Tennis Foot Care: Sweaty Feet, Blisters & Athlete's Foot
What keeps feet dry through a three-set league match on a hot hard court, how to stop blisters, and how to treat athlete's foot without sitting out.
Browse Court Guides →By NJ Court Pros · Updated October 26, 2026
In partnership with Dryello. Disclosure.
To keep feet dry playing tennis, wear moisture-wicking socks and pack a spare pair, rotate two pairs of court shoes so each dries for a full day, and dry between your toes after every shower. On healthy, unbroken skin, a foot antiperspirant reduces sweat (our partner pick: Dryello Foot Antiperspirant For Him or For Her). If you already have itching, peeling or cracking between the toes, that is likely athlete's foot, a fungal infection that needs an over-the-counter antifungal, not an antiperspirant. Our partner pick there is Dryello's tolnaftate 1% Athlete's Foot Treatment Stick, applied twice daily as the label directs. You can usually keep playing while you treat it.
Hero photo: from Dryello's official product images, cropped.
Why Tennis Is Hard on Feet
We build and resurface tennis and pickleball courts across New Jersey, so we spend a lot of time thinking about what happens where shoe meets surface. Tennis puts feet through a specific mix: constant stops, lunges and side shuffles that drag the foot against the inside of the shoe, long matches in closed court shoes, and summer sessions on acrylic hard courts that sit in full sun.
Three problems come out of that mix, and they need different fixes:
- Sweaty, smelly feet. The NHS says smelly feet are common and usually caused by a build-up of sweat and bacteria. Sweat by itself is not an infection.
- Blisters. The NHS says blisters are mostly caused by friction. Damp socks and a loose heel make friction worse.
- Athlete's foot. A fungal infection that causes itching and cracked, flaking or peeling skin, most often between the toes. MedlinePlus says it spreads through direct contact or through items like shoes, socks, and shower or pool surfaces, and that sweating a lot and keeping feet wet for long periods raise the risk.
The thread through all three is moisture. Dry feet blister less, smell less, and give the fungus a harder time. Dryello's own guide to why athletes get athlete's foot covers the sports side in more detail.
A Dry-Feet Routine for League and Club Players
These steps follow the American Academy of Dermatology's advice for preventing athlete's foot and managing sweaty feet, translated to a tennis week.
- Before you play: start with clean, completely dry feet. The AAD says to wash feet every day with soap and dry them completely. Spend an extra few seconds between the toes, where the fungus usually starts.
- Socks: wicking, not cotton, for match play. The AAD recommends socks made of natural fabrics or fabrics that dry quickly or wick moisture away, and notes that not every polyester or nylon sock actually wicks, so look for the words “moisture wicking.” The NHS blister page suggests thick, moisture-wicking sports socks during exercise.
- Pack a second pair. The AAD says to change your socks every day and more often when they get wet. On a hot July afternoon, a sock change at a set break is a small thing that keeps the third set from being played in wet socks.
- Rotate court shoes. The AAD says to alternate the shoes you wear each day so they are dry when you put them on. The NHS says not to wear the same pair for more than 2 to 3 days in a row if you have athlete's foot. If you play four or five times a week, two pairs of court shoes is a foot-health purchase, not a luxury.
- After play: shoes out of the bag. A sealed tennis bag in a hot car is the warm, damp space the AAD describes. Take shoes out, open them up, pull the insoles if they come out, and let them air out somewhere ventilated.
- Club showers: flip-flops every time. The AAD says to wear shower shoes or flip-flops around pools, gyms, showers and locker areas, because the fungus may be on the floor.
- Don't share. Towels, socks and shoes all spread the fungus. Doubles partners can share a court, not a towel.
Stopping Tennis Blisters
Most tennis blisters show up on the ball of the foot, the big toe and the heel, where hard stops and pivots create the most friction. The NHS advice for people who often get friction blisters on their feet is short and practical:
- Wear comfortable, well-fitting shoes.
- Wear new shoes for short periods until they are comfortable. Don't debut new court shoes in a tournament.
- Wear thick, moisture-wicking sports socks during exercise.
- Change your socks frequently if you get sweaty feet.
That last line is where sweat control and blister control meet. A foot that stays drier slides less inside the sock. If a blister does form, leave it covered and intact where you can, and don't put an antiperspirant on the broken skin. Dryello has a useful piece on how to prevent blisters written for runners that applies just as well to court sports.
Court surface matters at the margins too. A very gritty surface grabs shoes harder, and a slick one makes feet slide inside the shoe as players brace. If you're choosing a surface for a home or club court, our guides on court surface slip resistance and cushioned court surfaces explain the trade-offs.
