Tennis Accessories (Tennis Equipment in general)

Member Name: rob_writer

Product:	Tennis Equipment in general
Date:	05/07/01 (1899 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tennis is fun

Disadvantages: None

Obviously the most important thing to have in a game of tennis is a racket, but in addition to this there are a range of other things you will need to play or enhance your game.

So here goes.......

Tennis Balls
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Quite obvious really, but it's surprising how many times I've gone off to play tennis only to realise that I have forgotten to bring any tennis balls. This usually results in a trip to the nearest sports shop, but when you get there you are faced with some choices.

As with nearly everything you buy, some are cheap and some are expensive. There is nothing wrong with cheap balls, as long as they are good cheap balls!! Some cheap balls are too hard and bounce too high and fast, others are too soft and bounce too low. If you can find a brand of cheap tennis ball that you are happy with then it's probably the best bet, especially if you're the type of person who loses a lot of them!! Cheap balls should cost around £1.

For the more serious player it is probably best to buy a more expensive tin of balls (usually 3-4 in a tin) from a well known brand name. Slazenger seem to be good in my experience. These can cost a lot more (£2-£3 per ball) depending on the exact make and model but at least you know they are the right weight, pressure etc!

Shock Absorbers
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These are by no means a necessity and whether or not you use them depends upon your personal preference. Some people find their racket vibrates a lot when they hit the ball, and I have to admit that after a few hours at tennis your wrist can begin to hurt. These shock absorbers are designed to take the 'shock' out of shots and make hitting the ball softer.

Some rackets come with built in shock absorbers, but most are sold as little rubber shapes which fit between the strings of your racket. A more extreme way of achieving this is done by using small spacers that slot in at each strin
g intersection on your racket (each crossover), but these take years to put it.

Personally I find that while shock absorbers do work, they also take the feeling out of the shot making it harder to judge. Other people swear by them, as I said it's all down to personal preference.

Cost wise, a rubber shock absorber should cost no more than £3-£4.

New Grips
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Once you've used your racket for a while inevitably the grip becomes worn and slippy, so you will need to replace it with an easy to stick on replacement grip.

They come in a roll, with one side usually being sticky. You can either put them on over the old one, or take the old one off first. Then you just wind them round, affix the supplied tape at each end and away you go. It couldn't be easier.

They cost from £2 upward depending on what you want, and can dramatically improve the feel of your racket!

New Strings
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A little more major, this one. Sooner or later a rackets' strings are going to become worn, and snap. You often don't get much warning of this, you can just be playing, hit a shot and hear a ping - look down and see your racket strings in shreds.

But don't rush out to buy another racket, because for £10-£15 you can get your racket restrung. Most sport shops do it, although it is probably best to shop around a bit and see who other people use, because a bad re-stringer can damage the racket and make a mess of the strings anyway, leaving them likely to snap in a matter of weeks.

On the other hand, for around £30 you can get some pretty great rackets now-a-days, so if your racket is past it anyway it might be worth getting a new one.


I'm sure there are things I've missed, you can probably buy specialist tennis shoes and even clothes, but I'm not that serious about my tennis. Just about the only other thing you need is lots to drink in hot w
eather like this!

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