Packing for a Tennis Week

A week of tennis is a different proposition from a long weekend. You play more, you sweat more, and small inconveniences that you would shrug off at home start to compound by day three. The good news is that the list of things you actually need is short. The trick is packing the right short list, and not the long one.

Here is what we tell travelers before a full week on court. It is built from years of watching people repack their bags at the airport, and it errs toward comfort over completeness.

Rackets, strings, and the small things that strand you

Two rackets is the honest minimum for a serious week, and a matched pair is better than two near-strangers. If a string goes mid-session — and over five or six days of play, one usually does — you want to keep moving rather than nurse a single frame and change your game to protect it. A third racket is a luxury, not a necessity, unless you string tight and break often.

Pack a set of spare strings even if you do not string your own rackets. Most places that run a week of tennis can restring overnight, but they cannot conjure your gauge and tension out of nothing. Bring the spec written down. Throw in fresh overgrips, a roll of them, and replace yours on day one so the worn one is not the grip you remember the trip by.

The two things people forget most often: a spare string set in their own gauge, and twice as many socks as they think they need. Both are cheap insurance against a ruined afternoon.

Shoes, surface, and the feet that carry you

Match your shoes to what you will play on, and confirm the surface before you pack. A clay-court outsole on a hard court wears smooth in a day and offers you nothing in the way of grip; a hard-court shoe on clay clogs and slides in the wrong places. If you are unsure, ask — it is the single question most worth asking before you leave.

For a full week, two pairs in rotation lets each dry out properly between sessions, which does more for blisters than any plaster. Socks are the unglamorous hero here. Bring more than feels reasonable, in a fabric that moves moisture, and you will play your last day as comfortably as your first.

Layers, recovery, and sun you will underestimate

Mornings on court are cooler than the afternoon you packed for. A light layer you can shed after the warm-up earns its place in the bag. So does a recovery kit that fits in a wash bag: a long resistance band for the shoulders before play, a compact massage ball for the feet and calves after, and whatever anti-inflammatory you trust. None of it is heavy. All of it helps you back up day after day.

Sun protection is the thing people consistently underestimate, especially anyone coming from a grayer climate to somewhere bright. A sweat-resistant high-factor cream, a brimmed hat or visor, and proper sunglasses are on-court equipment, not holiday extras. Reapply at the changeover; the back of the neck and the tops of the ears are where a week of tennis catches you out.

As for what to leave at home: the ball machine fantasies, the third pair of court shoes, the gadget that tracks your spin axis. A week of tennis rewards the player who shows up rested, well-shod, and uncomplicated. Pack light, pack right, and let the place do the rest.