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8 Reasons Tennis Can Improve Your Game On And Off The Court

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What was once a very popular sport now is primarily for a focused crowd. However, in this day and age, tennis may very well be the best sport for masculinity, prestige, and respect. For aspiring players, it offers many additional benefits whether you’re a pro or play for recreation.

1. You Get Fit, Sharp And Fast

Rafael Nadal, one of fittest players on tour.

The sport requires strength, speed, and a strong will. Half the game is mental. Fat guys get blown off the court, as they should.

At the pro level you see wiry ripped guys with low body fat and abs. Girls prefer that look over the dumbbell bodybuilder posterior, smart girls that is. It’s evolved from the old school days and so today the top guys are incredibly fit. Just check out Nada’s arms. Andre Agassi was benching over 300lbs at the end of his career and players today continue to push the fitness level.

Even in college, the clubs have tall fit guys. One guy I knew could double curl 70 pound dumbbells for five reps. Tell me how many jocks can do that? He had a mean serve and wicked forehand.

Some think it’s a wimpy sport for skinny guys, but you see that in every sport at the amateur level. A lot of pro players previously played or simultaneously played other “manly” sports like football (soccer), cricket, baseball, and alike. Since everybody views Russia as the top manufacturer of men, you should know that many Russians, Serbians, and other Eastern Europeans are on the pro tour. The number of American, Australian, and other western nationalities on tour has drastically declined, and is almost non-existent these days, at least on the men’s side.

2. You Get Girls

Players at my school’s club were muscular, which naturally attracted attention. The club’s treasurer got a lot of girls of all kinds, and he was Asian. There were others who were into anime, but because they were fit, it didn’t matter. There was even a skinny kid who got girls.

Most clubs or tennis communities also have mixed doubles which pair you up. It works well for dates, as girls usually are more open to trying tennis compared to other sports and it helps to break the ice.

Generally speaking, professional players get QUALITY girls while cage fighters and ballers hook up with pornstars and gold diggers.

3. Carries Over To Career

Learning to be aggressive on court carries over to everything else. One guy I knew moved up in a big-name bank, and now is in a high position in government and married. Another became an engineer. This is not to say all who wield a racquet are destined to become professionals, but it’s not uncommon to encounter such people in the tennis world.

4. Forces You to Take Responsibility for Your Actions

Unlike other sports, tennis truly is the independent man’s sport. If you lose, you have no one to blame but yourself. You learn how to keep it together during tough matches, and to grind it out when you’re down which is useful in life. It really tests the will and what you’re made of. You’re on your own and there’s no one to save you. If you’re on the pro tour, you have to earn every dollar you get. No twenty million dollar contracts in this sport.

5. Better Associations And Prestige

It’s a classy sport well loved by powerful and successful people. Donald Trump and others have been spotted at the crowds. Roger Federer is known to roll out in style, as do many others.

Every now and then you see a football idiot punch out his girl or some drug bust. Not common in tennis players. Sure, there were a few incidents, but usually the worst you’ll see is John McEnroe’s anger tantrums, but even that’s changed. If there are any girlfriend or divorce troubles, it’s usually incognito without much attention, which brings us to the next point.

6. Relative Freedom From Liberal Politics

mainstream media

Pro Tennis players deal with media much unless they want to compared to other sports. Nikolay Davydenko rose up to the top 10 inconspicuous without a peep. The men and women pretty much do their own thing.

7. Perfect For Nomads

Players travel extensively, competing in exotic places all over. From New York, Miami, Dubai, Indian Wells, Melbourne, and Rome, players tour the best. You don’t even have to be a top player. Many low scale pro league tournaments exist year round, although they are not covered on mainstream television. They may not pay millions, but winning multiple events the prize money adds up. You also get paid for just making the higher rounds.

8. Reduced Injury

You’ll live longer, happier, and with minor bruises. There’s this obsession in society today with proving yourself a man by mindlessly getting into fights or reckless behavior. What does that prove?

Civilization evolved to preserve peace and men fought so they could get away from violence. Nobody likes fighting, at least not for long. The British had the best military with real men at one point in time and created tennis for peaceful recreation. Rugby was about as dirty as they’d get.

Give it a Try

While you don’t have become a pro, taking up tennis can be a fun complement to your fitness routine. Even famous muscle builder Charles Atlas integrated it as part of his exercise regime. You’ll get some sun, breathe the fresh air, and get out of the house.

