How to Look After Your Tennis Racket

Luke Henley, ERSA certified stringer, talented player & coach, explains how to look after your tennis racket to extend its life & play better.

Your tennis racket has been in your bag, your cupboard or the boot of your car for months. You are looking forward to getting back on court soon.

Luke Henley explains what you should be doing to look after your racket to extend it’s life and get it in tip-top shape. It really well make a difference!

What should you check to make sure your racket is ready to go after lockdown?
How can you keep your racket in good condition?
- Restring
- Grommets
- New grip
Where should you go to get a racket restring and what should you look for to know that they are well qualified?

Key Take-Aways

First thing I would advise is that you store your racket ideally in a tennis bag, as these have specific sections made from materials designed to keep your racket at the most ideal temperatures for it, roughly room temperature. I would strongly advise against keeping your rackets in the car as the temperature fluctuations at night for example are not good for the frame and could potentially decrease its lifespan.

By making sure you keep on top of a few simple things… Firstly getting it strung as and when necessary. Secondly by replacing the grip, whether you use overgrips or replacement grips when it is appropriate to do so. Lastly a common issue I see with rackets that come into me for stringing is their grommet strips or “bumper guards” being heavily worn and therefore leaving the string exposed at the edge of the racket. This can often lead to a premature string break due to the string getting effectively sliced in half by coming into contact with the court when playing a low slice or running for a dropshot for example. I don’t think people are aware that these can be replaced sometimes and how cheaply, relatively speaking, this can be done. Not only can changing them mean you save money on premature restrings but it can dramatically increase the lifespan of your racket.
When looking to get your racket restrung then you ideally want to head to a reputable sports shop or club stringer who has experience and is ERSA qualified as they are the only people who provide industry recognised qualifications. If anyone is wanting any help with this then please feel free to contact me.

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How to Look After Your Tennis Racket

Luke Henley, ERSA certified stringer, talented player & coach, explains how to look after your tennis racket to extend its life & play better.

Key Take-Aways

Full series on understanding and caring for your racket

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