Sport-Blog.com

Tennis is a sport I've played for many years. I first learned to play in high school, when I was on the tennis team; I also played in college, and still find it to be good exercise. While I'm wouldn't want to play one of the Williams sisters, I am comfortable with my skill level; once you perfect a good serve, for instance, it tends to come back with a little practice. Here are some of the reasons I will probably always like tennis.

1 Tennis is a sport for many ages. I've seen little smart-alec kids of 5 and 6 prancing around on the Y courts, all dressed up in the cutest little outfits, racquets as big as their bodies. I've also seen people who must be in the 80-90 range playing tennis; they aren't as spry as the 6-year olds but still get the ball over the net. A lifetime of playing tennis is possible, and it's a good sport to keep on practicing.

2 Tennis gives a good upper body workout, and for women of a certain age, that's an area that becomes more difficult to tone. Tennis is an effective exercise for toning arms and backs, since many different movements are used. There's the serve, in which an overhead movement is used, the backhand and forehand. One never knows where the ball will be in the air when it arrives to be hit back, so a wide range of motion has to be used. Tennis is as good as a hula hoop; all that twisting and whacking the ball is good exercise.

3 Tennis also gives a good workout to the legs and heart; a fast paced game of tennis can make one perspire. Although there are rests in a tennis game, the short sprints to the other side of the court can pump up the pulse rate, and for those who can't take a lot of sprinting, playing doubles is an option. Playing someone who's more skilled can give one an even better workout.

4 Tennis clothes are attractive and easy-going. Although white-only was the color for tennis clothing for many years, newer styles are found in many bright colors. While some people play tennis while wearing shorts and a T-shirt, and others play in sweats, I kinda like those skirts with the weird pockets that hold a half dozen balls. White tennis clothes still look very good, and there are lots of different types of outfits available both at sporting goods stores and the fitness sections of department stores. Some popular tennis celebrities design and market their own lines of tennis clothes and accessories. Tennis players have a wide variety of shoes from which to choose, socks with pom-poms, sweatbands, and even tennis jewelry. A little diamond tennis bracelet looks nice with any outfit.

5 Scoring in tennis is rather strange. While most sports just give points in a 1-2-3 manner, a tennis game is not won that way. A player who has scored no points in a tennis game has a score of "Love," not zero. 15 points is given for the first point; the score goes up to 30 for the second point and to 40 for the third point. If both players are tied at 40, the score is "deuce." If the server gets another point then, the score is "ad in," or server's advantage. If the player who is not serving gets the point, the score is "ad out." A game must be won by two points, so the score can fluctuate from ad in to ad out forever until one player pulls ahead. Six games must be won, with a two game lead, to win a set, and two out of three sets must be won to win a match, although in some men's tournaments, three out of five sets constitute a match.

6 A nicely hit tennis ball makes a nice noise. I love to hear the whoop noise when the racket makes contact with the ball. I really don't like to watch sports on TV, but if someone is watching a tennis game I do like to listen to the sounds of the game. The crowd noises and the line judge yelling "OUT!" or "IN!" are other nice tennis sounds. I think a blind person would be able to thoroughly enjoy a tennis game, because the audio part of the game is as good as the video.

7 Tennis can be played year round in any climate. While most players prefer to play on outdoor courts, indoor courts are also available, although they are hard to find in some areas. Tennis players can easily switch to racquetball if indoor courts are not available in inclement weather. Tennis courts are found at many health clubs, YMCAs, public athletic complexes, schools, and parks, and tennis players can usually find free courts on which to play in any town, small or large.