What To Wear For a Tennis Match
Tennis has always carried a reputation of being much more entertaining when watched in person compared to on television. It’s a way to see just how powerful players are with their shots, and it helps people understand how fast and quick players must be to play at a high level.
Going to a tennis match is much different from just about any other sport out there. Fans need to hold up their end of the bargain and keep things quiet during play. With etiquette like that in mind, is there a dress code or anything?
While dress codes have become much laxer in the last few years just about everywhere, this is still one of the more formal sporting events. However, anywhere outside of Wimbledon is usually not too bad.
Prepping For Warm Weather
The tennis schedule moves around the entire world based on weather. The tournaments are held in certain cities when it seems like ideal weather for that area.
As an example, you won’t find any major tennis tournaments in the middle of the summer in Florida outdoors. The same goes for outdoor matches in New York City or London during the winter.
Since the weather tends to be on the hot side at every outdoor tournament, people need to be dressed comfortably. Breathable material works best, and light colors are generally preferred.
Don’t wear long sleeves or long pants unless the design is specific for hot weather. It’s likely going to be way too hot and muggy to enjoy the match wearing thicker clothing.
Handling The Daylight
Every single tennis fan has to deal with the sun at one point in the day when they go to a match. It’s not surprising at all to see 80% or 90% of people in the stands wearing hats and/or sunglasses to stay protected.
Players do the same thing, and there can be tough times during the day when it is impossible to stay completely protected.
A hat is the easiest and cheapest thing to throw on, and it protects the head and the face. A traditional baseball hat has a brim that is easy to tilt towards the sun to provide proper protection. It also protects the hair or the bald head underneath, keeping fans cool down and protected.
There are special flap hats that sometimes players and fans will wear that also have added protection on the back of the neck. This area can be pretty vulnerable when watching a tennis match, so opting for additional coverage never hurts. Not only does it cover the neck, but the ears as well.
Many fans feel it is pretty much impossible to survive an entire day full of tennis without having sunglasses on. There is a lot of staring into the sun during the day, and it gets particularly hot if it’s sunny outside.
Players don’t always love wearing sunglasses because they see the ball differently, but fans are mostly trying to reduce eye strain.
Sunscreen is pretty much essential for making sure that the skin doesn’t get too burnt while at tennis. The good news is that sunscreen is usually available at most tournaments, either for sale or as a giveaway from a sponsor. There’s also the option of bringing it from home if a person doesn’t want to spend any extra money.
Comfortable Shoes For All-Day Walking
This recommendation is more for people going to the early rounds of a tennis tournament. During the first few days, quite a few tennis matches are going on at once. Walking around the grounds can be a daunting task in shoes that are not all that comfortable.
What’s the best shoe choice? What many will notice is there are a lot of tennis shoes being worn around the tennis grounds. It makes perfect sense in so many ways to wear these shoes that are fairly lightweight and stable.
Others who are more familiar with walking in lightweight shoes will opt for running shoes, or even sandals. From the parking lot to the stadium, and then around the grounds of the stadium, there’s a very good chance that fans log several miles of walking in a single day.
Layers for Weather Changes
Spending an entire day at a tennis center watching matches sounds extremely warm. Most lather on sunscreen and other forms of protection, but what about when the sun sets and everything starts to cool down?
Even if it’s an extremely lightweight jacket, it’s best to come prepared with something that can provide some coverage. It also cuts down on any issues with windy conditions. As soon as the wind picks up, even a warm day can feel a little bit cool when the sun goes down.
The entire tennis schedule is put in place so that no matches are played outdoors in severely terrible weather. A packable lightweight jacket is very easy to put in a bag or even in a pocket before heading to the match.
Another thing that makes having a jacket beneficial is if there is a pop-up shower that occurs. Everyone is rushing for cover when rain hits, but there is usually not enough space for everyone. Having a jacket with a hood can keep things relatively dry while the storm passes over.
Backpack
Having a small backpack at a tennis match is one of the best ways to carry around any other essentials easily.
Just about every tennis facility allows people to bring in a backpack that’s relatively small so that they can store what they need in there. It’s usually going to go through security and be checked out initially, but then a person is good to go.
While it’s not technically part of what a person is wearing, the backpack stays on most of the day. Leave some room in case something is bought at the tennis facility as well. It’s still important to pack lightweight, because more weight on the back can put stress on the rest of the body when walking around.
Wimbledon-Specific Rules
If there is one tennis tournament that still holds onto tradition, it has to be The Championships at Wimbledon. Not only is there a strict dress code for the players, but most people in the stands abide by the all-white attire rule as well.
It’s not required to wear all white or to dress up at the Old England Club, but most feel like they have to when fitting in.
Wimbledon is also usually the most expensive ticket in the sport. Since people need a lot of money just to get into the stadium, they usually dress pretty nicely as well. In the old days, white colors were essential to keep cool, but the modern fabric makes it not as necessary.
Why It’s Worth Taking Time Dressing Correctly for Tennis
At the end of the day, tennis fans can wear pretty much whatever they want. These are all recommendations, as there’s no such thing as a strict dress code. The tips merely help those unsure how to stay comfortable when going to a tennis match.
Staying comfortable at a match makes a huge difference in the overall enjoyment. Too many people show up not realizing that a tennis match has no time limit. They also forget that the sun moves throughout the day, and it could be in a bad spot for an hour or two while watching the match.
It might not be the most comfortable viewing experience out of all the sports out there, but tennis fans who are well prepared when dressing themselves will have a great time.