When a Foot Antiperspirant Makes Sense
The AAD's self-care advice for heavy sweating starts with one distinction: antiperspirants reduce sweating, deodorants don't. Deodorants only mask or stop odor. The NHS smelly-feet page also lists foot powder or an antiperspirant among the things you can do yourself.
For tennis players, a foot antiperspirant makes the most sense if you regularly finish matches with soaked socks, if your shoes smell no matter how you air them, or if damp feet are part of your blister story. It is a sweat product for healthy skin. It is not a treatment for athlete's foot.
Partner pick for sweat: Dryello Foot Antiperspirant (For Him / For Her)
- A dry glide-on stick made for feet. Active ingredient on the FDA-listed Drug Facts label: aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly 6%. Labeled use: reduces sweat.
- Label directions: wash and dry the area, then apply thoroughly with broad strokes, including in crevices.
- Label warnings: don't use on broken skin, stop if a rash or irritation occurs, and ask a doctor first if you have kidney disease.
- For Him and For Her are the same active and format with different scents. Each was listed at $14.50 for a 36 g stick on dryello.com on October 26, 2026.
Is It Athlete's Foot or Just Dry, Beat-Up Feet?
Players often write off peeling skin as a side effect of hard courts and hot shoes. Sometimes it is. But the NHS lists itchy white patches between the toes, red, sore and flaky patches, and cracked, bleeding skin as signs of athlete's foot, and says it can also affect the soles and sides of the feet. MedlinePlus says the most common symptom is cracked, flaking, peeling skin between the toes or on the side of the foot.
If the peeling is itchy, sits between the toes, or keeps coming back after you think it's gone, treat it as athlete's foot and see how it responds. If you're unsure, a pharmacist can look at it. Dryello's explainer on cracked, peeling feet: dry skin or foot fungus walks through the differences.
Treating Athlete's Foot During the Season
The NHS says athlete's foot is unlikely to get better on its own, that pharmacy antifungals usually take a few weeks to work, and that you do not need to stay off work or school. For most adult players that means treat it at home and keep your court time.
The details that decide whether it clears:
- Follow the label exactly, including how often and how long. Feeling better after a week is not the same as being clear.
- Cover the whole affected area, with special attention to the spaces between the toes.
- Keep the dry-feet routine going during and after treatment. The NHS says to keep following its prevention advice after you finish treatment to help stop athlete's foot coming back.
- Don't scratch, which the NHS says can spread it to other parts of your body.
Partner pick for athlete's foot: Dryello Athlete's Foot Treatment Stick
- An OTC antifungal with tolnaftate 1% in a dry glide-on stick, so there's no cream on your hands before you grab a racquet.
- Uses on its Drug Facts label: cures most athlete's foot (tinea pedis); relieves itching, burning, cracking and scaling; prevents recurrence of most athlete's foot with daily use.
- Label directions: wash and dry feet thoroughly, apply a thin layer to the affected area twice daily (morning and night), pay special attention to spaces between the toes, wear well-fitting ventilated shoes, and change shoes and socks at least once daily.
- Label warnings: don't use on children under 2 unless directed by a doctor; stop and consult a doctor if irritation occurs; avoid contact with eyes.
- Listed at $16.95 for the 30 g pack of two 15 g sticks on dryello.com on October 26, 2026. A fragrance-free version was listed at $18.95 the same day.
Other over-the-counter actives for athlete's foot include clotrimazole, miconazole and terbinafine. The NHS notes that not every product suits everyone and some are adult-only, so check the packet or ask a pharmacist. The best one is the one you'll use consistently for the full course.
When to See a Doctor
The NHS says to see a GP (in the U.S., your doctor or a podiatrist) if pharmacy treatments don't work, if you're in a lot of pain, or if your foot or leg is hot, painful and red, which could be a more serious infection. Also check with a doctor before self-treating if you have diabetes, poor circulation or a weakened immune system. And if your toenails are thickening or discolored, that's a different problem: athlete's foot labels like Dryello's don't cover nails.
If You Own the Court: Small Things That Help Players' Feet
Foot care is mostly up to the player, but a court owner, club or HOA can make dry feet easier:
- Shade at the bench. A shaded spot to change socks and let shoes breathe at a set break. See our court shade structure guide.
- Cooler surface choices. Lighter color coatings and court orientation affect how hot the surface runs. Our guides on reducing court surface heat and court orientation and sun glare cover the options.
