Tennis' forgotten ones

(Getty)

When we think of tennis tournaments, we traditionally cast our minds to major tournaments we see on television, the money tournaments for aspiring professionals or the many tiers of junior tournaments. One area we rarely hear about is adult tournaments at a beginner to intermediate level.

I have been coaching a group of six ladies for the last 12 months. They have gone from having never picked up a racquet to a stage where they can now construct a rally, serve, and play points. They always enjoy some running and have a laugh each week. I have fun doing the lesson, but if I am being honest, I never had any plans for them to take their tennis any further than the once-a-week lesson, as I thought they were content with this arrangement.

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This was until one lesson when our session was cut short due to rain. We were waiting under cover and got talking, and one of the group asked what other options they had to play more tennis. I ran through the options we had at our centre, which included a longer form squad, weekly night competitions and weekend match play. Each lady commented that all of those options were too advanced for them and would not be appropriate for them. 

This got me thinking, what can I do to help these ladies and encourage them to play more tennis? I eventually settled on starting an adult tournament, but for beginners only. I would invite people from our centres' beginner adult groups and give them a fun, relaxed and social introduction to match play.

That all seemed simple enough, so I went about organising courts, trophies and the like. I then mentioned to a few of my other lessons what we were doing, and the overwhelming feedback was "what about something at my level?" So, within a week, I went from a low-key beginner tournament to a full-scale tournament with five different divisions and close to 50 players. 

The afternoon was a great success, with everyone getting into the spirit of the tennis. Players had a BBQ lunch, met some new people during the day and had refreshments after play to help rehydrate after a tough day on the courts. We had a coach on court to help keep the matches going, assist with rules, tiebreakers, when to change ends and general tennis etiquette. Players got to bring out their competitive side, which some didn't know they had, but overall, all matches were played in great spirit.

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Throughout the afternoon, I asked a few of the players some questions regarding the tournament.

The First Serve (TFS): "What made you want to enter today's event?"

Annie: "As a single mum, I can't commit to playing a term-long competition during the week, so these one-off events are perfect for me. I love playing and competing, so to be able to play close to home is ideal for me."

TFS: "So, would you like to do more of these types of events?"

Annie: "Yes, definitely! I could see myself playing these events once a month if they were offered."

TFS: "Are you glad you decided to play?"

Sarah: "Absolutely! I had so many close matches and even won one, which was awesome. They were all so nice and were at my standard, so I felt very comfortable."

The afternoon proved that there is a massive opportunity for tennis centres to offer more opportunities for players at all levels, not just 'competition' level players. Since the completion of the tournament, I have been inundated with requests for private lessons, membership, new racquets and more chances to compete. 

The beginner to intermediate level is often the cornerstone of most tennis centres' programs, and I feel we should provide as many options and playing opportunities for them as we do for our juniors, aspiring professionals and tournament-level players. 

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