Follow Djokovic: Give A Tennis Racket Away

So, even if you missed watching the 2021 Roland Garros Men’s Singles final between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas on June 13, you may be aware of the viral video moment (watch it here) that occurred right after the match when Djokovic, the championship winner, gave his racket away to a lucky young fan who had been giving him encouragement and “tactics” from the stands throughout the hard-fought match (Djokovic explains here).

All the talk about the Djokovic racket giveaway got us here at Love-Love Tennis thinking about tennis rackets and how often they get reused by tennis players. What about you?

When was the last time that you replaced your tennis racket? And, do you know how often you should invest in a new racket?

The answer depends on your status or level as a tennis player. The elite pros, like Djokovic and Federer, on the ATP Tour sometimes use several custom tennis rackets (i.e. with custom overall racket weight and material, string material, string tension, and handle size and grip, etc.) a day and start their next day of practice or competition with several more brand-new, custom rackets. Check out this video that details the lengths that the elite pros often go to micro-manage their “racket game.”

But, what about the average tennis player, like you or me? How often should we replace a racket? In general, tennis equipment experts suggest hanging on to your racket for three to five years and replacing your racket when it displays “fatigue” and no longer holds string tension correctly. Racket fatigue usually occurs after a racket has been restrung many, many times. Watch this “When to Replace a Tennis Racket” video tip to learn more.

If you’re at a point in time when you think you need to replace your tennis racket, then get inspired by Djokovic’s recent action at Roland Garros, and consider giving away your old racket to another person who will so appreciate the gift. Wonderful organizations like Play It On, originally founded in 2014 by a 7-year old tennis player and her parents in San Francisco, California, help collect and redistribute used tennis rackets to underprivileged youth all over the world. Simply visit an online search engine like Google and type in the keyword phrase, “donate your used tennis racket,” and you can find many tennis racket giveaway options.

At Love-Love Tennis, we’re all about sharing the joy of tennis with everyone around the world. The next time you’re ready to replace your racket, we hope you’ll think about someone in the world who could benefit from using a recycled racket and consider sharing yours.