Why I Started Playing Tennis as an Adult – And How It Changed My Life
Sometimes the best way to grow is to become a beginner again.
When I decided to take up tennis as an adult, I wasn’t expecting a life-changing experience. I was looking for something to do in my free time to get me out of the house, to get me more active and to have something to look forward to every weekend. I also wanted to find a community. I know for a lot of adults finding time to meet up with new people can be hard when work and other responsibilities take up so much of our time. Finding a hobby is great but if you can find a hobby and be part of a great community, that’s even better.
For me, I found that through tennis.
As I watched tennis on TV, I was always impressed by how the pros moved around the court and got into position in time to return the ball. And then there were the shots – how did they manage to make them look so easy to hit. Just amazing. Then I started playing and I realized how difficult tennis actually is.
Why I Took Up Tennis as an Adult
I came to tennis as an adult with relatively little experience in competitive sports. Learning something completely new was intimidating, but that was also part of the appeal. Even though I am already competing in the sport of archery, which requires focus, patience, and consistency, tennis is a completely different kind of challenge for me. Tennis is rapid-fire. Your feet are constantly moving, your body needs to get into the correct position, you’re holding your racket with the correct grip, selecting the right shot, and trying to anticipate your opponent’s next move – all within a matter of seconds. There are so many things that you are trying to think about, all at once. The mental part of tennis involves deciding in a split second which shot to make, trusting your instincts, and staying calm when things start to go wrong. While tennis is proving to be a tough sport for someone who is not naturally athletic, it is proving to be a really rewarding one too.
Learning to Be a Beginner Again
One of the things I love most about tennis is that it reminds me what it feels like to be genuinely bad at something. We adults are very used to being very good at things we do. We are very confident at our job and our daily routines. But there are very few things that we do that make us feel uncertain and vulnerable again. That is what makes playing tennis so great. Tennis changed that for me. Sometimes I hit the ball so hard that it goes into the next court. Other times, I just hit the ball out of bounds and it goes flying to who knows where. This can be a very humbling experience but also very liberating. When watching professional tennis, everything may seem so easy but it isn’t. What looks like an effortless serve and that perfect shot has taken years of practice, repetition, patience and perseverance to achieve. Trying to replicate even a fraction of that has taught me something important: improvement takes time. And I’m learning to enjoy the process.
Patience, Progress and Perseverance
Tennis has also taught me that progress rarely happens in a straight line. Other days everything seems to be working and I leave the tennis court feeling that I finally got it. Then the next practice arrives and it feels like I’ve gone backwards and I’ve forgotten everything. This is part of learning and progress is not always obvious. Sometimes it’s simply showing up for another lesson or finally returning a shot that sailed past you the week before. Those little wins, although small, can paint a big picture of how far you have come. I’m not trying to be the next Aryna Sabalenka. My goal is to see how much I can improve while enjoying the learning process.
More Than a Sport
Perhaps the biggest surprise has been the community. Tennis has introduced me to a lot of people that I probably would not have met if I had not taken up the sport. People are introduced to tennis in a variety of ways, there are lessons, clinics, and then there are group sessions, and when you join any of these you meet someone new. The majority of people I met are in the process of learning and understanding the game, sometimes making mistakes but improving with each practice. There’s something wonderful about that. Sharing some laughs after bad shots, being happy with long rallies, encouraging each other when we play badly, and even becoming friends outside of the tennis court – that’s what I didn’t expect when I first picked up a racket. I thought I was just taking up a sport. Instead, the greatest reward has been discovering the challenge of tennis, developing an appreciation for physical movement and athleticism, and most importantly, becoming part of a great community. You’re never too old to be a beginner! Sometimes, being willing to start from scratch is exactly what takes you somewhere new. Let the games begin!