Tennis is played at various periods of the day and night. There is a lot of tennis being played on a beautiful sunny day. Many people are perplexed as to why don’t tennis players wear sunglasses. Although a few professional players wear sunglasses on the court when required, most never do.
Sunglasses are an excellent way to protect your eyes from the sun, so why don’t tennis professionals use them? Let’s scroll down to know more.
Do Tennis Rules Allow Players To Wear Sunglasses?
A tennis player wears sunglasses
Without a doubt, yes. No legitimate league in the world deems wearing sunglasses during tennis prohibited. The International Tennis Federation regulations, in particular, include no mention of sunglasses.
It is an excellent approach to shield the eyes from damaging UV rays during a game, and some individuals profit from it.
Some sunglasses enhance a person’s eyesight, even indoors or on cloudy days. A few athletes are using sunglasses at this particular moment to improve their vision.
Most players are raised without them and figure out to get used to playing in the light. Many coaches say it is a needless distraction and that players should handle it.
Reasons For Wearing Sunglasses When Playing Tennis
Although prolonged exposure of our eyes and skin to the sun is dangerous, here are three main reasons why most tennis players opt not to wear sunglasses while playing.
Loss Of Focus
Tennis participants move extensively on the court when engaging, and some of their motions may be abrupt and violent. Sunglasses might slip, slide, or pop up. Any distraction may be detrimental for a tennis player in a match that depends on accuracy.
Additionally, sunglasses feature edges that allow a flash of light to enter the eye from an angle, or the top of the head moves rapidly, briefly obscuring vision. Glasses can also impair peripheral vision since the frame blocks small sections of the visible region.
In the case of tennis courts, the lack of airflow causes humid conditions, and eyeglasses may fog up. While a player is sweating, the glasses may become filthy. It can effectively eliminate a person’s possibility of scoring a point.
Differences In Vision
Tennis is a high-energy sport. Because the ball is continuously changing the path, a player must be able to see every section of the playing area.
Using sunglasses significantly impairs your eyesight, which makes a major difference at the pro level.
No exact numbers are available on how much vision is obscured by sunglasses. What is certain is that any glasses you put on will affect your ability to see in the peripherals.
In tennis, winning a point is as simple as putting one more ball on your opponent’s court. If the obstruction from the glasses obscuring your eyesight leads you to lose only one point, it is one point sufficient for the opponent.
The fact is that most tennis athletes do not use sunglasses.
Game Alteration Isn’t Good
Athletes who compete in all sports are extremely resistant to change. No one likes to start losing a series of matches solely because they choose to wear sunglasses. It may not significantly make a difference, but the players think that.
Tennis players are quite familiar with how balls bounce, how to sense spin, and how the game functions without eyewear. It may appear to be a very slight difference, but altering the color just a tiny bit is a risk that most gamers are unwilling to change.
Why Don’t Tennis Players Wear Sunglasses?
Regardless of how well-made the glasses are, they will eventually move around on the participant’s head, raise, fall off, or slide down. An interruption like that is the last thing a player wants when attempting to play high-level tennis. Tennis players need stability and dependability above everything else, and glasses are only one additional factor that might go wrong.
Since sunglasses have borders, a quick head rotation might allow a burst of light to enter from the top or side, briefly blocking vision. It’s particularly relevant when transitioning from one overhead to another.
Players may lose or have difficulty seeing the ball if the sun disappears under a cloud because their glasses are too dark. The human eye adapts quite efficiently to its surroundings. Unless in the most severe cases, players are typically better off letting built-in processes handle minor modifications.
Except for the drawbacks listed above, these are the main reasons why most tennis players do not wear sunglasses.
How Do Tennis Players Play Without Sunglasses In The Sun?
Despite the difficulties of playing in the sun, most experienced athletes only adjust, which has little effect on their game. They’ve got so much coaching throughout their first years that they can play in various situations.
Players may gently shift their ball throw when serving so they are not directly in the sun’s glare.
Second, instead of sunglasses, caps are common in almost all tennis matches. Several athletes wear headgear for reasons other than sun protection. Tomas Berdych, for instance, had a habit of wearing his cap all the time, whatever the weather, indoors or outside.
Tomas Berdych
The most significant distinction with caps is that these accessories do not impair tennis players’ eyesight. The only place that would be affected is the area above the head.
FAQs
Do Sunglasses Affect Court Depth Perception?
Sunglasses will have little to no influence on the depth of perception in most circumstances. However, it is often assumed that polarized sunglasses have a stronger impact on depth perception.
Contrary to common opinion, polarization does not improve depth perception, although it does improve contrast. Polarized glasses only reduce glare from horizontal surfaces. Outdoor athletes have a higher investment in their eyeglasses; thus, understanding the facts of polarization is even more crucial for them.
Do Tennis Players Prefer Caps?
Yes, most players prefer caps. Tennis players use hats to decrease radiation from the sun and interior lights, which can impair visibility. Carrying a cap also helps to reduce sweating since new tennis hats come with an integrated sweatband that keeps the sweat from getting into the eyes. Sunburn can also be avoided by wearing a hat.
Why Do Tennis Players Wear Their Caps Backward?
The first primary explanation for wearing the cap backward is to safeguard your neck from hazards. In practice, the brim of a backward hat may shield the back of the neck from multiple threats.
It can also assist the athlete in keeping cool and dry since perspiration can be dissipated more quickly when the cap is utilized backward.
Can Pro Tennis Players Wear Gloves?
Gloves
Tennis athletes participating in most competitions can use gloves. Gloves may be prohibited in some tennis leagues. Many skilled tennis players choose not to wear gloves as they lose the racquet’s feel, which affects their ability during matches.
Which Tennis Player Wore Sunglasses?
Janko Tipsarevic is a fan of Oakley frames and is frequently spotted wearing an item of Oakley sunglasses with lenses that have photochromic properties. The Serbian professional tennis player is the delighted victor of two Futures, two ATP Tour Championships, and nine ARP Challenger Series titles. His most notable achievement was reaching the ARP Top 10 ranks in 2011.
Tennis players wearing sunglasses include Tommy Robredo, Arnaud Clement, and Natasha Zvereva.
Tennis Players, Who Wear Contact Lenses?
Novak Djokovic
This planet’s number one player, Novak Djokovic, attributes his 20 Grand Slam triumphs to his contact lenses, which enable 20/20 eyesight. When they famously halted play at the Australian Open, the world discovered that glasses are deemed “necessary equipment” by tennis authorities. While it was a minor glitch for the star, Novak would concede that his contacts were crucial for achieving the status of one of the greatest players of all time.
Can You Wear Sunglasses In High School Tennis?
Since there’s no rule prohibiting it, tennis players can wear sunglasses, but some challenges come with it because you’re not as experienced as a professional athlete. But even so, you should still wear glasses to protect your eyes.
How Do Tennis Players Protect Their Eyes?
When you play tennis, you should constantly protect your eyes. Protective eyewear, like goggles or sunglasses with polycarbonate lenses, can help lower the risk of eye damage.
Contact lenses are considered safer and increase your range of vision, especially peripheral vision, allowing you to view more of the court.
Conclusion
Sunglasses are not widely used in the professional world, although some people emphasize eye protection more than others. They get easy to wear without any problems after some persistent play with them.
However, the reason for “why don’t tennis players wear sunglasses” is that sunglasses would impede rather than aid your performance.
As a result, tennis superstars prefer to wear a cap and deal with the light when it appears.