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How to dress for tennis in the heat
Which fabrics work, why cotton is a bad idea in the tropics, and the signs the heat is winning.
Playing tennis in Puerto Rico is not playing tennis in heat: it is heat and humidity together. Humidity is what changes the rules, because it stops sweat from evaporating and cooling you.
Fabrics
- Technical polyester or elastane blends: they wick sweat outward and dry fast. That is what to look for.
- Cotton: absorbs sweat and holds it. It soaks, gets heavy, chafes and never dries. In this climate it is the worst option.
- Fabrics with channels or mesh at the back and underarms: they genuinely help, it is not marketing.
Colors
Light colors reflect more solar radiation and heat up less. It is why tennis was played in white for decades: it was not only tradition, it was practical.
Your head
Cap or visor, always. A light cap with a ventilated crown beats a dark closed one. And sunglasses if you play at midday: the glare off a hard court tires your eyes more than people realize.
Hydration
At least a liter of water per hour of play in the south of the island, and start hydrated rather than arriving thirsty. For sessions over an hour, something with electrolytes helps more than water alone.
Signs the heat is winning
- You stop sweating even though the effort continues.
- Goosebumps or chills in the heat.
- Dizziness, nausea or headache.
- Cramps that show up without real muscular fatigue.
Any of those is a reason to stop, find shade and drink. Heat stroke does not arrive gradually: when it comes, it comes fast.