Dunlop Nemesis Carbon

Technologies

Pros

• ✓The multidimensional holes running through the face cut air resistance in the final phase of the swing, giving you a hitting plane that stays more stable through the bandeja smash and the vibora Soft EVA under the 3K carbon cushions the impact without turning spongy: on volley blocks and rushed wall exits the ball keeps its own trajectory, so you're not forced to muscle the arm through it The medium balance in a teardrop shape keeps the racket neutral in hand: you can turn in time for a reflex volley while still carrying enough weight up front to close out a flat smash The textured face grips the ball well and makes chop shots and cut bandejas easier to pull off, with the ball dropping shorter and biting harder off the bounce The reinforced bridge is a durability call you don't often see at this price point: it's the first spot to crack on rackets played four days a week

Cons

• ✗Soft EVA paired with 3K carbon doesn't give the crisp, dry response a pure smasher is after: if your game lives off the flat winning smash, you'll feel the ball sink a fraction longer before it leaves the face The sweet spot, while generous, is clearly concentrated in the upper part of the teardrop; off-centre hits down near the bridge lose noticeably more pop and you'll need to compensate with extra arm The pronounced texture wears balls down faster and clogs with dust on dirty artificial turf courts, blunting some of the very effect that makes it appealing This isn't a racket for beginners: it demands an already-grooved swing to unlock the extra power the teardrop hides up top

The Dunlop Nemesis Carbon targets advanced players with consolidated technique who want more performance without yet moving to a pure competition racket. Its teardrop shape shifts the sweet spot slightly upwards, striking a balance between control and power. The medium balance keeps a balanced behaviour between baseline shots and volleys.

Dunlop Nemesis Carbon Review: The All-Court Teardrop That Keeps Its Face Rock-Steady

The Dunlop Nemesis Carbon pairs a 3K carbon face with a Soft EVA core in a teardrop shape with medium balance, a rough finish, and two build features that define its personality: Agujeros multidimensionales across the face and a reinforced bridge. This is the all-court reading of the Nemesis line — not the control-oriented version.

That distinction matters. The Nemesis family also includes a Dunlop Nemesis Carbon Control, a round-shaped racket built for a different kind of player. The one we're reviewing here is a medium-balance teardrop: more of an offensive bet, more technically demanding.

What do the Nemesis Carbon's Agujeros multidimensionales actually do?

They're not decoration. The perforations cut through the face at varying angles so air flows through the hitting plane instead of getting stuck against it, and the effect shows up in the last phase of the swing: the face arrives more stable at contact on both forehand and backhand.

On court that shows up less in raw ball speed and more in repeatability. The bandeja smash comes off the same face twice in a row, and on the vibora — where the wrist snaps fast and any lateral drag throws off the plane — direction holds up more reliably than you'd expect from a teardrop at this price.

3K carbon over Soft EVA: what this combination gains and gives up

3K carbon is an open-weave fabric. It brings controlled stiffness and a more progressive response than tighter weaves, and that progressiveness pairs naturally with the Soft EVA core underneath.

The result is a racket with a friendly, arm-forgiving touch. The ball stays on the face a fraction longer, and that fraction is what saves you a decent ball exit when you barely reach a ball glued to the back wall.

The trade-off is straightforward: if you're after the sharp, immediate response of a hard EVA, you won't find it here. On the all-out flat smash, that extra cushioning costs you a few km/h.

Shot by shot: where it shines and where it falls short

Smash. The weight spread across a medium balance won't give you the whip of a diamond shape, but the teardrop still carries enough mass up top to close out flat smashes if your swing's there. The bandeja is its best weapon — face stability keeps the ball from drifting wide.

Bandeja and vibora. This is where the rough texture takes over. The surface bites and the cut bandeja drops with real grip, staying short after the bounce. The vibora comes off with spin but needs acceleration — the Soft EVA won't launch it for you.

Defence and wall exits. The medium balance lets you get underneath the ball without fighting the racket. Lobs come off long with little effort thanks to the soft rubber, which forgives a mishit on a rushed ball off the back glass.

Volley. Blocking is comfortable and the deep volley kick works well, though on aggressive volleys at the feet the core's cushioning means you need to add a bit more arm than you would with a harder rubber.

Who is this padel racket really built for?

For an advanced-level, all-court player who mixes building points with attacking, not the pure power hitter and not someone who only defends.

The profile that fits best:

1. **Backhand-side players** who need face stability on repeated bandejas and appreciate a racket that won't punish the elbow over a long match.
2. **Drive players who transition to attack** — they'll go up to smash but don't build the point around a winning smash.
3. **Players managing tennis elbow** who want a teardrop shape without paying the vibration toll of a hard EVA.

We wouldn't recommend it to anyone still working up from intermediate level. The teardrop hides its power high up in the hitting plane, and you need a grooved swing and solid timing to find it consistently.

The reinforced bridge: the least flashy, most useful upgrade

The bridge — where the heart meets the frame — absorbs the strain of every impact and is usually the first place to crack on a racket in heavy rotation. Reinforcing it doesn't look good on a spec sheet, but it adds months to the life of a racket played four days a week.

In a lineup where the 3K carbon and Soft EVA already point toward solid durability, this detail rounds out the case: this is a racket built to last a full club season, not just three months of new-racket feel.

Verdict on the Dunlop Nemesis Carbon

An honest teardrop that doesn't oversell itself. It delivers above-average control for its shape thanks to face stability, a comfortable feel courtesy of the Soft EVA, and a rough texture that adds genuine bite on bandeja and vibora.

In exchange, it gives up the explosiveness of a dry, crisp smash. If you want a rounder, more manageable racket within the same family, the Dunlop Nemesis Carbon Control fills that gap with its round shape.

The model reviewed here wants to do it all: defend without struggling and attack when the moment calls for it, without being the best in the world at either.