You never know who is a tennis player. But as soon as you bring it up, there’s a certain light that ignites behind their eyes. A special bond. A secret society of people who just “get it”.

Tennis is an intergenerational sport. We’ve seen people in their 80s on the court, and we regularly play with our kids, the youngest is 5. It’s a sport you can play your whole life. It’s a great way to stay active, get some Vitamin D, fresh air, and quality time with friends and family. All while looking dope AF doing it.

My dad taught me how to play tennis when I was in high school. We spent many evenings after he got off work playing at the high school tennis courts. He would wear his after-work Costco jeans, shirtless because he didn’t want to get his polo sweaty. Picture Top Gun, except tennis. My dad was ripped; still is. Bonding with your high-spirited (read: bitchy) teenage daughter is near impossible, but my dad found a way and that way was through tennis.

Recently I came across another tennis dad. You can identify them by the way their eyes light up when you mention grass courts or Agassi, and if they’re old enough– Jimmy Conners. A group of 10 of us were out celebrating at a trendy outdoor downtown bar. We were talking about our tennis vacation in Toledo and then from across the firepit we hear “Thank God you’re not pickleball players” followed by “There are no truly great US tennis players anymore. Serena, Sampras, Agassi, McEnroe, Jimmy Conners, they’re all gone and nobody is stepping up to take their place.” We spent the rest of the night hosting “Tennis Talk” with our friend’s dad and got to hear stories about Wimbledon 1975, and hitting balls with a French junior pro tennis player (“I knew I couldn’t beat him but it was so great hitting balls like that again. I haven’t done that since college.”) The conversation went so well, I turned to my friend and asked “Hey Courtney, can I score your dad’s digits?” The funny thing was, she immediately said “Yep!” without any questions. I’m sure it’s because she knows her tennis dad is rad.

Tennis is an intergenerational sport. When you go to the courts you see people of all ages playing together. You see dads and moms playing with their kids, priests playing with nuns, pre-teen and high school kids, and beer league tennis players.

The thing that binds these people together is their passion for tennis. It’s a sport you can play your entire life and as my dad told me years ago–it’s good for your career, it’s good for your friendships, and it’s good for your relationships. When you play tennis, you’re part of a global community of people of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds. And when you meet another tennis player in the wild, it’s like finding your new best friend.

And I found mine–Courtney’s dad.

Sure, being a successful professional tennis player who jet sets around the world playing a game in front of thousands of adoring fans is great. You know what’s not great? Crab claw, or when one arm is super shredded and the other looks like it belongs to a baby. Especially when you’re doing your trademark victory fist pump after scoring that winning shot. Once you spot one, you can never unsee this horror. So naturally, we are sharing this with you so you can share in our pain.

Who has your favorite crab claw? Post in the comments.

One of the best ways to get better at tennis is watching tennis. While this is not a complete list of dope matches, here’s a list of matches we have found entertaining to get you started.

Best Stache in the biz vs Your older brother who’s too cool for this shit: 2020 R1 New York Open Steve Johnson vs Tennys Sandgren

A guy who rescues animals vs a guy who needed rescue from Australia: 2022 Monte Carlo R2 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Novak Djokovic

Female GOAT vs Male GOAT: 2019 Serena Williams/Francis Tiafoe vs Belinda Bencic/Roger Federer, Hopman Cup

I’m getting too old for this shit: 2001 R4 Wimbledon Roger Federer vs Pete Sampras

Now I’m getting to old for shit: 2021 R3 French Open Dominik Koepfer vs Roger Federer

Tennis, but make it backwards: 2022 R2 Miami Open Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Carlos Alcaraz

The Thunder(dome) from Down Under: 2022 Final Australian Open Daniil Medvedev vs Rafael Nadal

Andre the Giant vs the Step-dad tennis didn’t ask for but he is the only dad it’s got, Slugger: 2022 R2 U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship John Isner vs Steve Johnson

While you’re at it, have fun checking out the antics in the stands. Tennis might be the only sport where the commentators throw shade at the fans.

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.

Rule Numero Uno of Tennis Vice: Tennis should be fun. Tennis is difficult and can be frustrating, especially if you are just learning to play or coming back from a long hiatus. Music can keep it fun by helping you stay loose and keeping your frustration in check. Breaking racquets is not a good look. Listening to a dope playlist will also let others know you’re the cool kind of tennis player.

 There’s a few things you’ll need before you set up your dope tennis playlist. 

A small Bluetooth speaker that fits in your tennis bag with good battery life. Like a JBL Flip 4 or Bose Soundlink Color II 

Music that matches the rhythm of how you play your game. 

The playlist should reflect the mood for the day. Keep it carefree and fun. Mix up the tempos but above all, keep it fun.  

Genres we like are: Synthwave, 80s metal, electronica, disco (believe it or not), reggaeton, Morgan Willis, and Gunship. 

In case you need a little inspiration, here’s some of our favorite tracks (traques) to swing our racquets to:

1. Maximum Black- Gunship
2. Fractions- Wayfloe Feat. Jessie Frye
3. Rush- LeBrock
4. Miami Nights- Trevor Something
5. In the Air Tonight- Phil Collins
6. All Mine- Trevor Something
7. Vice City-Morgan Willis
8. Intercepter- mitch murder
9. This is All We Know- Le Cassette 
10. Flashlight- Morgan Willis
11. Crockett’s Revenge- The Midnight
12. Fantasy- Jessie Frye
13. Purple Sun- NINA
14. Crystalline- The Midnight
15. The Mountain- Gunship
16. Rain- Jan Hammer
17. Tom Sawyer- Rush
18. Return of the Mack – Mark Morrison
19. Top Gun Anthem – Quixotic
20. Go Your Own Way – Zak Vortex & Young Empress
21. The Last of the Mohicans – METALHAWK
22. Catch My Breath – Colette
23. Push It To The Limit – Michael Oakley
24. Tel Aviv – Skeler
25. Sometimes – Miami Horror
26. Heartbeats – The Knife
27. Neon Rain – Paradise Walk
28. Make You Sweat – Le Flex
29. You Know That You Love Me – PRIZM
30. Sígueme (Remix) – Feid & Sech

We are always looking for the next dope tennis playlist, so share your favorite tracks in the comments.