Yes. We are a tennis and pickleball specialist based in Brooklyn, in Melbourne’s inner west, and we ship Australia-wide (and to New Zealand) from there.

Yes. We buy directly from the Australian distributors for every brand we carry, Babolat, Wilson, Yonex, Tecnifibre, Dunlop and Diadem, so what’s on the shelf and on this site is genuine, current stock, not grey-market or old batches.

Yes, under our 30-Day Price Guarantee. If you find the identical item in stock and available for immediate purchase at a lower price from another Australian bricks-and-mortar retailer, send us the link or a dated photo and we’ll verify it. Match it at the time of purchase and we’ll meet the price on the spot; find it within 30 days of buying from us and we’ll refund the difference as store credit. It doesn’t apply to online-only or warehouse sellers, clearance or member-only pricing, or grey-market stock. Full detail is on our price match policy.

All major debit and credit cards, plus Afterpay and Zip if you’d rather split the cost into four.

Standard Post is $9.99 for orders under $49.95 and free from $49.95. Express Post is a flat $39 to major cities. Most orders leave our Brooklyn store within 1 business day (orders that include stringing take one extra business day before dispatch, since the racquet is strung first). From there, Standard Post typically takes 1 to 7 business days and Express 1 to 4, a little longer to regional addresses.

Yes. Standard NZ shipping is NZ$17.99 under NZ$59.95 and free above that; Express is a flat NZ$44.99. Any NZ customs duties or import charges are the customer’s responsibility.

Yes, choose Click & Collect at checkout and we’ll email you once it’s ready, often within a couple of hours for in-stock items. Pick up from Unit D, 535 Geelong Road, Brooklyn, within 30 days of that notification.

We ship with Australia Post, and you’ll get a tracking link by email as soon as your order is dispatched.

30 days from your purchase date, on items in new, unused condition with the original packaging, tags and accessories. We accept both change-of-mind and faulty returns, from Australia and New Zealand, and happily do exchanges too. Full detail on our returns policy.

If the item is faulty or we sent the wrong thing, that’s on us, full refund, nothing deducted. For a change-of-mind return, postage back to us is the customer’s responsibility, and you choose how the refund comes back: full store credit, valid for 2 years, or a refund to your original payment method with a 20% transaction fee deducted.

7 business days from when we receive and check the return, either as store credit or back to your original payment method, whichever you’ve chosen.

Yes, in store at Brooklyn, by a master stringer on a Yonex Precision 9.0. Four tiers with the string included: Standard $55, Premium $65, Ultra Premium $75 and Ultimate Performance $85. Bring your own string and it’s $35 labour. All of these are cheaper again when the stringing is fitted to a racquet bought from us. Full detail on our restringing page.

Standard turnaround is 24 to 48 hours. For same-day, drop your racquet off before 12pm and call (03) 9314 9365 first so we can hold you a slot. Note that if you’re ordering online with stringing included, dispatch takes one extra business day, since the racquet needs to be strung before it ships.

A simple rule of thumb: restring as many times a year as you play per week. Play twice a week, restring about twice a year. If the strings feel dead, you’re losing control, or they’re moving around a lot in the stringbed, it’s time regardless of the calendar.

Of course. Tell us your level, how often you play, and whether comfort, control, power or spin matters most to you, and we’ll point you to two or three that fit.

No, tennis racquets only, adult and junior.

Most beginners do best with something lighter and more forgiving, easier to swing and gentler on the arm while your technique is developing. Tell us your age, height, playing level and any arm discomfort and we’ll narrow it down for you.

Nothing, just two spellings of the same word used in different parts of the world. We use both across the site so you find us either way.

Check our grip size chart, or bring your current racquet into the Brooklyn store and we’ll measure it for you on the spot, free of charge.

Yes, our demo program: $10 for two days, or $10 per extra day if you need longer. Buy that exact model within 30 days and the $10 comes straight off the price. Bring the racquet back in the condition you took it, and note that racquets not returned within 7 days are charged at full RRP, so a valid ID and a small refundable deposit may be requested at pickup. We’d recommend booking ahead, demo stock moves quickly. Full terms on our demo policy.

Yes, while stock lasts, every adult racquet comes with a free Babolat Roland Garros dampener, automatically added at checkout.

Match the shoe to where you mostly play: all-court for most people and most surfaces, clay court for extra grip and sliding control, hard court for durability underfoot. Not sure where you play most? Tell us and we’ll point you the right way.

Yes, paddles from Diadem, Selkirk, Wilson, Pro Kennex, Luft and DLS, plus balls, sets and grips, on the shelf in Brooklyn and on this site.

Unit D, 535 Geelong Road, Brooklyn VIC 3012, in Melbourne’s inner west, an easy drive from Yarraville, Newport, Altona, Williamstown, Footscray, Point Cook, Williams Landing and Sunshine. Open Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 3pm. Phone (03) 9314 9365. See the store page for directions from your suburb.

Yes, free on-site parking right outside, plus free street parking nearby.

You usually don’t even need to call. Our website only lists what’s genuinely on the shelf, we keep inventory tightly synced between the store and the site, so if you can add it to your cart, it’s there. That same tracking is what lets us dispatch online orders so quickly. If you’d still rather double check, call (03) 9314 9365 or email hello@sturdyracquets.com.au with the model and grip size and we’ll hold it for you.