• Surface: 18K Aluminized Carbon face, NOX Carbon Frame
• Tech: Exclusive SPIN dual rough finish, EOS Flap, Pulse System (anti-vibration), Smartstrap
• Power / Control / Maneuverability: 8.5 / 9.0 / 8.9
• Price: 870 AED

This is the racket Tapia actually plays with, and the round shape plus even balance is exactly why he can go from full-stretch defense to an attacking bandeja in the same rally — the sweet spot is bigger and more forgiving than anything diamond-shaped, and the racket resets faster between shots. The trade-off shows up in the power number: 8.5/10 is strong, but it's not the top of our range, because a round frame simply can't carry mass the way a diamond can. We're down to 2 units of the 2025 version in stock; if it sells out, the NOX AT10 Luxury Genius 18K Alum 2026 (1,100 AED) is the direct successor with the same round shape and even balance, updated for this season.

Adidas Metalbone HRD+ 3.5 — built to end the point

• Shape: Diamond
• Weight: 345–360 g
• Balance: Head-Heavy
• Core: EVA High Memory
• Surface: 18K Carbon, Carbon Fiber frame
• Tech: Spin Blade Rough finish, Weight & Balance System
• Power / Control / Maneuverability: 9.6 / 8.4 / 8.2
• Price: 1,270 AED

The Metalbone HRD+ is the highest power rating in our entire catalogue, and that's not a coincidence — Galán is one of the hardest hitters on tour, and a diamond shape moves the sweet spot toward the tip, which is exactly what maximizes smash and bandeja power at the cost of some forgiveness on off-centre contact. At 345–360 g it's also noticeably lighter than the AT10, which keeps the head-heavy balance from feeling sluggish. We currently carry 6 units in stock. If 1,270 AED is more than you want to spend on the HRD+ tier, the standard Adidas Ale Galán Metalbone 3.5 (1,110 AED) carries the same diamond shape and head-heavy balance in a slightly heavier 350–365 g build — we broke down exactly how the two Metalbone tiers differ in our full Metalbone 3.5 vs HRD+ comparison.

Why the shape gap matters more than the ranking gap

It would be easy to read "world #1's racket vs world #3's racket" and assume the AT10 is simply the better frame. It isn't — they're built for different roles, and both players are proof the design works. Round shape distributes mass evenly across the face, which is why the AT10 posts a 9.0/10 control rating and why Tapia can play a full defensive point from the back of the court without the racket fighting him. Diamond shape concentrates mass toward the tip, which is why the Metalbone HRD+ posts a 9.6/10 power rating and why Galán can end a point from a position most players would only be able to defend from. Neither number is "better" in isolation — they're optimizing for opposite jobs, the same way a control-oriented back-court player and a power-hitting net finisher win points differently in the same match. If you're not sure which role actually fits you, our racket shapes guide and net vs back-court position guide both walk through how to tell before you spend on either tier.

UAE angle: which one is kinder to your arm over a long season

Long indoor sessions in club air-conditioning, or outdoor court time once the weather turns from November, both put real strain on the wrist and elbow — and the two rackets don't approach that the same way. The AT10's spec sheet lists a dedicated Pulse System, NOX's anti-vibration build built into the frame, on top of the round shape already being the more forgiving option on off-centre hits. The Metalbone HRD+'s listed tech is its Weight & Balance System, which is about tuning swing feel rather than dampening shock — Adidas doesn't advertise a comparable vibration-reduction spec on this model. That doesn't make the Metalbone unsafe to play three sessions a week; it means if you've dealt with padel elbow before, or you're playing enough that vibration adds up, the AT10 has the built-in edge on paper. We've gone deeper on gear that actually helps with that in our padel elbow guide.

Side by side

Which one should you actually buy?

If your game is built on getting to everything, defending well, and picking your moment to attack rather than forcing it — the kind of all-court game Tapia is famous for — the AT10's control and maneuverability numbers will suit you better than the raw power spec suggests on paper. If you already have the timing to consistently find the sweet spot and your instinct in a rally is to hit through the ball rather than around it, the Metalbone HRD+ gives you more raw output than anything else we stock, but it will punish a mistimed swing more than the AT10 does. Neither is a beginner racket — both sit at the advanced tier, and jumping straight to a diamond head-heavy frame before your technique is consistent is one of the most common (and expensive) mistakes we see UAE players make. It's also worth being honest about what "world #1's racket" actually means for your own game: Tapia's setup works because his technique is good enough to make the most of a more balanced, control-first tool, not despite it. Buying the cheaper, more forgiving AT10 isn't the compromise choice here — for most club-level players it's genuinely the better-fitting one, and the price tag happens to agree. Read our level guide first if you're not sure you're there yet, and see the full lineup of both in our padel rackets collection, or go straight to the NOX and Adidas pages.

Want our honest read on the standalone AT10 or a deeper look at how the Metalbone family splits between control and power tiers? We've covered the AT10 on its own and the full Metalbone 3.5 vs HRD+ breakdown already.

Still not sure which one fits your game? Send us your level and current racket on WhatsApp and we'll give you a straight answer, not a sales pitch.

Play it Bueno.