Why Tennis is Great
by: Mike Sprouse/TennisCT
When spectators are able to return to the stands at a professional tennis tournament, take a look at who's there. More often than not, the crowd will include a combination of celebrities, tennis enthusiasts, and professional athletes from other sports. Tennis has a certain wonder and awe-inspiring quality about it. Even the world's most famous tennis Dad, Mike Tyson, is all-in on tennis. The question is why? What makes tennis great?
We've talked before about the health benefits of the sport, and its unique qualities that have driven the sport's growth during the pandemic. Let's uncover a few more things that make the sport such an amazing physical, mental and creative activity.
You can play the sport at any age.
Unlike other sports, you're not "too old" to play tennis. We know people that are over 100 years old that still play regularly. And if your youngster is so inclined, we know kids who started swatting a ball around at under 5 years old. The best part? You can actually improve at any age no matter how old you are.
It's fun!
Once you start playing the sport, it's tough to not get hooked. The feeling of hitting a tennis ball, running after it, playing against different personality types and styles of play all add up to a fun experience. When you start to perfect your technique and see signs of improvement in your game, you'll never want to stop playing the sport. A side benefit: hitting a tennis ball in the exact spot you're aiming for is really satisfying.
It's very social!
When most people think of tennis, they envision someone alone by themselves on one side of the net. That's really not all tennis is, though. Once you find a coach you enjoy, or some friends at your same level, or a tennis facility that you like, the whole experience of playing tennis becomes a social outing as much as anything.
It's an incredible workout!
Tennis has a perfect mixture of cardiovascular exercise and anaerobic movements. It's a total body workout that tests your strength, flexibility and overall fitness. If you're really feeling adventurous, play a set or two of singles and see how you feel. If not, playing a competitive match of doubles will do the trick.
It's challenging.
Who doesn't like a good challenge? Tennis can be incredibly difficult to learn and get good at, but don't let that intimidate you. Once you get the hang of it, you'll love the challenge of having to consider angles, strategy, stroke technique, movement, spins and the playing conditions...all at the same time! Don't worry if your physical condition or movement has deteriorated because of age, that just adds to the challenge: to see how you can compete against Father Time in addition to everything else!