Ray’s Tennis Shop

Amazing service and knowledge, super highly recomend!!!

Was back in San Diego visiting family and needed something for my tennis needs. Came back to this place, unfortunately, and it was the same attitude, even if the store is different. Still a nope from me. As for pricing, I think many of these smaller stores cannot offer discounts since they do not get large amounts of clothing, and additionally, racquet prices are determined by manufacturers.
Therefore, what should make the difference in supporting a local store? Everything else. And that is where this store fails. Just look at their YouTube videos shared, and why share political posts? I mean, to each their own, but for me, just a no again.

Ray’s Tennis Shop is conveniently located on University Ave. in North Park. This is one of my go to tennis shops to pick up shoes, gear, and re-​string my racket (when I don’t have the time to order online).
I dropped my racket off today for a special request stringing. Not only did the owners help me identify the name of the strings, (I had forgotten), but she found them in stock, strung it just as I wanted, and wrote it down for the future. Everything was ready in a few hours and I’m ready to play tennis again!
Check out Ray’s :) they are a great local tennis shop — good selection on shirts and shorts; tons of rackets too. You can even get a feel for a racket in their little back room against a practice wall.

I heard about Ray’s Tennis from a friend of mine who used to frequent the store a few years ago. I’ve wanted to stop by for a few years now, but I just never got around to it. Finally, after having a weekday off from work, I thought it would be the perfect time to get my rackets restrung.
I drove over to the busy part of Hillcrest and found the shop right along the main drag of University Ave. Parked right out front and walked in. I was greeted by a woman behind the counter while she was stringing up a boat load of rackets. I introduced myself and told her I’d like to get 6 rackets restrung. She asked me a bit about my playing and my playing past. I told her I was a recreational player but during my peak probably ranged between a 4.0 and a 4.5. I said I enjoyed playing with Yonex rackets the most, and all 6 of my rackets were Yonex indeed.
I told her I was also in the market for a new Yonex racket, as all of mine were several years old. She recommended that if I were to buy a new racket, that I shouldn’t string up 3 of my older, not as good performance rackets. She said she didn’t think it was a worthy investment if I were to consider a new racket. I asked if I could take a look around to see my options.
The store itself is pretty small. There isn’t a lot of space, but it is absolutely filled with shoes, apparel, and a well organized entire wall of rackets. I saw a racket I was interested in, and she said she had that racket for demo as well if I wanted to go in the back and hit against the wall. How cool is that! They have a half court where you can demo rackets completely free of charge. I was all for it. After hitting with a few rackets I decided for the Yonex one I had my eye on. It was a bit heavier and had the 4 ½ grip.
I also met Roger, who I believe is the son. He appears to be in his late 20s and is extremely knowledgeable about everything from equipment to grips to shoes. One thing I was certainly pleased about was that he took his time to answer any questions or concerns I had. Very nice family.
I am a bit confused by other Unilocalers’ reviews. Yes, this place is for tennis players. If you’ve never hit a tennis ball in your life this probably isn’t the place for you. That’s like going to a watch store that sells Longines, Tag Heuer, and Breitling and asking for a $ 5 stop watch. If you’re looking for a cheap, one or two time use racket, go to Walmart.

Great tennis shop. As far as I’m concerned this is the only quality tennis shop in San Diego. Huge stock, basically anything you’re looking for, you can find it here.
I always come by for shoes or swag and Roger is always helpful and knowledgable.
I will always come here first.

if you want get demo, here they offer $ 5 demo per day. However, they will hold the full price charge of the racket on your credit card. which is fair.
two rackets for 4 days, is $ 40 fee and around $ 400 hold on the card until returned.
for a quick search, I found out that other stores (local store as well) let you do demo for FREE for 4 days at a time.
Different business style which I won’t argue, however the once you are walking in the store, owner will force sell what is idea racket for her and little questions has been ask about the style of how I play and what I wish the racket has.
Didn’t get them to help me choose my racquet obviously since their business idea is not to pick a best racquet for me, but whether she will use it or not .
it’s not all bad, they have a larger selection of tennis clothing than Sports Authority and Dick’s Sporting Good

I was referred to this store by a tennis friend of mine and couldn’t have been more satisfied with the service.
I was promptly greeted by Roger who provided great service throughout the transaction. He provided me with tennis racket options, and provided informative knowledge about the choices.
Great first experience — I’ll recommend to friends!

