Do you judge a player by their gear?

The first thing I think of is "wow they look really good"

Im not going to lie and say someone who comes in with all the gear is not at least a tad bit intimidating, I think most of use who are willing to admit it will say that.

I come in with all my gear for that reason, any phycological edge I can gain to win a match I will do.
 
Kirko said:
six matching frames all freshly strung with the latest string that is popular wearing the Nike winter or fall collection over-fed "I just can't stop eating milky ways" & sever arm aches. everything stuffed into a MONSTER-COMBO foil line bag and their tag on TW is G.O.A.T. so many posts.
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LOL...if only I had the dough for all that stuff you know I'd have it in a milisecond. Darn recession :(
 
I love tennis and I equip myself with proper gear, not necessarily expensive. When others in my club judge me "wow your gears make you like a pro" , my silent response would be nothing more than "you just don't know where to find these stuff". At other times they comment on the (higher than average) weight of my sticks. I usually have no comment about that.
 
stevenwags987 said:
The first thing I think of is "wow they look really good"

Im not going to lie and say someone who comes in with all the gear is not at least a tad bit intimidating, I think most of use who are willing to admit it will say that.

I come in with all my gear for that reason, any phycological edge I can gain to win a match I will do.
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You took the words right out of my post :)
 
purple-n-gold said:
The old guys that bring 1-2 sticks,towel, and bottle of h20 are the ones that will usually eat your lunch.
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Haha!! For Suuuure! Has happend to me too many times.. whats with these guys.. darn experienced 'make-me-feel-like I wasted money buying a new racquet and putting big name brand strings in it' old timers!! Sorry no offence to any mature players!
 
My school colors were Black and Yellow/ My Hockey Team was Black and Yellow (7 years) and now that I am playing Tennis I generally have some combination of Brands adidas/reebok/Nike that are black and yellow...got a black and yellow Babolat bag and I play with a APD. Thats black white and yellow. I occasionally get the "you must be a NADAL fan" but really those colors just happen to be my War-paint of choice and I'd feel strange not wearing them in competition.
 
I wait till I see them hit the ball before I actually pass judgement regardless of what they come in. Around where I play, we get people who come full decked out with all Nike RF stuff or Adidas gear to those that wear jeans, t shirt, and running shoes that you can never tell you see their form.

I prefer to wear Nike Dri-fit clothing like a couple of other posters here mainly because they are comfortable and not always tennis related ones. Sometimes I come out on the court with Nike running shirts when the weather gets colder. The material is just great for wicking perspiration and keeps you nice and warm.
 
I usually judge on 2 things.

If they carry a single racket or a bag, and if they're wearing legitimate tennis shoes.

I play high school varsity. It matters to me lol.
 
I usually show up at the club wearing Nike gear exclusively. A 9 racquet combo bag filled with 7 Babolat APD's strung at various tensions. An additional court bag in which I keep extra socks, a second pair of shoes, 3 spare fairway leather grips, a Klippermate stringer, balance board, 5 feet of 1/4" wide lead tape, 16 Vibration dampeners, 5-6 sets of Babolat VS Natural gut. String Savers, Several packs of tourna grip and Supergrap (white) overgrips. 4 Nike headbands, 4 pairs wristguards, 2 hats, Oakley sunglasses and a yardstick to accurately measure the middle of the net. Also, my condo is right down the street from the club in case I need to run home and pick up any extra items I may need.

What's not to take serious??? You brought balls right? Dunlops only please!
 
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NO.. Judge from what they say, how they act, their demeaner in and around the court.. the way they act before after and during the games, the look in their eyes, and then yes their gear - its got to count for something in the judgement process!
 
^^^Along this same line, with not judging based on gear, is players (like many of us here),...that are really passionate about the sport. Intense passion and love for the game lights a fire that translates to the court, (i make it sound like sex dont I??...not intended..). A mediocre player rises some notches with drive and passion under his belt, as opposed to the player with a ton of equip. but is cavalier or 'not really into it'.

All that having been said,...I am a racquetholic. (but I'm passionate about tennis too!!:))
 
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I don't care if a player comes in with an old random racquet and tattered clothing - as long as the tennis is good and the other guy isn't a complete d*ouch*e, it's fine with me!
 
I know that gear has nothing to do with how good a guy is, but in the juniors if a guy shows up with cool gear and all that then I automatically think he must be pretty good. I do have 3 Pure Drives, a 12 pack babolat bag, and I always wear only Nike. I wonder if people think about me like that :p
 
tbuggle said:
just show up with your gear in an old potato sack and whip some ass.
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ITs the minimalist that always worries me.. two raquets and thats it.

LOL, I have my partner carry my other junk in his bag, I just show up with one racquet.
 
I usually turn up with just one racquet and I'm pretty sure I look like a noob (I am). The racquet being an APDC doesn't help of course.

But I'm the non judgemental type. I can literally think nothing of an issue/person until I have enough to build a judgement on. With tennis, I prefer to overestimate...it's served me well so far.
 
