I typically receive two basic types of responses when asking people why they play tennis. The first is a simple “because it’s fun,” typically delivered without much additional thought either before or after answering the question posed. On the surface, it is an ideal explanation because tennis is supposed to be fun. However, I believe there is usually much more nuance to it.
The second type of response to the question of why a person plays tennis is a metaphorical “deer in headlights” moment. You will see this a lot with Junior players. As I have alluded to in the past, at no point during my childhood did it ever occur to me that not playing tennis was an option. It was just something that everyone in our family did. This question would have baffled me during that phase of my tennis life.
Yesterday, I introduced a non-tennis book that is an extremely valuable resource for career development and, more importantly, life development. The premise is that an enjoyable and fulfilling life is based on happiness rather than the more typical measures of success. In tennis, the love of the sport does not necessarily correlate to the level of mastery. There are many examples of extremely good players who profess a hatred of the sport that they nevertheless continue to play.
Ideally, tennis is but one component of a more comprehensive happy life. An important factor in whether or not that is the case is how enjoyable tennis is in the first place. Starting that thought exercise requires understanding why you play tennis at all and exactly how the sport makes you happy.
We are approaching New Year’s Eve, a traditional time to declare Resolutions for the coming year. Last December, I shared my own personal practice of setting goals rather than Resolutions in “Putting a Tennis Spin on New Year’s Eve.” Before embarking on this exercise for the coming year, I recommend that everyone first consider what makes you happy in tennis.
In other words, why do you play tennis?
Throughout 2024, I will be publishing a series of essays imaging how to apply the principles in ‘Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life‘ (<- sponsored link), which is a non-tennis book that I have come to believe that everyone should read.
A chronological summary of all posts on this topic is available on the Designing Your Tennis Life summary page.
Such a great question…,”Why do you play tennis?” Yet so complicated. Yes, it’s fun,but so frustrating. Especially as I get older and the injuries start creeping in more and more. But why is it fun and when do I feel especially happy while playing? At first my answer was…,winning! I love to win. But no, winning, for me, only creates higher expectations to win the next one or to not lose the next one. And ultimately, I feel disappointed in myself. I finally have realized that I am happiest while playing tennis when I am simply hitting the ball back and forth with rhythm and no thoughts in my head whatsoever. A target and that’s it. Feeling the rhythm of my forehand and backhand while seeing the ball hit my target ..,,, well, that is definitely my happy place. I need to remember that while playing a match,,,, to just enjoy the simplicity of hitting the ball well.
Thanks for the question Teresa and I’m looking forward to all of your insights, suggestions and questions in future articles you post!
Sincerely,
Alisha Croker