Read More: Women’s Tennis Demands Heat Breaks Not Given To Men At Wimbledon Championships

61 thoughts on “8 Reasons Tennis Can Improve Your Game On And Off The Court”

  1. While I truly believe that tennis is a great aerobic activity and super skill based sport, looking at guys like Nadal and saying that tennis got them in that shape is a disservice. There is simply no way that tennis built the kind of muscle these guys have. They got that muscle in the gym. They absolutely shred the muscle and lowered their body fat (as well as a million other wonderful things that happen as the strengthen their cardio vascular systems) playing tennis, but only by eating a lot of clean protein and moving a lot of iron do you get muscle like that…..
    The danger here is that people will associate these bodies with a “tennis physique” and expect that tennis will aid them in growing this way. That said, I think tennis is great and everyone should play a little at least.

    1. Agreed, almost any sport has to be backed up with weight lifting, stretching, and cardio. Merely going out to smack a ball around won’t get you in top shape. Same with football, basketball, boxing, or swimming.

      1. have to disagree on boxing, it gets you in great shape, calisthenics are always a part of training

        1. Boxing is the West’s “martial art”. It beats almost everything else since it’s more or less based on scientific reasoning.

        2. Don’t we also get to lay claim to Savate, Pankration, & whatever the Ruskies ginned up?

        3. Well I think MMA proved that no martial art really beats another one instead that it is all about the individual fighter and his skill. But if we were to determine a single most “important” aspect of fighting my pick would be wrestling

        4. I would not really put any claim for any culture on martial arts. The human body has the capabilities to move in certain ways and almost every culture in world history has used that potential to create certain striking and grappling arts which necessarily quite often overlap with each other

      2. I believe that men need to learn a martial art, specifically boxing/kickboxing/wrestling/pankration/karate/mai-thai/mma.
        It builds muscle and makes you on paper able to defend yourself.

        1. The problem with sports and building muscle is that the resistance is always the same; it took me a couple weeks to leave the rest of my class in the dust when I did thai boxing. I had better muscles from bodybuilding and you build stamina very fast. Every class is the same; weightless push-ups, weightless squats etc. and the muscle you gain will be from bodybuilding or you won’t gain any at all after a very short time. You do get very powerful in the movements you practice though, be it kicking, punching or throwing so I’m not trying to talk down martial arts here.
          Other than that, some guys can fit martial arts into their schedule and others cannot. Learning a martial art only for self-defense is a controversial investment since you don’t really get to use it much if ever.

        2. Martial arts helps you obtain a specific mode of mind, you don’t do it for self-defense although that is a plus. For me bodybuilding advances narcissism and an obsession with looks, which are feminine traits. In short for me weightlifting should be supplementary.

      3. There’s an old joke observation that, back when MLBers weren’t lifting anything heavier than a beer bottle, they weren’t incurring these “obscure” injuries like blowing out their obliques.

    2. Yep…
      I’d say beside bodybuilding (duh) and martial arts, swimming is the only sport that gives you a good body.

      1. Yes swimming does (and gymnastics) but lean. My last unpumped bicep measurement about 2 weeks ago was 19.5 inches. You could masturbate a rhino while swimming the English Chanel and never get an arm like that. But yes for overall fitness I’d say swimming, boxing and gymnastics

      2. Eeh . . I’d say rowing for the upper bod and arms and cycling for the legs. A cyclist can leg press unbelievably well and with rowing you don’t get wet. Not a rowing machine but an actual boat. You can row in your collared shirt and still get into the club across the lake. You can go places with a real boat or cycle if you have to. I laugh at exercycles. They’re so expensive and they don’t go anywhere.

      3. Rock climbing gives you a good back and shoulders, as well as killer forearms and biceps. Basically it gets you the v shape. Still need to work on chest by lifting though.

    3. Nadal claims he`s never lifted, many have suspected him of steroids though. I just think he`s a freak of nature.
      The Federer/Djokovic Physique really is more normal in tennis,
      in other words fit, but skinny.

      1. Always freaks of nature and if he never lifted he is one of them.

        1. Yeah, In my opinion Murray is to heavy because of lifting, and it`s costing him GS titles.

    4. Same thing with all these fitness articles that show you how to “unlock your maximum muscular potential” then the photos accompanying the article are men who are so loaded up on gear it’s laughable. You will never gain the kind of muscle advertised without some sort of “assistance”

      1. Right, but those are sponsored post….they are commercials.
        Still your point is very well taken. If a guy is on gear he should say I used x y z plus diet plus exercise to get like this.
        Let me see my options and make an informed choice at least