Also: Tennis gear exists for the general consumer who plays tennis, not only tennis professionals and the like. It's not a niche market, we're all equally entitled to buy them if we so choose (unless you're broke like me, in which case gtfo). Federer isn't paid by Nike to wear a PE Vapors just to market to five people from every university in the world and the men's tour; he's paid to sell the shoes to anyone who is willing to buy.

For that reason alone, I make a conscious decision to ignore what a person is wearing/using and make my judgement based on his/her skills alone. Then again, coming from Hong Kong where everyone and their mothers seem to have the money to carry a DSLR, drive Mercs and hit with BLX 6.1 Tour 90s, that becomes pretty easy after a while.
 
The only thing I look for is what racquet are they using before we play. I'm not judging more estimating what type of player they are by the racquet before we start to play. Just what he does in warm ups sometimes doesn't let you know everything especially in doubles where you don't get to hit with both partners. Is it a "players" racquet or a Wal-Mart,Dick's Sporting Goods $29 pre strung , been sitting for two years on the wall collecting dust racquet? It doesn't tell everything but sort helps give me a littl more idea.
I've seen the best dressed, best racquet bag outfitted, best looking shoed person play like they just started playing tennis the day before. So clothing doesn't tell you anything, IMHO.
 
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Actually people not wearing decent tennis clothes are the tools.

Thankfully you don't see this at decent golf courses. Only W.T. show up in everyday clothes for golf. Everyone else, even if shooting over 100, is in decent golfing attire.
 
Most decent golf courses have decent polacies. We must have a lot of W. T. here in Seattle.

I always worry about my opponent when he shows up on the courts with decent golfing attire on.
 
Alchemy-Z said:
My school colors were Black and Yellow/ My Hockey Team was Black and Yellow (7 years) and now that I am playing Tennis I generally have some combination of Brands adidas/reebok/Nike that are black and yellow...got a black and yellow Babolat bag and I play with a APD. Thats black white and yellow. I occasionally get the "you must be a NADAL fan" but really those colors just happen to be my War-paint of choice and I'd feel strange not wearing them in competition.
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You know what it is
 
one time, a guy said to me, "i thought you were supposed to be at indian wells." i didn't get it at first but he was making fun of me dressing and using the gears of a certain tennis pro :)
 
they only actual tennis gear i use outside of racquets is bandanna, because my hair was super long. using a bandanna was enough to get me a comment that i'm trying to be "like nadal". haha
 
mmaster said:
they only actual tennis gear i use outside of racquets is bandanna, because my hair was super long. using a bandanna was enough to get me a comment that i'm trying to be "like nadal". haha
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i got super long hair too but i wear a hat.
last year, i cut it off and when i showed up to the tennis courts, nobody recognized me, even the people whom i had played with everyday. they thought i was somebody else :D

well, i missed the long hair so i grew it back and now it's even longer than before.
 
You made me laugh b/c two yrs. ago I got a lady who seemed just gotten back from the US Open, from super-dupe 12 rac.bag, latest Nike shoes, visor blah, blah.
I was wow this lady must be very seasoned, I d better be my best today...
After the match, that we (double) won, this lady comes to us saying: I am just a 2.5, but wanted to make sure I had all the equipment ....
Needless to say, she quit tennis after 3 months, and I was too well educated to ask her if she would give out all those goodies :(
I should have!!!!
 
haha. i am like her except i would dress up as different tennis pros and use the racquets that they made famous for the match (connors, borg, mcenroe, lendl, and federer) depending on my mood that day. most people only recognize the federer stuff.
 
eliza said:
You made me laugh b/c two yrs. ago I got a lady who seemed just gotten back from the US Open, from super-dupe 12 rac.bag, latest Nike shoes, visor blah, blah.
I was wow this lady must be very seasoned, I d better be my best today...
After the match, that we (double) won, this lady comes to us saying: I am just a 2.5, but wanted to make sure I had all the equipment ....
Needless to say, she quit tennis after 3 months, and I was too well educated to ask her if she would give out all those goodies :(
I should have!!!!
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i think it's just natural to judge. first impressions you know.

also, i would've asked, you never know if she was thinking about just throwing them away, maybe a heavy discount since she ain't using it anymore.

i try to have the right gear. but after a while i actually dressed down more and started to use my backpack instead of my 12 pack bag so as not to give the impression that i'm any good lol.
 
I can assume from all of the posts that, the more "bling" they have, the harder they're trying to cover their insecurity. Which is their tennis skill.

I think the best setup are according to what you need.
 
Most of the best people I know show up with 2 sticks, maybe a towel and maybe water. Good sign that I am in trouble.

Obviously plenty of good players have big bags etc., but that can go either way. The no bag people are generally trouble.
 
I look pretty coordinated in all Nike gear, plus I'm fairly tall and "look" like a good tennis player. And frankly, I'm a pretty decent 4.0 with all the strokes, plus a great serve.

