Tennis anyone? Now that it’s summer, many people (serious and recreational) enjoy hitting the courts for some fun and a good workout.

Others may want to give tennis a try but really don’t know where to begin. A lot of decisions need to be made: what racquet to buy; what kind of strings to use, what shoes and apparel are best for tennis, etc.

Everyone from the beginner to the advanced player can learn more about these topics. For younger players, Glenna Clonts, Thatcher girls tennis coach, said a racquet 25 inches in length (about 2 inches shorter than a regular racquet) is ideal for 10- to 11-year-olds.

Those who want to start early (5-6-year-olds) should look for a racquet with an oversized head and a short handle.

Clonts thinks racquets purchased at Wal-Mart are OK for first-time players, but she cautioned that the price is generally indicative of the quality.

Intermediate and advanced players should look elsewhere for quality tennis racquets.

While Wilson and Prince are probably the best-known brand names in the tennis industry, many companies make high-quality frames.

Clonts and her husband, Rock (Thatcher boys tennis coach), both play with Babolat racquets.

“I really like my Babolat,” Clonts said.

Babolat’s Pure Drive model was named the “Racquet of the Decade” by Tennis magazine in 2005 and continues to dominate sales in the United States and worldwide.

Clonts thinks potential buyers should try as many racquets as they can and “go with what feels good in your hand.”

Tyler Clonts, the 2006 2A singles state champion and 2007 state runner-up, prefers Wilson racquets but played most of this season with a Head racquet.

He said his next planned purchase was the Fischer M Speed Pro, which is used by pro tennis player Marcos Baghdatis.

Former Safford tennis coach Duane DeSpain prefers ProKennex, Vokl and Wilson racquets.

Many brand-new, top-quality frames cost about $150-200, so DeSpain buys racquets a year or two after their release because the price usually lowers to the $50-100 range.

He said beginners should just “pick up a racquet” because they can work up to a better racquet later.

Eastern Arizona College tennis coach Eric Arrington also plays with a Babolat racquet but said his favorite racquets are made by Vokl.

Arrington prefers the feel of the Vokl for groundstrokes but loves the Babolat for hitting serves because of the increased power.

Some players simply want to play with the racquet their favorite pro uses.

Of the most popular players on the men’s tour, world No. 1 Roger Federer uses Wilson, and Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal play with Babolat.

On the women’s side, Maria Sharapova uses Prince, and world No. 1 Justine Henin and the Williams sisters (Serena and Venus) play with Wilson.

A great Web site to consult is tenniswarehouse.com. There one can find a bevy of information on all kinds of racquets, including the exact models used by the pros.

Choosing the right strings and tension is of great importance to any racquet. The most popular strings are Prince synthetic gut.

Most players choose between 16- and 17-gauge strings.

The 16-gauge will last longer because it’s thicker, and the 17-gauge offers slightly more flexibility and feel.

Every racquet also has a recommended string tension. It’s usually 50-60 lbs. or 55-65 lbs.

Stringing closer to the bottom end of the range gives the racquet more power, and stringing toward the top end of the range provides more control.

Most players prefer to have their racquet strung near the max tension for optimal control on shots.

Tyler Clonts, DeSpain and Arrington like their racquets strung at the maximum tension.

A general rule of thumb is string a racquet as many times a year as one plays in a week (a three-time-a-week player should re-string a racquet three times a year).

Tyler has a stringing machine at home and strings local players’ racquets for $20 apiece. He’s had the machine for five years and has strung the entire Thatcher team’s racquets. Tyler also strung all of EAC’s players’ racquets in 2006.

Dri-fit technology is the latest craze in sports apparel. All types of shirts and shorts are available with the sweat-absorbing material.

Some of the top brands that offer Dri-fit clothing are Under Armour, Nike, Adidas, Prince and Diadora.

Shoes can also make a difference on the court, and while one may think any athletic shoe will do, footwear is more specialized now than ever. Most shoe companies now have tennis-specific footwear.

Tyler heavily favors Nike shoes and clothing. It is important to note that Nike offers more shoes for narrower feet than most companies. This is one of the reasons Tyler prefers to wear Nike.

Glenna Clonts wears Prince shoes because her feet are a bit wider, and she said Prince makes several shoes for players with wider feet.

Rock Clonts and DeSpain are proponents of K-Swiss tennis shoes. K-Swiss has long given discounts to high school tennis teams.

“They have the best soles made for tennis,” DeSpain said.

Again, it would be wise to try all different types of shoes to see which fits the individual best.

Let this be a guide for all those who love to play the sport and those who just want to get started. Now go out there and play!