Coach Doug calls a player's tennis bag a 'life line'. It should contain everything one could possibly need on the island of the competitive tennis court.
My son was meticulous about his tennis bag and its contents. It was organized like a ship captain's data log. Everything has a space and everything is in its place. Now, mind you, while he has always been pretty good about this task, at times, it might have looked like this: 1) some brown thing that resembles the remnants of a banana peel, and a 7 month old protein bar crammed together in the side pocket with 5 dirty socks. ( Do I need to describe this smell? ) 2) the first aid kit that I purchased and carefully packed for him so that he would have bandaids in case of a blister eruption during that all important 3rd set, it is opened and scattered in every orifice of the bag, along with random pieces of paper and... what is this? ugh! a dried up Subway sandwich. 3) No strings. This may not sound like a big deal... but let me tell you, if you are traveling out of town and you need to string a racquet, the stringing charge is often twice the normal ATA $ amount because it is always a rush, you don't need to be paying extra for THEIR string.
Over the years of varied experiences, his bag has become full of interesting and useful items for tournament play. So from one bag check to another, I suggest you keep these recommended items close at hand:
1) Racquets. How many? A good rule of thumb for the # of racquets you keep in your bag could be determined by the duration of the tournament being played... ALWAYS AT LEAST TWO. Three day tournament - 3 racquets, 5 day tournament, 5 racquets.
2) string, grips, balls for warm-up
3) sun screen, hat, visor, sun glasses
4) extra shirts, socks, jacket, pants, shoes, shoelaces
5) snacks, bars, fruit, nuts, water jug, Emergen-C or other electrolyte powder/tablet
6) first aid kit, (Epi-pen if allergic)
7) script notebook, match cards, tournament draw with directions to sites
8) a good book to read
Over the years, you will develop your own unique items to keep in your bag. Remember to be prepared and keep a strong life line. You just never know, someday, the Tennis Channel might want to do a Bag Check on YOU to see what's inside your bag! What they will find?
Looking forward!
~Carol