Men's Tennis Shirts Guide

A men's tennis shirt is the collared knit shirt built for the court: traditionally a pique cotton polo with a ribbed collar and two- or three-button placket, and in its modern form a technical polyester shirt with the same silhouette and far better moisture management. The tennis shirt crossed into general menswear a century ago, so this guide covers both lives - the performance shirt worn to play, and the polo-style shirt worn everywhere else. This guide explains what to look for, how the sizing actually works, which fabrics and constructions earn their price, and how to care for the garment so it keeps doing its job season after season.

Styles and Construction

Pique is the classic cloth: a knitted texture with raised cords that breathes, hides sweat better than flat jersey and gives the collar its stand. Traditional cotton pique softens beautifully and wrinkles honestly; performance versions in polyester pique wick, dry in minutes and hold color through a season of sun. Construction details to judge: a collar knitted with enough body to stay up or lie flat as intended, a placket reinforced so buttons do not tear through, side vents at the hem (the classic longer back tail was made to stay tucked during play), and sleeves banded rather than hemmed, so they keep their shape on the arm.

A top earns its keep in finishing: seams that hang straight and stay even at eight to twelve stitches per inch, collars and plackets that lie flat after washing, buttons sewn with thread shanks so they sit in their holes without pulling. Hold the cloth to the light - a tight, even weave or knit outwears a loose one at the same labeled weight, and pattern pieces cut on grain keep the garment from twisting around your body by the third wash.

Fit and Sizing

A court shirt should allow a full serving motion: raise both arms and the hem should stay at the waistband, the shoulders should not bind, and the body should skim without billowing - excess cloth is drag and distraction. Off court, the same shirt takes your normal size, with length enough to tuck or to end mid-fly untucked. Cotton pique shrinks slightly in length; performance polyester does not, so the size on the chart is the size after washing.

Fit tops shoulders and chest first, because tailors cannot cheaply move either: the shoulder seam ends at the shoulder bone, the chest closes without pulling, and both arms raise without the hem escaping the waistband. Tucked lengths must stay tucked sitting; untucked lengths should end mid-fly. Sleeves are the cheap alteration, shoulders the permanent one - reject a wrong shoulder for any reason, forgive a long sleeve for many.

Wearing and Care

Wash tennis shirts inside out with like colors; unbutton the placket and, for cotton pique, reshape the collar while damp so it dries in its intended lie. Dry low or on the line - high heat curls collars and tires placket stitching. White court shirts grey slowly in hard water; an occasional oxygen soak restores them. Fold polos rather than hanging them, to keep knit shoulders in shape.

Launder tops by the label with three defaults: cool or warm water to protect color and trims, dark and printed pieces inside out, and low or line drying, which is the largest single lever on a shirt's lifespan. Fasten buttons and zips before washing to protect the whole load, treat stains before the dryer can set them, and store knits folded so their shoulders keep the shape they were knitted with.

Background and History

Men's Tennis Shirts guide and information resource about Men's Tennis Shirts Men's Tennis Shirts Directory and Information Regarding Men's Tennis Shirts presented by Apparel Search Men's Pique Tennis Shirts Men's Polo Shirts Men's Golf Shirts Men's Shirts Men's Clothes Clothes Popular Brands Men's Clothing Stores Men's Fashion Welcome to the worlds greatest guide to Men's Tennis Shirts. Are you actually looking for a shirt to wear while playing tennis? Well, we hope you are because the reality is that you have found our tennis shirt page for men. A tennis shirt which is also known as a polo shirt or golf shirt, is a form of shirt with a collar, a placket with typically two or three buttons, and an optional pocket. Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a