Best Tennis Skirts of 2026

The first check we run on any white tennis skirt is whether it stays opaque when the sun is behind you, and this is the one we trust on that count. The knit is dense, the shorts underneath give the flare a second layer, and we weren't tugging at the hem between points. The wide waistband sits flat instead of rolling, which counts for more than it sounds like once you're three games in.

Storage works the way it should. The shorts pocket takes a phone without dragging the short down, and the flare gives you room for a ball without a lump sitting on your hip. The fabric has enough weight to hang straight rather than cling, and the high rise smooths across the stomach without pinching.

Sizing is where it asks for attention. The fit runs small, so if you're between sizes go by the waist measurement on the chart rather than the number you wear in other skirts, and expect the band to feel snug the first time you pull it on. Get that right and it's the least complicated skirt here, the one that handles a lesson, a league match, and the errands after.

The pleats here don't go all the way around. The front is flat and smoothing, with the pleats gathered behind, which is why it looks neater than a full pleated skirt on anyone who doesn't want volume over the hips. From the front the line stays clean, and that's the view most of your opponents get.

We like it as the softer alternative to the baleaf. The knit is silkier against the skin, the waistband does more holding across the stomach, and it comes in the kind of colors that get noticed on court. What you give up is structure: the pleats don't stand up crisply, so if you want that pressed, borrowed-from-lacrosse look, the baleaf is worth the step up.

Fit is the thing to get right. It runs small, so going up a size is the safer call, and the hem is short enough that anyone much over 5 foot 6 should think twice. Below that, it's a forgiving skirt that hides a big lunch and stays comfortable through a lesson.

Run the Butterluxe knit between your fingers and it feels closer to a good pair of leggings than to a tennis skirt: brushed, stretchy, and light enough that you stop noticing it on a warm morning. It's the fabric that sells this one, and the fit doesn't get in its way. The skirt stays where you put it without gripping your stomach, and the shorts underneath follow along instead of bunching.

We think it's the most comfortable skirt of the group, and the least tennis-specific of it. There are no pleats and nothing crisp about it; it reads as a sleek athletic skirt, and it's the one here that looks as at home with a sweater as with a polo. That versatility is worth something if your skirt has to survive a lesson, a coffee, and a carpool line in the same afternoon.

The undershorts are cut on the short side, which is the one place the comfort story gives something up; over a long match you notice the hem more than you do on a structured pair. It's also the least structured option here, so if you want pleats and a crisp line rather than a smooth drape, the baleaf is the better fit.

If you're tall, or you've quietly stopped wearing skirts because bending over turns a 14-inch hem into a belt, this is the pair to try. The 16- and 18-inch options put the hem at mid-thigh rather than upper thigh: long enough to head off chafing on a humid morning, and long enough that you're not thinking about it when you crouch for a low ball.

The fabric helps. It's a dry-fit style knit with more body than the buttery ones here, so the skirt hangs straight and holds its shape instead of draping, and the shorts stay put through a session of drills. The waistband is high and wide, and it doesn't dig when you sit down between changeovers.

Our one reservation is the pockets. They sit beneath the mesh of the undershorts, so digging out a ball mid-point takes a beat longer than it should, and mesh is what your fingers meet first. For a skirt that finally gets the length right, that's a small trade. If pockets are the whole reason you wear a skort, the four-pocket SANTINY below solves it.

The hem is the first thing you notice. It's cut in a shallow curve that dips lower at the back than the front, so you stay covered when you bend for a ball without the front of the skirt looking long or frumpy. It's a golf detail that turns out to be useful on a tennis court.

The knit has more structure than the Butterluxe, a dri-fit feel that holds a line instead of draping, and the high waist does real work across the stomach without squeezing. The undershorts aren't tight, which matters if you're between sizes or you've had enough of compression shorts that leave marks.

Pockets are the practical half. The front pockets take a tennis ball each, the undershorts handle everything else, and nothing about them interferes with the way the skirt hangs.

We choose it for a morning round when we want to look put together rather than athletic, and we size up when between, because it's cut close through the waist. It's the most structured skirt of the set and the one that reads most like golf kit; if you want something soft and slouchy, the Butterluxe is the opposite end of the shelf.

The detail that decided this one for us is invisible in the product photos: an elastic band around the leg opening of each built-in short. It's the difference between a skort you adjust between points and one you forget about, and it's why we hand this to anyone who has given up on undershorts that climb.

The pleats are the other half of the story. They're pressed flat across the front and open toward the back, so the skirt swings when you move without adding bulk at the waist, and the fabric holds its line instead of collapsing into itself. The shorts are a light mesh with phone pockets, and there's a small zip at the center back, which is where the keys go.

Where we land is that this is the most polished of the pleated skirts here. It looks like kit rather than costume, and it's the one we wear for a club match. Sizing runs small, so go up if you're between, and know that the leg bands that keep the shorts in place are less forgiving when the short is undersized.

Four pockets is why this skirt is on the list. You get the pockets in the built-in shorts plus a zip at the center back, which covers what a club player actually carries, a ball or two, keys, a card, without leaving a bag on the bench.

It's also one of the few pleated skirts here that behaves on court. The shorts don't ride up, the waistband stays where you put it instead of sliding down between points, and the fabric is light enough for a hot afternoon. It's a skirt you can wear for three hours without thinking about.

What surprised us is how little the pockets change the silhouette: the skirt still hangs flat over the hip, and the zip sits where a waistband seam would. That's the version we wear for a match where we're carrying everything ourselves, and it's why we call it the best-equipped skirt of the group.