It’s Oscar time! The Academy Awards show doesn’t start until 7 p.m ET/4 p.m PT on Sunday, so that leaves plenty of time to get some tennis in beforehand. But because this isn’t just any Sunday — I mean, it is Oscar Sunday — we can have a little extra fun. My idea? Make it tennis Oscar brunch party.
I am no party planner, but I do love a get-together. Add in tennis and a theme? You had me at Champagne brunch. Here are six easy ideas for an informal tennis-Oscar brunch.
New Balance Women’s Spring Big Brand Tank
I know, I know. Why would I pick a tank top as my Playtester Pick of the Week? What could be so special about a t-shirt? Well my friend, this isn’t just an ordinary tank top. No siree!
For starters, it’s a polyester shirt, so it’s super lightweight and wicks away moisture extremely well. Perfect for exercising in. Don’t just wear on the tennis court, take it to the gym to workout in too!
Though what makes this polyester top different is that it feels soft like a cotton top — it’s functional and comfortable. I should also mention that when I say comfortable, I’m not just talking about the softness of the material either. How it fits will have you feeling relaxed as ever. The shirt is long and loose at the waist, so no matter what your body type is, it’ll have a flattering fit.
It’s not every day that a string comes along with the comfort of Tecnifibre NRG2, Babolat Xcel and Wilson NXT. Optimus, a new multifilament from Wilson, is just such a string. Constructed with an army of shock absorbing filaments, we think it will lighten the load on your tendons as well as any multi on the market.
But that’s not the whole story. Unlike some multifilaments that are mushy and come with an unruly “trampoline effect”, we found that Optimus, when tensioned correctly, had a wonderful crispness along with above average control for the breed. This somewhat unique response is partly due to a thermoset co-polymer membrane, which firms up the filaments in the core and slightly tempers this string’s elasticity. Granted, advanced big hitters and string breakers will likely not find enough durability and “snapback” with Optimus (in a full bed), but we think this unique multifilament is a strong option for the non-poly player who wants a great blend of comfort and controllable power.
Whether you’re ready or not, it’s time to start thinking about that upcoming tennis season. This year, there is finally apparel that will help keep you cool and your game sharp in the sweltering summer heat.
adidas introduces ClimaChill technology to their tennis apparel that actually keeps you feeling cool and refreshed on court. What you’ll probably notice first when you try it on will be the Aluminum Cooling Spheres. Little round metal dots are strategically located on the garments that actually feel cool to the touch. When moving around the court, your skin will touch the dots and make you feel a cooling sensation as you brush past them.
Tops and shorts are also made with a revolutionary material that is ultra breathable like mesh, but without it being see through. Along with exceptional ventilation, the clothing is made of a revolutionary flat yarn that contains titanium. Upon surface contact with the skin, it draws heat away from the body faster than traditional round yarn.
We’ve seen tennis racquet, string and shoe technology evolve, and now it’s time for apparel to follow suit. Check out adidas ClimaChill and feel the difference! It’s time to drop your body temperature and raise your game to new heights!
Thanks for reading,
AG
Here at Tennis Warehouse we are anxiously counting down the days until the BNP Paribas tournament in Indian Wells! So to pass the time until then, we are keeping tabs on the ATP and WTA tournaments going on, but have also found ourselves fixated on the Winter Olympics around here! You may have heard the shriek from our office that we let out when we watched Shaun White’s two runs in the Half Pipe the other day! Not to mention, we have all been rocking some red, white and blue apparel and are learning about new athletes, not to mention we are intrigued by the winter sports and determined to try and perfect them ourselves.
So I asked some of my fellow playtesters 3 questions about this year’s Winter Olympics:
Check out their answers and be sure to check out some of our patriotic gear!
A Report from Tennis Warehouse University
I know you’ve seen this. . .
Right before your favorite pro goes to serve, a complicated dance ensues between player and ball-person. The player descends into what appears to be an OCD ritual, rifling through several different balls, looking intently at each one, shuffling them back and forth until finally arriving at the right one. The most memorable instance of this behavior occurred at the US Open several years ago. I watched as a very famous Spaniard paused long and hard over a particular ball, choosing eventually to throw it back to the ball person only to recall it two seconds later with a look of worried intensity and mild suspicion. He was, as many of you know, looking for the ball with the least amount of exposed fuzz (or at least that is what I hope he was doing).
But why? The theory, by no means a secret, is that the ball with the least amount of unruly fluff moves through the air with more speed, an important fact for those hoping to steal crucial milliseconds from unsuspecting opponents. This is why even savvy high school players are now reserving their first serves for the ball that resembles a Marine crewcut as opposed to the Bob Marley dishevelment that you see at the end of long clay court session, in the rain, where the ball becomes a waterlogged, dirt weighted grapefruit that slows down and sits up nicely for your opponent.
Our very own Tennis Warehouse University Professor decided to investigate the relationship between ball speed and wind drag, hoping to explain what really happens to a ball in the air, and why a cleaner ball travels faster. To perform this experiment he and Professor Rod Cross fired balls from a ball machine and measured the change in speed between two locations in the trajectory.
To make a long story short: the pros are not crazy. To find out why, check out this experiment: Click HERE!
I don’t know about you, but I love me some America. That’s right, I said it. People who know me know that if there’s one thing I love…… it’s fried chicken. But that’s followed very closely by America. And if I could eat fried chicken while being in America? Well, that’s just the gift that keeps on giving. I also love the Olympics. It’s not too often you can watch grown men and women slide across ice while frantically moving a broom in front of a large stone on prime time TV. Riveting.
Every two years, when the Olympics come around, I turn my patriotism up a notch. On a scale of 1-10, I’m a bald eagle with McDonald’s in one claw and a Coke in the other. Point is, I love the Olympics! And I love cheering on Team USA! Back in 2008, I made it out to Beijing, China to root on the United States in person. How cool is that right?! I know.
Love has a special meaning for tennis players. We love our game, and all the puns (intended or not!) that come with being a tennis player and fan. Valentine’s Day is upon us so let’s celebrate our love of all things tennis with a few fun tees.
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Chris prefers the classic, old-school feel of the traditional polyester string
When it comes to polys, I like ‘em old-school!
One of the perks of being an avid tennis player working at TW is getting to test all of the new products. We test many, many strings (some that never make it to market and others we test from prototype through to production), but my love for traditional-feeling poly strings has yet to be diminished.
Modern co-poly strings blend additives to the polyester to ‘improve’ performance. Various additives are used to make the string play softer, hold tension better and provide improved snap back etc. These additives are the ‘co’ part of the co-poly name. However, I prefer to nix the ‘co’ and let my poly fly solo.
If you are anything like me or my tennis friends, your life is busy and you are usually juggling your outfits with your daily activities — from the gym, to work, to the court, to running errands, etc.! So we wanted to help you out and grabbed 10 super cute pieces from Nike and made several different outfits perfect for all areas of your day — from sporty to sassy to strong looks — we’ve got you covered!
Like the professional athletes of our sport, today’s tennis players don’t just play tennis anymore to get their exercise in — you can find them in the gym, running, hiking, taking barre classes, kickboxing, cross-fitting, etc. Which is why this blog is a shout out to those dynamic ladies out there who find themselves on the court, off the court, in the gym and every where in between on a daily basis. These are the looks the active, athletic tennis ladies live in.
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