Welcome to The Modern Serve
For the love of the game, and everything that comes with it.
There’s something about tennis that keeps drawing people back to the sport again and again. For me, part of the allure is the feeling of hitting twenty poor-quality balls in a row and then, suddenly, hitting one lovely one. That one shot can make you want to pick up your racket and try again. But I think the real appeal of tennis, particularly as an adult, is the challenge. It’s the game itself, of course, but it’s also everything that surrounds it: chatting with other players on court, making friends, discovering new places to play and finding ways for tennis to become part of your life. That’s why I created The Modern Serve.
As a beginner adult tennis player, I spent plenty of time on the court practicing. When I wasn’t playing, I found myself looking for things to read about my new hobby. Most tennis websites seemed to be focused on professional tennis. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it wasn’t quite what I was looking for. I wanted something that reflected my experience as an adult recreational player who loves tennis, is still learning the game and has become increasingly interested in everything that surrounds it. So I created The Modern Serve, which is a place to reflect my tennis life.
More Than Just Tennis
For me, tennis is not just about what happens between the lines. The modern tennis player can incorporate the game into so many aspects of everyday life. How we move, how we recover after playing, what we wear on court, where we travel, which clubs we visit and how we choose to spend our weekends can all become part of the experience. That’s what I want to explore here.
You’ll find stories and ideas across five areas:
Adult Recreational Tennis — Inspiration, advice and stories from people who play tennis for fun. I’ll cover everything from improving your game and finding lessons to tennis gear, products and the everyday challenges of learning to play as an adult.
Tennis Wellness — A look at the fitness and wellbeing side of tennis, including how to build a healthier body and a healthier mindset around the game. Because looking after yourself off the court can make a difference to how you feel on it.
Tennis Style & Beauty — What we wear to play, how we prepare for the court and all the little details that make up our tennis style, from clothing and accessories to what’s inside the tennis bag.
Tennis Travel — Destinations, tennis clubs, resorts, tournaments and places around the world where you can combine a love of tennis with a love of travel.
And last, but certainly not least, Tennis Diaries — my own positive and not-so-positive encounters with tennis, complete with all the emotions that sit somewhere between winning and losing.
Learning in Public
One of the things I hope to bring to The Modern Serve is a genuine record of what it’s like to become an adult tennis player. You’re on the court, watching the effortless movements of other players. You compare your progress with theirs. You struggle to master a shot that you were convinced you had finally figured out. And sometimes you wonder whether you’re actually improving at all. I’ve experienced all of that. As I continue to learn and get better at the game, I’m also realizing that progress doesn’t always look dramatic. Getting better can mean understanding something you didn’t understand before. It can mean feeling more comfortable on court. It can mean having enough confidence to play with someone new. Sometimes it’s simply recognizing that a shot that once felt impossible now feels a little less impossible. Those moments matter. I’m still learning the game myself, and that’s how I want The Modern Serve to be written, which is from a real and honest perspective. I’m not pretending to have all the answers, and I certainly don’t believe everything magically falls into place once you pick up a racket. My hope is that sharing the good days, the frustrating days and everything in between will help other adult players feel a little less alone as they find their own way through the game.
A Life Around the Court
The more I play, the more tennis becomes a part of my lifestyle. It has changed the way I think about movement and health. It has introduced me to places I might never have visited otherwise. It has led to new interests, new friendships and a new appreciation for how I spend my free time. It has even influenced the way I think about clothing, travel and wellbeing. That intersection is where The Modern Serve lives. This blog is about tennis, but it’s also about the life surrounding the tennis court. Whether you’re taking lessons after work, getting back into tennis after years away, playing the occasional social match or simply trying to figure out how to become a better player, I hope The Modern Serve brings something useful to your journey.
A New Beginning
The launch of The Modern Serve has been an exciting step for me. I recently shared the story behind the site in a press release announcing its launch and its focus on adult recreational tennis players. But while a press release can explain what The Modern Serve is, this blog is where I want to show you what it actually feels like. I’ll be sharing practical tennis guides and tips, stories and personal experiences, advice on some of the best tennis destinations around the world, and my thoughts on the latest tennis gear. I’ll also be sharing the lessons I learn along the way — about tennis, training, movement, wellness and everything else that comes with trying to build a life around the game. There will be days when the tennis is wonderful. There will be others when it really isn’t. That’s part of the fun.
Thank you for being here at the beginning of my learning process. I hope The Modern Serve helps you develop your own tennis in whatever way matters to you — whether that means learning more about the game, discovering somewhere new to play, finding the right gear, exploring wellness, or simply reading about someone else trying to figure it all out on court.
Welcome to The Modern Serve.
Let’s play.