Tennis Tips
for New Fans
Like any sport, tennis is confusing to watch
if you never played it yourself or you didn’t
grow up watching it. Here are a few things you
can do to learn more about the sport.
1. Read about the basics.
Here are a few sites you should visit to learn
more about the game:
-1a.Online:
SportSpectator Fan’s
Guide to Tennis: Our 10 minute guide to tennis.
Wikipedia
tennis Write-up: Good wiki community write-up
on tennis.
-1b. Consider buying one or several of the following
books:
Dummies
Guide to Tennis
2. Watch a televised match.
The commentary makes the sport much easier to
follow and will help you pick up the lingo. Commentators
use the language and provide analysis that will
help you learn. Tennis is an international sport
and there are frequently games on tv (view
schedule).
3. Watch a major tournament and follow
a player. Tennis is much more fun to
watch when you are rooting for a player. If possible,
choose one of the four "Grand Slam"
Tournaments such as the US Open (2 weeks in Aug/Sept),
Australian Open (January), French Open (May/June),
or Wimbleton (June/July). These are the most important
tournaments in terms of both prestige and payout.
If you have to choose only one day to watch, watch
the final day (view
schedule). Another fun event to watch is the
Davis Cup, where countries play in head-to-head
match-ups.
4. Play. If you've never played
before, have a friend that plays take you out
to hit the ball around. Most cities have public
courses (high schools, parks, etc) where you can
play for free and learn more about the game. Getting
on the court with someone who plays the game will
help you learn the basics.
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