Tennis is the gentleman’s sport. Since the origin of the modern game in 1859 by Harry Gem, tennis has been intriguing, not for the masses, but rather the one percent.
That is, unfortunately, a problem because many kids who would be well-suited for competitive tennis end up playing recreational soccer and earning participation trophies when they could be winning championships. The sole reason; they aren’t exposed to tennis at a young age. But ignoring that rant, tennis is seemingly a dull sport, so here is a guide to watching tennis that makes it just a bit easier to enjoy the match.
One of the first things I recommend is to find out what tournament is going on when you want to watch a match. Tennis is on TV for about ten months during the year, thus it shouldn’t be too hard to find a match. Before you watch the match though you should do a quick research of the tournament and get some basic details, such as the surface on which it is played. This determines the style of game that you might see during the match. Then I recommend you find out who is playing. Most tournaments that are televised feature big names such as Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Stanislas Wawrinka, and Rafael Nadal, just to name a few, but you may also see names that are less familiar, such as Nick Kyrgios, an Australian sensation on the rise. If many of these players are playing, then that indicates that the tournament is quite a big one.
The next step to watching a match is to choose a favorite player. If it is a doubles match, then choose a favorite pair, and if it is a team tennis match, then choose a favorite team. If you find yourself in a situation where you can’t choose a player, then I recommend watching a few YouTube videos of the player rallying. See if anything about his style of play is interesting to you. If you do find something, watch that player closely during the match and see if you can pick up any patterns. Chances are you will.
Tennis is a sport of numbers. From the interesting scoring system, to the serve speed, to the seemingly random percentages the commentators throw out during the match, numbers are quite prevalent. If you enjoy statistics, then tennis is the sport for you. One of the cool things to focus on during the match is serve speed. See if the players manage to break the world record for fastest serve, which is 163 miles per hour, or 263 kilometers per hour. Or focus on the patterns that the players implement, such as the typical cross court shots to set up the down the line finish, or the serve and volley technique.
Tennis is a great sport and can be watched by anyone. It just takes a bit of effort to find the match, but once you do you’ll have a great time watching it. And if you’re unsure of how to watch the match, then just follow the tips that are in this article and enjoy the gentleman’s sport.