Tennis blisters: the silent injury that affects 90% of players
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Blisters—or phlyctenes—are the tennis player's "occupational hazard." They affect the player's two main tools of the trade: hands and feet. Often bleeding, sometimes in awkward positions, always debilitating, they can turn a match into an ordeal. According to Andy Murray, approximately 90% of players competing in a Grand Slam tournament play with blisters . And yet, tennis remains one of the few sports where the hands are not protected by any equipment.
What is a lightbulb and why are tennis players so exposed to them?
A blister is a separation between two layers of skin, caused by rapid and repetitive friction. A bubble forms, fills with clear fluid, and each subsequent impact aggravates the pain. In tennis, the combination of heat, humidity, perspiration, and match duration creates the perfect conditions for blisters to develop.
On clay courts, sliding adds extra friction to the feet. At Roland-Garros, where matches often last longer than in other Grand Slam tournaments, blisters wreak havoc every year. At the 2021 Australian Open, the phenomenon reached unprecedented proportions: after weeks of quarantine, players returned to competition with hands whose protective calluses had disappeared.
The hands of professional gamers: an underestimated ordeal
For the feet, solutions exist. Roger Federer had his feet bandaged before each match and then put on two pairs of socks. The Australian Lleyton Hewitt wore three. But the hands pose a much more complex problem: the player needs tactile feedback to control his racket.
Players who sweat a lot, like Richard Gasquet , change their overgrips every time they change ends. Rafael Nadal , on the other hand, had his fingers and hand bandaged according to a precise ritual—not out of superstition, but out of necessity. His hands, marked by deep calluses and recurring blisters due to his extreme topspin, required constant care.
Callus care: an invisible task
Calluses are a natural protective barrier that thickens the skin at points of friction. But if they aren't cared for—regularly filed down and moisturized—they become rock hard and cause deep blisters underneath. This is the paradox of tennis: too many calluses or not enough, the result is the same.
Dr. Jacques Parier, a specialist in tennis injuries, reminds us of the essential rules: never cut the superficial skin that serves as protection, disinfect, pierce in two places with a sterile needle to evacuate the serum, then apply a hydrocolloid dressing.
When the lightbulb is there, it's already too late.
Once formed, a blister is extremely difficult to treat during a tournament. The "pad" technique — a perforated foam pad to distribute pressure around the blister — works in theory, but perspiration and heat often cause the adhesive to fail.
This is why prevention is the real battle: tannin creams before tournaments, adhesive strips on friction areas, choosing an overgrip suited to one's perspiration. But above all, one question remains: why is tennis the only racket sport where the hand remains completely exposed?
The solution that tennis has not yet adopted
In golf, cycling, baseball—in almost every sport involving gripping—athletes wear gloves or mittens. This equipment protects against blisters, absorbs vibrations, and improves grip. Tennis is an exception.
This observation led to the creation of the SPYN glove : the first glove specifically designed for racket sports. With its anti-friction technical fabric, textured palm for grip, and vibration absorption, it addresses the three major problems faced by players—blisters, vibrations, and perspiration—while preserving ball feel thanks to its free-fingered design.