Your equipment

Today, I would like to talk about the equipment you need to have with you. Many players when going into a tournament or league play, take the minimum they need to get through the match. Sometimes, what you think you have in your bag is not enough.

Players will take only 1 racquet, a towel, a can of balls and that is about it. This is not enough, especially if you are playing a long match. You need to have at least 2 strung racquets (preferrably newly strung) or more, extra overgrips, a couple of towels, at least 2 shirts (to change during the match), energy bars or bananas to snack on during the match, water and an energy drink. One of my tennis partners gave me an idea of bring an extra pair of shoes and an extra pair of socks as well. I also like to carry some bandaides and maybe some aleve for pain (just in case).

I think this would be a minimum. Be prepared ahead of time. Make sure you have all you need, even if you think you won't use it, it is better to be prepared than sorry.

As for your racquets, you need to check them to be sure that your strings don't need to be change. If you go into a match and during the match (or even during warmups) if you string breaks, it can affect how you play. And if you only have 1 left, you need to make sure that racquet will get you through the match. You start worrying about your racquet and you start making mistakes - there goes the match.

So in closing, make sure you are prepared with equipment.

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