BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE ONLINE TEAM

The online component of TennisGear continues to grow every day and we are so proud of how far our online store has come. We’re going to take a look at how our team works together to get your orders out to you as quickly and efficiently as we can.

Our online team consists of team leaders, pickers and packers. Every morning our dedicated team arrives at work and the first thing they do is check to see how many orders we’ve had come through overnight. These orders are then printed and handed off to our pickers as they spring into action, collecting all of your products! Following this, our packers begin the process of wrapping them up! Each package contains a personalised, hand-written ‘love letter’ that gives an individual touch to each and every order.

The lead up to Christmas has been an especially busy time for us! The whole team has been working like Santa’s elves to make sure that everyone enjoys a little bit of TennisGear over the festive season. Our Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales were particularly indicative of this rush. I personally worked as a packer over our big weekend, packing nearly 100 orders every day! Over that week, we sent out 559 orders from our 4 major centres with 341 of those orders sent from our hub at Shaw Park. We are also super excited to share that our Black Friday sales were up nearly 77% on last year!

Our Retail Manager, Matthew Webb, noted that “This has been our most successful Cyber Weekend in history. We are extremely proud of our team for all their hard work in ensuring that every customer had their order processed and fulfilled in record time. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for TennisGear Online and all of our loyal customers”.

It’s definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so if you’re struggling to think of what to buy for someone, head to our online store. You’ll be sure to find something for everyone! If you’re thinking of purchasing a racquet and you’re not quite sure where to start, here are some helpful hints and tips!

HOW TO GUIDE: PURCHASING A RACQUET

It’s important to think about who you’re buying the racquet for, or if it’s a gift from you, to you, then consider your own body size and strength. If you can produce your own power, then you’ll be looking for a narrower frame to give yourself more control. The wider the frame, the more power you’ll get from the racquet. If you’re hunting for a little more power, try out the Babolat Aero. Alternatively, for a bit more control, try out the Wilson Pro Staff!

Adult racquets will range in head size from 95 square inches to 110 square inches. The larger the head size, the more power you will garner. A larger head size will also have a larger ‘sweet spot’ meaning that it will be easier to hit the ball well. For a new player, start with at least a 100 square inch head. If you’re looking for more control, try a smaller head such as 95 or 97 square inches.

The weight of your racquet is a major factor as it will greatly impact your swing. A racquet is considered heavy if it is 320g or more. A heavy racquet will give you more power but they are more difficult to manoeuvre and can wear you out quicker. A lighter racquet will take less of a toll on your arm, so if you’re older or just starting out, look for something around the 300g mark. Remember, some racquets will give you an unstrung weight, with strings adding around 30g.

Racquet flexibility is also important for a more comfortable playing experience and can be measured using an RA rating. A stiffer frame, such as the Head Titanium Ti S6, with a rating of 75, will give you more power through your shot but the impact on your arm will be greater. A more flexible racquet like the Wilson Clash 100 has a rating of 55 so it will absorb more energy and in turn, while you might lose out on some speed, your arm will thank you!

If you’re unsure of which grip size to go for, the best way to figure out which is most comfortable for you, other than physically holding it in your hand, is to measure the length between the tip of the ring finger (on your hitting hand) and the second line on your palm as shown in the image. This length in millimetres will determine which grip size would suit your hand size. The table below shows the corresponding grip sizes.

Measured Length (mm)	100-102	103-105	106-108	109-111	112-114	115-117
USA Grip Size	4	4 1/8	4  1/4	4 3/8	4 1/2	4 5/8
European Grip Size	0	1	2	3	4	5

 

Stay tuned for our guide on how to choose the right string for you!