A Tennis Christmas Wish for Sportsmanship, Fair Play, and Joy

Merry Christmas, and warm holiday wishes to everyone who spent some part of 2025 thinking about tennis a little more deeply than absolutely necessary. As we near the end of the year, now is the perfect time to reflect on the gifts we have all received through tennis. This site has celebrated our love through books, history lessons, governance examinations, gear evaluations, training techniques, and more than a handful of wild tangents into the sport’s most obscure corners. The holiday season is the perfect time to reflect on the reasons tennis keeps its grip on us.

This Christmas, my wish for you is tennis-specific and intentionally practical.

May you and everybody around you embody the spirit of sportsmanship, both on and off the court. May your line calls be confident and true, and may your tennis life be filled with people who similarly don’t take liberties with the lines. May the ethics and behavioral norms of tennis be a part of the very fiber of your being, never performative, and may no one ever confuse grace with weakness.

I hope your leagues run smoothly, your captains communicate clearly, your computer ratings are accurate, and your tennis stays drama-free. May all the rules and regulations you are subjected to be well documented and aligned with expectations, with minimal surprises.

On court, I wish you strong legs in the waning moments of important matches, relaxed hands on big points, and the courage to swing freely when emotions spill over. May your footwork be crisp, your margins reflect smart tennis, and you see the hard work you have put in this year start to pay dividends.

Off court, I hope tennis continues to be a source of entertainment, curiosity, and joy. May it support your happiness, your fitness goals, your intellectual journey, and your sense of community. I hope it always remains a place where the journey never ends.

Thank you for reading, questioning, debating, and thinking alongside me this year. Fiend at Court exists because recreational tennis is a vital part of our lives, and we recognize that we cannot take what we have for granted. The people who regularly engage with this site understand that our sport needs advocacy and support, and how important it is to make good decisions as we prioritize the nature and direction of our investments on both personal and broader levels. In ways both big and small, we are shaping the future of the sport we love.

Merry Christmas. Happy holidays. Best wishes for a healthy, thoughtful, and well-played New Year.