Tennis is a game that has been around for well over a hundred years, and is enjoyed by millions of people every year. Whether you are a player on par with such current greats as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, or you have just picked up a tennis racket for the first time, there is a lot of enjoyment to be gained from a simple game of tennis.

Tennis requires a lot of hand-eye coordination, as well as the ability to move on your feet. The game can be played either as a singles match, where in one person plays against another, or doubles, where each team has two people. Some competitions feature mixed doubles, with each team consisting of one male and one female member. Despite the many different possibilities for assigning teams, the most popular form of tennis is the singles game. It is an individual sport, one player against another, with no one else to blame for a defeat or claim credit for the victory. Television ratings for televised tennis tournaments are almost always significantly higher for the singles matches than for the doubles or mixed doubles.

Great tennis players are often featured in the “Grand Slam” tournaments, a series of four major tennis tournaments played every year in the same locations: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon (played in England), and the US Open. Winning any of these tournaments is a prestigious honor, and if a player wins them all in the same year, he or she is generally considered to be the best tennis player in the world.

However, many more people play tennis for recreation and fun than for international competition. Learning to play is not difficult, although it does require a little bit of patience and perseverance. The only equipment that you need to learn is a tennis racket, which you can find at any sporting goods store, and at least one sleeve of tennis balls, although more may be necessary if you find that you have a penchant for losing balls. Tennis courts are common throughout the American landscape, and many cities have parks with tennis courts in them. During the winter months, or just on rainy days, there are also many indoor courts that you can play tennis on, although some of these charge a fee for usage.

Learning to play tennis is a great way to pick up an enjoyable new sport without incurring too much of a financial burden. It is also a fairly low-impact activity, and the most common ailment that tennis players suffer from, “tennis elbow,” can generally be prevented with proper stretching techniques. For those players who want to play in some kind of competition, but are not on the level of playing at Wimbledon, many municipalities offer tennis tournaments open to anyone interested in competing against other tennis players.

Many people all over the country have already discovered the joys of playing tennis recreationally, and there has never been a better time to start than now.

Author Bio: I write for TIR Massage Stone about hot stone massage and massage stone therapy including hot and cold applications.

Category: Sports
Keywords: tennis,tennis players,doubles,mixed doubles,singles,