The 9 Best Tennis Nets
This wiki has been updated 30 times since it was first published in April of 2016. In these electronics-obsessed days, it's important to find something that gets your family out from in front of their screens and into the outdoors for fresh air and exercise. Our list of tennis nets includes a variety of designs suitable for a range of applications, with some geared toward families and others toward competitive players wishing to practice at home or at a local club. When users buy our independently chosen editorial choices, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Champion Sports T200
2. Vermont DT Championship
3. Champion Sports T100
Editor's Notes
July 16, 2021:
To a certain extent, you really get what you pay for when buying a tennis net. That's why the Champion Sports T200 and Vermont DT Championship are still numbers 1 and 2. The Champion Sports T100 is just a small step behind them, though, and is notably more affordable, while if you're looking to save money, the Vermont Doubles is a great budget-friendly choice. If you're not concerned with official regulation measurements, the Aoneky Mini and Wilson EZ are both great choices for family fun, and their standalone design means you can take them just about anywhere.
July 06, 2020:
While several of our previous selections for this category proved to still be relevant through this round of updates, we did end up removing the Street Tennis Club Portable, Wilson 20 Foot, ProCourt Mini Combi and Lifetime 90421 Set, all due to availability issues. Some of our new selections this time around include the Bownet Portable – an undersized model that’s suitable for introducing children to the sport, and the Champion Sports T100 and Champion Sports T200 – two regulation-sized offerings from the same company; the Champion Sports T100 is an entry-level option, while the Champion Sports T200 is a high-end model.
A few things to think about for this category:
Size: A regulation tennis net is 27 feet wide for singles matches and 36 feet wide for doubles matches, standings 42 inches tall at the posts and sagging to a height of 36 inches at its center. If regulation gameplay is what you’re looking for, several of our picks – including the MacGregor Varsity 300, Vermont Doubles and Champion Sports T100 – are appropriately sized, with 42-foot lengths that should be installable on pre-existing posts at your court of choice.
While many seasoned players consider regulation-sized nets a must, they can be costly and unwieldy. With that in mind, we’ve included several smaller options – like the Boulder Portable and Aoneky Mini – which tend to be a bit more budget-friendly, and still present a viable introduction to the sport for children.
Portability: High-end models – like the Vermont DT Championship and Champion Sports T200 – are designed for permanent installation on established courts, but some of the smaller models we listed – like the Bownet Portable and Wilson EZ – feature integrated posts with bases, which present the attractive possibility of bringing them along for a trip to the park, or setting them up for temporary use at a vacant parking lot nearby. Models like the Aoneky Mini and Boulder Portable even come with convenient carry bags to help facilitate transportation.
Support: Given the substantial length of regulation-sized nets, significant tension is required along their headline to help keep them straight. But even in the case of an appropriately taut headline, you’re still liable to be faced with a net that’s ultimately flimsy. To help remedy this problem, some companies have implemented creative aids.
The Champion Sports T100 and Champion Sports T200, for example, both feature side pockets with rigid dowels that help keep the net stretched out and smooth, from top to bottom. Options like the Edwards 40LS come with a center strap that can be anchored to the ground mid-court, creating a third holding point for the net, and thereby helping it maintain tension.
Now that you've got that all sorted out, all that's left to do is pick out a racquet and tennis bag. And, if you're feeling really ambitious, maybe you'd even like to check out our list of tennis ball machines.
4. Edwards 40LS
5. Vermont Doubles
6. MacGregor Varsity 300
7. Bownet Portable
8. Wilson EZ
9. Aoneky Mini
Building PCs, remodeling, and cooking since he was young, quasi-renowned trumpeter Christopher Thomas traveled the USA performing at and organizing shows from an early age. His work experiences led him to open a catering company, eventually becoming a sous chef in several fine LA restaurants. He enjoys all sorts of barely necessary gadgets, specialty computing, cutting-edge video games, and modern social policy. He has given talks on debunking pseudoscience, the Dunning-Kruger effect, culinary technique, and traveling. After two decades of product and market research, Chris has a keen sense of what people want to know and how to explain it clearly. He delights in parsing complex subjects for anyone who will listen -- because teaching is the best way to ensure that you understand things yourself.