TENNIS, THE MOST FASHIONABLE SPORT

Keli H the author and lifestyle posing in active wear as she tries tennis for the first time 

Today was the last day of my first term of tennis. I played decently today. The coach especially noted my improvement. I don't know if that's a compliment to my good game or a testament to how truly hopeless I was on the first day. Nonetheless, the slight overachiever in me is happy!

As a new tennis player I learnt two very interesting things - unrelated to technique, because I'm probably the last person equipped to talk about proper technique!

1. Elitism, or perhaps classism is the proper word, exists in racket sports. 

 

Note to self, go check if it's spelt racket or racquet... I've seen it done both ways and I wouldn't want to do poorly at this too. So, tennis players seem be at the top of the ladder of racket sports... or believe they are, at least. I don't think I could personally lay claim to that yet because literally any player in any racket sport would be above me on the food chain just yet. I can't go around with a chip on my shoulder with the way I play at present. I have hit and miss days, quite literally. Tennis and badminton players consider themselves to be part of a classy sport, characterized by discipline, technique, honing of craft. Squash has a pretty decent spot on the ladder too - squash is revered for being a hefty workout and nobody dares badmouth an athlete who has the endurance make it through a squash game. But it's been of interesting note to me that everyone, no matter the racket the sport, is banded together by one belief - that padel is not a real sport. Worse still is pickle ball. Those are looked upon as hobbies or leisure activities, not sport. I wonder if the padel players are aware of the small jokes dropped about them on tennis courts... or if they do the same about tennis players on their courts. It just so happens that the country club I play at has the two courts next to each other and we are both within uncomfortable visual distance of each other. The looks that get passed between players as we make our way to our respective territories is subtle but unmistakably competitive. Has the urge ever taken hold of me to give padel a go... certainly, but I'd never admit this out loud to another tennis player because I will most certainly be judged for it!

2. Tennis is the most fashionable sport. 

 

I'd enjoyed the idea of tennis for ages before I took it up. I realize now that's it's because of its tie to aestheticism. I've always been drawn to art, fashion, visuals. The courts are in beautiful locations, the movements are clean... dare I say it, unlike the clunky, grunty, wild motions of pickle ball and padel players! (Please, I'm kidding!) And oh, the fashion in tennis... it sweeps me away. Part of the reason I never took up a sport before was because the quintessential fashionista in me didn't feel great in active wear. Vivid tropical prints on leggings, sports bras that don't match, long and shapeless vests to throw over it. None of it made me feel put together or very feminine. But tennis wear on the other hand... pleated skirts, tailored dresses, all the clothes clean and white and neat. A big part of being a tennis player is dressing neatly and appropriately. Jewelry is encouraged. Turning up to tennis is about turning up polished. The discipline to dress properly filters into the discipline to play properly. As the saying goes:

Dressing well is a form of respect. 

And so I've felt good about myself turning up to tennis lessons. I've worn white collared shirts with navy trims, colour-blocked sets, and carefully arranged hairstyles . I've felt like I was taking myself seriously. I'm not afraid - in fact, I feel rather proud - to say tennis is the most fashionable sport on the planet.

While driving back home with my mother, we had an interesting conversation. One that I think might require a more careful post. I can't adopt a careless 'write what I want, however I want' attitude with this topic because it's raw and personal and sensitive. Not just for me but for a lot of humans, and I think the topic requires great and deep reflection on society. 

I had started by saying to my mother that I was thinking of deleting all my social accounts, except for this blog and I secretly hoped that no one would read this blog anyway because I was enjoying having a liberated space for myself. And then, before I knew it, I said I was scared to take that step... because what if I became an irrelevant nobody if no one could see what I was up to. Loaded, right? It's a fear I know so many people have, not just me. And not because of self absorption in any way... as an author and business owner, a great part of my credibility and success comes from being public facing. People see me, they trust me, they know what I'm capable of doing to help them, they read my books because of the passion with which I talk about them. If I delete my social media... if anyone deletes their social media... how do they stay relevant in their fields? How do they achieve top of mind awareness when people are looking to work with other people they find familiar, likeable, and trustworthy? Outside of social media, are we still relevant options to the people who are looking for someone like us. I use social media for personal branding for work... but what about those who use it to build communities and engage with other humans; do they too lose those communities and return to irrelevance when they need to take some time off the apps. It's an interesting thought that fuels people's fear of leaving social media and also fuels their need to persist on with it:

If I leave social media, will I just become an irrelevant nobody?

Anyway, here's a fun fact: I wrote this post during loadshedding.

For more articles written by Keli H, the author, visit this blog's home page on keli-h.com

Keli H is the award winning author of the 400 series, which includes The Four Hundred Club and Splitting an Empire. The 400 series is high brow contemporary fiction revolving around the lives of wealthy circles. Keli's other works include Creating Literary Art. She is also the founder of The KREST House, a storytelling empire.