There are parallels in sports sunglass use in both golf and tennis – you will see many recreational golfers and tennis players wearing sports sunglasses. Yet at professional level only a minority of golfers and very low numbers of tennis players wear sunglasses.
On both counts it’s a mystery. During the recent Wimbledon Tournament, in a Q & A session with Jamie Murray hosted by the BBC, he was asked why professional tennis players rarely wear sunglasses.
Jamie’s response was, “I don’t know why professional tennis players tend not to wear them. I wore them for 13 years of my career, to protect my eyes and help with all the glare in the sunny conditions we play in, particularly across Australia and the United States. The lens quality from the companies is so good these days – I don’t understand why more players don’t use them!”
Our own take on this is that perhaps it’s because a lot of outdoor tennis stadiums are relatively small and enclosed with restricted air movement meaning the atmosphere can become hot and humid. In such conditions close fitting sports sunglasses can mist up and may not stay in place when players heavily perspire.
Benefits of wearing sunglasses for tennis
For recreational/club tennis players on open outdoor courts, sunglasses will be a real advantage. The benefits include:
- Contrast enhancing tints help to sharpen the field of vision and can make the ball easier to track against the court, sky or surrounding background
- Polarised lenses will help to reduce glare
- Help to reduce the nuisance of low sun interfering with vision
And of course, providing UV protection. Long term exposure to harmful UVR can damage eyesight, leading to issues like cataracts, cancer of the eyelids and macular degeneration.
Choosing tennis sunglasses
When choosing sunglasses for tennis you should consider features such as: lightweight & durable frame, sport style wrap for peripheral coverage, non-slip nose pads/temple tips for grip and a high contrast lens tint. Browse our range of sports sunglasses.