Your clothes have three jobs on court: let you move, hold a spare ball and cope with the British weather. Everything else is decoration.
In the changing room, shadow a serve, turn your shoulders and reach for an imaginary wide ball. Nothing should pull or rub. Do a lunge in the shorts, skirt or dress as well.
Look at the seams under the arms and inside the leg. That’s where the rubbing starts on a long club night.
You need somewhere to keep the ball for your second serve. Make sure the pocket, or the shorts under a skirt, holds one without it bouncing about when you run.
Test it with a real ball. A pocket that takes a phone won’t always take a tennis ball.
Bring a layer you can peel off once you’re warm, and a dry top for afterwards. Keep the wet stuff away from everything else in your bag.
British weather can turn within a set, so pack for the end of the session, not the start.
Dress for the court you’re playing on and the time you’ll finish, not the weather when you leave the house.
A light top that dries quickly beats a heavy cotton T-shirt once you’re sweating. A cap or visor helps when you’re serving into the sun.
Put sun cream on the back of your neck and legs, and bring more water than you think you need.
Start in a warm layer and tracksuit bottoms or leggings over your shorts, then strip down as you warm up. Put a layer back on at changeovers so you don’t cool off.
Gloves and a hat are fine for the warm-up. Take the gloves off before you need to feel the grip.
Winter session packing list →Arrive in a layer and play in a light top. With no breeze you’ll sweat more, so a top that dries quickly earns its keep.
Some indoor centres have their own rules on kit and footwear. Check before your first booking.
Most tennis kit is synthetic for a reason: it dries fast. Here’s what each layer is for.
Only needed in the cold. A close-fitting synthetic or merino layer moves sweat off your skin, so you don’t go cold the moment you stop running.
Polyester tops dry quickly and stay light. Cotton is fine for a short knock on a mild day, but it soaks up sweat, hangs heavy and leaves you chilly between points.
A full-length zip comes off quickly at a changeover without knocking your cap off. Keep a light waterproof in the bag for showers between games and the walk back to the car.
Check the washing label and how quickly it dries, especially if you play more than once a week. Many technical fabrics shouldn’t go near fabric conditioner or a hot tumble dryer, so check before the first wash.
Most club nights are relaxed. The rules tend to show up at tournaments and on grass.
Wimbledon requires players to wear almost entirely white, and some UK clubs and tournaments ask for white or mainly white kit, often on grass or at certain events.
If an entry form says “whites”, take it literally and check what it allows.
Some clubs ask for tennis clothing rather than gym or football kit, especially for league matches and club events. If you’re new, ask, or look at what members wear on a match night.
Many clubs restrict soles on clay, artificial grass or indoor courts, so check before you play.
Which sole for which court →Thin everyday socks rub and slip inside a tennis shoe. Wear the socks you play in when you try shoes on, and pack a spare pair for wet days.
A cap keeps the sun out of your eyes on the toss. A visor does the same and lets more heat out of the top of your head.
A wristband stops sweat running down onto your hand and the grip. Cheap, and worth it if you sweat heavily or your grip gets slippery in summer.
Change out of a wet top before the drive home, especially in winter. Keep it, and anything wet, apart from your dry kit.
Kit and bag checklist →Put the money where your body takes the strain. Everything else can come from last season’s rail.
Before you buy, check the seams, the washing label and how quickly it dries.
Which sole suits your court, how a shoe should fit and every shoe family by brand.
Go to Shoes →What to pack, what to check at the court and how to keep kit dry afterwards.
Open the winter list →What to check on clothing and bags before you buy, from seams to a separate shoe compartment.
Open the checklist →