I'm 19. Is it possible for me to start playing tennis?

EmmanuelJ

EmmanuelJ

New User
Hi all,

I'm 19 years old. I'm looking to play tennis and join the tennis society at my university. I used to play tennis when I was really young (when I was around 6 or 7 years old), but had to stop due to financial issues. I never got back into tennis or any sports for that matter. I'm not looking to turn pro or anything, but I would love to play competitively at my uni, which runs tournaments for each sport where faculties and players vs each other.

I have a few questions though:
- I'm not fit. I have a lot of belly fat and am not that fast. I'm also short (5'7"). How much will all of this affect me? Also, what health changes can I make (e.g. diet, fitness regime)?
- The people at my university will have more experience than me. Some of these guys have won state competitions and prestigious tournaments (one guy at my university versed Cilic in a tournament).
- I can get either 1-on-1 coaching or group coaching. Which is better?

Thanks!
 
I did not start playing until I was 44. Short, fat, and stupid is no way to go through life but I still enjoy playing tennis. Start with some instruction or group drills to get rolling. See if you enjoy playing, and pursue it with your best effort from there.
 
Go for it! I think there are two issues in your post: one is learning tennis, the other is not really being into sports and fitness prior to now. If learning tennis motivates you then I would sign up for a group clinic to try it out, and add some one-on-one lessons if you continue to like it. But I would only do tennis once or twice a week and try to improve your general fitness at the same time on a few additional days. This will help protect you from injury and make it easier to improve your tennis game.
 
Go for it but i would plan to do off court exercises. Tennis on its own is not enough of an exercise program so augment it with some weight training and aerobics.

At least i was in better shape before i picked tennis up again a few years ago. Now it seems tennis is my exercise strategy.
 
of course.
i have a couple guys i play with... they played soccer in hs and in college they decided to start playing tennis.
3y later they are 4.5

they are a bit hard core... they play daily (sometimes twice daily), went out of their way to work at a tennis club part time (free court time), take lessons weekly, practice their serve daily.
more times than not, they will pass up going to the bar/girls/etc... in favor of playing tennis at some odd time (eg. 6:30a), because that's the only time they can play.
they definitely sucked when they started... (ie. i'd go out of my way to run around my fh and hit a bh to their fh).
now they are taking sets off me.
 
EmmanuelJ said:
Hi all,

I'm 19 years old. I'm looking to play tennis and join the tennis society at my university. I used to play tennis when I was really young (when I was around 6 or 7 years old), but had to stop due to financial issues. I never got back into tennis or any sports for that matter. I'm not looking to turn pro or anything, but I would love to play competitively at my uni, which runs tournaments for each sport where faculties and players vs each other.

I have a few questions though:
- I'm not fit. I have a lot of belly fat and am not that fast. I'm also short (5'7"). How much will all of this affect me? Also, what health changes can I make (e.g. diet, fitness regime)?
- The people at my university will have more experience than me. Some of these guys have won state competitions and prestigious tournaments (one guy at my university versed Cilic in a tournament).
- I can get either 1-on-1 coaching or group coaching. Which is better?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
...by "tennis society" i presume you mean the tennis club (ie. recreational).. if you're looking to join even a low ranked D3 *team*, that would be tough to do... (never will say impossible, but extremely tough).
* there's a million websites out their on fitness... start counting calories, and start doing resistance and cardio... pick a program, and stick with it
* short is relative, i'm only 5'4".... so you tower over me.
* if you're looking to play on the tennis *team*, not likely in 2-3y (folks that play even d3 have been playing for a min of 4y), but sounds like if you have players that played Cilic in juniors, you might at an even better ranked school, in which case a min of 10y of playing probably.
* 1-1 coaching is always better IMO,... group coaching is sorta a feeder for private lessons... it sounds cheaper on paper say $20 vs. $60 for a private... but you'll only get like $10 worth of "tips"... you will get alot of balls hit at you though. semi private (2 people), might be ok....
 
EmmanuelJ said:
Hi all,

I'm 19 years old. I'm looking to play tennis and join the tennis society at my university. I used to play tennis when I was really young (when I was around 6 or 7 years old), but had to stop due to financial issues. I never got back into tennis or any sports for that matter. I'm not looking to turn pro or anything, but I would love to play competitively at my uni, which runs tournaments for each sport where faculties and players vs each other.

I have a few questions though:
- I'm not fit. I have a lot of belly fat and am not that fast. I'm also short (5'7"). How much will all of this affect me? Also, what health changes can I make (e.g. diet, fitness regime)?
- The people at my university will have more experience than me. Some of these guys have won state competitions and prestigious tournaments (one guy at my university versed Cilic in a tournament).
- I can get either 1-on-1 coaching or group coaching. Which is better?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

The "tennis society" is a recreational club, yea? Definitely you can rise to that level no problem. Especially if you have a passion for tennis. 19 is young enough that if you change your body type now, you're not really even going to remember the old you. Height doesn't matter much at that level either.

