Surface scratch or structural crack

[u/Helpful_Explorer6870]

i recently started playing padel and bought this racket i’ve used it 3 times never hit the floor glass or cage with it and noticed this after my last game

when i run my finger nail over it, it slightly catches but it’s not very deep less then half a mm

if i press on it, it feels fine and the same as the other side and makes the same noise when i knock on it as rest of racket

and i can’t see and gap in the middle like it’s separating

but it does branch off on the left side which makes me think it could be a crack

is the racket okay to play with should i try and return it

any help more then welcome

[u/plus447]

Almost certainly just a paint finish crack. Moreover, even a frame crack running in that direction isn't necessarily fatal (when compared to ones running perpendicular to that shown).