photo credit: Ben Fulton

When you think of playing tennis, you might think of grass courts or expensive country club memberships in exclusive gated communities. Tennis doesn’t have to be expensive to play and it can be a frugal or cheap sport for your family to enjoy for years. Public tennis courts are found in every community and offer local residents a free exercise option for families. Many resources can be found for discount tennis gear and you can even visit your local Salvation Army or Play It Again Sports for cheap tennis items. If you’re new to tennis, these stores will help you get a decent tennis racket for very little money. Tennis can be a cheap sport and $30 is all it takes to get started.

1. Tennis racket Expect to pay $20-100+ for a good racket. Your local Goodwill or Salvation Army will be a great source for sub $20 rackets. You might be surprised what you’ll find there. If you’re willing to pay $30+ you can find dozens of rackets to choose from at any local sporting goods store. I have purchased a Wilson N Code tennis racket from Costco for $49.99 and it’s light and plays just as good as a $100 racket. Also try Target, Walmart, Sport Authority, Big 5, and Dicks Sporting Goods for tennis rackets. A little know fact about tennis rackets that could save you money, most stores offer free trials. Before you buy a racket, you can ask for a demo. This can be very helpful if you have been playing tennis for a few years and are ready to upgrade your current racket.

2. Tennis Balls Free to $3.00 You will also need tennis balls and Wilson and Penn both range from $2-3 a can. My best deal for tennis balls are from Target. You can purchase a 4 pack for $7.99 If you are new to tennis, you might be lucky and find some slightly used tennis balls left at your local tennis court. Many players use one can and then either leave them or throw them away. Also look in the bushes around the tennis court and you could find some great tennis balls with plenty of life left in them. If you are new to the sport of tennis, a can of tennis balls will last for weeks or months depending on your playing style.

3. Tennis Shoes Free to $90 You might be able to play tennis with the current tennis shoes you already own. You want to look for a non-marking sole and be sure to stay away from using a running shoe. Many running shoes have a black marking sole that is soft and might make you slide while running on the court. Most tennis shoes are considered cross trainers and will let you play multiple sports safely. If you’re not sure, visit your local shoe store and ask. You don’t need to buy the latest Nike Air Vapor V Roger Federer shoe to play tennis. Save the $90. What you do need is a comfortable shoe with good support. I currently use a Wilson Advantage tennis shoe and paid $29.99 from Sports Authority.

4. Shirt and Shorts Free to $100 If you want to look stylish on the tennis court like Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova, you’ll need to spend at least $60-$100 for that Nike outfit. If you want matching Nike shoes and socks, and that could add up to $200 very quickly. Most recreational tennis players enjoy wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts. No need to go out and buy expensive clothes, as it won’t do anything for your tennis game. Save your money for a nicer racket and some new tennis balls.

5. Sunglasses $10+ Get a good pair of comfortable sunglasses that fit well. You’ll be running, jumping and serving and you want a pair that are snug on your face. The first time you try and serve into the blazing sun, you’ll be glad you brought your sunglasses.

6. Hat or sun visor $5+ Even if you already have sunglasses, you might want to keep your face covered from the suns rays. Be sure you have some good sunscreen as well when you play.

7. Tennis items and accessories $2-10 Tennis grips range from $2-5 and will help keep your racket handle dry and your hand from slipping. If you find that your hand sweats or you feel like you might throw your racket while hitting the ball, you might want to consider purchasing some grip.

Sweatband and headband $3-$10. Again if you are prone to sweat excessively or you don’t want to wipe your hand on your t-shirt, you might want to consider purchasing some sweatbands.

Additional tennis resources:
Tennis.com
ATP Tennis
US Open
Tennis How To Play
Wii Tennis
Scoring tennis and rules
Federer Tennis Official Site
Roddick Tennis Official Site
New Haven Tennis
Tennis Andy Murray Official Site
Pro Tennis Bag
Virtua tennis 3
Tennis Agassi
Tennis Blake James Blake official website.
Tennis Sharapova Maria’s official website

I’m looking for a tennis blog. If you have one or know of a tennis blog, please let me know. I would be interested to know what sport you enjoy playing as a family. Is it cheap and do you get a good workout?

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photo credit: toga

I’m a big tennis fan and love the sport for many reasons, including the fact that I enjoy the workout it provides and that it’s cheap to play. More on the cheap part later, as I have an entire post dedicated to tennis as a frugal or cheap sport. If you’re watching the 2008 US Open Tennis tournament you’re already enjoying some of the best hard court tennis players in the world, men and women.
The best part about the tournament, is watching men and women battle it out in the New York humidity and trying to stay calm and focused. Seeing Andy Roddick blast a 140 mph serve is amazing, and as impressive is watching Venus William serve one up at 125 mph. I’ve never clocked my serve, but I imagine it’s probably in the 65mph range.
Serena and Venus Williams will have to face one another in the quarter finals in this years Open and cause a family member to lose out on the chance for $1.5 million. If they had met in the final, the runner up would have received $750,000. Now the loser of the quarterfinal match will walk away with $150,000. Not bad for a few days work! Amazing that one family has two top tennis players and are worth millions of dollars. The only family I recall both playing tennis were John and Patrick McEnroe. John obviously won many tournaments and Grand Slam titles, but Patrick’s tennis career was not as stellar.
Aside from the fact that I get to watch the best hard court tennis action of the year, watching players compete for $1.5 million dollars is really fun. Did you know that men and women have received the same prize money at the US Open for the last 36 years? This year the prize has increased 7%. Did you receive a 7% pay raise this year? Equal pay, for equal work. Wow $1.5 million dollars for two weeks worth of work. Just think what this could do for an unseeded players career. What did the players receive if they lost in the first round of the tournament? How about a cool $18,500 just for showing up. Not bad at all for a days work. If you want to see more about the prize money for all players, visit the US Open website here.

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