- Good drainage. Courts that hold puddles mean wet shoes before the first serve. See court drainage systems.
- Clean, dry changing areas. If your club has showers, a daily cleaning schedule and a “shower shoes required” sign are cheap prevention.
Tennis Foot Care FAQs
How do tennis players keep their feet dry?+
Tennis players keep feet dry with three habits: moisture-wicking socks changed as soon as they get wet (pack a spare pair for long matches), two pairs of court shoes rotated so each pair dries for a day, and drying carefully between the toes after every shower. On clean, unbroken skin, a foot antiperspirant applied the night before or the morning of play reduces how much the feet sweat. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends moisture-wicking socks, changing socks when they get wet, and alternating shoes so they are dry when you put them on.
Can you get athlete's foot from playing tennis?+
Tennis itself does not cause athlete's foot, which is a fungal infection you pick up from damp floors, shared towels or shared shoes, often in club locker rooms and showers. But long matches in closed court shoes keep feet warm and wet, and MedlinePlus lists sweating a lot and keeping feet wet for long periods as risk factors. So tennis players who sweat heavily and shower at the club are a common fit for it.
Can I keep playing tennis with athlete's foot?+
Usually yes. The NHS says you do not need to stay off work or school with athlete's foot, and over-the-counter antifungals are applied at home. Keep treating exactly as the label directs, wear flip-flops in the club shower, don't share towels or shoes, and change into dry socks after play. See a doctor if it isn't improving, is very painful, or the foot becomes hot, red and swollen.
What is the best athlete's foot treatment for tennis players?+
Any over-the-counter antifungal that clears athlete's foot, used for the full labeled course, is a reasonable choice. Tolnaftate, clotrimazole, miconazole and terbinafine are common actives. What matters most for a busy player is a format you will actually apply twice a day. Our partner pick is Dryello's Athlete's Foot Treatment Stick, a dry glide-on tolnaftate 1% stick. Its label says it cures most athlete's foot, relieves itching, burning, cracking and scaling, and prevents recurrence of most athlete's foot with daily use.
Does a foot antiperspirant help with tennis blisters?+
It can help indirectly. Blisters come mostly from friction, and the NHS advises well-fitting shoes, breaking in new shoes slowly, moisture-wicking sports socks, and changing socks often if your feet sweat. A drier foot moves less inside a damp sock, so cutting sweat is one piece of a blister plan. A foot antiperspirant does not treat a blister or an infection, and Dryello's antiperspirant label says not to use it on broken skin.
Should I use a foot antiperspirant or an antifungal?+
Use an antiperspirant for sweat and odor on healthy skin. Use an antifungal if you have itching, peeling, cracking or scaling between the toes or on the sole. An antiperspirant does not treat a fungal infection. Neither Dryello label addresses using both together, so ask a pharmacist if you want to combine them; a common approach is to clear the infection first, then add an antiperspirant to unbroken skin.
Do hot hard courts make sweaty feet worse?+
Heat makes everyone sweat more, and acrylic hard courts in full sun get hot in a New Jersey July. Your court shoes are the barrier, so the practical response is the same: breathable shoes, wicking socks, a mid-match sock change on long days, and shoes that dry fully before the next session. If you own a court, lighter surface colors, shade and timing play for mornings or evenings also help; see our guide to reducing court surface heat.
More guides: pickleball vs. tennis in NJ, how to build a backyard tennis court, and best ball machines for backyard courts.
Sources
- American Academy of Dermatology — How to prevent athlete's foot (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- American Academy of Dermatology — Hyperhidrosis: tips dermatologists give their patients
- NHS — Athlete's foot
- NHS — Smelly feet
- NHS — Blisters
- MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine) — Athlete's foot
- DailyMed — Dryello Athlete's Foot Treatment Stick (tolnaftate 1%) Drug Facts label
- DailyMed — Dryello Antiperspirant Deodorant Foot Glide-On Stick Drug Facts label
- Dryello product pages (prices and sizes as listed on October 26, 2026)
Disclosure: This guide was written in partnership with Dryello, a foot-care brand made by ProPedix, Inc. That is why Dryello products are our picks on this page. Links to dryello.com include tracking parameters so Dryello can see visits from this page. NJ Court Pros builds and resurfaces courts; we did not test any product, we don't publish ratings or reviews we didn't collect, and no other brand mentioned here paid to appear. Product facts come from FDA-listed Drug Facts labels on DailyMed and from dryello.com.
This is general information, not medical advice. Read and follow the product label, and talk to a doctor, podiatrist or pharmacist about any foot problem that isn't improving.
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