When it’s time to head to the tennis court, I’m sure you’d rather just pick up your bag knowing everything you need is already in it, right?
But sometimes, no matter how prepared you think you are, there are a few items you may have forgotten or just not considered.
Today, we’ll go through some of the tennis bag items every tennis player should have on hand.
Let’s get straight to the list and then head straight to the tennis court.
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What to Pack in Your Tennis Bag?
You’ve played a lot of tennis. In addition to your racquet, you’re pretty comfortable with what you bring on court in your tennis racket bag. That’s great.
I’m sure you’ve got the big items covered. But what about other items you might have missed?
For your next match, bring your A-game and pack your tennis bag with everything you need (and perhaps some additional items).
12 Essential Tennis Bag Items
Let’s go through the different essentials you should pack in your tennis racquet bag.
1. Towel
Whether you use a backpack or tennis tote or duffel bag, packing a towel is a no brainer for me. I sweat quite a bit so I couldn’t imagine heading out to play without having a tennis towel.
I forgot my towel once and it wasn’t pretty – we’ll just leave it at that!
Having a towel comes pretty handy in terms of keeping you dry and fresh.
Whether you’re wiping sweat from your brow or keeping your hands try, having a towel is needed on a tennis court.
2. Tennis Balls
Another must-have item in your bag is tennis balls.
In order to play, you must have tennis balls. Just imagine what happens if both you and your partner forget to bring tennis balls.
Certainly, you can’t play tennis with each of you standing on opposite sides of the court holding a tennis just your tennis racquet.
One reason why we always recommend putting extra tennis balls in your racquet bag is to be ready for the unexpected.
You don’t want to be the player who never supplies the tennis balls.
3. Water Bottle
Regardless of the sport you’re playing, keeping yourself hydrated is crucial. Hydrations is important for staying on top of your game.
This is why it’s very important to always pack a water bottle inside your tennis bag.
Whether you plan to fill it with water or your favorite sports drink, it’s up to you. As long as you’re able to replenish all the water you’ve sweated out, you’re good to go.
Another option for your favorite sports drink or water is electrolyte tablets.
They also do a great job at hydrating you and come in small and convenient packaging.
4. Tennis Racket
Unless you don’t have an extra, never head out for a match without an extra tennis racket. You never know what might happen during a match and you might need a different racket.
There are still some tennis players who don’t bring an extra racket. Instead, they rely on the good graces of other people to lend them one should they have a problem.
While there’s generally nothing wrong with borrowing a friend’s racket, it doesn’t show great sportsmanship – assuming someone else will always have one ready to use.
5. Extra Grips / Overgrips
So you’ve got your tennis racket packed and you think you’re ready for your next match. But later you realize that the grip of your racket is pretty worn out. What do you do?
As a tip, I recommend packing extra grips or overgrips in your bag for those unforeseeable circumstances.
You’ll never know when the grip will start to break down. Sometimes they start to fray and before you know it, a blister is forming on your hand.
Whether you replace the entire grip or use an overgrip is up to you.
6. Hat, Sunscreen, and Sunglasses
A hat, sunscreen and sunglasses are three items, but they all are protection factors. Sunglasses and a hat protect your eyes and face. Sunscreen protects all of your skin.
If you often play most of your tennis on indoor courts, you don’t always need to bring a hat, sunscreen, or sunglasses for obvious reasons, but indoor lighting is still something to keep in mind.
Nevertheless, being prepared for outdoors situations isn’t a bad idea.
Playing outdoors means that you’ll likely be exposed to intense heat and sunshine (depending on the time of year and where you’re playing).
When you find yourself in hot, sunny playing conditions, you’ll be wishing you had the right gear and equipment for you to enjoy your time on court.
For you to get the most out of the court time, and to protect yourself from the harsh sun rays, the three essential items are a hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses.
Using a hat and sunglasses does a great deal for your eyes, especially when the sun is at its full peak and you can hardly see anything. At least you can enjoy your match without too much trouble seeing the ball.
Sunscreen is also one of the crucial must-haves if you don’t want to end up with a nasty sunburn.
Even if you aren’t prone to sunburn, be mindful of your skin. It takes a beating out there without any protection.
7. An Extra Shirt
Bringing an extra shirt is always a good idea. It keeps you ready for any unexpected situations.
One of the benefits of bringing an extra tennis shirt is you can remain fresh all the time.
I tend to sweat a bit, so having an extra shirt on hand is absolutely necessary for me. It might not be for you, but consider keeping one on hand.
8. Tennis Shoes
Sometimes, no matter how comfortable you think your feet are in your shoes, there’s still some aches and pains that bother you. Wouldn’t you wish you had extra shoes packed in your tennis bag?
Just like with bringing extra clothing, packing extra shoes is a good idea. You can easily switch your footwear to a more comfortable option should you get a blister or your feet just aren’t feeling right in your current shoes!
9. Food
After an intense match you may be very hungry. Running around a tennis court burns a lot of calories.
What better way to refill your tank than by bringing some food hidden away in an accessory pocket of your bag?
Consider keeping an energy bar or nut butter pouch on hand. If you’re feeling a little weak or hungry, grab your snack to bring your energy level back up!
You don’t need anything fancy – just something with a few calories to keep you going.
10. Band-Aids
Tennis isn’t usually thought of as a brutal sport, but it can get rough out on court in the heat of battle.
Whether you take a tumble reaching for a volley or your left tennis shoe rubs too much and a blister starts, having Band-Aids on hand may come in handy.
11. Extra Vibration Dampeners
If you’re someone who uses a vibration dampener, then you should always include extras inside your bag.
In case your dampener falls off during play and you can’t find it, you’ll have a spare to replace it.
12. Tennis Strings
It’s no secret that the string in your racquet tends to break. This is especially true playing one intense match after another.
With that said, it’s always best for you to bring your preferred type of strings!
Unless you’ve got a portable stringer with you as well, it won’t help you right away, but you can drop it off with the stringer so it’s ready the next time you want to ply.
Everything But the Kitchen Sink!
I’ve listed quite a few suggested tennis bag items. Obviously, the choice is yours for what items you find to be essential to pack in your tennis bag, but over the years I’ve used every item on this list!
If you pack these items in your tennis bag, you should be prepared for almost anything you encounter on court!
With this list fresh in your mind, go check out your bag to be sure you have all the essentials for your next outing.
And if you still haven’t figured out which is the best racket bag or best backpack, check out our other posts. A lot of time has been spent reviewing tennis gear so you don’t have to.