Your Serve: Tennis as a Life-Changer
“How’s the world of corporate tax?” a familiar face asked in the grocery store.
“Well, no doubt it is fine and robust, but I left a couple of years ago.”The obvious follow-up question was, what could possibly
lure me away from a comfortable, professional service career? The answer: a tennis club.
It happened like this. Thirteen years with even a good company in the public accounting and corporate tax world was enough. I quit, mulled my future for a year and a half, and played tennis for recreation. Then the club where I played offered me the job of general manager. I thought back to my first summer playing there when I first arrived in Ottawa. One mid-week, 6 p.m. game stuck in my mind. Summers before that at 6 p.m. mid-week, I would have just been starting home from the office and at worst could be heading into or out of a meeting.
The tennis job was almost a no-brainer.
A lot of Canadians seem to agree. Except for the Yukon and Nunavut, all provinces and territories have their own tennis association. These associations and Tennis Canada (around since 1890!) must be doing something right because more than four million Canadians have picked up a racquet at least once in the last year, according to the association’s website.
The Ontario Tennis Association (OTA) has over 220 member clubs, helping more than 50,000 adult and child tennis players enjoy and improve their game. In Ottawa, we have the National Capital Tennis Association, with 21 member clubs. Having moved here from Toronto, I can attest to the awesome choice of clubs within 10 to 15 short minutes of everyone’s home or work.
Why Tennis?
- People of all ages and abilities can play, as either a competitive sport or recreation. Or both.
- It is affordable and accessible. All you need is a racquet, balls, tennis shoes and a friend (or even a wall).
- It’s good for your health. Tennis is a low-impact and low-injury sport, and is good for your muscles and your heart. It improves co-ordination, strength, balance and endurance.
- It is the sport of a full lifetime. Tennis programs start at pre-school and continue all the way for teams for those aged 80 and up.
- It can be played outdoors for three seasons and indoors year-round.
- Tennis is good for kids. It teaches hand-eye coordination, agility, flexibility and balance. It also promotes fair play and problem solving.
- Tennis is social. Join a club and meet new people with similar ideas and an active lifestyle.
- It’s a cheap therapy. Smashing a ball as hard as you can makes you forget your worries.
- Tennis is not time-bound, and is often available daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Tennis travels easily. Many places you visit worldwide will offer the chance to play.
- Program like mini-tennis for kids or adult clinics make learning fun, fast and simple.
Getting Started
A few years ago, the Ontario Tennis Association introduced the “Try, Learn, Play” concept. “Try” means just showing up and getting used to the equipment. To “try,” do this:
- Pass the ball back and forth between your racquet and a friend’s.
- Then bounce the ball on the racquet and on the ground.
- Get used to hitting the ball in one direction, for a specified distance and in a target area.
- Bounce the ball back and forth between partners many times, and then try doing it over an obstacle.
- Then use a brick wall, like at your local school. Hit the ball so it strikes the wall in a precise spot, then target various heights, then angle the bounce off the wall to a partner.
When new players go get an actual tennis court, many become addicted after their first long rally (say, 10 times over the net without breaking), so clubs and programs are available in abundance to really “learn” to play, the second of the OTA stages. Like all stages, tennis requires learning the basic rules, code of conduct and etiquette. First, here’s what the court looks like (at right).
Then the Rules
- The ball may be hit before it bounces or after one bounce.
- When receiving a serve, there must be one bounce.
- A ball landing on any part of the line is “in”.
- A player (or doubles team) must score four points to win a game. You score when your opponent fails to return the ball. The first player (or doubles team) to win six games by a margin of two points wins the set. A match is usually the best two out of three sets. Hence the phrase, “game, set, match.”
Tennis Etiquette
- Make line calls promptly and clearly.
- If your racquet touches the net, you lose the point.
- You must walk onto “your” court without disturbing adjacent courts. Wait for the other court’s point to finish, and then quickly cross the back of their court to get to your own.
You will want to develop good basic strokes:
- Forehand: If you are right- or left-handed, you hit a shot in the right (left) side of your body.
- Backhand: A shot hit on the opposite side of your ‘handedness.”
- Overhead: A shot hit over your head while you are at the net.
- Volley: A shot hit before the ball bounces, usually at the net.
- Drop shot: A very soft shot hit just barely over the net.
- Lob: A shot hit with any stroke high and deep into your opponent’s court.
The “play” component (third in “try, learn, play” trio) is putting your skills to test in a fun yet competitive environment. Your nearest tennis club usually offers club leagues, ladders, challenge match events, round robin tournaments, social mixers and doubles competitions. Use these opportunities to improve your tennis game and make new friends.
Camille Lewis is the general manager of the Ottawa Tennis & Lawn Bowling Club. She remembers her late grandfather who introduced her to the game when she was a girl and served to her with his “wrong” hand to challenge himself and give her a chance.