Tennis makes an excellent gift for both current and prospective players. Potential items include 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 many good options.
The holiday gifting season is also an excellent opportunity to support your local tennis pro shop. One primary reason for this is that full-service local tennis facilities provide an essential service of delivering tennis to new players. In the absence of a well-stocked and staffed tennis center, beginners must piece together equipment, shoes, and instruction and find 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 provide solid advice on the available gifting options. 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.
The internet warehouse tennis stores are also an alternative if you don’t have a suitable local option. While I enjoy the variety and competitive pricing that the major online tennis retailers provide, it is good to remember that any business you throw in that direction comes at the expense of your local pro shop.
From now through the end of the year, all proceeds from the affiliate links appearing on this site are donated with a 100% match. This year, the National Women’s Tennis Organization (NWTO) is the designated beneficiary.
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Tennis Gifts for Beginners
If you have a full-service local facility, that will almost always be the best place to shop for beginning tennis players. Your local pro shop is likely to have a demonstration racquet program and can recommend inexpensive starter-level equipment appropriate for the age and size of the player. The local pro shop can also recommend appropriate beginning tennis instruction and programming.
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 has 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 also experiencing the same challenges.
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. However, 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, even if you don’t have detailed insight into their preferences.
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. This is a thoughtful gift for a tennis player.
Tennis is a physically taxing sport that sometimes brings on many 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.
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.
Tennis Court Temporary 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.
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.
Seasonable Appropriate Gifts for Tennis Players
Tis the season for gifting cold weather tennis gear. Here are some seasonally appropriate items for the tennis player in your life.
These are hands down the best gloves for playing tennis on freezing cold days. The silicon palm grips are perfect for gripping the tennis racquet. I can legitimately play tennis in these gloves. As a bonus, they also work with touchscreen phones. This glove comes in both women’s and men’s styles and sizes.
This is for the player who prefers direct skin contact with the racquet in cold weather. When I was a kid, we had to cut the toe out of a tube sock just large enough for the racquet handle to fit through, which worked well enough. The commercial version is roomy enough for modern grip changes and works even better.
Tennis in cold weather is all about layers. This this Drive-Fit gaiter is much more flexible and practical than a full turtleneck. When it gets really cold, it can be pulled up to protect the face.
This is handy to keep in your pocket to warm up your hands between points. As a bonus, this device can also double as a mobile phone charger in a pinch.
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