The net gains of taking up tennis
FORMER Junior Wimbledon champion and Tennis Academy founder Annabel Croft shares her top seven reasons for taking up the sport...
1 IT’S FOR ALL AGES AND ABILITIES
“YOU can pick up a racket at a really young age – and my parents have played right into their late 70s. Also, what I love about it is you can either choose to play competitively, or you can just do it as a fun drill session, trying to improve a skill.”
2 YOUR PERSONALITY SHINES THROUGH
“IT’S a very creative and artistic sport, but it also challenges the mind, as well as the body, and there’s always a little element of your personality in the way that you hit a ball. The way that you interpret or hit a forehand will look different from the way somebody else does it.
“That’s why, as a spectator, you get engaged with the person you’re following, because of the way they move, or hit the ball.
“Everybody loves Roger Federer because he’s such an artist and almost balletic in the way he moves so gracefully across the court, it’s effortless.
“He is incredibly laid-back and very calm. He loves what he does and engages in the competition, but he respects his opponents.”
3 IT’S A WORKOUT FOR YOUR MIND
“I HAD a hit this morning with a friend who used to be on the tour. I sweated and had a really good workout, but I challenged myself.
“No matter what level or standard you play at, there’s always something to work on.
“There are so many different elements to tennis, forehand, backhand, volleys, low-volleys, high-volleys, smashes, drop shots, serves... You have to really focus and concentrate. You’re always trying to improve something.
“If you get there, and you feel like you’re hitting that backhand a
bit better, it’s quite thrilling.”
4 IT’S A GREAT FAMILY GAME
“I PLAY it on holiday with my kids – we always do sport in the morning. But it’s such fun, sometimes when I’m out with them, I think, ‘God, this is such lovely mummy-daughter, mummy-son time’.
“I could never get on a rugby pitch with my son, but I can play tennis with him. It’s a real family activity and it’s a memory for him as much as it is for me. I love that.
“And it gets them outdoors, which is great with so many kids being completely diverted by screen-based activity.
“I always think kids are like dogs, they need to be exercised or walked at least twice a day to get rid of their energy. It’s a brilliant sport for that.”
5 IT TEACHES HUMILITY
“I have my own tennis academy and tennis holidays business, and when we are on the court together, it’s quite sweet seeing (the kids’) enthusiasm.
“But they learn also about humility, because you’re not going to be a winner every time in life. So, from a life perspective, for children, it’s really good to learn how to win and to lose.”
6 IT’S A STRESS-BUSTER
“I DEFINITELY feel like I have refreshed my mind, done some activity and I always feel better off after exercise. It’s a stress reliever as long as you’re playing well!
“It’s about the attitude you have towards playing, whether you want to just enjoy the challenge of trying to be a better tennis player, or try to win on the court.
“That’s very much Rafa Nadal’s mantra, it’s always about him trying to be a better player, not trying to win, because if you live and die by winning or losing, you might lose more than you win.”
7 PLAYING IN ALL WEATHERS IS PART OF THE FUN
“I PICKED up a racket at the age of nine, and in those days, there weren’t any indoor courts around so I had to play outside.
“Sometimes I would play in torrential rain with soaking wet balls. I played in ice, I played with a leg warmer over my hands, I literally played in all weathers, but it didn’t stop me going out there and having fun.
“It is really an outdoor sport, so you need to learn to play with the elements, with a bit of wind. It’s even more of a challenge trying to cope with the weather.
“It’s really good for players to learn how to deal with that.”