How To Find a Tennis Partner: 11 Helpful Ways

It makes no difference if you are a beginner or a professional tennis player – someone who has only recently begun to play or a Grand Slam champion. To play tennis, everyone requires a partner of some sort.

To improve, you’ll need to practice, and you’ll need someone to practice with. However, where do you look for the ideal partner? Will it be a friend, a ball device, a sparring partner, a coach, or simply a wall?

Finding an appropriate tennis partner can be done in a variety of ways. You can play against a wall, with a friend, with a coach, with a professional hitting partner, with a ball machine, or with a ball machine.

There are apps in which you can find somebody to play with, and then there are applications for nearly everything else.

Why You Need A Tennis Partner

For starters, you’ll need a striking partner to train with, as there’s no way to enhance your game without that. It’s all about striking the ball and getting into a rhythm with a hitting partner, no matter what kind of partner it is.

Without the stress of playing badly or a match, you can practice exactly what you need to improve on. The environment is far more relaxed, and you may obtain an immediate response with no negative consequences.

How to Find a Tennis Partner

1. Tennis Scene

Request to meet with a local tennis board’s coach or manager. Tell them you’re seeking a training partner plus your skill level (beginning, intermediate, professional, 2.5-5.0, etc.).

The staff member will be overjoyed to see someone with whom their students can develop. Throughout a lesson, the instructor may even invite you to interact with the pupil. Not bad at all!

2. Socialize at Tournaments

Tournaments are a terrific way to meet and train with individuals of comparable skill levels. When you’re not playing or prepping for your games, it’s always a good idea to interact and network.

Through competitions, I’ve met a lot of my training partners merely saying hello, complimenting their skills, and swapping contact details.

This is my preferred place to locate players as they’re all high-level competitors who want to improve, just like myself.

3. USTA Leagues

One of the most rewarding aspects of my tennis career has been participating in USTA tournaments. During the postseason, I encountered a group of terrific individuals, practiced with a lot of them, and traveled to some amazing places.

Because USTA Leagues are a little more laid-back than regular tournaments, it’s a great way to meet new people and meet hitting mates. Merely by being a member of a team, you will still have exposure to 10+ players at your rating level who you can request to play tennis with (using team mails).

The Board of Directors for the local state tennis association oversees numerous USTA leagues, and I’ve always been a fan of the USTA Leagues because of all the wonderful people and fantastic hitting partners I’ve met through them.

4. Tennis Clinic

Attend a tennis club and/or take a tennis clinic if you really can manage it. You’ll meet numerous tennis players that you can request to play with as soon as you arrive.

You’ll still be able to assess them prior (as you would at competitions and USTA league games) to see if they’d be a good training partner for your objectives.

5. Bulletin Board

I’ve witnessed players tape a piece of paper to the tennis court wall or a bulletin board containing their contact details. Include many tearable (not to be mistaken with horrible!) slips of parchment with your name, mobile number, and/or email address as a backup plan.

If you’re concerned about privacy (do so at your peril!), only use your first name as well as a second email for this function. At least a handful of these slips are usually removed from the posting. I’m hoping they’re not telemarketers!

6. Facebook and LinkedIn

Like-minded tennis players and teachers can be found through Facebook and LinkedIn clubs. On Facebook, I’m a participant of the Professional Tennis Coaches group, which has a lot of interesting discussions.

This group includes several of my speakers on The Tennis Files Podcast. Tennisopolis is an example of a superb Facebook group with enthusiastic tennis players.

You would have a decent number of individuals with whom you may interact and play tennis if you really can visit a specific tennis group.

7. Tennis Apps

Using tennis applications to find a tennis companion is a highly convenient way to do so. There are numerous possibilities available nowadays.

Tennis Partner, for instance, allows users to connect with other tennis players in their area who are looking for striking partners or matched opponents at any time. This is a location-based app that’s available in over 10 cities.

It includes features such as the ability to filter results based on distance, gender, age, and skill level. Visitors can also look at all of the nearby player profiles and see how other Tennis Partner players have rated them.

You can also simply broadcast a message that will be seen quickly by all tennis players in the region.

8. Online Tennis Forums

TennisWarehouse, Reddit (tennis), and Craigslist are the greatest tennis forums I’m familiar with for locating tennis players. You may post a blog looking for a person to hit with when you’ve signed up (it is free).

While you’ll probably have no idea who you’re talking to, online forums can help you connect with others and locate a wonderful training partner.

Approach at your peril, once again, due to the anonymity! Many people told me that this is how they find hitting companions.

9. Tennis Leagues

Whether you pay a pro or simply let them understand you are ready to hit with another member of the club, joining a neighborhood tennis club is one of the greatest methods to find a striking partner.

Even if you decide not to join the club, they will often allow you to post your profile on an internal bulletin board to let others know you are seeking and possibly allow you to attend as a guest.

When your budget allows, you can also enroll in a few classes or hitting sessions with a local expert, who can then connect you with other professionals. Perhaps you’ll make acquaintances with whom you can have semi-private classes in the future. 

By joining a club, team, or even emailing them, you’ll be able to locate partners and teammates who are on the same level as you.

As part of their mission to grow the sport, they provide tournaments, training, clubs, workshops, camps, vacations and travel, and even more for tennis players. Tennis partners can be found by joining your local league.

10. Hire A Partner

This is a fantastic approach to practice and play on the specific skills you wish to improve. Since the rallies would be significantly longer than in a standard match, this will enhance your strength and agility.

As a result, players will understand the importance of solid footwork and how it is the foundation of any tennis achievement.

Gamers can stay extremely comfortable and even grin during rallies when there is no pressure to win. Players can even applaud their partners’ shots in addition to their own. Since they feel considerably looser throughout a hitting practice, players can reach their full potential. 

Rallies aren’t about winning the point; they’re about how both competitors focus on every shot they make and each rally they perform. Players try to handle their misses before starting the following rally because there are no incentives or repercussions.

11. Practice Alone with Walls and Tennis Ball Machines

If you don’t have a training partner but want to get as much experience as possible, there are various solutions available to you. Against a wall and with a tennis ball machine are the two most typical ways to practice alone.

Furthermore, both the tennis ball machine, as well as the tennis wall, are great for solo tennis practice. From both, you may improve your balance, placement, and accuracy. Here’s How to Make a Tennis Backboard for practicing alone.

In comparison to a wall, a tennis ball machine provides a more realistic ball movement and feel for the tennis court. A ball machine could be used to repeatedly make the same shot.

With a barrier, you lose the court’s depth. This is a crucial aspect of tennis since depth control and placement are two of the most vital skills to master.

Bottom Line

It can be tough to find the ideal training partner because everyone is different. It is dependent on the amount of time or money available.

If you are a beginner or a player who is serious about becoming a professional, however, with all of the above-mentioned hitting partners, it’s just about hitting the ball around, not keeping score, and simply playing tennis for fun or to improve certain areas of your game.

Share this article with tennis enthusiasts to let them know where to find a partner!