If you meant competitive tennis (USTA tournaments etc.) it's not likely you'll be able to improve enough in the time you're attending the school.
 
I started in my late 20s...

If you are athletic enough you may even make it to 5.0 if you are willing to put in the time, money, and effort
 
1. Put some effort into losing that excess fat. Tennis is nothing without stamina.
2. Learn it correctly from the beginning. It's not easy to fix it later.
3. Stop playing when you develop pain around the joints or feet until you are pain free again.
 
EmmanuelJ said:
I'm 19. Is it possible for me to start playing tennis?
Click to expand...
Glad you ask!

Regulation 754.24 Section 2 (A) (iii) clearly states that it is not allowed for 19 year old people to start playing tennis.
However, under Regulation 567.45 there is a possibility to get an exception.

To get the exception fill in and sign Form A-5678-5 (make sure you have 3 copies) file one to the ITF headquarters, one to the US Tennis Association and one to the Jokers Club.
Applications for an exception usually take between14 and 18 months.
After a preliminary acceptance of application prepare for your testing and review which should take another 18-24 months.
Then it is just waiting for a final approval.

You should be able to get started playing tennis by 2024 if things go swiftly!

Good luck!

:D
 
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Bender said:
And I agree, sometimes, playing tennis and doing badly makes me 'want to end my life'. :D
Click to expand...
Personally, it makes me want to end the racquet's life. Everything is because of the racquet's fault, you know. :oops:

I also listened to this song a lot in high school :D
 
EmmanuelJ said:
Hi all,

I'm 19 years old. I'm looking to play tennis and join the tennis society at my university. I used to play tennis when I was really young (when I was around 6 or 7 years old), but had to stop due to financial issues. I never got back into tennis or any sports for that matter. I'm not looking to turn pro or anything, but I would love to play competitively at my uni, which runs tournaments for each sport where faculties and players vs each other.

I have a few questions though:
- I'm not fit. I have a lot of belly fat and am not that fast. I'm also short (5'7"). How much will all of this affect me? Also, what health changes can I make (e.g. diet, fitness regime)?
- The people at my university will have more experience than me. Some of these guys have won state competitions and prestigious tournaments (one guy at my university versed Cilic in a tournament).
- I can get either 1-on-1 coaching or group coaching. Which is better?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
It's not too late to start. You may not be able to end up competing with the higher divisions at your university, but I'm sure the tennis club runs other tennis activities, competitions for lower divisions etc that you can join and have fun while you progressively get better.

I don't think you need to necessarily be super fit and shredded to play tennis right away, and what you learned when you were 6~7 years old would still be there so you can build up your fitness over time along with your tennis skills. I'm 5'6" and I'm enjoying tennis nevertheless.

1-on-1 coaching can help you improve your technique faster, but for just getting back into it, a few group lessons should be fine to start and it's cheaper.
 
I started playing in c 2002, when I was twelve.

Unfortunately, the person who (tried) to teach me was my father, a traditional middle aged Asian man, with the patience and understanding of, well, a middle aged Asian man. He himself was also coached back in the day by an old gramps, who had the teaching approach of Sparta, and whose view of ideal tennis technique was McEnroe.

So in 2002, my father--with the stereotypical emotional range of a teaspoon--tried to make me hit forehands like McEnroe, with no working knowledge of the science behind tennis technique, and with a junior racquet already too small for me because he didn't want to spend money on a full-size racquet.

Needless to say, I was dead excited about the game, and promptly never picked up a tennis racquet again until 2005, when a friend of mine got into the game and nagged me into playing against weekend public park hacks. At this point my interest was piqued and I sustained my interest in tennis by not playing it again until 2007/8, when some other friends who had proper coaches tried to teach me some of the things they had learned.

I found out I was actually a natural with certain shots--without trying to sound too much like LeeD, I could serve flat bombs over 100 mph almost from the beginning because I had been taught as a kid to be able to throw very well by a kid who played baseball, and had grown up with him trying to out-throw each other. Our school had a full-size football (or soccer to you Americans) field, and I was able to throw a softball / cricket ball across the full width of it (which is about 90 m) with ease. I also did fairly well at the javelin and shot putt, outperforming guys who were x1.5 to x2 my weight (I was skinny) in the latter.

But being able to throw well or serve bombs mean nothing if you can't land it in--and that's where technique is more important. I switched from an conti / eastern FH grip to a SW grip on my FH, taught myself the WW FH from the traditional FH, and also the 2HBH from the 1HBH, which I could never hit well enough. I had to stop in 2008 when I went to university because of financial reasons, and didn't play again regularly until 2013, when I got a job and got myself a coach.

