Adidas Metalbone 2026: Galán's power weapon, for the few

The Metalbone is the racket Ale Galán uses to bully opponents off the court, and the 2026 version is the most complete it's ever been. It's a diamond-shaped frame with a 16K carbon-aluminised face, a soft-performance EVA core and an octagonal frame braced by Adidas's "Power Groove" channel for rigidity. It's head-heavy, and a clever weight-and-balance system lets you add up to ~11g to dial in the swing. At £350 it sits right at the premium end.

On paper it's an attacking weapon, and in the hand that's exactly what it is — if your timing is good enough to find the middle of the face. That's the whole story with a racket like this, so let's be honest about it.

How it plays

Off a clean strike, the Metalbone is savage. The 16K face and stiff frame fire the ball out flat and heavy — smashes and the por tres are genuinely hard to defend. What's improved is the stability: the octagonal structure keeps the frame honest on slightly off-centre hits, so it's less brutally punishing than power diamonds of old, and the textured face grabs enough to give you real bite on the víbora and bandeja.

Catch it clean and it's frightening. Catch it slightly off and it still won't forgive you — just a little less harshly than before.

The catch is the sweet spot. It's small and high on the face, and the head-heavy balance loads the arm over a long session. The weight system helps you soften or sharpen the feel, which is a genuinely useful touch at this price — but it can't turn a power diamond into a forgiving all-rounder.

Who it's for

Advanced, attacking players with reliable technique who win points by finishing at the net. If that's you, few rackets hit harder while staying this stable.

Who should walk away

Beginners and improvers — and it isn't close. As we always say, a round, more balanced racket will help your game far more at club level: bigger sweet spot, kinder on the arm, more margin on every shot. Buying Galán's racket won't give you Galán's hands; it'll give you mishits and, quite possibly, a sore elbow. At £350, that's an expensive way to find out.

The verdict

The best Metalbone yet, and a superb racket doing a specialist job. 8.4/10 if you're the player it's built for; closer to a 5 if you're not. Match the racket to your level, not your favourite pro — and at £350, demo it before you commit.

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