Adidas Cross It Light 2024

Technologies

Pros

• ✓Maneuverability is its standout trait: at 345-360g in a round shape, it gets there in time for a víbora to the body and lets you reset your wrist on cut bandejas without dragging your arm through the shot. The Spin Blade Mold texture on the 24K face gives a gritty, sandpaper-like touch that really bites on defensive topspin and low slices, adding extra life to the bounce off the back wall. A wide, well-centred sweet spot: shots that drift slightly toward the throat still hold their line instead of dying, which is unusual for rackets with 24K weave. The Soft Energy EVA core delivers clean ball exit from mid-court: emergency lobs reach the back wall without whipping your arm, and defensive volleys come out with clear direction. The 38mm profile with Dynamic Air Flow keeps the racket feeling light through the swing, which really shows up in fast net exchanges where you need to fire off two or three volleys in a row.

Cons

• ✗This isn't a flat-smash racket: power is moderate and the smash needs arm speed and good contact height, since the mass doesn't do the work for you from a mid balance. The aluminized 24K face paired with a medium-to-high density core gives a firm feel; in long rallies with a tense grip, your forearm feels it more than it would with a pure soft EVA. On a tight-angle víbora it lacks the whip a diamond shape provides: the round shape places and grips the spin well, but doesn't accelerate the ball the same way. The 360g ceiling is high for anyone reading 'light' and expecting a genuinely light racket — aim for the lower end of the weight range if maximum maneuverability is the priority.

adidas Cross It Light 2024 review: the round 24K racket built for Marta Ortega's fast game

Marta Ortega's signature adidas Cross It Light 2024 is a round-shaped padel racket weighing 345 to 360 grams, built with a Carbon Aluminized 24K face, a Soft Energy EVA core and a 38mm profile. It's the most accessible model in the Cross It line — a signature racket by name, but with a weight distribution designed to help you get to every ball, not to bury it.

What sets it apart from other control-oriented round rackets is the surface texture. The Spin Blade Mold pattern is raised directly onto the 24K face, creating a gritty texture that grips the ball on slices and topspin without relying on a rough paint finish that wears off after a few months.

What does the Carbon Aluminized 24K face feel like over the Soft Energy EVA core?

The aluminized 24K weave is tight and compact: it delivers a firmer response than the word 'light' might suggest, with minimal give on first contact. That face stiffness is what underpins the precision on block volleys, where the ball comes off with defined direction and no unwanted spin.

The Soft Energy EVA core is the other half of the equation. With medium density, it cushions the impact just enough to give the racket its own ball exit from mid-court — something a harder core paired with 24K simply wouldn't provide.

Together they define the racket's character: medium-firm touch, never soft or spongy, with the ball leaving the face quickly. Players coming from a pure soft EVA racket will notice more feedback in the hand; those coming from a harder core will appreciate the extra help on defensive lobs.

adidas Cross It Light 2024 specs

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

Bandeja. Its signature shot. The round shape and medium balance let you attack the ball out in front of the shoulder and cut it with a loose wrist; the gritty texture does the rest, and the ball dies right against the side wall.

Víbora. Works well to the body and off the wall, since the racket gets to the contact point quickly. On a very tight angle, chasing pure pace, you miss the head-heavy weight of a diamond shape.

Smash. Let's be honest here. The flat smash and kick smash are both there, but they come from the arm, not from the racket pushing through. The extended Extra Power Grip lets you choke up and gain a bit more head-heavy feel on attacking shots — worth using to your advantage.

Defense and wall exit. Comfortable territory. The ball comes in with plenty of tolerance thanks to a generous sweet spot, and shots landing slightly off-centre toward the throat still travel to the back wall instead of dying in the net.

Volleys. Precise, with a firm block. The 38mm profile with Dynamic Air Flow keeps the racket nimble in the air, which matters when you need to fire off two or three volleys in the same exchange.

Who is this racket for?

It's built for advanced-level players with a control-based, positional game: those who construct the point with bandejas, change rhythm and prioritise precision over pace. The 345-360g weight in a round shape suits players who log plenty of court hours and want to protect their arm above all.

Three player types it fits:

1. The net player who lives off the bandeja and the víbora to the body and needs to repeat the shot without fatigue.
2. Anyone coming from a power racket who's lost consistency on defense and the block volley.
3. Anyone partnered with a big hitter and taking on the role of sustaining the point and placing the ball.

Where it doesn't fit: in the hands of a pure smasher looking to close out points with a flat smash from the back. That's a job for a diamond-shaped, head-heavy racket — and this isn't one.

Verdict on Marta Ortega's signature racket

This model delivers on its promise: control, maneuverability and a surface that generates real spin. The combination of aluminized 24K with Soft Energy EVA feels coherent rather than a half-measure, and the wide sweet spot makes it usable match after match.

The trade-offs are the expected ones. Moderate power, a firm touch that won't suit anyone after a soft EVA, and a 360g ceiling that slightly undercuts the 'light' label. If raw power is your priority, this isn't the racket; if placing the ball exactly where you want and getting there in time is, few control-oriented round rackets make the case this clearly.