Come in losers, we’re going to hit some balls.
You may have noticed that your Instagram feed is suddenly chock full of tennis-related content. Maybe it’s your favorite influencer on vacation in Italy, showing off a picturesque clay court on the beach. Or a friend in New York posting videos of their shoot (which may take some work) in courts on the East River. And who could blame them? Tennis means you are out and literally separated by a net. It’s the perfect sport for the COVID era.
This rebirth makes sense. The sport is relatively affordable and the fields are, or rather were widely available. I’ve been to Los Angeles, so forget about the good morning games or the delightful golden hour. The courts are so crowded nowadays that I sometimes go to Glendale at 3pm to play, and the midday sun is affecting my net play.
Tennis is all my circles talk about. Matt Spevack, designer, a native of New York, says, “Most of my Raya summons start with a girl saying” omg, I love tennis, where do you play? !! “” Just like Los Angeles, the scene in New York is all over the map, it says, “During the week you have the regular veterans next to the big bangs, and then the weekends and evenings feel like a free for all newbies.” .
While hitting the ball with friends is fun, get it well, or even passable, will require hours and hours of practice and lessons. Footwork, strikes, and mental strength take time to develop. Which, fortunately, we all have plenty of them right now. (Hopefully in 2022 my entitlement will finally resemble Shapovalov’s. Let me dream!)
If you find yourself drawn to tennis and want to get started, you will need the right equipment, preferably from a local store. Lately, the lines from my favorite tennis provider, The Racket Doctor in Atwater Village, are biblical. Spevack, a topspin specialist, is having similar problems in the Big Apple. “I break the strings every 2-3 weeks and Paragon is fully supported,” he says. “Before you were able to set the racket in an hour, now they promise 5 or 6 days.” As a beginner, you probably won’t break many strings unless you have a natural forehand like del Potro, but you need the proper equipment.
My motto is “pro equipment, pro attitude”, but I am only a beginner, so I asked an expert to help me. Caitlin Thompson is the co-founder and editor of Rackets magazine and my point of contact for any tennis related questions. It can settle you with shoes, a racket, accessories, and even reading material. Take him away, Caitlin.
Caitlin Thompson:
“I’ll start with the most basic basics: shoes. They have to be tennis shoes, and if you can’t stand tennis shoes, which is understandable because a lot of them are crazy, I’ll allow you basketball shoes. But tennis shoes are a must, and you can’t wear any other type of shoe on a tennis court because you would twist your ankle deeply, leave dark marks on the court, or both. Mostly I don’t freelance shoes, they are paintings on stripes, as my friend Chris likes to say. You can follow the sneakerhead route: Nike just re-released some Andre Agassi classics, which feature the “hot lava” color, Kyrie / Kyrgios collaborations got me stopped on the streets, and I’m currently partial to adidas’ entire Palace Wimbledon line.
Sneakers from the past are fun because you can actually play with them – Rod Lavers, Stan Smiths, the old Reebok Club C – I even had a hit this week at some K-Swiss International SI-18s! And if you’re buttoned up, you can never, ever go wrong with classic Nike Vapors – they’re lightweight, flexible, and look stylish on everyone.
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