If you're interested in playing tennis or have already started, it can be useful to understand both the benefits and risks of playing.
If you're not convinced by tennis, yet, the benefits might change your mind, but always take into account the risks as with any sport, tennis also has its downsides.
In this article, we'll look at both.
The Advantages of Playing Tennis
There are way more advantages to playing tennis than the few that we'll mention here, but we feel these are certainly the most important ones.
Bone Density
With sports like tennis, where you're regularly on your feet, you can improve your bone density. By doing so, you can also reduce the risks of breaks and fractures and osteoporosis.
This is an even bigger advantage in tennis as it's a non-contact sport so breaks and fractures are even less likely.
Cardiovascular Health
By playing tennis, you'll improve your cardiovascular health. Tennis involves a lot of aerobic exercise which will make your heart stronger, reduce your blood pressure, and decrease the risk of heart disease.
Cognitive Fitness
Tennis is great for your brain, too. When you play tennis, you need to think constantly. Whether you're thinking strategically, making decisions, or concentrating on the game, you'll be working out your brain.
While the physical benefits of playing might be easier to see, you can rest assured that your brain is getting a good workout, too!
Coordination
Your coordination and balance will improve through tennis. Whether it's your hand-eye coordination for hitting the ball or just staying on your feet as you quickly change direction to return shots, you'll need to be agile and coordinated.
Fitness
As with any sport, tennis will improve your overall fitness. The more you exercise, the fitter you become. You'll see your strength, endurance, stamina, and overall fitness improve.
You'll also get faster and more flexible through playing tennis and also enjoy the other physical benefits that we've already mentioned.
Muscle Strength
Tennis isn't weight training, but some movements that are part of playing tennis will strengthen muscles.
There are muscle groups in your arms and shoulders that will strengthen through taking shorts and muscles in your legs and core that benefit from all the running around involved in a tennis match.
Social Benefits
Tennis can also be great for your social life. Whether you're working with a coach, joining a tennis club, or playing games in the park, you can't play tennis on your own so you'll always be playing with someone.
That said, tennis is a great choice because you don't need to find several people to play; just one other person. While team sports can be tricky to organise, you just need a tennis partner to play and enjoy all the other benefits.
Through tournament play or joining a tennis club, you can also enjoy meeting other people who share your passion for tennis.
Stress Relief
Exercising of any kind is good for managing stress. Tennis, much like any other aerobic exercise, reduces the number of stress hormones and the social aspect of the game is good for stress management.
Weight Management
Tennis is a great way to manage your weight. It isn't a silver bullet, though, and it should be combined with a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle.
That said, playing tennis regularly will help you better manage your weight. Because of the cardio, tennis is a great way to burn fat, but the exercise can also help you build and tone muscle so don't panic if the number on your scales also goes up.
No matter how you want to manage your weight, tennis can be a good part of it.
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The Disadvantages of Playing Tennis
While there are plenty of great benefits to playing tennis, we do have to warn you of the potential downsides to it. We certainly think that the benefits of tennis outweigh the risks, but you still need to know what they are.
Cost
Tennis isn't free. You can start playing tennis quite cheaply with some regular sportswear and some cheap tennis balls and a racket, especially if you live near a park with a tennis court and somebody to play with.
Tennis can also be quite expensive, too, especially if you need to pay for coaches, become a member of a tennis club, and have a fondness for buying expensive equipment.
If you're completely new to tennis, we wouldn't recommend paying for really expensive equipment because it won't make you a tennis star and it's just a waste of money if you ultimately decide that tennis isn't for you.
Mental Pressure
Tennis is mostly good for your mental health and managing stress, but since it's mostly an individual sport, there's a lot of pressure on you.
Every mistake is on you and a poor match can be somewhat demoralising, especially if you tend to beat yourself up over losses or poor performances.
The more you play tennis, though, the more you'll get the hang of dealing with this mental pressure.
Physical Demand
Tennis is a very physically demanding sport and will involve both intense training and intense matches. While you can play recreationally and not take tennis too seriously, if you're playing with any kind of commitment, a lot will be expected of your physically.
Your fitness and strength will improve over time, but tennis will be exhausting, especially if your fitness isn't quite there yet. Tennis will always be physically demanding, but your first few sessions are likely to be tough.
You've been warned.
Risk of Injury
The intensity of tennis can also result in injuries. While not a contact sport, tennis can cause injuries such as sprains, strains, tennis elbow, shoulder injuries, and stress fractures.
It's recommended that you always warm up appropriately and work on your technique to minimise the risk of any injuries while playing tennis.
Tennis is an Individual Sport
For some people, this is an advantage. You don't have any teammates to get annoyed at and when things go wrong, you can only blame yourself.
As an individual sport, it's also easier to organise tennis matches because you only need to find one person to play against.
However, it also means you get to meet fewer people and you don't get to enjoy the fun and games that come with being part of a team. It depends on which you prefer, though.
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Tennis is Dependent on Weather
Like many outdoor sports, tennis is subject to good weather conditions. Much like cricket, tennis is a sport that's pretty much impossible to play in the rain so if you don't have the weather for it, you won't be able to play. That said, you can play tennis indoors, too.
Since tennis is also really physically demanding, it's also a very difficult sport to play when it's really hot, but some people still do. Take care and stay hydrated if you do.
Time Commitment
Tennis matches can last quite a while and learning to play tennis and understanding all the rules doesn't happen overnight. If you're considering getting started with tennis, you'll have to keep in mind that you're going to commit both a lot of time and potentially a lot of money to get good at it.
Getting Started with Tennis
If you've weighed up the pros and cons and have decided that tennis is for you, there are a few steps you need to take to get started with tennis.
Firstly, look for somewhere to play tennis. If you live near a park with tennis courts, you can just pick up some cheap rackets and balls and start playing.
For those that prefer more guidance, you'll probably want to consider joining a tennis club. Local tennis clubs are easily found, especially online. If you can't find a tennis club, it might be worthwhile speaking to your local leisure centre to see if they have any information.
You can't play tennis without the right equipment, but you won't want to spend too much on getting started. Set yourself an affordable budget for your equipment and look for advice from people who already play. There are many factors that affect the cost of tennis coaches and equipment.
If you're serious about getting good at tennis, look for private tennis coaching near me or lessons. You can find lots of different tennis coaches for all budgets and levels and those who teach absolute beginners tend to be cheaper, which is good for starting.
Once you have everything you need and know what to do, you should practise regularly, exercise and eat right, and play matches against opponents of a similar level and you'll soon start seeing improvements in your game.
It can also help to get involved with the tennis community, attend matches or watch them on TV, see what the professionals do, and look to learn from them.
Good luck!
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