The most important pieces of tennis equipment that you can have are a tennis racket, tennis balls, and tennis apparel. Tennis apparel?! You may not think that the tennis apparel that you wear on the court can much affect your game, but it really can.
Just think of playing a game of tennis in bad tennis apparel – imagine playing in a pair of baggy jeans and a 100% cotton T-shirt. Imagine playing the sport in a pair of penny loafers. As you can imagine, these pieces of non- tennis apparel may be ok to wear on a shopping errand, but not on the tennis court. In fact, many tennis courts will not even allow such clothes.
Now think of how uncomfortable you would be in those jeans, t-shirt, and penny loafers. Your jeans are going to restrict your movement, especially if they are too baggy or too tight – they can prevent you from getting those hard-to-reach returns. Also, if they are too long, you could trip over them. They are going to feel hot. The seams are irritatingly going to rub against your legs, especially once you start to sweat. The waistband will likely irritate your skin, as well.
Proper tennis apparel included tennis shorts for men and a tennis skirt or tennis dress for women. These are items of clothing that are going to allow a lot of freedom of movement – you will not feel restricted in these pieces of tennis apparel. In cooler weather, you may choose to wear tennis warm-ups or tennis pants.
Now the cotton t-shirt may seem like a good piece of tennis apparel, and to some it is, but just think of how much better you could do with a different shirt. Yes, a 100% cotton t-shirt is breathable, but it most definitely does not wick away sweat. In fact, if you get sweaty in a cotton t-shirt, the shirt will likely stay damp and stick to your skin. When you stop to take a break, you may start to feel too cool.
A proper tennis shirt, on the other hand, is likely going to be made out of synthetic fibers or be a blend with cotton. Yes, a little cotton can be good in a shirt to give your tennis apparel a nice balance between breathable and wicking. A tennis shirt will wick away sweat, keeping you comfortable both while you are playing and when you take a break. Also, a good tennis shirt – whether it is a polo shirt, a tank, or other tennis apparel – is going to give you awesome freedom of movement. You will be able to reach high for over heads and volleys and reach low for ground strokes, etc.
Now penny loafers are quite obviously not tennis apparel. They generally do not have much traction, so you could slip when stopping suddenly. You would not be able to rush to the ball quickly, either. Also, you are likely to get blisters. Your feet will hurt. They could mark up the court.
