How Are Tennis Rackets Painted?

Tennis players often shop for a tennis racket based on what a favorite touring pro may play with. Pro racket endorsements drive millions in racket sales with players looking to capture the weapon that will help them play more like professional players. The problem is that many pros do not play with the same racket they endorse; they spend thousands of dollars on custom paint jobs to make their favorite rackets look like the one they endorse. Custom painting is becoming a more prominent practice, according to Darren Rovell at ESPN.com.

  1. History

    • When rackets began to become lighter with more power, pros who had been on the tour for years found themselves needing to maintain their endorsement obligations while still being able to win. The result was taking the "modern" look of a new racket that was coming out with their name on it and giving their old "antiquated" models a fresh coat of paint to mimic it. This is how custom painting rackets began, but the practice didn't end there. It has become common for many tour pros and college players to use rackets they are more comfortable winning with and decorating them to match an endorsed product.

    Painters

    • Most players have racket technicians who maintain their sticks. These technicians string the rackets and maintain grips, grommets and lead balance. Some technicians may also do the paint job if it is simply to disguise a racket such as painting it completely black. Most paint jobs are done by the manufacturer to mimic the look of a different racket on the market.

    Process

    • The actual process of painting the racket follows the process of painting most fiberglass products. Manufacturers are fairly close-mouthed about the "special paint" used on rackets, but the average person can use spray paint. All the accessories are removed from the racket including strings, grips, grommets and bumper cards. The original paint is stripped off the racket using a paint stripper and the surface is sanded. The racket is painted with a primer and then the color applications are put on.

    Special Patterns

    • To create the custom stripes and patterns on a tennis racket, a painter will use painters tape to cover certain areas during any one coat. This is a slow process where the racket must dry between each coat before the tape is removed and another section is taped and painted with another color. Decals can be added to the racket with vinyl applications covered with a varnish over the entire racket to give it a shine.

    Considerations

    • It is important for recreational players to understand the difference between their abilities and the abilities of a pro. Pros often don't need lighter rackets that generate power for them. A pro is often capable of generating plenty of power and is looking for ways to control that power. Many pros use heavier rackets that are balanced to help the pro control racket head speed as they make contact through the ball. Most recreational players would not be able to generate enough pace using the same racket that the pros use. In fact, even when a pro doesn't paint a different model to match an endorsed model, he may alter the racket significantly, adding weight to the handle or head for custom balancing.

    Misconceptions

    • There is some concern about the misrepresentations that occur when a pro paints a racket. Recreation players may be buying a racket based on the pros strengths that match their own. The misconceptions are really that players are buying a racket exclusively based on a pro endorsement, paint job or not. The reality is that most players go to a pro shop and "demo" several rackets prior to buying a new one and buys the one he plays best with.