The 2021 Ultimate Stocking Stuffer List for Tennis Players

Fiend at Court Unplugged

Tis the season where it seems that every blog on the planet publishes a list of stocking stuffer recommendations. Some of those lists claim contain items that are perfect for tennis players and enthusiasts. The vast majority of those lists annoy me for a variety of reasons. 

From a tennis perspective, it is clear that some of the sites that publish “tennis specific” stocking stuffer suggestions have absolutely no idea of what tennis players would actually want or need. Additionally, I frequently discover that the recommendations are quite frequently not items that I would consider to be a stocking stuffer.

I have criteria. First, in order to qualify for my list, the item has to actually fit in a stocking. Second, a stocking stuffer has to have a nominally inexpensive price. While a diamond encrusted “tennis bracelet” will undoubtedly fit into a stocking, the cost of that item moves it firmly into the “gift” category. 

Before I fully launch into the list, now is a great time to discuss the notification that appears on all of my posts that contain Amazon affiliate links. In case you have never noticed it before, here is the complete text:

Fiend At Court participates in the Amazon associates program and receives a paid commission on any purchases made via the links in this article. Additional details on the disposition of proceeds from this source are available in the “About Fiend at Court” page.

If you decide to purchase any of these items from Amazon, it would be greatly appreciated if you start your shopping from one of the links on this site. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and the Fiend at Court receives a small commission on all purchases. Additionally, all commissions received are donated to certified non-profit organizations because I currently operate this site as a hobby.

Commissions earned between January 1 and Thanksgiving of this year were designated to the USTA Foundation. Similarly, commissions earned starting today through New Year’s Eve are going to the National Women’s Tennis Organization. The NWTO advocates for Senior Tennis in the United States and provides organizational feedback to the USTA on ways to improve the player experience. This year I will be matching the NWTO commissions with an additional dollar for dollar donation.

This year’s list has the most items ever carried on this annual traditional Black Friday Post. They are divided into categories for convenience.

Tennis Court Gear and Racquet Bag Accessories

The items in this list are tennis specific gear and accessories that should be most players will want to have in their tennis bag at all times.

	Scoring Right Net Checker Tennis Height Measuring Tape and Keyring All tennis players should carry a device to measure the height of the net. In addition to the stylistic tennis housing of this measuring tape, the flip side has a printed reminder of the proper net height at both the center strap and the posts.
	Komelon 4110CS Keychain Tape Measure Acrylic Coated Steel Blade 10′ If the tennis ball net checker is a little too dainty for your tennis player, then I recommend a full up hardware tape measure. You need to make sure you get one that is longer than 36″ in case the net post height is questionable. I like this one because it comes with a carabiner for clipping on the outside of the bag which is where I carry my tape measure.
	Tennis Vibration Dampeners Motivational Slogans 6 Pack Sometimes players have a strong preference for vibration dampeners, but these have practical playing advice that override preferences for one form factor over another. I think these would be awesome for a team setting or happy hour where each player draws a dampener and gives a 3 minute elevator pitch to their teammates on how they are going to embody the motivational advice on the dampener in their next match.
	Tennis Vibration Dampeners 4 Pack (Small, Marvel) There are a lot of novelty string dampeners on Amazon this year, but if you can be a superhero…
	Tennis Racket Grip Tape (6 Grips) – Tac Moisture Feel Tennis Grip – Tennis Overgrip Grip Tape Tennis Racket Racquet overgrips are another area where a player might have a brand preference. I usually play with Yonex, but the skull motif resonates with me to temporarily overcome that concern. This brand has a lot of other stylistic patterns available if skulls aren’t your player’s thing. Wilson is another overgrip brand that is a universally safe choice.
	Tennis Butts – Fun Racket Decal That Starts Your Match Off with a Laugh! I’m not going to lie… every time someone presents me with an unconventional racquet spin choice I inevitably smile. For anyone who has yet to encounter one of these, the normal racquet spin choices of up or down are replaced by something clever like… beer or wine? It sets the proper tone at the beginning of the match.
	TriggerPoint Foam Massage Ball for Deep-Tissue Massage It doesn’t take a lot of space in the bag and literally works for trigger massage on any part of the body. The cover on this ball has some texture to it which grips most surfaces.
	Deodorizer Balls for Sneaker 8 Pack Have you ever hopped into the car with a tennis player and exclaimed that it smells good in there? Me neither. Sneaker balls deodorizers need to be scattered across every players world.
	ASR Outdoor Jumbo 6.5″ XL Carabiner I can explain this item in one word: ants. There is nothing like arriving on court only to realize that someone spilled a sugary sports drink under the bench area attracting every crawling insect in the zip code. A jumbo carabiner allows the racquet bag to be hung on the fence above all that mess.
	World Footbag Dirtbag Hacky Sack Footbag, Neon Yellow A small training device great for developing footwork. If you can successfully use one of these… I hate you.
	Norpro Red Silicone Flexible Jar Opener For tennis players that consume sports drinks or water out of manufacturer sealed bottles, this is a useful item to have hanging from the bag to assist in opening them. Essentially it provides a padded assist with the grip. When playing a match hands can be sweaty and it is also a dangerous combination with blisters.
	Travel Sized Hand Sanitizers You might be tempted to chalk this up to Covid, but in 2018 I played a USTA National Level event that had to use an public park to recover after a lengthy rain delay. That park… did not have running water in the sinks of the bathrooms. I was happy to have hand sanitizer with me.

