Originally Posted by
CKA1
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
UA policy: "One tennis racket case containing tennis rackets and balls will be considered as one item of sporting equipment and allowed in place of one checked bag. Tennis equipment must be properly protected or a limited liability form must be signed."
To me that means hard shell carrier or the airline isn't liable for damage.
Problem with a tennis racket carry on is its shape. Some small overheads might not be big enough. And if you put it in an overhead you take the risk of someone tossing a bag on top of it and doing some damage.
I travel with an expensive guitar. I have a special hard shell bag and check it. Never had any damage at all. That would be my recommendation for an expensive tennis racket.