How much should I spend on my first real tennis racket?

Reviewers in r/10s and r/tennis broadly converge on a $90–$150 sweet spot for a graphite frame that will last through intermediate play — the HEAD Ti.S6, HEAD Graphene XT Speed MP, and Wilson Hyper Hammer 5.3 all sit in that band. Specialist-community posters are skeptical of sub-$50 aluminum rackets for anyone who plans to play more than casually, and premium frames like the Wilson Clash 100 V3 near $300 are generally only recommended by reviewers once a player knows what playing style they're committing to.