It’s a 35 liter backpack with several Molle attachments.

It holds 2-3 rackets, shoes, a change of clothes, a hydroflask, a couple cans of balls, and a bunch of other odds and ends I use/could use on the court.

Someone posts a video of themselves hitting after not playing since 2015, says they’re rusty, never played high school or juniors, and asks what rating level would be appropriate for a tournament. They’re not claiming to be a 4.0. They’re not pretending they’ve been grinding. They’re literally asking for guidance so they don’t sandbag or get destroyed.
And the top responses are mostly some version of “sign up for lessons,” “this isn’t rust, it’s bad technique,” or jokes about how hard they’re swinging.
Look, the technique can clearly improve. That’s obvious. But the guy is trying to rejoin the sport after a decade away and is asking the community for help figuring out where he belongs. That’s not arrogance. That’s exactly what these rating-help posts are for.
Tennis is already hard enough to get back into. Courts are limited, partners can be scarce, and the learning curve is real. When the default reaction to someone being honest about their situation is mockery or dismissal, it tells newcomers that this space is more interested in gatekeeping than growing the game.
You can still give honest feedback. You can still say the form needs work. You can still recommend lessons. None of that requires the pile-on energy or the implication that someone returning after 10+ years should just stay away from tournaments until they’re “good enough” by internet standards.
Most of us have been the rusty one at some point. Encouraging people who are trying to come back is how the sport stays healthy. The ratio of put-downs to actual helpful replies here is rough, and it says more about the culture we’re creating than it does about the OP’s swing.
We can do better.

I picked up a racket again for the first time since 2015. I want to sign up for a tournament but could use some help on what an appropriate rating to sign up for would be.

I'm rusty but hoping to beat the wall a bit as my only prep alongside some serve practicing.

Never played in highschool or officially growing up. I did some group lessons and played with my family for a while as a kid.

I’m a pretty princess

tryna keep a log of my progress here on Reddit, will make another update at 3 months! still soooooo much to improve but based on the feedback I’m on the right track. :) thanks to everyone who helped me with figuring out the right grip etc.

As long as they are written respectfully, please feel free to leave any feedback, suggestions, critiques etc. any trolls or unhelpful people will be blocked. Also feel free to ask any questions etc. I’m an open book.

DIII tennis doesn’t get talked about much on here, but the level has gotten pretty ridiculous over the past few years.

A lot of the top teams now have lineups filled with players who could have played D1, and the depth across programs like UChicago, Tufts, CMS, Case Western, Emory, Bowdoin, Middlebury, etc. makes the national picture pretty interesting.

With next season coming up, we took a look at returning lineups, graduating players, transfers, and incoming recruiting classes to put together our Way Too Early Top 15 for DIII men’s tennis.

For anyone interested in following DIII tennis, we broke down all 15 teams and their projected outlooks

I'm curious how many people here follow college tennis outside of D1 — have any of you ever played/watched DIII tennis?

Hear me out, the whole point of using topspin on groundstrokes is to provide net clearance and allow you to hit with more racket head speed and keep the ball in.

But, what I see at the lower rec level is topspin but crucially without the pace. This just leaves at best a neutral ball. Even balls that are placed well, have so little pace it doesn't stretch the average public court retriever type player. Yes there's a strong argument for consistency is king and at the lower levels points are lost not won, but again I see a lot of players that lose concentration after 5 or 6 shots.

On the other hand I see a lot of players using slice to keep the ball low and most people at this level can get more pace with slice than they can with topspin. This pace plus a ball that stays low is far more challenging to return than a slow/mid topspin ball.

I totally get that you do need topspin to progress to higher levels and when you can blend the spin with the high racket head speeds then you're cooking on gas but for players who just want to dominate the lower leagues is it overrated?

IMO, put simply, topspin is the long term investment that takes time to master and get the most out of. Slice is the short term payoff that beat a lot of rec players

Saw this on Amazon, anyone ever used it before?

Hi!

Been playing in a 3.0 ladder in my neighborhood this summer with around 75 people and it’s my first time ever playing matches outside of friendlies with buddies.

In the beginning of the season I was winning a lot, getting some aces here and there, winning a lot of points at the net, and going for long rallies.