        1. That is one of those hobbies I would love to get into, but not enough to spend the time and money.

        2. The whole car culture has gone the way of consumerism where older cars get recycled for the new model so as to keep the consumer constantly mortgaged. Now they push self driving, completely recyclable and unservicable throw away, frameless idiot boxes with wheels. Restorable older cars with a frame that can mount a real engine get shamed on the road by traffic cops, stuck up wives and facist neighborhood biddies who unbeknowingly aid the financing of unneeded new goods while wasting usable and repairable vehicles.
          I’ve seen nice running cars get crushed that needed nothing more than brake shoes or an exhaust weld. The self reliant fix it culture gets squashed when entitled wives hold or wave the threat of family court to keep the man indoors and bottle feeding. Plus no single mother can ever raise a mechanic.
          I knew an idiot single mother once who kept her divorce raped ex’s socket wrench set all scattered at the bottom of a cardboard box full of cat toys, moldy croutons, aquarium gizmos she couldn’t figure out and assorted empty pill bottles. Tools were junk to her, like her no good piece of junk man she got rid of. “Humph!” What a dumb bitch. Her place caught fire one night from tangled electric cords and her screams still haunt the now vacant lot on foggy nights. Just kidding on the fire part, but the car culture grows out of tinkering and having people around who respect the tinkerer. Always compliment and empower a kid tinkerer especially, like they’re the next Wright brothers.

        3. I know the feeling. Anything I do on a car is to keep it running out of necessity. Replacing a temperature sensor that you have to peel back layers of guards, shrouds, hoses, plastic clips, etc, making it into a 2 day job is no fun at all. Especially if you compare that to putting in a high lift cam into your old Chevy, which will probably take less time.

        4. I had a bad heater core on a 82 mustang once. The whole dash comes out, instrument panel out, A/C ducts and flaps out, everything. The sumbitch is in the innermost part of the firewall like it was the heart or something. It was like a lobotomy. Then I looked at the owner’s manual which was like a small phone book. Surely it would tell an easier way. It read: “heater core – page 110 – “please don’t forget to change your engine coolant at regular intervals as perscribed in the fluids chart. Enjoy your Ford” . . . Hahahaha

        5. 1980 was about the turning point. Suddenly, many emissions rules came out, and with it, complexity. Then on top of that, not many years later, came computer aided drafting. Clearances shrank and you could no longer fit your hand into stuff. Women and guys who never work on cars now were doing the majority of purchases, eliminating the market for cars that were easy to work on, “cab forward” designs became popular.
          I think it has improved recently, the computers have centralized and wiring has been standardized a little. Still, way worse than even the mid 80’s, and not enjoyable to work on.

        6. The exterior should be aerodynamic and streamlined absolutely, but the interior nuts and bolts/drivetrain should be like the interior of the space shuttle – everything accessable. I saw a junked volvo with beautiful bod and interior so clean I could lick it. A 40k car junked because of inaccessable problems. The donut tire in the trunk had never been used and had brand new rubber titties all over the tread. The tires outlasted the engine for Pete’s sake. At 40k I would have told the dealer to keep the worthless donut tire and in its place please place a neat custom circular tool box with $1000 worth of snap on tools, spare gaskets, ball joints, spare starter, water pump, alt, survivalist fishing kit & a glock 9mm. Hey 40k is nothing to laugh at. That’s the least they could throw in. What do they think I’m an impulsive woman or what? The tools would be a nice perk for sure.

    2. TENNIS ARM
      https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BigFbum56jc/hqdefault.jpg
      can be avoided if you switch off (right-left-right) every so often. When I was a kid, I played in school and I got the serve down mean. With no worries about bills and government wogs and grown up bullshit, I could focus on things like smacking the sweet spot and clipping the top of the net fast every time. But I couldn’t do shit with my left arm. I tried it a couple of times and felt mental pangs. I think the right hand/left hand thing is mostly mental conditioning. Try handicapping yourself by holding your dominant hand behind your back and slowly training and working the other hand and arm. To be able to switch arms during a game and catch difficult side balls would be an awesome advantage.

  4. “Generally speaking, professional players get QUALITY girls while cage fighters and ballers hook up with pornstars and gold diggers.”
    As soon as you have relative fame, it’s up to you to filter the bad crowd. I see the top 10 male tennis player really dating down compared to their physical quality.
    I’d take the ring sluts and their wet pussies any day over the frigid court walking sticks (in the non LTR mindset)
    As lolknee pointed out, the noticeable muscle is made at the gym. And both arms are not the same size when you play tennis extensively.
    Another big difference: loyalty as it is an individual sport. You’ll never form the bond you have with someone you played rugby with or sparred with day in, day out.
    But I played tennis a few times (I spent a few hours managing to hit the ball over the net) and enjoyed it. Best outdoor activity. That and golf

    1. I have yet to see a UFC fighter that found a quality girl after he became famous. He’s right about the pornstars. Nicole Aniston (pornstar) is dating an MMA guy. Jenna Jameson was married to Tito Ortiz.

      1. Think we might be overthinking it.
        The kind of guys who become pro tennis players and become pro fighters are two different tribes as a general rule.
        That being said, who does marry quality girls?

        1. I think MMA fighters of yesteryear who were basically bar brawlers thrown into a cage are more likely the pornstar types than the modern dedicated fighter nerds who eat, sleep, and breath training. Even Conor is in a stable relationship and having a kid.

