Throughout 2025, we are spending the first full weekend of each month with posts inspired by Gretchen Rubin in her New York Times bestselling book, The Happiness Project. Rubin’s yearlong exploration involved dedicating each month to a specific theme or aspect of happiness. Specifically, she incorporated practical strategies and actionable insights to cultivate a more fulfilling and joyful life. Many of the techniques described in the book can also be applied to tennis. The broad theme for April is putting in intentional effort to have more fun.
At first glance, the idea of working on having fun sounds completely counterintuitive. It feels like fun should occur organically without any special effort. However, the truth is, what we find enjoyable often gets crowded out by routines, obligations, and the ever-present pressure to be productive. We assume joy will naturally find its way in, yet it rarely does without a bit of help. Being intentional about fun means recognizing its value and making space for it, even if that requires a little planning. That can take effort, but it’s energy well spent.
There are many reasons people play tennis, including the health benefits, staying fit, enjoying friendly competition, and building social connections. At the heart of it, I believe most players are drawn to the sport because it’s fun. This month is the perfect opportunity to seriously consider whether tennis delivers on its full potential of joy in your life. For many of us, the sport may have quietly slipped into the category of obligation or routine. If that is the case, this might be a wake-up call to take a step back and ask what could make tennis more enjoyable for you right now.
One of the keys to having more fun in tennis is developing a clear understanding of what you personally find enjoyable—and, just as importantly, what you don’t. Fun isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some players thrive on competitive matches and live for the pressure points. Others find their joy in the social aspects or the simple rhythm of hitting balls on a practice court. It’s worth taking a moment to reflect on which aspects of tennis light you up and which parts leave you drained or frustrated. The more aligned your tennis experience is with what actually brings you joy, the more consistently fun the sport becomes.
Last April, I introduced the idea of using simple, intentional reflection to uncover what truly brings you joy on the court as a part of the “Designing Your Tennis Life” series of posts. “Your Tennis Happiness Journal” describes techniques for using intentional reflection to uncover what truly brings you joy on the court. The premise was straightforward: after each tennis session, jot down a few quick thoughts about what you liked, what frustrated you, and any moments that felt especially energizing or deflating. It’s not meant to be a burdensome task—just a few honest sentences can reveal valuable insight.
Now, as we revisit the theme of fun a year later, taking the time to invest in that exercise feels even more relevant. If you’re unsure whether tennis is still bringing you joy—or want to recapture a sense of playfulness that may have faded—a journal can guide that discovery. It’s a tool to help you identify what formats, people, times of day, or types of engagement consistently leave you smiling versus the ones that don’t. Keeping a journal doesn’t just document your experience—it empowers you to shape it. Working on having more fun in tennis starts with noticing where the fun is actually happening.
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Throughout 2025, I am dedicating the first full weekend of every month to exploring how ideas from Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project (<- Sponsored Link) can spark greater enjoyment and happiness in tennis. This is a non-tennis book that I have come to believe everyone should read. Seriously, you should get your hands on a copy of this book and consider trying some of the techniques described by the author.