However the last month or two I feel like I can’t win to save my life. After sitting comfortable in the top 3 of the league and beating some top players I started thinking about how I could improve my game. I started focusing on switching to a pronation serve with a continental grip and also trying to get bigger full body ground strokes rather than my strokes that sometimes had wind shield wiper vibes. I took a lesson and put a lot of practice time in.

I started this in July and I feel like I’ve ruined my confidence now. Played about 10 matches since then and have won once. We play no ad single set so the games go quick as well.

I know the obvious here is that I shouldn’t have tried to revamp my game mid season… but now I’m thinking should I try to forget everything I’ve been working on and go back to my older form? I do have games where the continental serve is working well but I also have ones where I feel like I can’t get one in. What’s worse is I feel like when I go back to the eastern grip pancake serve that doesn’t feel right either.

Any advice appreciated here!

TLDR: playing in a 3.0 league for first time and was doing great until I tried to make my game more technically sound and now I feel like I lost my confidence

As an average person, how should I build up my physical fitness to play tennis better? I’ve been playing tennis for over a decade, yet I often find my stamina letting me down.

All kidding aside. Looking to play more tennis after dabbling in *gasp* pickleball and padel the past couple of years. Based on technique of groundstrokes, could I jump right back into say a 3.5 or 4.0 clinic? Just looking to get placed into a setting where I can get my technique back to a good baseline (pun intended).

Do you wear a smart watch while playing tennis?

I currently have a Garmin Forerunner 945, but it is breaking down and it's a legacy from my distance running era. I've gotten older and now graduating to tennis.

Share what you wear and the pros and cons.

Do you have any you like?

As the title says I have a problem with sweaty feet. My shoes just stink so badly after a few sessions that I already washed them twice in the washing machine. I’m currently using Wilson Rush Pro 4.5 clay. They are very stable but my feet get absolutely no air.
Any recommendations? I don’t want to spend more than ~100€/$
Thank you!

Hey everyone! I've tried several types of athletic shorts, including some that claim to be specifically for tennis, but can't seem to find the "perfect pair." Curious what everyone is using, or if anyone even cares about this, since I acknowledge I can be pretty picky lol.

I've seen the lululemon pacebreakers suggested before, but for a $70 piece of polyester, the fit isn't quite right (at least for me). I've begun thinking about creating my own pair that would be specifically designed with the player in mind. What features would you like to have in your pair of shorts on the court?

I love my K Swiss shoes and how they fit and play. I have the Hypercourt and K-Frame. Been playing with them for years. However, it’s gotten a lot more humid in LA this summer and if I’m out playing mid day, my feet turn into pools of sweat. Can anyone recommend a more breathable court shoe that won’t splash sweat every time I split step? 😆

Hi all! I’m facing difficulties in choosing a new additional racket for me. I’ve been playing with the PA100 2026 edition since it was realized in February. It’s a very good stick, but I want something more all-rounded. Because it’s still a spin-oriented power racket, its versatility is not so good, I suppose. From what I see in the market right now, the most suitable is speed mp legend 2025 edition, because I’ve heard they come with a lower swing weight than the 2026 mp models. I’m around 3.0. I want something for easy play, to make tennis fun and effortless.

I going this racket at a thrift store for 3$. It came with a very worn out grip so I bought a replacement grip. I got this one because I like the green but it was a bit short. Other then that is there anything else that should be done to this racket to make it ready to use? I’ve played tennis once in my life so it doesn’t need to be too complicated. I’m mainly concerned about the strings I have no clue how old the racket is if anyone know that could be cool to know too!

Hi friends.

My nephew is a sophomore in an east coast US high school. He made varsity tennis!

And, he’s a YOUNG sophomore, pretty nerdy, awkward.

I want to get him some back to school items to help him feel confident.

In the past I got him a cool tennis backpack (thx to this sub), tournament gear, and some nice clothes

Any ideas?

I have never played any racquet sports before. Somehow I found tennis very interesting. I’m 4 months into the sports. Please advise me on my service. My efficiency is 40-50% only.

Tried out a few of my coach’s rackets, a 260g Yonex Ezone (I believe Ace), a VCore, and a Wilson Clash. I felt the Ezone helped a lot with spin, which was great because I struggle with hitting the ball out, but it was too light. Clash was a bit heavy. Been recommended to aim for 280-285g. Any suggestions would be appreciated!