My Hunt for Xenon Platform Tennis Gear
Okay so my old paddle finally cracked last week during doubles – totally snapped right at the handle. Figured it’s time to upgrade to Xenon gear since everyone at the club raves about it. But dang, finding legit sellers was trickier than scoring against a lefty server.
First I googled “Xenon tennis paddle” like any normal person. Saw pages full of sketchy discount sites advertising 70% off. Red flag! Checked a few anyway, but their “Xenon Pro” listings showed stock photos with watermarks from other brands. Closed those tabs real quick.
Then I hit up big sports chains. Big mistake! Visited two major retailers near me. First store clerk pointed me to ping pong paddles. Second one said “We stopped carrying platform tennis gear after COVID.” Seriously? At least they knew what platform tennis WAS.
Posted in our club’s Facebook group next. Got flooded with comments – half saying “Just order direct!” and half arguing where NOT to buy. Found three solid leads though:
- That family-owned sports shop downtown
- Some niche online store focusing only on paddle sports
- A pro-shop at that fancy country club across town
Turns out the downtown shop had the goods! Visited Saturday morning – walked past baseball bats and saw them! Authentic Xenon paddles hanging with the platform tennis nets. Even got to test-grip three models. Owner Pete said they became dealers after Xenon’s open tryout event last fall. Dude knew every spec – even warned me about counterfeit serial numbers.
So lesson learned: Don’t trust random online discounts or big-box stores. Find shops that specialize. Pete earned himself a regular customer – walked out with that Xenon V8 paddle and two cans of balls. Tomorrow’s game? Their backhand better watch out.