Tennis isn’t fun ... or is it?
All ages | Tennis
By Red Wilder
Special to Score!
A recent report from the United States Tennis Association stated that 25 million Americans are playing tennis now, the most since 1992.
According to the largest annual survey in sports by the Tennis Industry Association, participation increased by 5.8 million new players in 2005 alone! So, there are quite a few people who have discovered that tennis is fun.
Here in Calhoun County, we have just completed our fifth year of United States Tennis Association (USTA)-sanctioned league tennis.
The first year we had 22 participants. In 2004, there were 193. In 2005, we were up to 259.
In 2005, we also had 12 area teams of Summer Junior Team Tennis, as well as several boys’ and girls’ high school tennis teams. Also, don’t forget the men’s and women’s Jacksonville State University tennis teams.
If you fear the court and are not sure where to begin, go to a Tennis Welcome Center or fully staffed center for your first experience.
A tennis instructor can show you how to grip the racquet and the mechanics of a stroke. There are up to 100 different skill levels in tennis. As you master one and progress to the next, your enjoyment of the game will increase accordingly.
Good luck learning to play the greatest sport for a lifetime — Tennis!
For more information on the United States Tennis Association, visit www.usta.com