The play has changed, the rackets have changed, even the speed of the ball has changed – which all makes a difference, even to a novice
“Our aim today is to have a 15-shot rally over the net in the short service box.” I’m learning tennis from Ben, an longstanding member of the Magdalen Park tennis club in south London, and also my very good friend. The place is insanely busy; who are all these people who can play a 90-minute game on a Wednesday morning?
They’re fitness freaks, is what they are: this used to be the game of gents, all white trousers and elegance, “about touch, fine motor skills, languid elegance, volleying”, Ben says. Now, it’s all strength and stamina. The play has changed, the rackets have changed, the stars have changed, even the speed of the ball has changed – which you’d think would make no difference to the novice, who doesn’t know a chopper grip (old-fashioned, straight-through, flat shot) from a western grip (topspin, up and over). But it does make a difference: first, the way you learn is the way you play for ever (Ben still occasionally plays with his forearm perpendicular to his upper arm, because the chap who taught him in the 70s had a pin in his arm following a Spitfire accident). Second, tennis is now a fitness thing; a place where you’ll see the body-conscious.
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