Tennis makes a great gift for both current and prospective players. Potential gifts can be tangible items such as equipment, clothes, and accessories. Other alternatives include experiences such as lessons, tickets to events, and even travel. If you are considering giving someone the gift of tennis this year, there are a lot of good options.
As a reminder, it is very important to support your local tennis pro shop. One of the primary reasons for this is because full service local tennis facilities are essential to deliver tennis to new players. In the absence of a well stocked and staffed tennis center, beginners are required to piece together equipment, shoes, instruction, and finding a court on their own. That is a pretty significant barrier to entry for the sport.
Local services and offerings will vary. Some pro shops no longer carry merchandise beyond tennis balls, while others are fully stocked. The key is to find someone on staff who can render solid advice on the gifting options available at that establishment. That might not be the person who initially answers the phone. The first question in any inquiry with a local facility should center around the best person to talk to.
If you don’t have a suitable local option, the big warehouse tennis stores are the only alternative. While I enjoy the variety and competitive pricing that the large online tennis retailers provide, it is important to remember that any business you throw in that direction comes at the expense of your local pro shop.
Tennis Gifts for Beginners
If you have a full service local facility, that is almost always going to be the best place to shop for beginning tennis players. They are likely to have a demonstration racquet program and can make recommendations for inexpensive starter level equipment appropriate for the age and size of the player. The local pro shop will also be able to recommend beginning tennis programming appropriate for the prospective player.
I am hard over on the idea that first time players should receive some form of competent instruction when first picking up the sport. Tennis is a game with a steep learning curve and using proper technique from the onset is tremendously beneficial. Additionally, I strongly prefer beginning instruction in a group setting because it is reassuring to the player to observe that other people are experiencing the learning curve of tennis as well.
For beginning players, a great tennis gift is an inexpensive racquet and a gift certificate to cover a series of beginning tennis lessons from their local tennis facility.
Tennis Gifts for Experienced Tennis Players
Tennis players always need more gear, so that makes a great gifting choice. However it is important to be aware that experienced tennis players may have strong preferences in that regard. Fortunately, it is pretty easy to collect that information in casual conversation. For example, the question “What string do you have in your racquet” is likely to generate a lengthy discussion not only of the string, but also how crisp/soft/sharp it feels on all manner of strokes. In fact, you may be sorry you asked.
The following items are pretty safe options for experienced tennis players in the absence of detailed insight into their preferences.
 | Tennis Balls Any quantity of new tennis balls is a great gift. Sometimes non-tennis people are reluctant to gift balls because it seems unimaginative. However serious tennis players will genuinely appreciate it. |
 | Theragun Prime – Electric Handheld Massage Gun Tennis is a physically taxing sport which sometimes brings on a lot of aches and pains. Many players have started carrying percussive massagers as a standard part of their gear. Theragun has a competitive edge over other models due to the triangular handle which makes easier angles for self-treatment. |
 | Quick Cart Plus Serious tennis players will work on their serve and do basket-fed drills with their training partners. That means that they need some kind of ball hopper to support that. My recommendation is for a collapsible rolling training cart. |
 | Lines and Corners Temporary lines are usually associated with quick start tennis, but every adult should have a set as a part of their training gear. These can be used to make competitive drills more equitable or challenging. |
 | The Functional Tennis Pointer Dr. Walter Johnson required his young tennis charges (including Arthur Ashe) to demonstrate the ability to consistently hit a tennis ball with a wooden dowel before giving them court time. This training device is a way to apply those same principles to on court sweet spot training. |
Tennis players would also appreciate strings, shoes, and apparel. However, considerable investigative legwork is required to figure out brand preferences and sizes. It’s worth the effort.
Tomorrow’s post delves into some larger ticket gift items that tennis players will love. That includes a few items that you may not think of in a tennis context
“The Stick” massage roller is a must have item in my tennis bag. It’s cheap, easily fits in the bag and is quick to use on changeovers to keep my leg muscles working when they otherwise want to stop.
I was interested in learning how to play so my husband bought me a package of private lessons (five of them) for Christmas in 2012. The rest is history! #addicted
Thanks! The challenge for tennis is getting people through the door in the first place. Unfortunately, the collective tennis industry seems to be better at marketing to existing players rather than those outside the fences of existing tennis facilities/clubs.