Tennis: The Sport for a Lifetime

A few years ago, the United States Tennis Association (or USTA) ran an ad campaign promoting tennis as "The Sport for a Lifetime." This slogan wasn't just a catchy phrase thought up by some advertising genius - tennis really is a game that you can enjoy long-term, both as player and a spectator.


Here's a quick list to show you why I believe that tennis can be the sport for a lifetime, for almost everyone:

• You can play tennis at any age, even competitively, without killing yourself. If time and work haven't killed the weekend warrior living beneath your placid exterior, you can compete in organized tennis tournaments and league matches at virtually any age, at almost any skill level.
• You don't need 17 other people with their own mitts to play a game. Unlike a sport such as baseball, you need only two people, a ball, and two racquets to play tennis. Of course, if you do have 17 other people who want to play tennis with you, then fine - you can get a great tournament going. But you may need a few more balls!
• You don't need a whole bank full of money to play tennis. Although tennis can be expensive, it doesn't have to be so. If you want, you can spend all day at the public courts without spending a nickel on anything other than some sunblock and an occasional soft drink.
  
  Because tennis can be a cheap game to get into, people from all kinds of backgrounds can get interested in (and get really good at) the game. Tennis isn't just a game for people who can afford to pay 100 USD a pop for lessons. In fact, some of the greatest players in history had pretty humble beginnings: Andre Agassi's father worked as a doorman at Las Vegas hotel; Jimmy Connors's father was a bridge operator on the Mississippi River near St. Louis; Steffi Graf's father was a used car salesman; Tony Trabert's father took out loans so that his son could take trips to compete in national junior tournaments; and the great Pancho Gonzalez grew up poor in the Latin barrio of Los Angeles, dropped out of school to further his tennis game, and became one of the game's all-time champions.
• Tennis brings people together. No, I'm not getting all sentimental on you - in tennis, people of different ages and genders can match up well as partners. In tennis, you can find yourself in a spirited mixed-doubles game along with your spouse, your grandson, and your daughter-in-law, for example. The only thing you may have to worry about is initiating a family feud.
• Tennis is great way to keep fit. Tennis has a high fitness rating, and you can dial in the degree of workout you want.