TennisIDENTITY

Is Your Tennis Grip Bionic? It Could Be, Even if You Have Arthritis.

I've seen only a handful of players using gloves on court. Those who have converted are unable to play without them.

Curious I checked out a pair. I thought they might be a great option for someone who needed to keep their skin out of the sun or for someone with arthritis who had trouble gripping the racquet. A friend recently told me she had stopped playing for this reason.

Pictured left are a pair of Bionic gloves made especially for tennis. The padding in the palm, fills in the valleys of the hand and therefore evens out the contact surface between your hand and the racquet.  The result is a very secure grip.

If you have arthritis in your hand and your joints are usually swollen this method of padding along with the motion zones on the back of the hand helps to “pull away” the discomfort of the swollen joint allowing you more freedom of movement.  Bionic confirms that independent studies conducted by Georgia Tech University proved that people with arthritis that wore the gloves had better, pitch, grip and torque strength in their hands. 

A few other benefits: The glove allows you to grip the racquet lighter which avoids the problem of muscling the ball and makes for easier grip changes; No more calluses and blisters. You also won't need sweat absorbing overgrips any longer as the gloves contain little absorbing towels and wick moisture so no more slippage. Yes, they are machine washable.

As for sun protection, the gloves actually have an official  SPF 50 rating- which equates to 95% sun protection.

The pair the company sent me to try felt a little tight and restrictive. I think I may have selected the incorrect size. I personally don't have problems with sweaty hands, grip or arthritis (knock on wood) but think these might be something to look into if you do. Be sure to use the sizing chart on the website. Guessing is not a good idea I have learned. $29.95 per pair mens and womens. Youth sizes are less.

Find more info or buy at Bionic Gloves

New Racquets in Hand, Bryan Brothers Get 2009 #1 Doubles Ranking with ATP Finals Win.

Bob and Mike Bryan end 2009 ranked the number #1 doubles team in the world. Just this past Sunday they captured the needed ATP World Tour doubles title to secure their top status with a win against finalists, Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram.

A late-season racquet switch to the brand new Prince EXO³ Ignite Team 95 (pictured here in Bob's hands) proved to benefit their game in the year's final month.

"To come full circle, do it in the last tournament, last match with so much riding on this one is huge,"said Mike. "We are feeling really great at the moment and attribute a big part of our most recent success, and achieving this goal, to our switch to the Ignite...[it allows] us to retain our power on serves and ground strokes, but carve out mid-court angles and shots at net. It is a more all-court frame -- something that suits our game and was exactly what we were looking for."

The 12.2 oz. advanced level racquet has a SRP $210 USD. Find a retailer at Prince or test drive/buy at Tennis-Warehouse. Bob's adidas shirt? It's from the US Open. Learn more here. His overgrip? Tournagrip.

   

Tourna Grip introduces Tourna Tac. Victoria Azarenka takes it to task at Roland Garros.

 

WTA player Victoria Azarenka is the face of the new Tourna Tac grip. Pictured here at Roland Garros you can see hints of the new "tacky" version of the original Tourna Grip. Tourna Tac comes in pink, white and light blue and offers a wet, sticky feel with good moisture absorption in a very soft feel grip. It comes in 3, 10 and 30 packs, $6.25-50.95 USD.  The bros Bryan and Vera Zvonareva also use it.

Looking around the Roland Garros courts, Tourna Grip appears to be the choice of many players. The trademark light blue color and red finishing tape can (sometimes) be seen on the racquets of: Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Dominika Cibulkova and Alexa Glatch. The company says that about 40 percent of men on the tour use Tourna Grip. I've seen it on the racquets of: Andy Murray, Andy Roddick, David Ferrer, Sam Querry, Giles Simon, Mikhail Youzhny, Dmitry Tursunov, Tommy Haas, Juergen Meltzer and James Blake. Look around and see who else you spot.

We've noticed that Tourna Grip doesn't slip when wet offering great traction when the grip becomes damp or wet in hot humid conditions. The new tacky version takes it one step further -- good for cooler conditions and for those players who simply prefer tacky (many of them women).

Azarenka's style...the top is the Nike Dri-Fit Day Tank in medium blue with with a dash of electrolime as accent. Pair it with the Nike Day Women's Tennis Skirt, $60 which has a very cute, brief pleat at the bottom. She wore the white version in Miami; you've gotta be trim to wear it.

Learn more at Unique Sports, Nike or Tennis-Warehouse.

Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Sony Ericsson WTA Tour

Grip Gripe? Try Something New.

As with racquets and gear, everyone likes something a little different. There are around nineteen retailers selling overgrips, each one offering multiple choices so no excuses, there is something out there for you. The point is to make your racquet feel fresh and familiar every time you step out to play. Sweaty hands? Go with something absorbent like Tournagrip. Dry hands? Go tacky. Gamma offers Smart Grip. Want a little something extra to hold onto? Try something with treads. Wilson sells the new Pro Overgrip Perforated. 

Overgrips do wear out. When yours doesn't feel right anymore, unwrap and pop on a fresh one. Some rec players really let theirs get dirty before they make a change. Puhleeze...at under $4 for a pack of 3, that's cheap refreshment for anyone's game.

We've had a few inquiries about the grip Caroline Wozniacki is currently using in New Zealand. It's the yellow Babolat VS Original, the thinnest overgrip on the market today. With a smooth uninhibiting surface and a .4 mm thickness, this is the choice of many pros who require total feel and control over their racquet -- nothing extra.  Kind of a "nothing comes between between me and my Calvins" thing. The yellow version Caroline is using looks snap with the bright yellow tops adidas has her in this season. Tennistas, look around, overgrips come in a multitude of colors; just another way to look put together on court.

PS The Babolat VS three pack comes in a little case you can toss in your racquet bag, keeping the fresh overgrips together and clean. Nice extra.

Find a retailer at Babolat, Gamma or Wilson or find them all at Tennis-Warehouse.

Gamma's Tackiest -- aptly named, a Smart Grip

Look for this hand print on the Gamma Smart Grip Overgrip package. If you like tacky grips you'll love this one. The "DermaGrip" surface offers your hand great traction and control. The material stretches thin as you wrap it over your existing racquet grip so there is no wrinkly build up.

According to the guys at Gamma there is no hard and fast rule about replacing overgrips. Simply put, when it's not working for you anymore, replace it. The tack does last a while on this one. Definitely not a one and done.

This overgrip comes in a package of three. It retails for $3.50 and comes in black, blue and white.There are a lot of recreational players out there with incredibly dirty looking overgrips. At this price (about $1.16 per), were not sure why more don't change it up more frequently. Look for Gamma overgrips at Tennis-Warehouse.com or find a retailer at gammasports.com.