Tennis Envy

How many of your friends play tennis and then ROCK YOU when they step on to the pickleball court?  I think I have tennis envy. 

I used to avoid even watching tennis because I couldn’t even figure out what the score meant, much less how to keep it. But then I watch my friends with these amazing habits school me at the sport I introduced them to.  

Admittedly, I giggle when they miss the ball by about 3 inches when they swing at it until they adjust to the fact they are holding a paddle instead of a racquet…but then I totally eat my laugh when they slam an overhead so hard I suspect it will crack the concrete. Or when they have this gorgeous follow through to their backhand. I take full advantage of their skills and ask them to teach me and coach me. 

I also have friends who are “afraid” to try pickleball because they don’t’ want it to ruin their tennis game.  Because I want everyone in my life to come and play with me, I was thrilled to see that Tennis magazine featured Ben Johns holding a pickleball paddle in one hand and a tennis racquet in the other.  

Highlighted reasons to consider pickleball as a tennis player include the similarities in skill set, the smaller court (so it isn’t quite as hard on your body) and the fact that the learning curve isn’t as steep.  This means you can lasso all your friends into coming to playing with you…can’t do that with tennis if you want something more than comedic relief from the game.  

Anyway, the entire magazine was awesome—great articles, great insights, great explanation of the game.  If you are lucky enough to get your hands on one (thank you to a friend of a friend who mailed me her copy), you can use it to convince your tennis friends it’s time to convert….or at least not be “afraid” to try it out.