Watching Grand Slam or other prominent tournaments is an exquisite pleasure, especially if you are familiar with the rules and the athletes. They move effortlessly and look gorgeous in their stylish gear. Watching sports of high achievement can give you an idea that these sports are easy to learn. Tennis gives that impression. But is that impression accurate?
Not even close. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that learning tennis is much harder than learning any other sports. Instead, I’d say that learning any sport at the professional level is a grand challenge requiring rigorous training and strong commitment. Tennis is not an exception.
Besides, tennis involves developing very specific skills, which adds to the challenge.
If I were to answer the question if learning tennis is hard, I’d say that it’s absolutely doable. However, if you want to rise to a level higher than local tournaments, you’ll need to make a significant effort. Tennis is a demanding and hard sport to master.
In this article, we’ll specify the major challenges a person who wants to learn tennis faces. Then, you can decide if you are up for all those challenges and if playing tennis is worth the effort and sacrifices.
The importance of being coached
Let’s begin by answering a major question: can you learn to play tennis without any assistance? The answer is not very encouraging: it will be very hard if not impossible, especially if you want to obtain serious technical skills. And here, tennis is not unique.
Most sports require a specific set of skills. In tennis (both lawn and table tennis) and in other racket sports, you learn how to hold the racket, how to strike with it in a variety of ways, and so on. To learn all that, you need professional guidance that only a coach can provide.
The coach will make sure that your hold is proper and that the stroke is correct, hence the most efficient, that you use your strength efficiently, providing the best performance without over-exhausting yourself.
To play tennis well, you have to do it right. In tennis, as in other sports, technique is a huge part of success.
Besides, a coach observes your performance at the tennis court, comments on it, and corrects your mistakes, thus showing you the area for improvement.
Participating in tennis games alone will not make you a tennis player. Obviously, you’ll be able to play without a coach after observing other players, but will it be proper tennis? I’m afraid not.
All the elite players have coaches. Why? — You can ask. Don’t they know how to play better than anyone? — Oh, they know. But can they notice a mistake in the heat of the game? Will they realize that they missed an opportunity at a certain moment? Probably no.
It’s crucial to have a professional who will watch the athlete during the game and provide a post-game debrief, where the athlete and their coach will walk through the whole game, discussing the athlete’s strategy, technique, and all mistakes that the athlete made.
To finish this thought, I would say that, without coaching, it’s extremely hard to learn tennis well.
No pain, no gain: major challenges of tennis
If you have already started playing tennis, you’d agree that it’s a difficult sport. Being beautiful and enticing, it lures many people, only for them to realize that it’s not a walk in the park and that tennis requires a lot of effort and dedication, even if your goal isn’t to rise to the level of professional tennis.
Below, we’ll explore the main challenges that make tennis one of the toughest sports in terms of physical strain and technical demands.
General physical training
Tennis is a high-endurance sport demanding that the player can stand aerobic exercise for the whole duration of the tennis match, which can last several hours.
High speed is another requirement for a tennis player.
During the game, tennis players have to cover a vast area.
The court size (for singles) is 78 ft x 27 ft, which means that a single player has almost a 39 ft x 27 ft area to cover. That’s a lot of footwork.
Keeping an appropriate speed level on the tennis court for an extended period is a challenge for anyone. Even for an experienced athlete. Also, keep in mind that all this time, a player is not just running around.
They have to serve, return, and stroke tennis balls. A tennis racket is not particularly heavy, but it’s not feather-light, either (11 oz, on average).
Combining all the exercises that tennis players are to endure, the conclusion is obvious: such physical exertion makes tennis physically demanding and requires regular aerobic and anaerobic workouts.
Challenges of mastering specific skills
Apart from general athletic skills, tennis players are to learn special technical skills, as well. Tennis is a hard sport with multiple challenges that an athlete faces. Obtaining special skills is one of them.
What are these special skills for tennis? — Some of them are connected to coordination. Proper hand-eye coordination, for example, is a key ability to serve the tennis ball as well as to strike it in a correct and precise manner.
Good hand-eye coordination may be trained with appropriate exercises and lots of practice, but some folks are just born with hand-eye coordination.
As I’ve already mentioned, proper technique is the key to a win because it provides the most efficient way of performing. And here I would like to underscore the importance of proper coaching again. Without it, you can learn to serve a tennis ball and to make a strike too, but your technique will be amateurish and thus ineffectual.
