Tennis

Tennis rackets by head size and weight:

those two specs, printed on the frame, tell you who a racket was built for. A bigger head and a lighter frame give an easier, more forgiving hit and suit someone learning or playing doubles once a week. A smaller head and a heavier frame reward a full swing with more control, and punish a late one. Babolat, Wilson, Head and Yonex all make both kinds, so the spec says more than the brand. Grip size is marked on the butt cap, and an overgrip can only make a handle thicker, never thinner. Padel rackets have no strings at all and sit under padel and pickleball.

Junior rackets, sized by length:

go up in steps as a child grows, from short frames used with soft, low-bounce balls to the longest ones swung before an adult racket, and coaches size them by height and reach rather than age. Junior tennis has a real following here, with academies around the Central Valley feeding players towards the Copa del Café, and most junior frames are outgrown long before they wear out. Check the length printed on the frame and that the child can hold it out at arm’s length without the head dropping.

Hard-court outsoles and extra-duty felt:

wear out fast, because an acrylic hard court is abrasive. A tennis shoe with a hard-court sole and a reinforced toe lasts; a running shoe slides and gives no side support. Clay-court shoes have a full herringbone tread that sheds grit, worth it only at one of the red-clay clubs. Balls follow the same rule: extra-duty felt holds up on hard courts, regular-duty is made for clay. A pressurised can loses bounce once opened, which is why part-used cans end up as practice balls. Speed ladders and resistance bands for footwork drills are under exercise equipment.

Last-generation frames and the cost of fresh strings:

new, an entry-level adult racket sold strung costs under ₡30,000, while a current performance frame from Babolat, Wilson or Head runs well past ₡100,000 and often comes unstrung. The big brands refresh their lines every couple of years, often with little more than new paint, and once a new generation arrives the old one loses a good share of its price while playing almost the same. A lightly used previous-generation frame is the best value in tennis. Treat the strings and grip on any used racket as spent unless the seller can say when it was last strung: a restring and a new grip are part of what it really costs you.

A cracked throat or a fake Pro Staff:

is what a photo hides. Look along the frame under good light, above all at the throat where the two arms meet and the sides of the head, then under the bumper guard: scuffs there are cosmetic, a crack beneath it is not. Hold the racket loosely and tap the frame with a fingernail; a cracked one often sounds dull or buzzes. Split grommets cut new strings within a few sessions, and frayed or notched strings mean a restring before you play. Copies of the Wilson Pro Staff and the Babolat Pure Aero turn up at prices that make no sense: blurred graphics, no serial number on the throat and a frame that feels far off its printed weight give them away.

Grip size, string date and the throat photo:

are what a player wants to know before travelling to see a racket. Give the brand, model and generation, the head size and weight printed on the frame and the grip size on the butt cap. Say which strings are in it, when it was last strung and how often it was played. Photograph both sides of the frame, the throat, the bumper and the butt cap; for shoes, the outsole; for a junior racket, the length. Someone coming over from Tres Ríos will want to swing the racket and wrap a hand round it, so take the overgrip off before they arrive or tell them how many layers are on it, because a thick wrap can hide a grip a size too small.