Tennis
Buy and sell tennis gear in Panama.
Almost every court in Panama is hard, from the public courts at Parque Omar to the club courts at Diablo, and the clay at the Fred Maduro centre is the exception. That shapes the gear more than people expect: outsoles wear down quickly, ball felt goes bald within a few sets and the bumper guard on a racquet gets scraped on every low volley. Racquets and shoes, new and pre-owned, are most of the trade, alongside racquet bags, ball machines and junior frames a child has outgrown. Grip size and the state of the strings matter as much as the logo.
Racquet frames by head size and weight:
those two numbers sort almost every adult racquet into one of three groups. Light oversize frames are the forgiving ones, built for beginners and Saturday doubles. The 100-square-inch frame of medium weight, the Babolat Pure Drive or Head Speed kind, is where most club players end up, because it gives power and spin without punishing an off-centre hit. Players’ frames such as the Wilson Blade or Head Prestige have a smaller head and more weight, and reward a full, consistent stroke. String pattern refines the choice: an open 16×19 bites the ball for spin, a dense 18×20 gives control and eats strings more slowly. Junior racquets go by length, matched to the child’s height, and most get passed on once the child moves up to a full-length frame. Padel rackets for the game behind glass, and pickleball paddles, sit under padel and pickleball.
Grip size and the string bed:
decide how a racquet feels long before the brand does. Sizing runs L1 to L4, printed on the butt cap, and the usual check is that your index finger just fits between fingertips and palm. A small grip can be built up with an overgrip and a big one cannot be shaved down, so a slightly small used frame is the safer buy. Polyester strings give hard hitters control and spin but go dead fast and are harsh on the arm; multifilament is kinder for recreational players, and many club players run a hybrid of the two.
Shoes and balls built for hard courts:
a hard-court shoe has a tougher outsole and a reinforced toe for the drag on the serve. The herringbone tread of a clay shoe wears smooth on concrete, so unless you play at Fred Maduro, a clay pair is the wrong buy at any price. Extra-duty balls carry thicker felt for these surfaces. Pressurised balls lose their bounce within days of opening, while pressureless ones keep it for months and suit practice baskets and ball machines. Footwork ladders and bands for conditioning sit under exercise equipment.
Performance frames and the two-year paint job:
a current performance frame from Babolat, Wilson or Head costs around $260 to $320 new in Panama, often sold unstrung. One from two or three generations back with a sound frame goes for about $80 to $130. Brands repaint and retune each line every couple of years, which ages a perfectly good frame in a buyer’s eyes, and a used racquet nearly always needs fresh strings and a grip before it is played, which the buyer knocks off the price.
Cracks at the throat and under the bumper:
are what end a racquet, and hard courts make them easier to miss. Look at the bumper guard first: if low volleys and dropped racquets have ground it through to the graphite, the frame has taken hits there. Then check the throat and the sides of the head for hairline cracks, and tap along it with a knuckle: a dull buzz in one spot is a bad sign. Copies of Babolat and Wilson frames circulate; a genuine one carries a serial number on the throat or handle, clean paint and a weight close to the maker’s figure, and a kitchen scale settles that. On shoes, a bald toe and a flat outsole mean the grip is gone on the very surface you will play on.
A racquet listing for the next club player:
should answer the questions in the photos. Give the model and generation, head size, grip size, which strings are in it and when it was last strung, and say if it has ever been dropped hard. Photograph both sides of the head, the bumper, the throat, the butt cap and the serial number. Leave the overgrip on if you like, but say what is under it: a player from Diablo who uses an L3 will want to know whether that comfortable handle is a true L3 or an L2 built up with tape.