Like with any sport which uses equipment, the skill to use a tennis racket properly is a huge part of the player’s success together with hand-eye coordination.
World-renowned players like Nadal, Federer, or the Williams sisters all have impeccable technique, of course.
Moreover, they have their famous tricks, like Federer’s illustrious one-handed backhand, which defy human capabilities and make tennis one of the most catching games to watch.
Preparing for a battle of two wills
If you have ever played tennis, you know that mental focus and complete concentration are crucial for an athlete. But to be fair, tennis isn’t unique here. Other sports require the same.
It’s important to point out that tennis is not one of the team sports (although you can play doubles in tennis, of course). Mostly, it’s a one-on-one competition, and it makes the mental aspect really significant.
A legendary boxer Mohammad Ali once said: “The will must be stronger than the skill.” Saying that he emphasized the importance of a strong will and determination to win. First, you win in the head and then on the court.
The ability to switch off anxiety and frustration and to direct all the force to a single goal without any distraction is an invaluable skill for any athlete, tennis players included.
If the player cannot endure the pressure of the game and loses their unwavering confidence in the victory, they lose before the game is over.
The world’s best athletes work hard on developing mental endurance and resistance skills with the help of professional sports psychologists. But even if you are not training for the coming Olympics, psychological endurance is a valuable quality.
The importance of quality equipment
Although it’s a stretch, I still consider the selection of quality equipment not a real challenge but an essential part of tennis.
Entourage is important. Let’s be honest, there is a show-off moment in tennis.
Tennis gear is really stylish as well as the equipment. The players look beautiful in their white outfits on green courts. The temptation to buy the best and most expensive ammunition and equipment is strong. But don’t rush. If you are a beginner, don’t buy the most expensive Babolat or Wilson rackets.
You don’t need them now because you won’t be able to utilize all their capacity. The same with tennis balls. Premium Wilson and Dunlop balls are great, but you’re going to lose them in great numbers.
Instead, buy Head TI S6, which is a great racket for beginners and won’t cost a fortune (~$100), and Wilson Starter balls (~$30 per set of 6). The key here is to start a substantial investment only after reaching a certain level of skill.
Final thoughts
Is tennis a hard sport? — Yes.
Is it impossible to learn? — No.
To succeed in tennis, you have to be in perfect shape. High speed, agility, and stamina are essential for a tennis player.
Besides, you’ll need to perfect specific techniques that will allow you to win.
And finally, you should be able to win the battle of the wills. You should demonstrate concentration and focus on the victory. You can even try to intimidate your opponent by demonstrating your utter confidence and the will to win.
Tennis requires perseverance and commitment, and the journey to success won’t be easy. But if you add passion to the mix, nothing can stop you. Tennis is a game that will not only help you stay in excellent shape but also indulge your competitive streak and grant you the thrill of the game.
Frequently asked questions
Is tennis the most difficult sport?
If you have ever played tennis, you know that it’s difficult and demanding. It requires great physical shape and technical skills. But the concept of the most difficult sport is debatable because it’s subjective. If you are athletic and have natural coordination, and if you played other racket sports (even table tennis), it won’t be extremely difficult for you.
On the other hand, if you are not athletic, have never done sports in your life, and decided to take up tennis, it will be a grand challenge for you.
Apart from specific training and learning how to hold and use a racket and how to serve and return, you’ll need to reach a certain level of physical strength, speed, and stamina. Without that basic level of training, you won’t be able to play a single game.
How quickly can you learn tennis?
It depends on the level you want to achieve. If you strive for an advanced level, it will take years of regular rigorous training. If you just want to have fun and play a Sunday match with friends, you’ll need from 6 months to a year to learn the basics and start enjoying the game. Then you’ll have to maintain and slowly raise your skill level with occasional practice.
Is tennis an easy sport to get into?
Tennis requires good physical condition. Besides, there is a set of specific skills that you have to learn. That’s why, it will take time to reach the required fitness level and learn proper techniques to be able to enjoy the game.
If you plan to be a recreational player and play occasionally, you can acquire essential skills in half a year. But keep in mind that in tennis you need to be fast, strong, and resistant, and those qualities are not very easy to obtain. So tennis is not easy, and, as with any sport, requires passion and commitment.