Tennis and style go way back like pimps & pinky rings. Don’t believe me? Just remember– at Wimbledon you can wear any color as long as it’s white and Lacoste thought playing tennis in a three-piece suit ain’t got no style so he invented the polo shirt in 1926. Think of that next time you wipe your doughnut grease paws on your polo as you scurry to deliver Brenda’s report, because its past deadline again, Gregg! Tennis isn’t all about style but choosing the correct attire may improve your game, or at least make your next deuce #5 less agonizing.
We’ll start with the most important concept for the aspiring tennis fashionista: the game starts from the feet up. You need actual tennis shoes made for tennis courts. These shoes are known in the biz as “court shoes.” Playing tennis in shoes not made specifically for tennis will lead to foot pain, bruised heels, sore knees, and eventual ankle sprains. In the words of Drake “a sprained ankle ain’t nothing to play with.”
Court shoes cost between $60 and a couple hundred dollars. The differences between a court shoe and a regular tennis shoe are greater foot padding, tennis specific grip patterns, and large shanks on the outer side of the toe for better lateral support. These features help prevent ankle sprains and other injuries. Court shoes are also specifically designed for the surface you play on, like hard courts, clay, or grass. Buy court shoes for the surface you play on most or buy all-court shoes. Common brands include Adidas, Nike, Babolat, Fila (yeah the same Fila from the 90s), and Prince (the shoe not the musician.)
I’ll step off of my shoe box and move on to the next important tennis chic concept: heat control. For those of you learning to play under the burning sun like the Majorcan man-god Nadal did; you’ll learn you want to stay as cool as possible for as long as possible. Tennis is a game of mistakes. The hotter you get, the more mistakes you’ll make.
If I’m playing in temps above 95F, it’s Wimbledon everywhere for me–all white! Pastels and neons also reflect sunlight well if you’re feeling more Rafa vibes that day. Dark colors absorb more heat from the sun than lighter ones. Black absorbs the most heat; avoid black at all costs on sunny outdoor courts.
Wear loosely fitting moisture-wicking material to help sweat and heat to leave your body. Moisture-wicking materials do this by absorbing and increasing the surface area sweat across the fabric making sweat evaporate faster.
When playing long matches, sometimes moisture-wicking material stops breathing as it soaks with sweat. This is hot, miserable, and worst of all MOIST. There are two options here– bring an extra shirt in your bag or if you’re bold, wear a mesh shirt. Look pal, one of Tennis Vice’s favorite looks is a sports bra and a mesh shirt. Mesh: wear it on the tennis courts to impress your tennis partner, then wear it when you’re on trial with the cool court to impress the judge when you embezzle the work Ferrari. Judge’s ruling: I’m cool with that.
The last part of heat control–keep your head cool. When heads get too hot brains run too slow to play well. A cool head will keep you in the game. For a cool head, wear a hat. Trucker hats worn backward work best. They allow hot air to escape and work as sweatband while keeping direct sunlight off your head and the back of your neck. You can also rotate the hat from back forward to help keep the sun out of your eyes. Plus, cross-breeze.
Sunglasses. Nothing says cool than rocking a pair of shades with the top down tearing up the Biscayne at night. But for the tennis court, sunglasses can obscure vision due to optical effects in the lenses. This can throw off hand-eye coordination. You know what else throws off hand eye coordination? Serving into the damn Miami sunset that’s what!
Last piece of advice, kid– be sure to slow-mo walk onto the court, wind in your hair with that dope new Phil Collins track playing in background.
Maximum Rad,
-Sonny.