Serving Up a Love of Tennis

Tennis was the first sport both of my children showed any sort of interest in, and I’d estimate that our daughter was probably around two years old when she discovered the joy of hitting a ball with a stringed bat. Of course, it was only a sponge ball and a super lightweight bat, but I can still remember the pure joy on her face every time I agreed to dig out the equipment.

As they’ve grown older, they’ve both taken on various other interests, but whatever their current thing is, they’ve both maintained a love of getting down to the local court and whacking a few balls around, especially with their friends.

You don’t have to be ultra-competitive to enjoy tennis either. Both our children are in tennis clubs and – while some do run regular tournaments – it’s mainly about enjoying the game, keeping physically fit and social engagement, making it perfect for children of all ages.

Here are a few things we’ve learned over the years that have helped our children get the most out of enjoying tennis.

Get started with an LTA Club for juniors

One of the first steps toward making tennis a regular part of your child’s life is joining an LTA-registered club. LTA stands for The Lawn Tennis Association, and their clubs provide access to courts, coaching, competitions and a welcoming community of players. Membership gives you access to coaching programmes, junior development pathways, organised matches, and club social events. It also means the venue meets national standards for facilities and safety.

Using the LTA’s “Find Tennis Near You” tool makes finding a suitable club and course for the age of your child really quick and easy; and the courses are very affordable, with 11 junior lessons costing around £77. The LTA also sells beginner tennis sets, including a racquet, balls and sweatbands, for just £4.99.

Use public courts for free access

Most local authorities have free to use tennis courts dotted around their administrative regions, and there are several parks in the Greater Manchester area with public tennis courts that are either free to use at designated times or inexpensive to book. These options are perfect for families who want to have casual sessions together without the commitment of club membership.
The LTA also has a search tool to find Barclays Free Park Tennis sessions, which allow you to turn up to a session and enjoy an hour of tennis at various local parks. You don’t even need equipment for those sessions as it can be provided to use free of charge.

Enter the odd tournament

Many tennis clubs run inter-club tournaments or send players – of all abilities – to take part in organised tournaments. Of course, there’s no obligation to do this, but it can really help to build a competitive spirit as well as important lessons about sportsmanship.

Our daughter had only been playing at her club for around six weeks when she entered her first tournament, and it was a really fun day out for us all. Playing against peers within her ability range helped with her self-confidence, and playing in a doubles tournament helped her develop communication and co-operation skills too. She even came as runner-up in her first tournament and when her brother saw her being presented with the trophy, he decided he was going to join a club as well.

Invest in a good racquet as your child develops

While the £4.99 LTA starter set is fine for getting your little one up and running, as they develop, they will really feel the benefit of a good racquet. Christmas and birthdays are the ideal opportunity to buy something that will really move their game forward.

One of the biggest mistakes we made with our son was keeping him using his LTA racquet as he grew stronger. So, at his last birthday, we invested in one of the best intermediate racquets on the market, the Head Radical Team L. It wasn’t cheap – around £130 at online retailers – but it’s fair to say that it’s his most prized possession and has really propelled his game forward.
It’s incredibly light compared to cheaper racquets of the same size, and because of the use of graphene inside the racquet, it feels solid when he hits the ball. He’s able to generate a lot more power and feels less twisting in his hand when he hits a shot off-centre and on the edge of the racquet. The sound created by the racquet is noticeably different from inferior racquets and sounds “satisfying” according to him. He loves the bold orange colour and takes much better care of it than he did of his cheap one too.

Of course, while the Radical Team L is perfect for our son, it’s not going to be best for everyone. Head’s comparison tool may be a good starting point when you’re ready for this next step and want to find what’s right for your little superstar.

One last thing

The New York Times recently ran an article about a study on the best sports for longevity, and guess which sport came out on top? That’s right, tennis. The article listed a range of reasons this might be, including the fact that tennis can be played well into your latter years. So don’t be afraid to get yourself signed up to a club as well.