But I feel like being so "professional" looking puts more pressure on me when I'm playing a old guy pusher or lesser player who still wreaks havoc on my game (I win only about 60% of the time against these types of players). I end up getting very frustrated against guys like this, wearing their old man gear and making me look silly at times.

One of the biggest reasons I want to get to 4.5 is to stop playing players like this!!!
 
tenapasi said:
I can assume from all of the posts that, the more "bling" they have, the harder they're trying to cover their insecurity. Which is their tennis skill.

I think the best setup are according to what you need.
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Guess that's why if an important client is around, I get my power suit on :)
 
I wear the Addidas RCL stuff because A) it doesn't get as heavy due to sweat absorption as my other clothes B) its comfortable and C) i like the way it looks. If anyone takes issue with what I'm wearing i'd say that says more about them then me. Oh obviously tennis shoes aswell because the cross trainers i had when i first started fell apart in like 4 sessions of tennis.
 
I think it's cool that people spend money on something they enjoy. Sometimes I think it's a little much but if they feel good and they're looking to improve, then more power too them.
 
I just bring a racquet and water. I'd like to get another PDRGT+ though. It's a very nice racquet.

I usually just wear my plain white shirts or the $4 tennis warehouse tee to the courts. Shorts are whatever bball shorts have pockets. Either tennis shoes or my cross trainers, which are what I wear the whole day.
 
I do judge people if they show up looking like a bum. I belong to a tennis club and there is a certain decorum to be maintained. Now of course I am not talking about kids and teenagers who have no money, but the people who can afford to look decent and come looking like a bum is not cool

. I have a Wilson 6 pack bag with three 6.1 tour 90's in it. I am a solid 4.5 at 53 years old. I keep balls, hats, over grips, sweat bands and other junk in it so I need a good size bag.

I wear Adidas clay court shoes because there is a rule at the club about the proper foot gear for Har Tru courts and because they fit my feet. I wear Adidas clothing because it is light, it fits me right and there is a factory outlet near me and they have good deals.

I have all kinds of sweat bands from Adidas to Nike to Wilson to no names. I like the Adidas the best along with some no names. The Wilson and Nike ones are stiffer and not as comfortable. If I wear a hat( which I hate doing) it is an Adidas. It is extremely light and soaks up a lot of sweat.

In the summer I do wear sleeveless Adidas shirts. When it is 95 and humid having no sleeves is way more comfortable. In the winter months I will wear black clothing with sleeves and in the summer I wear white.

I do try to look nice because I am single and there are the ladies to consider. lol
 
There's nothing wrong with looking good while playing, but I wouldn't want to belong to a club that has a dress code. I'm just not that classy. :)
 
And don't kid yourselves that some of the guys showing up in cotton shirts and old, ratty shorts aren't being intentional about it. Having played a lot of tournament golf, and growing up around a public course with $10,000 per hole games, there is such a thing as hustling. Plus, the factor of being "too school for school".

90% of my stuff is hand me downs from one of my best friends, who is a pro. After wearing wick-away shirts, I'd never go back to cotton. I have a bright yellow adidas shirt, and a Thomas Reynolds Fila polo that I bought. Indulgences beyond my rating for sure. Other than that, my tennis clothing is pretty non-descript wick away stuff. Again, with shorts, 90% is from the pro, Nike's, Fila, Yonex ect...Free is good. :mrgreen:
 
I just carry my Babolat 9 bag around with me, because I also use it as my school bag. The isotherm pocket holds my 3 sticks that cover my needs, and the other pocket holds all my school/clothing/other tennis supplies.

I mostly wear tennis/basketball shorts with dry-fit tops, collars only if I'm at the university playing as it is kind of an unspoken rule. As for shoes I wear whatever shoes I can afford to get for the season LOL!

-Fuji
 
I wouldn't think so.
I've smashed some player that come with a monster combi and like 5 racquets.
At the same time, I've lost to players that just bring their racquet.
 
Sometimes you can tell a player will be good by their gear.

Its usually not the latest gear though, its more the obscure gear that is a giveaway. Like if you played a guy who was using one of the 3 stripe POG's or a stars and stripes pro staff for example you would assume theyre pretty good. Or you play someone who is wearing all Diadora clothes when you have never seen Diadora sold anywhere in your city (This happened to me once and the guy turned out to be a very good brazillian junior some years before).

I've also come to be wary of players wearing a plain white t shirt that has a tennis brand on it like 'Klip' or 'technifibre' or whatever. Almost always it seems they won the shirt after getting to the semis of some tournament or something or got it for free with a bunch of sponsorship stuff
 
one time, i saw this guy in lacoste clothing at the tennis courts. my first thought was: this guy must be rich :)
 
Easy to be intimidated by gear - but you don't know until the first or second ground stroke. At least people w/ good gear most likely take the game serious enough to buy the correct stuff.

Also, if you see a guy w/ old 1970s rackets, black knee high socks and high top shoes, tank top, and a NASCAR baseball cap - most likely you're going to have a long day and probably want to find a way out of your session.
 
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