Can You Leave a Tennis Racquet In a Hot Car?

We all know that it can get really hot inside a car, even if it’s not that hot outside. Dogs and children are especially susceptible to these temperature changes, and we’ve all heard the stories of strangers breaking in car windows to perform a rescue on whoever was left inside. 

This type of extreme temperature can also impact the items that you leave in your car, including your tennis rackets.

Can you leave a tennis racket in a hot car? Leaving a tennis racket in a hot car is not recommended, and it can cause immediate damage to your strings. Prolonged and repeated storage in a car can impact the racket frame. To get the most out of your racket, store it in a cool, dry place, even if you use it every day.

How Heat and Cold Impact Tennis Strings

If you did leave your tennis racket in the car, you’ll probably feel it in the strings. As the strings expand in the heat of a car, they will lose their tension. 

Even if the racket is cooled again, you’ll likely have to get the racket adjusted to get the strings to the right tension. If you make a habit of leaving your racket in your car, you’ll probably find yourself restringing your racket more than those who store their rackets in other places.

On the other hand, if you leave your tennis racket in the car in extreme cold conditions, the strings will become brittle. They’ll be more likely to break on you, and if that happens, the only thing you can do is replace them.

How Heat and Cold Impact Tennis Racket Frames

The same basic principles apply to the frame as to the strings. A frame exposed to heat will warp and bend, especially if they’re repeatedly exposed. Graphite frames are more heat resistant, but they’re not immune to subtle warping. 

Now, you’re not going to leave your tennis racket in your car and come back to a puddle of metal. If you do, it’s a sure sign of the apocalypse and you’ll have bigger things to worry about. In fact, you probably won’t be able to see anything wrong with your racket if you leave it in the car, but you may notice it over time.

Cold makes all materials brittle, so in addition to popping strings, you may crack the frame of your racket if you leave it in your car during the winter months.

How to Properly Store Your Racket

If you’ve got a few rackets, balls, shoes, towels, overgrip, water bottles, and changes of clothes, your tennis bag can get pretty heavy. Plus, if you’re playing in high school or college, you’ll likely also be carrying a backpack. It’s tempting to just leave that bulky tennis bag in the backseat, especially if you have practice the next day.

But tennis rackets aren’t cheap, and taking care of them properly will extend their lifespan. Even if you just grab the rackets themselves out of the bag and carry them up, that would be better for them than leaving them in the car.

Ideally, you want to store them in a cool, dry place where they won’t get crushed. Under the bed or in the closet are great options. We also recommend for both your personal hygiene and to care for your rackets to not leave damp and sweaty clothes, shoes, or towels sitting in the bag.

Not only will they stink, they can cause bacteria to grow which may lead to infection, which isn’t good for you. What isn’t good for your racket is that those wet or damp items will release humidity into the bag, which can degrade your strings and frame over time.

If you’re going to be storing your rackets for a long time, don’t dump them in the bottom of the closet and spend the off-season piling other stuff on top of them. Put them in a hard-sided box, like a Rubbermaid storage container, or keep them in a hard-shell suitcase.

Speaking of Suitcases, What About Cargo Hold Temperatures?

Since most tennis racket bags are too big to bring on as a carry-on items, you’ll find yourself checking your rackets on most flights. While you might be worried about the cargo temperatures impacting your racket, that’s not actually the biggest concern. 

Cargo holds are an average of 45 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit on most airplanes, and those temperatures won’t harm your racket. The bigger issue when checking your rackets is them getting crushed in with the other bags. 

That’s why traveling with a hard-shell suitcase is best for airline travel. Tuck your rackets in between layers of clothes for extra protection.

What Should You Do If You Left Your Racket in the Car?

We’ve all done it. It’s a busy night. We’re hungry. We’ve got homework. Life is frantic, and you forget your tennis bag in the car. Maybe you don’t play for a few days, and it’s just sitting out there in the trunk or backseat, exposed to all the temperature variations.

The first thing you’ll want to do when you discover that you’ve left your racket in the car is bring it inside. You’ll want to try to get it back to room temperature before playing on it, and if that can’t be avoided, pay close attention to your string tension as you begin to play. If you’re playing at a club that has a stringer onsite, take your racket over and have it adjusted.

However, if you just leave them in the car occasionally, you will notice a loss of tension the next time you use it, but you’re not likely to permanently damage the racket itself. 

Strings are critical to the game, but if you’re playing regularly, you’re going to be getting your strings adjusted and replaced on a regular basis, anyway. So don’t sweat it if you leave your bag in a hot or cold car once or twice. But don’t make it a habit.

Conclusion

The temperature has a huge impact on all of your tennis gear, including your balls, strings, and racket frames. When storing your tennis rackets, it’s best to keep them away from areas that have extreme temperature variations, like your car. 

The heat of a car can cause you to lose string tension, and if you regularly leave your tennis rackets in your car, the frame can begin to warp and bend. The best place for both long-term and short-term, day-to-day storage is a cool, dry place where they won’t get crushed.

You can also read:

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• 7 Best British Tennis Players of All Time
• How Does Temperature Affect a Tennis Ball?
• What is a Tennis Qualifier?
• Why Did Costco Stop Selling Tennis Balls?