I suppose about top of my list of successes at the tennis centre moment is the Rusty Rackets tennis group.
They are a nice bunch of people, mainly middle-aged, who responded to our tennis advertising recently in the local newspaper. Most of them had played some tennis before but had let it fall by the wayside.
We’ve had one Rusty Rackets introductory tennis session so far and they seemed to enjoy it very much. They were all keen to get fitter and, although they didn’t know each other at the beginning of their tennis games, they were all laughing and joking by the end and having fun.
Max tells me I need to identify the things that are beneficial about the game of tennis so that I can convey these benefits to potential tennis players through this blog. It’s a new way of looking at things for me. Because I’ve grown up in a world of tennis, tennis equipment, tennis clubs and just everything tennis, I’ve always assumed that tennis would be part of my life.
It is quite difficult for me to imagine that, for other people, tennis does not play such a central part.
Max also tells me that I need to identify the negative aspects in other people’s eyes about the sport of tennis. He tells me that, for many people, tennis is a highly competitive game that for them involves losing.
This is another aspect of tennis that I don’t understand. When I have played tennis I have always been a winner. Playing tennis doesn’t scare me. If anything, it is an opportunity for me to win and feel good.
Max on the other hand has explained to me that others might not feel the same. In fact, as beginner tennis players, they are more likely to to be on the losing end.
Max tells me that I need to emphasise that playing tennis is not about winning or losing but is about other things such as enjoying the curve of the ball as it flies from the racket, the pleasure of perfecting and making a great shot, the camaraderie of the tennis club and the pleasure of meeting lots of different people from different backgrounds who share a common interest – perhaps even partners in future relationships.
Speaking personally, I’ve often found relationships through tennis, although that was before coming to the Sport, Sports and Sporting Activities Centre in Devon where it all seems a bit too quiet at the moment for much of a social life.