High school me would be pretty proud of current me's tennis technique. My strokes are a lot prettier than it used to be, even if I still have issues with second serves (got the kicker working finally last week--just need to dial in the consistency), and the people I regularly play with (including my coach, and advanced players much better than myself) have actually told me that they refuse to give me forehands during sets because that would 'almost always be guaranteed loss of the point'. All in all, I've played regular tennis with a coach since 2013 only, ie two years with a 9-10 month break inbetween, and I consider myself of average talent at best. I do have a very good awareness of what my body is doing however, and a knack for mimicry. Best advice I can give is shadow swing in front of a mirror, and compare yourself with another lefty player. I used Rafa and Verdasco, as I hit with a straight arm, and load up on topspin.

Not sure why exactly I wrote down my life story, but that's my tennis history. Kinda interesting to me now that I'm reading this back to myself...
 
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Couple of things to add. You are very fortunate to be so young and want to play tennis. I'm 41. You can look back on this one day as one of the best decisions you ever made.
You said you are out of shape? This is the one area you can have complete control. Make some realistic short and long term goals. Make a decision to yourself that no matter the sacrifice you will reach those goals. Get a personal trainer in the beginning if need be but if you get in shape, it will benefit you not only in tennis but in almost everything else in life you do. Tennis is all about confidence, this will help your journey. Good luck.
 
I started playing around 19 give or take a year. My ranking was 4.5 for a couple of decades but I'm old man 4.0 now. I actually played 1 year of 5.0 usta league and won about 30% of my matches when much much younger.

Yes, you can start at 19. My only concern is you mention some of the players that you will compete against are tournament level and have played good players. It may take you several years to reach this level of competition but hopefully that will not stop you from getting involved and having fun. I've been playing 40 years and still love it so go for it man.
 
Completely possible! I started when I was 20/21 and I love it. Finding a good coach can be a huge help if you are serious about improving quickly. As for fitness I've never found tennis to be a very big help there (seems like a game you get in shape to play not a game that gets you in shape) but it's way better than nothing.
 
Find some retired people who can hit with you. Work at hitting the ball back to them so they don't have to run so much. You need lots of repetitions done well - enough. If you have developed some competency in any other sport nearly all the fundamentals transfer from one sport to another, especially balance and how you maintain it.
Work hard at zoning out tracking the ball - not the gal's legs in the next court. Although...

During the learning phase a well done shot that misses close is "better" than a poorly executed shot that lands in. So many beginners harm their progress when they concentrate more on keeping the ball in than hitting the ball well.

Find someone who can teach you to serve. Then slowly, with good technique, work up to at least 150 serves a day. After about a year you start to figure things out about yourself and your serve. One thing is getting angry is counterproductive and it "ain't" the racket.

I'll bet there are some group lessons somewhere in the city or at your university. Our local university tennis coach has group lessons for whoever shows up once a week. He usually has one or two of the D1 players help out. Lots of fun. I got to hit with a guy from Belarus last night and next week a couple players from Spain will be on hand.
 
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sureshs said:
I started tennis when I was 39 and just look at me now
Click to expand...

I was going to suggest the same. Just look at Suresh. Twelve of years of hard-work pays off.
Also make sure you buy some pink shoes.

sureshs-o.gif
 
Assuming the club has decent players, your not going to make it. Its not about your potential its about your time window. Unless you stay in college until 28 (do it if you can)
 
Take some lessons to get the basics down and don't try to self-teach bad habits or it will be a long road to becoming a good player. But no it is never too late but make your goals achievable.
 
I, also, started playing at 19 yrs old and at 65 I'm still playing. You will find, however, that- if your college is like mine- that they have virtually no local players on the team. Most are imported from Sweeden, Spain, Serbia and other countries that start with an "S".

Play local tournaments, start working your way up. Take all the lessons tou can comfortably afford.
 
newpball said:
Glad you ask!

Regulation 754.24 Section 2 (A) (iii) clearly states that it is not allowed for 19 year old people to start playing tennis.
However, under Regulation 567.45 there is a possibility to get an exception.

To get the exception fill in and sign Form A-5678-5 (make sure you have 3 copies) file one to the ITF headquarters, one to the US Tennis Association and one to the Jokers Club.
Applications for an exception usually take between14 and 18 months.
After a preliminary acceptance of application prepare for your testing and review which should take another 18-24 months.
Then it is just waiting for a final approval.

You should be able to get started playing tennis by 2024 if things go swiftly!

Good luck!

:D
Click to expand...
Or he could just wait until he's 20. ;)
 
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