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Choose from the best deals in golf clubs, balls and golf apparel, along with tennis racquets, training aids and accessories—even products to help with tennis elbow!

Tennis Gear Buyers Guide

Racquets: The most important piece of tennis equipment you choose will be your racquet. Tennis racquets come in a variety of shapes, weights, materials, lengths, thicknesses, head sizes and stringing patterns. The style and model you choose can have a huge effect on your game. Junior: Generally, juniors should use as long a racquet as they can handle comfortably. A too small racquet can encourage excessive wrist and elbow action.

• Tweener: Tweener racquets range between 9.6 and 11 ounces and have a medium head size. Tweeners are good racquets for players who want a balance between power and control, and are ideal for tennis players who are transitioning between junior and full-size tennis racquets.
• Power: Power racquets are lighter weight, wider framed and have larger head sizes, plus they have a more open string pattern. Power racquets are ideal for players who take relaxed, smaller swings.
• Control: Control racquets don’t provide much power, so the player must provide it, through long, hard swings. Power racquets have smaller heads and heavier frames (11.1 ounces or more).
• Length: The length of a tennis racquet is the measurement from the end of the racquet butt to the end of the head. Adult tennis racquets range from 27" long to 32". An extra long racquet has a length greater than 27 inches. Extra long racquets can give you greater reach and leverage, but can be more difficult to maneuver. Even a difference of a fraction of an inch can affect maneuverability and/or power. Racquet lengths greater than 29" are illegal in most tennis competitions.
• Weight: Tennis racquet weights range from super-light (8.9 ounces or less, unstrung) all the way up to very heavy (more than 11 ounces, unstrung). A heavier frame can provide more stability and control, but a lighter frame provides more power and maneuverability. The most important thing to remember when considering the weight of a racquet is that you need to use the heaviest racquet you can use without hindering your game or hurting yourself.
• Head Size: The head size determines the size of the racquet’s hitting area. A midsize head has a hitting area of 85 – 95 square inches; a mid-plus has a hitting area of 95 – 105 square inches; and an oversize has a hitting area greater than 105 square inches. A light racquet head is easier to maneuver, but not as stable as a heavier head, and with somewhat less spin and power.

Strings: Some racquets come pre-strung, some do not. Kevlar is the most durable string material, lasting longer than the average nylon or gut.

• Hybrid strings use Kevlar or a similar, durable stiff string for the main strings and a more relaxed, less durable string for the cross strings. The main strings take the brunt of abuse and are usually the first to break. Kevlar mains should be strung at a lower tension than the cross strings.
• Thinner gauges of strings are more resilient, and often believed to produce more spin. Thicker strings last longer and are very often used in beginner and intermediate racquets.
• The string pattern of a racquet consists of the number of vertical strings (or mains) a racquet has by the number of horizontal strings (or crosses) a racquet has. A racquet with a dense string pattern offers considerable control, while a racquet with a less dense string pattern offers more power. When a tennis ball hits a dense string bed, the increased number of strings keeps the strings from bending as easily. The ball stays on the strings longer, letting you guide the ball.

• When a racquet has a less dense string pattern, the open strings put more spin on the ball, where a denser string pattern causes the ball to travel deeper into the court.
• Lower string tensions prolong the contact between the ball and the strings, which spreads the impact over a longer period of time and reduces stress on your arm and elbow.
• A dense string pattern has 18 mains x 20 crosses.
  A medium string pattern has 16 mains x 19 crosses.
  Less dense string pattern: 16 mains x 18 crosses.
• The higher the resiliency rating of the strings, the more power they should offer.

• Restringing: Some strings lose tension faster than others, and major spin hitters wear out strings faster than flat hitters. You can always decide to replace the strings when they break!

Grip: The grip on a racquet handle usually consists of an outer synthetic layer bonded onto padding. Grip size is measured as the length of the perimeter of the cross-section of the handle.

Tennis Balls: Tennis ball manufacturers produce three types of balls:

• Recreational level balls are generally used for practice.
• Championship level and professional level balls are designed specifically for the court surface you play on. Professional level balls are the most expensive, and that expense becomes notable when you consider the short lifespan of a tennis ball. Once you’ve opened a can of tennis balls, even if you never hit them, if you leave them at room temperature, you can expect them to be unplayable within two weeks!

Training:

• Ball Machines: Which ball machine you purchase depends upon your budget, the space you have available, and your training goals. Programmable oscillation allows you to work on a set routine; random oscillation will launch the balls at you in random order—surprise! Be sure you’re able to easily move the unit around—some of them are quite heavy; if you have no power source at your court, you may want to look into a battery-powered unit. Also keep in mind that the greater the machine’s ball capacity, the greater the number of tennis balls you’ll get to hit—and the more you’ll have to fetch once your practice session is over!
• Books & DVDs: There are instructional videos and books available to help you with every aspect of your singles or doubles game, plus books and videos offering methods of staying fit to improve your tennis game, build stamina and avoid injuries.
• Tennis Elbow Prevention: Various training devices are available to strengthen the muscles around your elbow, preventing injury to the tendons in the elbow area. Vibration Dampeners can also help, because vibration reaching your elbow is what causes the condition to flare up.

Tennis Bags: 3-pack style bags hold three racquets or one or two racquets and a few other items (beverage, small towel, a snack). 6-packs or combi bags are for the more serious player who carries several racquets, plus extras (shoes, snacks, etc.). 12-packs, or super-combi bags, hold up to 12 racquets, or several racquets, extra shoes and assorted gear.

Tennis Apparel: Sure, you want to look great out on the tennis court, so choose clothes that will stay fresh and keep you comfortable. Perspiration is a big issue, especially during high summer temperatures. Look for breathable fabrics that wick moisture and conduct heat away from your skin. Lots of tennis clothes feature ventilating mesh panels, which keep you cool and aerated. You’ll also want sunglasses, caps or visors, bandanas or headbands, plus wristbands—all of which come in fabrics and colors to keep you looking and feeling cool on the courts.

Shoes: Good shoes are essential to playing tennis. There aren’t many sports that require as much from a shoe as tennis does. You need speed and agility, you need to be able to reverse directions, jump, pivot, lunge and stop on a dime. You’d better be comfortable while you’re doing all of it. Great form on the court won’t get you far if your feet hurt! Tennis shoes are designed with extra lateral support for all your side-to-side motion.

Before choosing tennis shoes, consider the style of tennis you play, what your foot and body types are and the surface of the court you play on.

Grass courts cushion the feet, so you might go with less cushioning in your shoes; clay allows more slide, so you may not need as much lateral support; concrete is most common and is hardest on the feet, so go for lots of cushioning in your shoes. Large-framed, heavier players might choose heavier shoes, whereas smaller players may be quicker, tire less easily and be more comfortable in a lighter weight shoe.

Canvas shoes don’t give maximum support, but they allow the greatest airflow. Leather shoes are more expensive, but keep your feet dry and lend greatest support. Vinyl shoes can offer the support of leather shoes, and they can keep your feet dry, but they don’t allow for much airflow, potentially causing your feet to become overheated.

We hope you find everything you need right here!

Happy shopping— and great tennis—

from all of us at

ChicagoGolfTennis.com