Cold Weather Gear

It is tempting to advise that players who live in a part of the country where compulsory outdoor tennis in arctic conditions never happens to simply skip this and move onto the next section. However, those player probably pull this stuff out when the temperatures drop to 60 so maybe not.

I keep a small plastic box housing all three of these items in the back of my car year round. In Texas, you just never know on the weather.

	Tourna Hot Glove Mitt for Tennis and Pickleball, Black I found a vintage version of this device in my childhood home over Thanksgiving last year. When I was a kid, we would 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 works even better. Once upon a time, I had to chip ice off the court at the Junior Cotton Bowl tournament back in the day.
	TrailHeads Women’s Running Gloves | Touchscreen Gloves One of my kids received a pair of these gloves for Christmas a few years ago. I borrowed them from her for a Tri-Level tournament match and made the discovery that the silicon palm grips are perfect for gripping the tennis racquet. I can legitimately play tennis in these gloves. The same company also makes a mens version. TrailHeads Men’s Power Stretch Touchscreen Running Gloves – Large
	Ear Warmer Headband – Winter Fleece Running Ear Band Covers for Cold Weather These ear warmers work for a player that doesn’t usually wear a hat when playing, but are also flexible enough to use in combination with most caps used by tennis players. I personally wear one of these over my tennis cap when playing in extremely cold conditions.

Tennis Lifestyle Accessories

These items are the answer to the social media prompt, “Tell me you play tennis without telling me you play tennis.” This list contains both subtle and not so subtle items.

	Tennis Novelty Pen A tennis ball themed pen is perfect for those moments when you are writing out a check for a team captain or tennis event that doesn’t take electronic payment. Please try to not exclaim “What year is this?!?!” as you do so.
	Novelty Crew Socks Please Do Not Disturb I’m Watching Tennis These are literally on my list for this year, as ankle socks are an integral part of icing my ankles after playing. In related news, that is a revolting development of my now advanced age.
	Tennis Dress Socks A few years ago in a fit of frustration in the office setting, I decided that I was going to exert full control over the one area of my life where I enjoyed full empowerment. I have worn obnoxious novelty dress socks ever since. This year, I am adding a tasteful pair.
	Lunarable Necktie with Tennis Rackets I tie that features a artful arrangement of vintage tennis racquets.
	Tennis Player Survival Kit Tennis Zipper Bag I carry a lot of zippered pouches in my bag for organizing my gear. This one is super cute. Any generic small zippered bag is a great idea for a tennis player.
	Tennis Stickers I use stickers on the lid of my laptop computers to distinguish mine from my co-workers in the corporate environment where our laptops all tend to be the same make and model. It is the computer geek cultural “flair.” If you are in an environment that also embraces stickers… these are the ones for tennis enthusiasts.
	Tennis Ball Planner/Calendar Stickers If your player uses a paper planner (like me, me, me!) then these stickers are great for enhancing tennis plans on the calendar.
	Keep Calm And Play Tennis Luggage Tag Some players put these on their racquet bags. We were wishing we had them on a otherwise nondescript suitcase we took on our trip to Palm Springs/Indian Wells in October. Don’t be that person that can’t correctly identify your luggage on the carousel… that was us.
	You Got Served – Tennis Wine Bottle Label Stickers What a great captain’s gift or other wine gifting occasion. I would also consider repurposing these for the cover of paper notebooks.
	Tennis Racket Bottle Opener – The Ultimate Tennis Accessory – Perfect Tennis Gift Something else that a player might want to hang on the outside of their bag.
	Pewter Tennis Ball Wine Glass Charms – Hand Painted Set Of 6 A brand new set of wine charms for this season. This one is all tennis balls, all the time. I call the purple one.
	Tennis Ball Bath Bombs – 4 pack Bath bombs for after tennis.
	Tennis Addiction- I’ll Bring The Wine- Fun Distressed Trucker Hat That’s a tennis ball under the logo in case you missed it.
	GIMMEDAT Tennis Ball Enamel Stud Earrings Jewelry Women Girls Mom Player Team Gift A bold but tasteful demonstration of tennis enthusiasm.
	Dayna Designs Tennis Racket Post Earrings – Sterling Silver Jewelry Small for Women/Girls For women that prefer an even more understated look.

Tennis Accessories for… People that are Crazy about Tennis

Gifts for those players that wear their enthusiasm for the sport on their sleeves. It is a gift that explains them to the world.

	3D Rose I Play Tennis to Burn Off The Crazy On Black Background Pot Holder, 8 x 8 I have the coasters with this logo and am absolutely delighted that it is now available in a pot-holder. Chances are your tennis enthusiast will love it as well.
	I Play Tennis To Burn Off The Crazy Funny Tennis Player Gift PopSockets Grip and Stand for Phones and Tablets Great for anyone that uses a PopSocket to keep a grip on their mobile device.
	Custom Sleeves for Cans Drink Cooler I Play Tennis to Burn off The Crazy Have I mentioned that I really love this design?
	3dRose Play Tennis to Burn Off The Crazy on Black Background-Soft Coasters, Set of 4 I have a set of these coasters. I keep one permanently installed at my desk in the office. It… generates a lot of observations that it might not actually be working.

Tennis Medical and Health Accessories

These are small everyday non-tennis specific items that every tennis player needs. Additionally, these items are consumed which means that Santa can literally stuff the same item into the players stocking every year.

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Fiend At Court participates in the Amazon associates program and receives a paid commission on any purchases made via the links in this article. Additional details on the disposition of proceeds from this source are available in the “About Fiend at Court” page.