Tennis on the Cheap
by Jeff Cooper

Part I: Save on Racquets and Balls

Tennis began as a sport for the upper classes, and its evolution into a sport for every income level is still far from complete. If you don't have a lot of money to throw into tennis racquets, court time, and lessons, don't let that stop you from playing. With a little creative effort, you can cut the cost of playing tennis dramatically.

Racquet

A racquet is the single most expensive piece of equipment most tennis players buy. High-end graphite and titanium racquets go for as much as $300. At the other end of the spectrum are aluminum racquets that start at around $10.

With graphite and titanium, you're basically paying for lightness and rigidity, but the advent of wide-body design has enabled aluminum racquets to be much more rigid than they used to be. For beginning players, flexibility is not important.

Flexibility causes inaccuracy when the ball is hit hard, but beginners don't hit very hard or accurately. Advanced players need a frame that won't distort upon impact with the ball, so they almost always opt for graphite or titanium. Could an advanced player be happy with an aluminum racquet? Unlikely, but not impossible, if he or she did not mind a beam wide enough (in the side profile) to provide sufficient rigidity.

If you're just getting started with tennis, you'll be happy with a $10-$20 aluminum racquet with a fairly wide beam. If you're an advanced player on a budget, look for closeouts and demos of graphite racquets. I've seen discontinued models of top-notch graphite racquets on closeout for as little as $70. Check the online retailers for bargains. Your local pro shop probably sells demos, too. These slightly used racquets usually sell for around half price. The auction sites are also worth a look. They typically have lots of racquets for sale, some of which are brand new.

Keep in mind that a racquet will last for many years. It can be a substantial purchase, but if you take good care of it, its cost per year will end up pretty small.

Balls

Unlike racquets, balls wear out quickly. The air seeps out of a pressurized ball, and it loses its bounce. Here are a few ways to tretch your ball budget:

* Buy the cheaper balls. You can get entirely adequate balls for around $2.00 a can at most discount chains.
* Try the new, extra-durable balls. These are designed to lose air less quickly.
* Use a ball repressurizer.
* Try pressureless balls, which don't depend upon internal air pressure to remain bouncy. They're stiffer than regular balls, and all but Tretorn are a little less bouncy, but you might like them. They get bouncier as they lose their fuzz, but you start to lose some important aerodynamics with a bald ball, so you can't really take advantage. Tretorns are incredibly bouncy. If you have a big kick serve, get out those Tretorns.
* Store balls at a cool temperature. Balls bounce higher when they're warm, but they also lose air faster. If you keep an opened can in a hot car for any length of time, they'll go flat pretty fast. If you keep balls cool, they'll bounce a little less when you first start playing with them, but once they warm up on the court, they'll be fine.
* Some very inexpensive balls (around 99 cents for three) that are sold at the discount chains in plastic bags are not pressureless, so the lack of a pressurized container is a sure bet that they won't bounce well. They're often lopsided, too, and can crack open in less than an hour of play.

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Part II: Save on Strings, Court Time, and Lessons

Strings

Strings lose tension over time and eventually break. Here are some stringing savings:

* Use a kevlar hybrid string set: kevlar mains and synthetic gut crosses. If you don't mind the relative stiffness, these strings will last several times as long as most other types.
* Do your own stringing. You can get an adequate stringing machine for around $150. If you're going to restring a lot, it'll pay for itself pretty fast, and you can make some extra income by stringing for other players.
* String savers are worth a try. These little bits of plastic hold strings together at their intersections, which keeps them from rubbing on each other. The one time I tried them, my strings broke faster than ever. I may have just been unlucky, but I wonder whether they concentrate stress upon very small spots along the string, which might cause the string to break there.Don't use natural gut. It's expensive, breaks quickly, and reacts badly to moisture.
* Don't use natural gut. It's expensive, breaks quickly, and reacts badly to moisture.

Court Time

If you live in an area where public courts are available and you can play outdoors year-round, court time is free. If you're in a colder climate, though, you can stretch your outdoor season with a little hardiness and creativity. As long as the courts aren't covered with snow, I'll go out in any weather to play. You can get a used net for around $20. If your local courts don't leave the net cranks up in the winter, get a "come-along" (portable winch) for around $20, and you're all set to put up your own net after the public courts have taken theirs down. Get a pair of gardening gloves with the little rubber spots all over the front, and you'll be able to grip your racquet comfortably in 30-degree weather. It's pretty invigorating to play in the cold.

If 30 degrees is too chilly for you, and you must play indoors, sign up as a sub for as many of the local leagues as you can. A lot of clubs won't charge you for your play as a sub, and you'll probably get more calls than you need.

Lessons

Inexpensive private or semi-private lessons are pretty rare, but you can get some good, though less intensive, instruction in low-cost group lessons. The USPTA Tennis Across America program offers free instruction as a special annual event. You can also pick up some good tips from the resources listed in my Instruction section.

If you're on a budget, the last thing you want to do is buy an inappropriate racquet.