Been coming here for about a year for all of my tennis gear, even though it is a 25 minute drive and completely out of the way for me. Got a few rackets, pairs of shoes, grips, stringjobs, etc., and I have never had anything to complain about. The shop has a family-​owned feel to it while having a selection far more diverse than your usual run-​of-​the-​mill sports superstore. The staff is knowledgeable and always happy to give you advice, whether it be as to which tensions to try, string combinations, racket changes, and shoe suitability. Tennis is obviously their passion, and you can sense it in them from the moment you walk in.
Another big plus is they have a huge selection of rackets to demo. Almost any current and past rackets (within reason) are open to demo, along with the ability to put your name down on the waiting list. My only gripe is that all the rackets are strung with multisynthetic strings which I never would hit with in my own rackets. However, the reasoning is that they are the most comfortable to hit with in general and that they are most suitable for the casual crowd.
The store also has a practice hitting wall in the back, in case you wanted to demo a racket immediately. The prices are competitive (even when compared to online retailers like Tennis Warehouse) and they frequently have new sales on items a season old such as clothes, hats, shoes, rackets, etc. I try to stop by once in a while so I can glance over the sales section.
One time while buying a pair of Lotto Raptor shoes, I received a pair of Lotto walking shoes for FREE. The reasoning was that that brand wasn’t particularly popular there and they probably weren’t going to sell anyway. Made my day, and I’ve found the shoes make great casual Friday shoes for work. You’d be hard pressed to find such service elsewhere.
If you’re an avid tennis player and you want a shop where you can get advice from knowledgeable people along with customized help, this is absolutely the place.

I came in here looking for a intermediate racquet since my I was out growing my beginner racket. Mind you, I’ve been playing for 20 years. Lots of years of bad playing — lol. No other tennis shop has a court in the back to test out racquets. I tested out like 20 racquets and then borrowed 2 over the course of a few weeks. In the end, I really liked the racquet I got! The staff really helped me out to pick something that was even on sale!

Been going here for 20 years; and the owner «knows» my grip size, what racquets I have, what my favorite brand of shoe is, etc etc. You get the gist. This is not just any tennis shop. Regardless of your skill level, you’ll have a good experience here. On the negative side, parking can be a little tough to get…

Love this place, they have a really good selection of tennis stuff. The woman is very helpful and knowledgable, but someone has to organize this store.

I finally felt like I need to upgrade my tennis racquet (from Sports Chalet). Since my friend Alice C. has been here before, and I’ve been here to get tennis skirt and new overwrap, I decided to come here instead of buying online so I can try the racquets in person. After asking my price range, Roger gave me about 8 to try in the backroom to hit against the wall, and asked me to eliminate down to 2. I then checked the two out as demo for a day ($ 5 per racquet per day — and the cost goes towards the racquet purchase).
I’m glad I did the demo since I was wanting to be like the big shots and get a Babolat, but it was too hard to use at my skill level. When I finally decided on one, the price of the racquet was actually $ 30 – 50 cheaper than the 2 – 3 websites (Tennis Warehouse, Tennis Experts, one more???) I looked. It took a day to have it strung ($ 27) and I was good to go. I ended up within my budget at the end, and I didn’t feel like I was being upsold. The lady even tried to talk me out of buying this ball clip that I figure I’ll try and see if I would like it.
The clothes organization looks all over the place, but I think it’s by brand for the full price merchandise. It looks like most of the skirts/​shorts I looked at are about $ 5 off of the MSRP.

amazing selection, knowledgeable staff, they’ve even got a «court wall» in the back of the shop to test out the demo racquets. I found that the prices to be very reasonable.

