Gear & Guides
Tennis Guides
Plain-English guides to tennis equipment and the game itself — with diagrams, videos and no jargon. Written to help you choose well, not to sell you the most expensive option.
Gear GuideHow to Choose a Tennis RacketA clear, no-jargon guide to choosing a tennis racket: head size, weight, balance, stiffness, string pattern and grip size — and how they change the way you play.
Gear GuideThe Best Tennis Rackets for Every LevelWhich tennis racket families suit beginners, improving club players and advanced players — Babolat, Wilson, Head, Yonex and Tecnifibre compared by level and style.
Gear GuideTennis Strings and Tension, ExplainedPolyester, multifilament, synthetic gut, natural gut or hybrid? How tennis strings and string tension change power, spin, control and comfort — and how often to restring.
Gear GuideBest Beginner Tennis Rackets on a BudgetHow to pick a good, affordable first tennis racket: the specs that matter for beginners, what to avoid in cheap rackets, and model families worth looking at.
Gear GuideTennis Grip Size GuideFind your tennis racket grip size in two minutes: the ruler and finger tests, a full EU/US/mm conversion table, and how overgrips change the size.
Gear GuideTennis Elbow: An Arm-Friendly Racket and String SetupWhich rackets, strings, tensions and grip sizes are kindest to a sore arm, what really helps and what is a myth — plus when to see a doctor or physio.
Gear GuideTennis Shoes by SurfaceWhy tennis shoes differ by court surface, how to read an outsole (herringbone, nubs, smooth), what to look for in cushioning and stability, and when to replace them.
Gear GuideTennis Balls, ExplainedPressurised or pressureless? Regular or extra duty? Red, orange and green junior balls, high-altitude balls, and how to tell when a tennis ball is dead.
Gear GuideJunior Tennis Racket Size GuideWhich racket length fits your child: a size chart by age and height, the simple standing test, when to move up a size, and when to switch to an adult racket.
Tennis BasicsTennis Scoring ExplainedA clear guide to tennis scoring: 15-30-40, deuce and advantage, no-ad scoring, sets, the 7-point tiebreak, the 10-point match tiebreak and how to read a live score.
Tennis BasicsPadel vs Tennis: The Key DifferencesPadel and tennis compared: court size and walls, the underhand serve, scoring, rackets and balls, how hard each is to learn, and how tennis players adapt to padel.
Tennis BasicsATP and WTA Rankings ExplainedHow the ATP and WTA rankings are calculated: the 52-week rolling system, points by tournament category, defending points, protected rankings and the race.
Gear GuideTennis Bag EssentialsA practical checklist of what to carry in your tennis bag — spare racket, overgrips, balls, string kit, first aid, hydration — and how to choose the right type of bag.
Gear GuideTennis String Tension ChartA practical tennis string tension chart by string type and playing style, with lb-to-kg conversions, how tension changes power and control, and when to go lower or higher.
Gear GuideHow Often Should You Restring Your Tennis Racket?How often to restring a tennis racket by string type and playing time, the signs your strings are dead even if they haven't broken, and how to make a string job last longer.
Gear GuideTennis Racket Specs ExplainedWhat swingweight, balance points (head light), stiffness (RA), static weight, beam width and string pattern mean on a tennis racket spec sheet — with typical values and how to compare rackets.
Tennis BasicsTennis Court Surfaces ExplainedHow clay, grass, hard and indoor tennis courts differ in speed, bounce and movement, which Grand Slam is played on which surface, and how to adapt your game and equipment.
Tennis BasicsTennis Court DimensionsOfficial tennis court dimensions in metres and feet: singles and doubles width, service boxes, net height, run-back space, line names and the total area needed to build a court.
Tennis BasicsTennis Tournament Categories ExplainedHow professional tennis tournaments are organised: Grand Slams, ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000, 500 and 250 events, season finals, Challengers, ITF events and team competitions — with ranking points.
Tennis BasicsTennis Tiebreak Rules ExplainedHow a tennis tiebreak works: when it is played, first to 7 by two, the serving order (1-2-2), changing ends every 6 points, the 10-point match tiebreak and Grand Slam final-set rules.
Tennis BasicsThe Four Grand Slams ExplainedA clear guide to tennis's four Grand Slam tournaments: when and where they are played, their surfaces, draw sizes, best-of-five, ranking points, final-set tiebreaks and what makes each one unique.
Gear GuideTennis Overgrips ExplainedOvergrip or replacement grip? Tacky vs dry overgrips, how an overgrip changes your grip size, how to wrap one step by step and how often to change it.
Gear GuideTennis Vibration Dampeners ExplainedWhat a tennis dampener really does, where the rules allow you to place it, button vs worm dampeners, whether it changes the feel of your strings — and why it won't cure tennis elbow.