How to Store Tennis Equipment

Have you ever thought about how sensitive your tennis equipment is? Tennis balls and rackets are specialized equipment that have an ideal responsiveness, but it might surprise you to know just how delicate tennis equipment is.

To keep your equipment in top condition for as long as possible, you’ll need to store it properly when not in use.

The Importance of Climate Control

Due to the sensitivity of tennis equipment, if you want it to last, and if you want to be at the top of your game when you play, you’ll need to store it in a climate controlled environment.

Many items are sensitive to extremes in weather, from electronics to fine art. Tennis rackets and balls are up there on the sensitivity scale as well.

You may have noticed a difference in your game if you’ve had your equipment in your car and then gone to play tennis with a friend. When it’s especially cold, racket strings become less springy. As the under-pressure molecules in tennis balls slow down due to cold weather, the balls lose a degree of bounce. As you play, you need to compensate for these changes in your equipment, making the game more difficult and less fun.

As you might expect, heat speeds up the pressurized molecules in your tennis balls, making them bounce higher and move faster, and loosens the strings on your racket, making it too springy. Play when your equipment has been in a hot car, and you’re in for the frustration of balls frequently going out of bounds.

The bigger problem is this: the damage heat and cold do to your equipment is lasting. Even when stored in a good, climate controlled unit, rackets will stay at optimal condition for only about three years. When they go through temperature fluctuations, that can quickly get reduced to a year or less. In addition to temperature causing damage, humid or dry air can harm your equipment. The material your racket is made of will expand and contract, becoming slightly damp during half of the year, and dry during the other half.

In short, keep your equipment in the right environment, preferably a self storage unit with climate control. These units generally rent for 25% to 30% more than standard units and protect all of your belongings.

Packing

It’s also important to pack your rackets and balls properly before storing them. For your rackets, that means racket bags, which will protect them from dust and dings. However, do not put your racket, whether in a proper bag or not, in a box, especially not on the bottom or toward the middle, where the weight of other items can put pressure on it and damage it. Instead, put it on a shelf alone or on  top of a sturdy pile of boxes.

To keep their pressure consistent, put your tennis balls in air-tight containers. These can be plastic bins, but there are specialized plastic tubes as well. You can lay these on their sides, or lean them upright in a corner or against some boxes.

When it comes down to it, storing tennis equipment the right way isn’t difficult, but it is critical if you want to keep it in good condition. We hope the instructions here help you to do that.