What is your favorite tennis item?

Swingmaster

Hall of Fame
Including racket, shoes, clothes, wristband, towel, hat, bag, water bottle, etc. Favorite item to purchase, use, etc. The item you like to get exactly right.

I'm going to surprise everyone and say shorts. I like a good pair of shorts.
 

JW10S

Hall of Fame
Not so much anymore but it used to be wristbands: when I was playing in juniors I had so many in just about any color combo you could think of. I had solids, striped, mono-colored, multi-colored , you name it. Inspired by Bjorn Borg I always wore one on each wrist and matched them with what I was wearing. By the time I went to college I literally had a drawer full. Once when we went to practice I noticed my teammates were all wearing either jackets or sweaters which I thought was odd because it was a hot day. After warm-ups they all took off their jackets and sweaters and they had wristbands going all the way up both of their arms. They had snuck into my room and took all my wristbands. It was hysterical--a great joke on the freshman! I still wear wristbands but don't have near as many as back then and they are pretty plain, just with my sponsor's logo.
 

Swingmaster

Hall of Fame
Not so much anymore but it used to be wristbands: when I was playing in juniors I had so many in just about any color combo you could think of. I had solids, striped, mono-colored, multi-colored , you name it. Inspired by Bjorn Borg I always wore one on each wrist and matched them with what I was wearing. By the time I went to college I literally had a drawer full. Once when we went to practice I noticed my teammates were all wearing either jackets or sweaters which I thought was odd because it was a hot day. After warm-ups they all took off their jackets and sweaters and they had wristbands going all the way up both of their arms. They had snuck into my room and took all my wristbands. It was hysterical--a great joke on the freshman! I still wear wristbands but don't have near as many as back then and they are pretty plain, just with my sponsor's logo.
A good clean joke. Today's college kids might take them and do something a bit more disgusting.
 

Swingmaster

Hall of Fame
I'm a gear nut, so probably racquet bags. I have three.
Here's a question. Have you ever given a bag a little flair by replacing the strap with, say, a guitar strap? By the way, I've always thought it'd be cool to use a guitar case. Wonder if a pro has ever done that.
 

Rosstour

G.O.A.T.
Here's a question. Have you ever given a bag a little flair by replacing the strap with, say, a guitar strap? By the way, I've always thought it'd be cool to use a guitar case. Wonder if a pro has ever done that.

Nope. I'm a "set it and forget it" guy, generally speaking.
 

eah123

Professional
My Volkl Combi Bag in pure black with neon yellow inside lining. Purchased on sale for $80. I doubt I will ever be able buy another bag of the same quality for a reasonable price. Volkl still makes the same bag design but lower quality material and ugly colors.
 

dr325i

G.O.A.T.
Including racket, shoes, clothes, wristband, towel, hat, bag, water bottle, etc. Favorite item to purchase, use, etc. The item you like to get exactly right.

I'm going to surprise everyone and say shorts. I like a good pair of shorts.
In the "Pro Gear" Section...
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
Racquet first, strings second, shoes third, balls fourth in importance. I’m pretty organized and have strong preferences for everything else I buy too that are in my tennis bag, but those are the only four things that really affect how I play.

The combination of Babolat Pure Strike Tour, VS17/HyperG18 at 47/44, Asics GR8 shoes and ProPenn XD balls have carried me to a lot of wins on hard courts. I also like Lacoste tennis clothes (tops/polos/shorts), Nike tennis shorts, Adidas/Babolat polyester hats, Tecnifibre/Kirschbaum/Volkl overgrips, Thorlo thick socks, Babolat Vibrakill dampener, Nike/Adidas nylon doublewide wristbands, Oakley non-polarized sunglasses, Clif Shotblox energy chews, Dunlop 12-racquet black bag and an Under Armour gallon water bottle.
 

TagUrIt

Hall of Fame
This!............This has made my tennis life so much better!


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DeeeFoo

Rookie
Aside from racquets because that's kinda obvious, my favorite items to shop for are bags, grips, and overgrips. I'm extremely picky about my grips and overgrips, as well as the way they're wrapped, almost religiously. I have to wrap them myself, and they have to wrapped perfectly. I've tried many different overgrips, but now I've settled on two that I use.

I'm pretty lenient on shoes, clothes, and other apparel. Just give me whatever works. The only type of wearable I'm actually picky about are medical and protective gear, such as ankle braces, knee braces, etc.
 
Here's a question. Have you ever given a bag a little flair by replacing the strap with, say, a guitar strap? By the way, I've always thought it'd be cool to use a guitar case. Wonder if a pro has ever done that.
In the olden days players used to put their sticks into hard luggage cases that resembled trumpet or trombone cases.
 
Hats, t-shirts and long sleeve shirts from tournaments--I don't wear a hat when competing because they get in the way but I like swag from tournaments as souvenirs of good times and places. Have enough of the other tennis equipment and clothes to last the rest of my life.
 

Vdim

New User
I'm pretty particular about headbands and found the lululemon metal vent tech to work the best for me.
 

ichaseballs

Professional
overgrips (yonex supergrap)

i hate rushing it. i do it at home taking my time. most times i find it relaxing.
then when you start playing with it you think to yourself "this feels great! i should've changed this out sooner"
 

beltsman

G.O.A.T.
Including racket, shoes, clothes, wristband, towel, hat, bag, water bottle, etc. Favorite item to purchase, use, etc. The item you like to get exactly right.

I'm going to surprise everyone and say shorts. I like a good pair of shorts.

Racquet of course, followed by strings.
 
I’ve seen some folks bring beers onto the courts for doubles. It’s a fun atmosphere. The best part is being buzzed takes some of the match play nerves and edge off. Just don’t overdo it is the key
A pitcher of margaritas con sal is great for social mx'ed dubs on a sunny afternoon.
 
A good clean joke. Today's college kids might take them and do something a bit more disgusting.

Hazing culture has diminished greatly since its peak in the 90s and early 00s. In many cases, it’s fully banned and could result in severe disciplinary action because of how bad it was at its worst. Don’t get too nostalgic on us.
 
This. I would also add that once you find a pair you like, buy multiple pairs. Old models sell out and go out of production and the replacements aren’t always better

I had terrible foot swelling with some low-end Nikes. Switched to the $140 Gel Resolution 8 and ended up buying 4 more pair of them. Not only stylish, but amazing support and durability.
 
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