Avoiding looking into the sun while serving is so important to tennis players, the rules of the game allow the player or team who wins the coin toss to defer to the opponent, either forcing him to serve in the sun or to receive serve. Sunglasses for tennis can cause more problems than they solve---make sure you pick a pair that has the best features for tennis, and you'll have it made in the shade.
Field of Vision
Tennis players move forward and back and side to side, so it's important that your sunglasses provide a field of vision that provides good peripheral sight. Wraparound glasses provide increased sight by expanding the size of the lens out to the sides of your eyes so that you have look over, under and around the lenses less frequently. Field of vision is especially important on the serve, where the ball toss starts below your lenses, travels through them and ultimately moves above them. The longer you can keep you toss in your lenses, the better.
Lenses
If you wear eyeglasses off the court, you may want to consider prescription lenses for your tennis sunglasses. Your glasses may fall off of your face once or more during your match. Glass lenses are more scratch resistant, but plastic lenses are shatterproof.
During your match, you may experience different levels of sunlight. If clouds cover the sun for several points, you may want to take your sunglasses off and put them on the bench. Two points later, the sun may be shining in your eyes once more. You may not want to keep taking your sunglasses off and putting them back on, which could lead to your playing without sunglasses when you should be doing the opposite. Photochromic lenses adjust their tint as sunlight increases and decreases, allowing you to keep your glasses on during your match regardless of the level of sunlight. Keep in mind that these lenses do not adjust automatically, which may cause a distraction if the sunlight changes during a point.
Polarized lenses help reduce glare, which may be a problem if you are playing near a parking lot with many car windshields facing you, or by a pool.
Consider buying sunglasses with interchangeable lenses to help you play each match with the best vision option.
Fit
Tennis is a high-intensity sport that necessitates jarring physical movements in several different directions. Loose-fitting sunglasses will bounce up and down, either annoying you during a point or causing you vision problems. Look for sunglasses made specifically for sports because they address the snug fit requirements athletes have. Check to see whether the glasses have wire-core temples or a nosepiece for improved stability.
Sun Blocking
If you are on the court and in the sun on a regular basis, look for lenses that block ultraviolet A and B, or UVA and UVB, rays. If you spend many hours on the court each day teaching, your students won't be able to see your eyes as you speak to them, so consider using a lanyard with your glasses. A lanyard allows you to remove or lower your glasses frequently to make eye contact with your students without fear of dropping them on the ground and damaging them.
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