The moment a young lad, half my age, sent his second consecutive ace past my racket, I began to question whether it was a mistake to revive my tennis career after a decade-long hiatus. Before anyone assumes I'm the Guardian's answer to Goran Ivanisevic, let me clarify that, despite being an enthusiastic player as a child, I was never particularly skilled. I did work as a coach to fund my university studies, but my lessons rarely ventured beyond teaching beginners how to grip a racket. Much like Tottenham's men's football team, 2008 marked the last time I had lifted any kind of 'trophy'. My weak backhand, lazy footwork, and fondness for food were my undoing. But it's the taking part that counts, right? With that in mind, earlier this year, I joined High Legh Tennis Club in Cheshire, near the junction of the M6 and M56, and quickly rediscovered my love for club-level tennis.
I was promptly added to the men's doubles team by our captain, who was thrilled to have a new member without even assessing my playing ability. Our team was a mix of powerful A-level students who dominated the court and retired gentlemen with elbow supports who had long stopped running but still cherished the game. Then there was me, 33 years old, often receiving looks that seemed to ask, 'Shouldn't you be at work?' Our doubles matches in the well-organised Warrington and District Lawn Tennis League were either marred by torrential rain or blessed with beautiful summer evenings, making me wonder why I ever stopped playing. We encountered a diverse group of players: from sports enthusiasts who would call a 'let' even if your shot missed by two feet, to a guy who took the game far too seriously, angrily debating scores at the net. I had missed all this.
When the league season ended in July, I caught the tennis bug and made an even stranger decision—I entered a men's singles tournament. After all, Wimbledon had just concluded, and a Scottish player had even won points with a metal hip. How hard could it be? Realising my trainers had a hole, I bought new, gleaming white tennis shoes from a budget sports store and found a Grade 5 open men's singles tournament on the Lawn Tennis Association's website. It sounded perfect for an unfit sports writer like me. Just before the big day, I checked the draw and found I had been seeded. It turned out that, because I hadn't updated my home address on my player profile, the organiser thought I was traveling from Avon to Stockport. He was disappointed when I explained I lived nearby and even more so when he saw me warming up.
But then something unexpected happened. I won my first-round match in straight sets. Could I still qualify for the US Open? Probably not. I lost in the next round, but the excitement was real. Minutes after returning home, I booked another singles tournament in Knutsford for September. This time, my wife and dog came to watch. They were pleasantly surprised when I won again, in straight sets. Our dog attracted attention, and while a young chap was petting him, he casually mentioned playing at Wimbledon's national finals. 'Well done,' I thought, until I realised he was my next opponent. He easily defeated me, 4-1, 4-2, ending my summer singles campaign with a respectable record of four matches, two wins, and two losses.
The most surprising moment came when I discovered I had earned a British tennis ranking, placing me within the top 6,000 men's singles players in the country. As of writing, my two singles victories have earned me enough points to rank as British number 5,936 out of 22,000 players, with 240 ranking points. I was officially on the ladder, trailing British No. 1, Jack Draper, by 470,460 points. With more practice, closing that gap should be easy, right? As autumn arrives, the air cools, and fair-weather players like me store their rackets, I worry that fewer than 6,000 players ranked higher than me reflects poorly on British tennis. The game needs more participants. However, I'm pleased to report that for those who want to play, stay fit, or simply love tennis, regardless of their physical condition, there's a dedicated group of local volunteers keeping the local tennis scene vibrant, dedicating countless hours to organise amateur sports across the country.
