Inspired by Wimbledon? Here is How to Get Started Playing Tennis

(Gifted) From fresh strawberries and cream to an ice cold Pimm's, from the players' pristine tennis whites to the emerald grass courts, Wimbledon is synonymous with the wistful idea of an English summer. It’s the oldest tennis tournament in the world (first held in 1877) and every year continues to showcase some of the best tennis players. If it has inspired you to give tennis a try (or pick up a racket for the first time in years), where should you start?

Dress the Part

At Wimbledon the rules about what players should wear are super strict. All clothes, caps, shoes, socks and wristbands must be white. Even the sole and laces of their shoes! They only make the smallest exceptions to allow coloured trim (that can’t be wider than 1cm) and darker undershorts for women as long as they are no longer than their skirt or shorts.

The strict dress code dates back to the Victorian origins of the club, but for anyone not about to step onto the grass courts at The All England Lawn Tennis Club what you wear to play tennis is up to you. Short flared or pleated skirts and tennis dresses are popular for women as they keep you cool whilst allowing easy movement. Stylish adidas tennis clothing will make it look like you know your basic forehand from your double-handed backhand, but any comfortable sports clothing is fine.

TLDR: wear whatever feels comfortable.

Getting the Right Shoes

If you are heading to the hard tennis courts at your local park to give tennis a try then any pair of trainers will do, but if you are planning to play regularly it’s important to get the right tennis shoes for your chosen surface. If you run you will know the difference the right pair of trainers can make both to improve performance and to prevent injury, and the same applies for tennis shoes. The way you move around the court is different to other sports and a well designed tennis shoe will support the movement.

Tennis can be played on hard courts, clay, grass (real or artificial) and indoors. These different surfaces require different types of grip to prevent slipping and to protect the playing surface. I used to work at a rackets club and we were very strict about only allowing completely smooth soled shoes on our indoor courts, but we did have some available to hire so that’s worth checking out if you just want a taster session. The smooth soles would be very slippery on a grass or clay court though, so don’t invest heavily in the kit before you know where you are going to play.

TLDR: Decide where you are going to play, then get the right shoes.

Grab a Racket

If choosing the right shoes is complicated it won’t surprise you that even more thought can go into choosing the right tennis racket. You need to think about:

• The racket length: children’s rackets get longer as they get older, but for adults most are a standard 27 inches.
• Grip size: rackets have different size handles to ensure you can wrap your hand around it comfortably, but it is pretty easy to work out the required sizing. You can find the numbers on the end of most rackets (US rackets have a number in inches and others are generally a number between 0 and 5). Women tend to be size 2, men size 3 and children’s rackets are normally universal. Different sources suggest measuring your hand in different ways eg from the tip of your index finger (that’s the one next to your thumb) to the crease in line with your thumb. If you find yourself between sizes, smaller is generally better, but you’ll probably want to buy your racket in person rather than online because it’s about to get complicated…
• Your playing style: rackets can have different head sizes, weights, frame stiffness, string tensions and balance. Your preference for these will depend on your playing style and you won’t know that until you have played for a while. When you are a beginner it is worth getting a sensibly priced basic racket with the right grip size for you. Just make sure that when you pick it up and swing, it feels comfortable. When you manage to play a game where you hit more balls in than out it’s probably time to get advice from a coach or a specialist shop about which racket to upgrade to.

TLDR: Borrow or buy a basic racket with the right grip size to get started and upgrade later.

Finding Somewhere to Play

If you open Google maps and type in “tennis courts” you’ll probably be surprised by just how many places there are near you to play tennis. Within a short distance from me there are several tennis clubs, a private gym and 3 parks with tennis courts. Two of the parks have free to use courts and there is no booking system, while the other park requires you to book online (at £3 to £6 an hour off peak/ peak). The quality of the courts and facilities are generally better at the managed courts, but with many free courts around you don’t need to let the cost of court hire or membership hold you back.

Of course you don’t need a formal tennis court or a net to play. You can use a few cones (or water bottles) to mark out your court area and net on any large enough space. Having a fenced in court can be helpful when you are getting started though so you don’t need to go quite so far to retrieve your ball!

TLDR: You don’t need to join a tennis club to get playing.

Do You Need Coaching?

Watching Wimbledon and other tennis tournaments is a great way to learn the rules and style of the game, even if you aren’t planning to do 150mph serves. By watching you will get an idea of how to hold a racket, body positioning and how to score, but you will start enjoying the game faster if you have some coaching to learn the basics. There are many different ways to hold a racket for instance and a coach can help you find which works best for you. They will also be able to tweak your positioning and stop you falling into bad habits.

TLDR: coaching isn’t necessary, but it can help you learn the basics faster.

Joining a Club

One of the key parts of tennis is that it isn’t a solo sport; you need someone on the other side of the net or you aren’t going to manage much of a rally. If you don’t have a child or partner who is happy to play with you, or you just want some variety, then joining a tennis club is a good option. Most will have friendly, as well as more competitive, tournaments you can sign up to. To get membership at the All England Club where Wimbledon takes place is near impossible, but most tennis clubs regularly welcome new members. There are also a number of apps and websites designed to help you find people to play against whatever your level.

TLDR: Joining a tennis club is a great way to have access to courts and opponents.

Not Feeling Tennis?

While watching tennis is one thing, playing it is another. If you hit a few balls and decide it isn’t for you, don’t give up on racket sports entirely. There are lots of other options which might be more your style. I recently played badminton at Center Parcs and loved it, finding it easy to get started right away. Padel is a bit like tennis but played on a smaller court in a cage you can hit the ball off and has grown in popularity recently. There is also squash, racketball and pickleball all played on indoor courts which have the advantage that you can play on your own if your partner doesn’t turn up. And don’t write off table tennis (or ping pong) either. It’s a fast way to work up a sweat and there are often free tables around both parks and urban areas.


If you have been inspired by watching the professionals play tennis it is a great time to start playing yourself. While it can get complicated working out which type of racket you want, or your preferred playing surface, at a basic level tennis is a really accessible sport. To get started all you really need are: sports clothes, trainers, a racket, a tennis ball and someone to play with. Alternatively head to a taster session run at a local tennis club where you can borrow a racket and get a feel for the sport.