I’ve played tennis for many years, so it’s safe to say I’m a big fan. The sport is fun, keeps me in shape, and gives me a group of friends I enjoy. But I idea it could be helpful to list and talk about seven things I don’t like about playing tennis. My target is not to discourage people from doing the sport but to be honest about the bad things that could happen.
7 Problems with Playing Tennis
The Weather
Even though tennis courts are inside, almost all tennis is played outside. You are then at the clemency of the weather. I live in sunny Florida, but I can’t tell you how many matches and practices have been canceled because of rain. During the holiday, the heat and humidity can also be very bad.
In the more northern parts of the world, there can be other weather problems, and it can be too cold to play for a lot of the year. In contrast, basketball, badminton, squash, and table tennis are all indoor sports where the weather never matters.
Finding Other Participants
For tennis to work, there must be a certain number of players. You need two people for a single and four people for a double. There are problems with odd numbers. In real life, this means that the people you play tennis with need to be reliable because if one person doesn’t show up, it affects everyone.
It also tends to help when the players are all about the same skill level. When you play with or against people who are very good or very bad, it can be less fun. Sometimes it’s simpler to bite the bullet and join a group or team where there should be enough people to find people you can hit with.
Expense
In theory, tennis is a sport that doesn’t cost too much to play. But in real life, the costs often add up. Costs are higher if you join a group or team and must pay membership fees, but they can still be big even if you don’t.
Racquets, shoes, clothes, bags, balls, the right gear, and many other accessories cost money and aren’t always cheap. There may also be costs that aren’t as obvious, like travel. If you enter tournaments or competitions, you might have to drive out of town and even pay for a place to stay the night.
Injuries
In tennis, getting hurt is a normal part of the job. They can happen at any age, but I’ve found that they happen more often as you age. Most injuries are small and can be fixed by resting and getting better. But people with more serious conditions may need physiotherapy or surgery to improve.
All of the following are common tennis injuries that I’ve had myself:
- Tennis elbow is so common that it’s named after the sport that causes it!
- Rotator cuffs tear
- Knee pain
- Calf and Achilles tendon sprains
- Back pain
- Tennis toes Wrist strains
Not a Team Sports
Some people love the sense of community and dependence that comes with being on a football, soccer, or basketball team. When more people are on a team, they often take on different roles, with a captain in charge. Most of the time, the players get close and sometimes hang out outside the sport.
When people play tennis, they usually play singles or doubles. Even if you are on a larger team, you are on the court alone or with a partner. In tennis, it’s often more important to be able to do things on your own than to work as a team. Especially if you lose, playing singles can be a stressful and lonely thing to do.
Teaching and Learning Time
A beginner can find it hard and take a long time to learn the sport. In tennis, it can be hard to figure out where to stand, how to hit the ball, or what strategy or tactic to use. When you first try out shots like the serve and the backhand, they don’t feel natural. It could be finest if you held a lot of training and practice to get good at the sport.
The truth is, even so, you can always get better, no matter how much experience you have, and this usually means getting more coaching. When you do coaching as part of a group, it can be fun and not too expensive. But if you want one-on-one attention, it will cost you much more.
Locating Courts Relying on where you live, it could be easy or hard to find courts to play on. Some cities have great tennis facilities, with lots of well-kept places to play that are either free or cheap. Others, on the other hand, have a lot less to offer. It can be very frustrating to be unable to locate a location to play or end up on courts that aren’t good enough or well-kept.