Anyone for tennis?

The Gadget Show  Wednesday 17 June 2009

Wimbledon’s nearly here again, and the media’s already started bandying around phrases like “Murray-mania” and “Andy-monium”. If you want to get away from the perennial propaganda of SW19 (which always reveals itself to be misplaced, first with Jeremy Bates – remember him! – then Tim Henman), then check out this little lot of tennis gadgetry. Guaranteed to keep your spirits up when Andy Murray crashes out in the semis…

Head Microgel Radical MP Tennis Racket (£99.99) Want to be as good as Andy Murray? Then you’ll need his racket. The Head Microgel Radical MP Tennis Racke incorporates MicroGel technology, which when combined with carbon composite fibres in the racket head, deforms and compresses upon ball impact, absorbing and distributing the impact load around the entire frame. In English that means you can hit the ball really hard.

Slazenger Wimbledon Extra Life Tennis Balls Because you’ll be hitting your balls like Joe Calzaghe hits faces in no time, you need a durable set. The Slazenger Wimbledon Extra Life tennis balls are top performance premium pressurised tennis orbs suitable for all surfaces. They’re covered in premium woven felt which means they won’t become furry like Richard Branson’s face.

Gamma Rebound Net ($349) If you’re a no-mates-Norman then the Gamma Rebound Net is as essential as tennis racket for your progression as a player. It provides a seven-foot diameter target area for you to hit at, making garage doors redundant. Plus it collapses to a 3.5-foot diameter for easy transport and storage. The high-quality spandex rebound area, which is above regulation net height, ensures a lively rebound, much like a Nadal forehand return. Okay, not quite, but you get what we mean.

Thrustmaster Tennis Duo Pack NW ($24.99) Don’t like playing Wii Tennis with the standard Wiimote? Disguise it within the Thrustmaster Tennis Duo Pack NW and make like the real thing. These two “controller shells” are effectively real tennis rackets featuring ideal string and grip positioning and more realistic proportions. You even get a foam ball if you want a quick blast of the real thing.

Virtua Tennis 2009 (£44.99) Fancy doing what nobody has been able to do for aeons – taking a Brit to World Number 1 in the tennis rankings? Well, you can do just that in Virtua Tennis 2009. Take control of Andy Murray, or any of the innumerable available players, and hit the courts. You can even take your career online and compete for the ultimate title of Virtua Tennis Champion. It’s available on PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 and PC.

Lobster Elite Grand Slam V (From $2,199) If you’re like us (lazy and without many friends) then you’ll be in need of a ball machine to keep your tennis training up to Rafa Nadal standards (yeah, right!). The Elite Battery Ball Machine has a rechargeable battery, a remote control and it dismantles so it’ll fit in your car. Oh and it fires balls at you at speeds of 10mph up to 80mph. Not quite a Federer serve, but getting there…

Cornilleau Competition 740 (£685) Tennis rackets too heavy for your arms? How about forgoing the court and playing the table variety of tennis instead on the Cornilleau Competition 740 Table Tennis table? It’s Cornilleau’s top-of-the-range competition-sized table and features a 25mm playing surface with 70mm deep sideframes. It’s also available in blue or green. Nice.