Welcome to Winter Tennis!
Whether you play outdoors in 40 degrees when it’s sunny in Colorado or indoors in an unheated bubble, your racket, strings, and tennis balls will feel very different than playing in 80 degrees in the summer. When it gets cold materials contract which will make your racket feel a bit stiffer and your strings will have less of a trampoline effect. Balls will bounce lower and will travel slower.
Here are a few things you can do to adjust:
Expect balls to bounce less and fall shorter than in warmer weather so be ready to move up more aggressively.
Your own strokes will be a bit shorter so aim higher over the net to give yourself more net clearance and get immediate depth.
If you need to get your racket restrung take 2-3 pounds off to negate the “cold” factor.
Don’t leave your rackets and tennis balls in the car overnight.
And, of course, schedule an additional 5-10 minutes to warm up your body properly to prevent injuries before your lesson, hitting session, match etc.
Dress in layers so as you get warmer you can take some off.
Wear a hat to keep your whole body warmer because it reduces the amount of heat loss from your head.
Wear a glove on your non-dominant hand.
