Top Racquet Tips

   Mike is a certified USPTA Elite Pro and a Master Racquet Technician through the United States Racquet Stringers Association and has been stringing and teaching tennis for over 35 year. Mike can be contacted at  520-307-5181, or via e-mail -mike@elitetennisservices.com  

Don’t Play In Pain Along with ice, stretching and following the advice of your physician; elbow and wrist pain, as a result of playing racquet sports, can be eased through racquet customization. ETS USRSA Master Racquet Technician can customize your racquet and strings to help relieve the discomfort of tennis elbow.   

Treat Your Racquet Like Family Though the consequences are far less severe, racquets, like pets and infants, should not be left in a vehicle during the heat of summer. Temperatures can reach over 140 degrees inside a vehicle, which can dry out and overly stretch the strings, causing premature breakage/weakening of the string as well as cause the frame to weaken. The life expectancy of a racquet that is consistently left inside of a vehicle can be half that of a racquet that is taken out of the vehicle during the day.   

Lightweight Is Not Necessarily Right for You Many racquets today promote the fact that they are lightweight. This is not always a good thing. To minimize the impact on your wrist and arm there has to be enough mass to the racquet to counter the inertia of the ball. Otherwise, the force of the ball striking the racquet will be absorbed by the soft tissue of your arm, rather than the racquet, resulting in tendonitis (or worse) in your wrist and elbow. Racquets are manufactured in a variety of weights and balance points so that there is a racquet for every type of player. The trick is determining which racquet weight and balance is right for your game. Your racquet salesperson should be knowledgeable about different racquets and what they are designed to achieve. They should then be able to match you up to one or several racquets to try out. If not, find another retailer.     

Don’t Skimp On Your Strings Many people will spend $200 or more on the latest racquet featuring the hottest technology but when it comes to strings they put in the least expensive strings. But, think about it, the only part of your racquet that is supposed to touch the ball is the strings. Good strings, strung properly and at the right tension for you, will have a more positive effect on the performance of the racquet than any amount of aerospace technology that is built into the frame. If finances are an issue, buy a less expensive racquet but put better strings in and re-string more often. The benefits of this strategy will far surpass those of buying a more expensive racquet but skimping on the strings.   

To Prolong Racquet Life, Replace Your Bumper Guard and Grommets Often Tennis is a contact sport; at least for your racquet. The constant impact of the racquet to the court surface will cause the bumper guard to gradually wear down until it no longer protects the frame from abrasion. Grommet strips protects the strings from rubbing up against the racquet itself, but, over time the grommet strip will become cracked and worn, no longer protecting the strings from pre-mature wear. For $12 you can have your bumper guard and grommets replaced periodically and thereby double or triple the life-expectancy of your racquet. Your stringer should inspect your grommet and bumper guard every time it is brought in for restringing and make recommendations on when they should be replaced.   

Don’t Get Caught Up In the Demo Game If you have to demo more than 10 racquets before finding one that you like then there is a problem. While there is a plethora of tennis racquets on the market today you don’t have to try them all. Most racquets fall into a few distinct categories which are usually predicated on swing speed and swing length. If you know that you have a short compact swing style then you’ve just eliminated around 50% of the racquets from consideration. By speaking with a knowledgeable salesperson you can further refine your options based on your preference for racquet weight, balance and length. In the end you should try out between 4 – 9 racquets and then pick the one that best suits you.