Beginner's Guide to Tennis

From what gear you’ll need, to beginner games, and even tips on lessons, leagues, and tournaments, Wilson’s got you covered!

So you want to start playing tennis but don’t know where to begin? We’ve put together a guide to get you court-ready. From what gear you’ll need, to beginner games, and even tips on lessons, leagues, and tournaments, Wilson’s got you covered!

STEP 1: GET THE GEAR

It’s a fact…you can’t play tennis without a tennis racket, tennis balls, or a net. One of those three things you can usually find for free at your public park (fingers crossed) while the other two you’ll have to purchase. Here’s what we’d recommend to get you started:

TENNIS RACKETS

Ages 12 & Younger:Junior rackets are categorized by length. In general terms, each length corresponds with an age group. However, if your child is either very tall or very short for their age, you will want to take that into account when selecting the correct racket size. We recommend:

• 5 and under: 19-inch racket
• 6-7 years old: 21-inch racket
• 7-8 years old: 23-inch racket
• 9-10 years old: 25-inch rackets
• 10-12 years old: 26-inch rackets

Ages 12 & Over: In most cases, you should start using a full-size tennis racket at age 12. There are many different types of full-size rackets, made with different materials and sold at various price points:

• Recreational tennis rackets are made from a variety of materials, from aluminum to graphite, and start at just $30. If you’re brand new to tennis, we’d recommend starting here. Our best-selling rec racket is the Hyper Hammer 5.3, and is our best value for a 100% graphite racket at $90.
• Performance tennis rackets are typically made of graphite and start around $159. Players looking to improve their game and/or start competing should think about upgrading to a performance racket. We know these can be expensive, so we’ve put together a guide to help you choose the right one! If you don’t have time for the guide, we’d recommend our #1 selling racket: Clash 100.

TENNIS BALLS

Don’t forget your tennis balls! While most are fuzzy and yellow, the many different types of tennis balls can make it hard to know which you should be playing with. Similar to rackets, we’ve put together a guide on choosing the right tennis ball for your game. No time for the guide? We’d recommend starting with our Triniti tennis balls to get the most bang for your buck. They last 4x longer than a standard tennis ball and come in a 100% sustainable package. Mother Earth will thank you!

BONUS TIP: TENNIS SHOES

While you don’t necessarily needtennis-specific shoes to start playing, we would strongly recommend them. The reason is that tennis shoes are built very differently than running/athletic shoes. Tennis shoes have reinforced support on the sides of the shoes to avoid rolling your ankle when moving side-to-side while running shoes are designed for forward motion only. Believe us, you’ll do a LOT more running side-to-side than forward when you decide to hit the courts.

STEP 2: FIND A PARTNER

Unless you have a backboard at your local park, playing tennis by yourself isn’t much fun. You should find a partner to play with when you go out for the first time; ideally someone the same skill level as you, or pretty close. If you have a friend in mind, great! If not, there are a ton of apps out there to help you find someone to play with…we recommend Play Your Court.

Once you’ve got your partner, there are plenty of beginner exercises and games you can do to prepare. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Start with “short court”. Try hitting the ball back and forth with your partner while keeping it in the “service boxes” (four boxes on each side of the net). This will allow you to work on your touch and feel. If you’re having trouble making contact, say out loud, “bounce” when the ball hits the court and “hit” when you make contact with the ball. This will improve your timing and allow you to hit more balls in.
• Work on rallying back and forth. This is something that as a beginner requires concentration. Sure, you could try hitting the ball over the fence and yelling “home run!”, but tennis really isn’t much fun if you aren’t able to sustain a rally. Try hitting 10 balls in a row back and forth with your partner. Once you’ve done 10, go for 20, and so on.
• Start playing points. Once you and your partner are able to sustain a rally, you can try playing points! The scoring in tennis can seem complicated at first, but we’ve put together a scoring cheat sheet to make it easier. Start each point with a serve from behind the “baseline” (the line furthest from the net in the back of the court), aiming towards the service box on the other side of the net diagonal from where you’re serving. If you want to make it as easy as possible, serve two points, and then have your partner serve two points. Play to 10, win by 2!

STEP 3: IMPROVE WITH LESSONS AND COMPETITION

If you decide you want to keep the ball between the lines, you’ll need to start taking tennis lessons. Tennis is one of those sports where, to get better, you have to work on your technique. There are right ways to hit a tennis ball and there are wrong ways. To get started, you can either talk to the tennis staff at a local club, or if you don’t want to join a club, there are plenty of online services that can get you set up with lessons at public courts. Once again, we recommend Play Your Court.

Once you’ve taken some lessons, improved your strokes, and practiced match play…you’re ready to compete! You’ll be amazed how much better tournament play will make you. It can be a little intimidating at first, but remember, the only way to truly get better is to compete against players that are better than you. They will make you raise your game, and soon, you’ll be beating players you never thought you could. You can find a USTA-approved tennis tournament in your area here. Good luck out there!