Many tennis fans wait until warmer weather before they dust off their rackets and head down to their local park or club. Well, not me.
I play come rain or shine - whether in beautiful double-digits or in the refreshingly (albeit freezing) winter while dodging the odd downpour. How do I do this? The wonders of technology.
You see, you need not brave the outdoors to sharpen your game. State-of-the-art tennis tech allows players to hone skills without even stepping beyond your front door. Technologies like VR make it seem as though your feet are on grass, clay or hard courts while eliminating the onslaught of the mercurial British weather.
That said, if you are inspired by Wimbledon to improve your on-court play and fitness, there is a stadium of gizmos that can step your play.
These toys help you work on your reactions, shots, physical fitness and cognitive skills. They’re not a replacement for private or group coaching, social match play or recreational hitting; instead, many offer an alternative way of upping your skills from the comfort of your living room (or a spare bedroom).
Improve your performance on court this year with cool tennis tech to help elevate your A-game.
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SwingVision
Tennis heavyweights Andy Roddick and James Blake and Tennis Australia have invested in this popular AI tennis app, which allows users to track shots, stats and scoring on court, review video analysis and even line calling.
Setting up and aligning the camera with the court can be a faff, and fair warning: it may chew your battery down. However, once that’s all sorted, the stats and highlight playback options you get are incredible.
Sign up for a free SwingVision subscription or upgrade to the full bells-and-whistles pro package (monthly or annual billing).
Buy now £9.83, SwingVision
Sense Arena for Tennis
Sense Area for Tennis is a cool VR tennis-training tool app available through the Meta Quest virtual reality headset via a monthly or annual package.
You can practise your service return, groundstrokes, and volleys on a variety of different court surfaces and players in various weather and daylight conditions.
There are also training programmes and a selection of amazing cognitive and reaction drills. By no means does this replace playing tennis IRL, but instead act as an excellent immersive supplement to run alongside your usual court practice.
Buy now £24.85, Sense Arena for Tennis
Slinger Bag
The Slinger Bag is a whizzy portable ball-launching machine with multiple settings to keep you on your toes and hit a wide variety of shots from every corner of the court — no coach or hitting partner required.
It can fire 144 fuzzy yellow tennis balls, but fetching them all can be a drag (just think of the boost to your daily step count). It’s surprisingly mobile, despite its bulky dimensions.
There is a telescopic ball tube to help pick up balls, so you can avoid injuring your back from unnecessary bending. There’s even a camera holder to allow you to record your serves so you can see what needs tweaking later.
While this is at the top end of the price spectrum, it is a premium choice and perhaps suited for die-hard tennis fans.
Buy now £950.00, Framework Sports
PressureBox
If you’re a regular player, buying new tennis balls on repeat goes with the territory. Or does it?
PressureBox offers a neat solution for extending the life of recently used tennis balls. This clever bit of tech is an easy-to-use, automated battery-powered air pressuriser that keeps your balls pressurised to an optimum standard between your time on the court.
Now look, it’s no miracle worker. It can’t revive those tired, flat balls with worn felt covering. However, it can extend the lie of newly opened tennis balls by up to four times. It means you can play with them for significantly longer, which should save you cash on purchasing new balls in the long run.
PressureBox weighs around 940g and stores up to four balls. It requires USB charger to juice up, taking around 4.5 hours for a full charge, giving you four weeks of use
Sold with a year's warranty plus a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Buy now £89.00, PressureBox
Hecostix
Hecostix is a simple but effective speed reaction training device guaranteed to sharpen hand-eye coordination for all ages and skill abilities.
The innovative three-legged training tool is finished with a textured grip. How does it work? Chuck it at a receiver and call out one of the specific leg colours, which the receiver must catch.
Professional coaches enlist this device to help their players improve cognitive and physical-focused training. Thankfully, it is suitable for all levels of players by adjusting the speed of the throw, spin and command. It is lightweight (approx 5-7 oz), durable and made from a proprietary blend of EVA foam (which is firm but has some softness and flex).
Hecostix is super fun and will literally last a lifetime with its guarantee.
Buy now £37.00, Amazon
BlazePod
Need to take your match fitness to the next level? Look no further than BlazePod, a high-tech version of Simon, the electronic game from the 80s. Used correctly, it’s pretty much guaranteed to up your fitness and reaction speeds.
It is designed to test your reflexes and challenge yourself by reacting to light flashes and tracking your progress down to a millisecond.
Before you ask, yes, you can (kind of) replicate this action with those plastic cones, but it doesn’t quite match the heightened lights-out experience.
Buy now £299.00, BlazePod
Saber
This game changer is harnessed by pros around the world to find their sweet spot. Essentially, a regular racket fitted with a tiny head, the idea is to hit the bullseye to return the ball.
Normally, players use a tennis racket with a 98-100 square-inch head. Saber has a micro 37 square-inch hoop attached to a 265g frame that offers an unbelievable feel.
It is a unique, fun, and quality addition to tennis bags. Rather than replacing your current racket of choice for a full-on competitive game, it is a good partner for pre-match practice.
Buy now £128.30, Functional Tennis
Topspin Pro
Want to learn, practise, or fine-tune that heavy topspin, groundstroke, or tricky slice like your fave tennis hero? This practical training aid might just ace it. Hit hundreds of balls any time, anywhere and boost your racket control - not to mention confidence.
Representing a good middle-price point-range option, this tennis gizmo provides a fast-track alternative approach to your hitting technical sound strokes. Naturally, we would still recommend coaching sessions and practice/match play to improve your game, but this is an excellent way of staying on top between sessions.
Buy now £129.99, Amazon
JHT Tennis Ball Rebound Trainer
You might have seen the JHT all over the internet back in lockdown. The simple tennis training aid, similar to Swingball, is tailored to honing groundstrokes.
It’s a ball on an elasticated string connected to a portable plastic base, filled with water or sand to keep it grounded. These things can be quite tricky to get the hang of in terms of getting into a solid rhythm, but once you’re in the groove, you’ll be hitting shots with control and gusto.
Beginners and intermediates should be well-suited. More advanced/hard-hitting players may find it a little unstable when they power up.
Buy now £26.90, Amazon
Joby GripTight ONE GP Stand
If you want to film yourself to review your performances and improve your form, you don’t need an all-in-one camera solution. All smartphones can capture video; you just need something to keep it steady while you’re zooming back and forth across the court.
That’s where a solid, inexpensive tripod comes in. The Joby GripTight ONE GP Stand fits the bill: it’s competitively priced, well-made, and portable.
Simply attach it securely to the back fence of the court, set up your smartphone camera, and film yourself in match or practice mode.
This is a superb way of reviewing and self-correcting your technique and shot selection.
Buy now £22.68, Amazon
