“ Tennis is a wimpy sport ”

“Tennis is a wimpy sport”, “Tennis isn’t even that hard”. As a tennis player, I often hear these comments. I want to address them in a way in which I can help those who think these things. Tennis is one of the hardest sports out there. In no way am I trying to bring down other hard working sports. Many of you are aware that I began tennis when I was four years old. I’d have to train very hard to get to where I am today. Every summer I would wake up at 8:00 am to go and train. I would have fitness, practice , I would eat good meals, etc. I would have days dedicated to working on my speed, strength, etc. The exercises you have to do for tennis are just like the ones you would do for any other sport. I remember my coach would set out 9 balls on the court and they would all be spread out on a different side/corner. I would start at the middle and be timed to see how long it takes me to take one ball at a time and bring it back to the middle. We would do this everyday until my time shortened. I can go on and on about what exercises I had to do and how practice would go. Just trust me it isn’t easy. You have to be just as motivated, determined, and hard working as you would be in any other sport. Recently I have been looking more in depth about this topic and I found an article that states: “ People don't care how difficult it is or how "mentally challenging" it is: Fact is tennis players are far less athletic than football, basketball, even baseball (to some degree) players. They certainly aren't in the physical danger that those athletes put themselves in.” I would like to say this is entirely false. There are many cases where if a tennis player doesn’t have the proper technique, they can affect their shoulders, ankles, wrists, knees, back, etc. Tennis players are also actually very athletic. When it comes to tennis, you have to train extremely hard. You have to focus on speed, footwork, balance, foot placement, technique, agility, endurance, power, mental fortitude, strategy, etc. Once you’ve mastered these skills, they can also help you with other sports which is why I personally enjoy playing many sports with tennis being my main passion. Till this day, I attend practice and it isn’t easy. Practice for me is two hours. We are continuously running, hitting as hard as we can, doing repetitions, and playing out points. Now this is what my practice looks like. Imagine a professional athletes practice! Not only is the intensity of their practices higher than mine, but also the frequency. They train and do fitness every single day. The ranking of a player is also very important to the players success. It is mentally challenging to play a tournament where the outcome can really affect your ranking. There is no one by your side to “pass the ball“ to. You are alone on that court with thousands of people watching you and your match. A whole stadium, not including those on national television. This sport tests you in ways I can’t even begin to explain. Tennis is the most underrated sport. It hurts me to hear “tennis is a wimpy sport” because if you don’t play the sport then you can’t say anything. You have no idea what goes on in practice, in tournaments, how hard you have to work to get your name and ranking up there. You have to be physically and mentally ready with all those people watching. If you make a mistake there is no one there to cover for you. No one to bring that score back up... just you. In this game you have your own back. I can go on and on about how tennis is extremely challenging and how it is definitely NOT a wimpy sport but I’d be here all day. Instead, I’ve attached two websites below that are on the right side about tennis.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1079846-tennis-one-of-the-most-underrated-sports-in-the-world

https://serveandvolleytennis.com/why-is-tennis-a-hard-sport/