Showing Your Tennis Racquet The “Love” It Deserves

May 1st, 2012

When you hear the word “love” on the tennis court you can only hope that it is referring to your competitor`s score rather than your own, but there is another “love” that tennis players sometimes forget about… love for your tennis racquet!

Unlike the old wooden tennis racquets that would wear out relatively quickly, graphite and composite racquets are made to last for years unless, that is, if they aren’t taken care of.

To ensure that your tennis racquet has a long life and performs to the best of its ability there are a few specific things that you need to do (or not do).

Firstly, every tennis player must be careful not to expose their tennis racquet to excessive heat. Leaving your racquet in a hot car or on a sunbaked asphalt surface are sure to damage to the graphite and composite racquet frames.

To combat this problem, many tennis equipment manufacturers, such as Head and Babolat, offer tennis racquet bags made with heat resistant materials.

Secondly, exposing your tennis racquet to excessive moisture can, and most likely will, shorten your racquet`s life. Don`t leave your racquet in a locker or a gym bag full of sweaty clothes or leaky water bottles. Just as many tennis racquet bags protect against heat damage, some may be equipped with moisture resistant lining.

Another important aspect to consider when caring for your tennis racquet is staying within the manufacturer`s specific string tension range. If you don`t adhere to the manufacturer`s guidelines, not only will you risk your racquet not performing, you could damage it beyond repair.

A simple and cheap repair for a tennis racquet is replacing the grip. When your tennis grip becomes worn it is more damaging to your hand and arm than to your racquet, causing blisters and strain due to your arm absorbing most of the vibration.

Remember, damaging a tennis racquet due to negligence, like not staying in the specified tension range, leaving it in the sun or exposing it to moisture, typically voids the warranty. In that case, not only will you be out of a racquet but the money you spent on it will have been a waste.

Showing your tennis racquet the “love” it deserves is a very important part of the game. It keeps your racquet performing to the best of its abilities and will save you money in the long run by prolonging the life of your racquet so that you are not constantly replacing them.

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