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The Complete Guide to Tennis
Every cost, hour of practice, and piece of gear you need to know before your first serve
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: What Is Tennis and Why People Love It
Let me paint you a picture of tennis that isn't from a commercial. It's a Tuesday evening, around 6pm, and you've just pulled into the car park of your local public courts. There's a chain-link fence humming in the breeze, and the floodlights are just starting to blink on, casting that distinctive glow over the blue or green hard courts. You're carrying a bag that holds a racket, a couple of water bottles, and a tube of fresh tennis balls. You're not headed to a fancy club - this is the municipal park, and the courts cost you eight dollars for the hour.
You meet your friend at the gate. No coaches, no whistles, no uniforms. You both walk onto the court, drop your bags at the side, and pull out a racket. This is what tennis actually looks like for the vast majority of people who play: two folks, a net, and an hour of trying to hit a fuzzy yellow ball back and forth. That's the entire backbone of the hobby. Everything else - the tournaments, the fancy clothing brands, the grueling training videos you see online - is optional decoration.
A sport that speaks to both the athlete and the everyday person
The first thing you'll notice when you step onto a tennis court is its size. It's bigger than you think. The court itself is 78 feet long and 27 feet wide for singles, which is