Use to love this place. Spent hundreds of dollars over the years buying tennis racquets, equipment and most of all, getting my racquets strung. I would say that I have had my racquets strung there for over 20 years. Over the years I would go through racquets, but they would crack after a while and I thought it was from over use. Well, I’m not one of those people that go slamming their racquets around, so I knew it wasn’t from me abusing them. I would remember that she would insist that I get a new racquet because my racquet was «too old» or «no good.» Then later, after having them strung I started noticing cracks forming where the head meets the «A» frame of the handle. I had four of my most favorite racquets be put down in this same manner. I finally realized that when she said, «that racket is no good» she really meant that it is no good, anymore… I believe and it is my opinion that she was encouraging me to buy the newest and greatest racquets, which is fine if you’re overflowing with wealth. But don’t go busting my oldies but goodies just because it’s time to get a new racquet. For the last few years I’ve been having my racquets strung by the tennis pro at the tennis club or other means and I have not had to put down any of my favorites anymore! Hurray!
P. S. I would have given it no stars, but 1 is the minimum…

This is not a box store which is its major appeal. Their strength is their racquet inventory… if you’re looking for shoes, especially some obscure color etc. this probably is not your best option. If you need a tennis item in a pinch this is a good «local» store to support.

We went in to get our racquets restrung. The hubs and I have played since we were kids so we know what we want and like in our racquets and the string. The lady behind the counter fussed at us for having crappy grips (hey…it’s been a while since we played and what’s the point of regripping when you are semi-​retired from the game???) and at me for using too big a grip for my hand (lady, have you heard of carpal tunnel???). I laughed because she totally sounds like a mom and clearly knows her stuff!
She did our custom stringing (cause I’m high maintenance and have to have 2 string types in my racquets) and knew exactly what tension would be right for the racquet without cheating and looking inside the neck. She said she could have them ready in a couple of hours, but we decided to ask for next day service so we could hit up Mama Testa’s for lunch. Sure enough, we walked in and papa (that’s what I’ll call the lady’s husband) found our racquets, sold us some super affordable grip tape– we were reminded to secure it to the racquet– and off we went.
We’ll go back here for sure. It’s local, efficient, and amusing!

Found exactly what I was looking for cheaper than I could find anywhere online. A tennis racquet case with a shoulder strap. If that happens to be what you’re looking for, this is the place to buy it.

When you’re playing with balls, you want to make sure nothing breaks… such as strings.
So that’s why with one broken string and another set teetering on the edge of breaking, I had to get my racquets restrung, STAT.
I found this place through the help of you guys — thanks, Unilocalers! Parking in the area is not too bad, but I came on weekdays in the afternoon, so that may have helped. I was able to get a spot right in front of the place. As I was pulling out the 2^nd time though, I noticed that they have a parking lot for customers next to the building, so that’s always nice.
When I walked in, I was pretty turned off by the display and the lack of organization of all the merchandise. However, it wasn’t too crowded person-​wise, and I was able to get service right away. The lady wasn’t particularly warm & friendly, but she seemed to know her stuff, and the service was very efficient.
I believe I paid $ 23 per racquet, which I don’t think is too bad, given the type of string I got (16 gauge synthetic gut). I remember 15-​some years ago, I (ok, my mom) paid around $ 17 per string job, so I guess the inflation on racquet stringing isn’t horrible…
In sum:
If you’re looking for a decent string job, I’d recommend this place. Just think of it like one of your favorite hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurants with A-​OK service but AMAZING food, or your favorite dive bar. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing place, but it gets the job done decently and efficiently faster (and with less anger) than you can ask, «Does Wayne Brady have to Djokovic?»

If ur a person that wanted to get a $ 20 racket HA good luck with that this place has good rackets for ppl that r serious about tennis. If u wanted a $ 20 racket go to target or sports chalet!
I love the great selection. They hav the things the pros use and wear! And if ur having a hard time look for a specific kind of shoe they will probably have it.
They hav a wall in the back so u can try out rackets :) that way u will know for sure if that racket is right for you!
This place is a great tennis shop that has everything. It’s been in San Diego forever and it will stick around for many yrs to come!

I met the owners when I owned a business across the street. They are friendly and professional. They do a great job helping customers pick out what they need. I never once felt like they were trying to oversell me anything. And, their price to restring a racket is completely reasonable.
They have some parking in the back of the store.