I like to go out to play tennis at least once a week not so I can eventually be like Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal. There’s something about playing tennis and having 2 full hours where the noise of my life disappears at least for 2 hours, and at the same time burn more calories and stay in shape. It impresses my doctor when he looks at my clinical reports during my annual exams. But how does one get out without joining a private golf and tennis club and paying those exorbitant dues? Not everyone can justify those monthly dues, especially in these inflationary times. I got some ideas:
Have a Group Chat Going with Tennis Friends
Over the years, I have amassed a small group of tennis friends. This is only possible when you go out to play and meet them on the tennis courts or at events. This takes a lot of effort when you’re always feeling people out making sure that you actually get along with them. You have to learn how to avoid those annoying ones and especially the creepy ones. What I have done lately is create a group text with only the people I know playing tennis on my same level of play. I probably have about 20-25 people who I would consider “tennis friends”. So, every time I feel like playing, I send out a group text asking “who wants to play tonight/tomorrow?” But more times than none, no one replies because either they are too busy or “out of town…”
Jump in and Play any Season by Getting a VR Headset
I wonder if this works. In this world of Peloton, Nintendo Wii, Metaverse, VR, AR, etc., I have yet to see if this really works. There’s a company, VR Motion Learning, based in Austria that is taking the lead in bringing real motion VR tennis to the market. In 2021, “…the e-sport market is growing 10-15 percent a year..” according to CEO Gregory Gettinger (follow him on Twitter), in his interview at the Fintech Summit in November 2021. I’m really excited about this development. It might be worth thinking about buying that first VR headset and starting plugging in during days that you can’t just leave your house when it’s raining or too cold outside.
Join a Flex League – Find local tennis players
One thing that I have done to play more tennis matches is joined a flex tennis league. A Flex Tennis League is one of those formats where you join the league, then for a short period of time, you play with other people on your own time and day, and tennis that is convenient to you. Each platform may differ somewhat in their rules. Some are timeboxed where there is a fixed schedule that you must follow to play with other players, some are “open” where you can play anytime with anyone (like a round robin style), and some have a minimum number of matches required before you can qualify for the playoffs. But most platforms end up in playoffs, which is the best part of this format, where players play in a single elimination knockout mini-tourney and the winner that ends up in the final takes the prize. While I have yet to take the prize home, I have found that it is a good way for people to come out to play with you when people are committed. It also gives you a way to meet very interesting folks in your area. Sites like Ultimate Tennis, Play Your Court, Tennis League Network, and Game.Set.Match are a few examples of these platforms that I am talking about.
Best of luck to you all considering tennis as one of your outlets whether it be for a workout, wellness, meeting new like-minded folks, or simple to get your competitive spirit high again.
