Okay,

I once traveled next to a tennis pro who was accompanying a very elite group of younger players. We talked about just general stuff as we were both players.

One thing he mentioned was that the kids tended to travel with their tennis gear checked.

I'm wondering, I have a very, very expensive racquet (it's the same racquet Federer uses with a custom string job done by my coach) and I'm wondering, has anybody encountered damage to their squash or tennis gear in checked baggage? I'm getting to the level where I'll be doing some travel for tournaments next fall, and I would hate to show up and find strings broken or the racquet itself warped. The obvious solution is multiple racquets, but I spent a lot of money on my primary one, and that's the one I train with.

Does anybody know of sports equipment being damaged en route to a tournament or camp? Should I try to carry on my stuff, or should I just stuff it in a hardshell suitcase?

CK