This week I'm about to start my 3rd term at the tennis school. The last few months were about puttering around with the sport, seeing if it fit my (almost non-existent) level of athleticism and whether I'd enjoy it. I'm pleased to find that, even beyond the cute tennis outfits and spurts of adrenaline during drills, I'm enjoying absolutely everything about the sport. Like lots of things - like car enthusiasm, like being a foodie - tennis is an entire lifestyle.
So now that I've done my dabbling about and can confirm I want to subscribe to the tennis lifestyle for decades to come, here are my short term tennis goals for the next year:
1. PROGRESS TO REGULAR TENNIS BALLS
When I started with the coach in January, I began my tennis journey with the red dot balls (tennis balls have literal coloured dots on them to indicate the type of ball). These are used to teach beginners and children because they move a lot slower, and are larger in size, than regular tennis balls. They also don't bounce as high, which is perfect because I'm a short queen! During the final lesson of the last tennis term, the coach started me on green dot balls. These are a lot closer to the regular balls in that they are the same size and only slightly slower. My aim is to improve enough that by the start of term 4 I am competent enough to play with regular tennis balls.
2. PLAY SOCIAL TENNIS
At the risk of sounding like such a walking cliche, I have a fear common to most people... I am afraid to fail in public. It's different, of course, when it's just me and the coach and nobody sees the shots I miss and the balls I can't even get over the net. Somehow all of that doesn't count as 'the real world'. If it had to happen while playing up against strangers I've never met, in full view of everyone at the tennis club, I think I'd want to the earth to open up and swallow me whole. I know this fear of failing in public is going to hold me back from a lot of opportunities in life. So I want to change that within the next few months, by being brave enough to join social tennis sessions occasionally, and watering down my fear through continuous exposure.
3. PLAY AT DIFFERENT CLUBS
One of the best things about the tennis lifestyle is the beautiful courts around the world. The clay court in Antibes, at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc; the Grace Kelly-esque court of the Monte-Carlo Country Club, of course; the iconic Armani-themed court in the Bahamas. While a global tennis court tour is not on the cards at the moment, I can always start at home base. I want to book and play at 3 different courts in and around Durban, at the very least, before the year is up. Just to get my experience at playing at different locations going. (P.S. If you're also a beginner and also looking to try different courts in Durban, let me know!)
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.
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