Can Seniors Still Play Tennis?

 

Last week I took the plunge and signed up for tennis lessons again.  I have played on and off for years but more off than on of late because of issues related to repetitive stress injuries in my hands.  My skill level has decreased but the desire to play persists so I have decided, with the encouragement of my daughter, to try again. 

 

Granted, I am the oldest one in the class and not the best, but not the worst either.  There are still enough skills to learn to make it quite challenging and I find that a new racquet makes it a lot more fun.

 

Tennis is a low impact sport that appeals to men and women and is the l1th most popular sport in

America

for folks 55 and older.  People are retiring earlier and remaining active longer.  The new high-tech equipment is joint friendly and conditions like tennis elbow are nearly a thing of the past.  The more powerful frames make it easier to play at a higher level.  Tennis is also easy on the body and qualifies as both an aerobic and anaerobic activity.  Seniors are a motivated group who compete just as fiercely as they did in the past. 

 

The most difficult part of the game is find someone to play with, which is why I am always drawn to newspaper articles about 60 year olds training for triathlons or 77 year olds who are active in racquet sports.  Still, I have to rely on my 30 year old daughter as a playmate because my contemporaries are too afraid of getting hurt to give it a whirl.    She is taking lessons too and we would love to be good enough to be a mother-daughter doubles team.  I was encouraged by the article by Rich Myhre (Herald, January 2, 2008) about a 77 year old who is still active in racket sports despite surgeries on knees and shoulders.  Where there is a will there is a way, and wanting to get back onto the courts is certainly a good reason to spur convalescence on.

 

Tennis is fun and studies show that the boomers are the fastest-growing segment of the tennis playing population and this is likely to increase.