        3. Haha, borderline?? Have you seen the Diaz brothers? Mush mouthed neanderthals those two.

      2. “I have yet to see a UFC fighter that found a quality girl after he became famous”
        Indeed. Hooking up with a porn star is an über beta thing, many UFC guys think its some sort of status symbol to do so.
        One has to wonder if the same evil satanic forces that mandate what the top actors in hollywood have to submit to in order to get famous (suck off a producer, eat a plate of human excrement, or be required to marry a specific woman) is also at work in the UFC environment where there is the unwritten rule that the top fighters are required to hookup with a porn actress.

        1. meh I dont think so I think its more of these back in the day brawler guys appealing more to skanks

    2. “Generally speaking, professional players get QUALITY girls while cage fighters and ballers hook up with pornstars and gold diggers”
      Honestly, I find that the only real difference between a so-called “quality” girl and a pornstar or a nlatant gold digger is that the so-called “quality girl” is able to keep her gold digging agenda hidden, thus earning her the title of “quality” girl.

  5. I know personally Nadal and i can tell you that his body dosen´t come from tennis, his conditioning comes from a mix of cross-fit/ strenth training /bodybuilding not from tennis per se. Let´s be realistic tennis is more a game than a sport.

  6. I used to play a lot in my younger days….I had a wicked top spin…. loved it when I was playing a lot. Going to get back playing when Wimbledon comes on….🎾

  7. Quid pro quo The Gentlemanly mean tennis club exclusive for gentlemens and true sportsmen

  8. “Generally speaking, professional players get QUALITY girls while cage fighters and ballers hook up with pornstars and gold diggers.”
    This. I’ve always noticed that tennis pros, even the really really low rank ones, have smoking girlfriends that seem to be classy.

    1. “..have smoking girlfriends that seem to be classy”
      ‘Seem to be classy’ is the key phrase. I always contend that the chicks that seem classy are the ones who are just better at dressing and hiding their gold digging agenda.

  11. Not into tennis or golf.
    I don’t reckon you get too muscular playing tennis – fit yes. And plenty of women play casually – cause its easy.
    My baby-mamma has several tennis “instructors” – Eastern Europe – 6′ 3″ – 6′ 5″ and seem to be around the house often during the summer.
    Nice guys, very fit, tall, and handsome.
    Have college sponsorship, but need to do summer work teaching old women, etc…

  12. Tennis is a sissy game.
    Relative freedom from liberal politics? Seriously? Look who are the premiere stars of tennis through the years.

    1. tennis a sissy game? i gess swordmanship is a sissy discipline too.
      tennis a sissy game? i guess swordsmanship is a sissy discipline too.

  13. “6. Relative Freedom From Liberal Politics”
    I noticed this as well, and very few things are free from the current dysfunctional retread zeitgeist; for the time being anyway …

  14. Lifelong tennis lover here — great article!!
    It absolutely has gotten me laid repeatedly.
    Just last year I was playing with a girl who moved here from Los Angeles. She used to play with ATP-ranked guys when she went to UCLA, and I was *barely* beating her on the court (she’s that good, plus she’s 10 years younger).
    A few weeks after we started playing tennis in the neighborhood, she invites me over for dinner…suddenly I’m seeing the top of a G-string panty peeking out of her jeans and she’s complaining about all the “loser assholes” who use Tinder (and who she won’t give it up to). You KNOW how this ends up, gents.
    Tennis, Gentlemen…TENNIS.

  15. When I wax poetic about sport, there’s something I realized about tennis long ago, and why it is awesome:
    In the geometric confines of tennis there’s much to adore and despise,
    in even mixtures, about a merciless sport that distills flaws and
    renders clearly your transformation into the island of your own worst
    enemy.
    In tennis, it’s very much about “you vs. yourself” — just as much as it is about strategizing against the opponent.

  16. I liked this article, even if some of the assertions made me smirk.
    Tennis is often perceived as “soft”, but nothing could be further from the truth.
    It is very demanding, both phisically AND mentally. Remember, there is no time limit. You could continue playing forever. Keeping a cool head is key when a bad streak happens.
    And it is an individual sport. YOU win or YOU lose. Not the “team”. No excuses. Also, when the ball crosses the net, you have to turn it back. Not push a player aside or undercut him as done in soccer 90% of the time to prevent him from scoring a goal.
    “Fair play” is a joke in team sports which imply body contact.

  17. Great sport, not that hard to pick up and play at a basic level, to move to higher level requires some coaching in younger years and a lot of practice. It’s fun and keeps you fit and all you need is a pair of shoes and a couple of rackets and you are good to go. You can play into your 80s. I dunno about the chicks but I live in Wash DC and women here want to be men and most seem to be having affairs w their cell phones.

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