Tennis Chatter

For the longest of time I could not digest the reason why some people play tennis until midnight on any given working week. I initially thought it was just for health reasons but when I learned the hours they spent in the tennis courts around my beautiful city, I began to scratch my head in wonder.

Learning the sport was gradual. In my mind I was spitting expletives on how in the world the grip can affect the spin of that small yellow ball. Coming towards a beginner’s face it should have been engraved with “eyes on the ball!�? since that rule is as staple as hearing in music appreciation.

How I finally got to learn the grip, the stroke, the serve, the bloody footwork, heck, the proper breathing, and my preferred battle cry is another story I will elaborate some other time. For now, suffice it to say that once I have learned the sport, I wondered no more about the hours “wasted�? in playing it. It was one of those seldom times that I relinquished my freedom to complain. I had my fill of that with soccer, badminton, softball, volleyball, basketball, mountain climbing, even chess! Not tennis. While learning, I was a picture of patience. Once I have become competent, I long for more and more hours to play if only my arms and shoulders allow.

The very freedom tennis provides the individual to attack the ball is astounding. Execution is instinctive yet calculated. The joy of mental estimation is inescapable. It is artistic yet very physically demanding. The court becomes a microcosm of life in motion and you as the player are alone to figure your way around it. That is the very reason why the on-court coaching started by the WTA last year is a gag. What brings out the hysterics is the reaction of some players who insist (like robots) that they play by instinct yet openly cheat in front of millions (code: banana fingers).

Tennis is also an expensive sport. I studied it seriously the moment I landed my first job. One look at me and my first instructor’s initial concern was “I will understand if you find it too expensive and quit later on.�? It is different being underestimated for your looks; it is another matter if you are underestimated for your capacity to pay. He made it totally easy for me to kick him out.

Curiously, some of my young court associates talked about playing the sport in their old age, imagining themselves calling each other up in that exaggerated wobble of old people’s voice, “Hey buddy! Tennis tonight?�? Conversations like that often illicit laughter and playful bantering.

Oddly enough, I do not see it as an impossible scenario (old men and women swinging rackets is recreational to the eyes). Only one reason will move us to continue this sport: LOVE.