“You don’t run in tennis.” “Do you even have to work?” “It is not even that hard!” “It is just so boring, I would never play!”
Tennis players all over hear these phrases more than you can imagine. However, anyone who has tried to play knows this is incredibly inaccurate. Tennis is one of those sports you can pick up just for fun, and spend the rest of your life playing. Not only are there many health benefits, but there are also many fun/social aspects to the game.
Firstly, numerous health benefits come with playing tennis. The best part is, once you understand the game and start playing, you get a fun workout! You often hear people say, including myself, that they do not like just going out and running or on a treadmill. Sure, running outside is nice sometimes, but I get bored. I feel I can get more accomplished in an hour-and-a-half tennis drill than going out for a run. Tennis is a great aerobic exercise, AKA cardio. A few benefits of aerobic exercise include improving cardiovascular health, lowering blood pressure, reducing chronic pain, and weight loss.
Along with those, tennis helps explicitly improve muscle tone and flexibility, increasing reaction time. Another factor that causes many people to pick up tennis is that it is a non-impact sport. Tennis is generally easy on the body. Sure, you will hear about the pros having injuries, but typically, tennis is pretty safe. Here at Wembley, we have a gentleman in his 80s still playing multiple days a week, and he is not the only one doing it! Even at the National Senior Games, there is a 90+ age division! The longevity of this sport is truly incredible.
If that is not enough to make you want to play, the social aspect will seal the deal for you. I will start with an anecdote. In eighth grade (2009), I became friends with one of the girls on my tennis team. Here we are, ten years later, and she is still my best friend. She is not the only one, though. Throughout my life, I have met some of the best people playing tennis, especially in adult league tennis. Even in these past six months of working at Wembley, I have met the greatest tennis players, both on and off the court, I could ever hope to have in my life. It is fun to play tennis with everyone here, and they have accepted me into their lives outside of the club. That’s how everyone is here. We go out together, we swim together, we have cookouts together, everyone’s children hang out together, we do things together. Adult league tennis is so much fun as well. If you thought competitive sports ended in high school or college, you have not played adult league tennis or USTA. Do not get me wrong, it is so fun, but when people want to win, they will do it. We still have fun though. Everyone grabs a drink and a bite to eat after the matches. You get to know each other if you are new, and get to know people from different teams. Even here at Wembley, we have friends from other clubs, most of whom we have tried to recruit to come here. When you play USTA and do drills with the tennis pros, you get to spend time with people and get to know them. It is a social game.
Tennis is much more than smacking a little yellow ball back and forth over a net—the friends you will make, the laughs, the competitive spirit, and the workout benefit life. Whether you are just starting tennis, or a lifelong player, this game is for you.
