Why is tennis a tough sport?

[atp2015]

1. Tennis has no coaching. Aside from certain moments on the Women’s tour, there are no coaches watching the game who can correct your errors, calm you down, or make in-game adjustments to your opponent. Even in boxing, you get coaching after every round.
2. Tennis has no substitutions. There are no teammates to bail you out when you get tight and make mistakes. This is one of the biggest reasons why it can be so difficult to regain an optimal level of play when something goes wrong. It might take an average player two or three games to recover when they get tight or lose concentration. In that time span, a set or match can be lost.
3. Tennis has no time outs (except for rain delays, bath room breaks, or injury treatment). You can’t simply remove yourself from the match for as long as it takes to recover physically or emotionally.
4. Tennis has no time limit. In most sports, there is a clock which determines who wins, regardless of how even the contest is. The team with a lead can play to run out the clock just by taking more time to play or adopting a more conservative strategy. In tennis, you have to win the last point of the last game of the last set. If you change your game in any way to conserve a lead, it may reduce your effectiveness and allow your opponent to outplay you and overcome the deficit. With no time limit, endurance becomes an issue, leading to #5.
5. Tennis is physically demanding. A tough closely contested match can take two to three hours. Tennis players are doing a series of small sprints, lunges and changes of directions and can run up to three miles during a five set match (which is more than NBA players run): Intensity of tennis match play. As athletes become fatigued, it’s much hard to maintain concentration and mental toughness. (Soccer is incredibly demanding, too, as players run an average of seven miles per game.)
6. Tennis requires precise fine motor skills. While the same can be said for golf and billiards, tennis players have to hit the ball go over the net and inside the line, without setting up their opponent for an easy winner, all while running more than basketball players (see #5). At a professional level, players hit between 16 and 21 shots per service game, which would be around 500 shots during a close three set match, of which there would be about 135 serves (which requires explosive energy). Each one of these shots can either win or lose the point, so that’s a lot of pressure filled events. The most ball-dominant NBA player this season, Russell Westbrook, averaged just over 34 shots per game that counted (missed shot while getting fouled don’t count, unless you make the shot). The average professional soccer player will touch the ball 60–120 time a game, but will only take a handful of shots on goal.
7. Tennis has a large set of complex techniques. Tennis players have to learn a much larger number of unique shots than most sports: the serve, serve returns (they’re not the exactly the same as the regular groundstrokes) backhand, forehand, volleys, drop shots, lobs and overheads. In addition, they have to execute ground strokes from every position on the court against balls coming at different heights, speeds and spins. This requires a high level of focus and concentration at all times, which is a part of the mental game.
8. Tennis requires constant decision making. This is one of the most difficult mental parts of the sport. There is no fixed objective, like a goal net, a basket, or the end zone. In tennis, your opponent’s actions and choices affect your decisions, and vice versa. By changing speed, spin and direction, your opponent tries to put you into an uncomfortable position when you set up to hit each shot. Even if you hit an excellent shot, if your opponent anticipates it, they can not only return it, but hit a winner. An opponent can change styles or tendencies throughout a match which forces you to recognize and adjust accordingly.
9. Tennis requires constant control over adrenaline and emotions. In many athletic situations (rushing the passer, going after a rebound, running the field on a break), players exert all-out effort and are aided when they are pumped up physically and emotionally. In tennis, this is a recipe for disaster, as the use of maximum physical force or emotional intensity makes players either get tight or overhit badly. Maintaining the right level of calmness and adrenaline is another mental challenge.

Every competitive sport requires tremendous mental toughness. There are many different forms of pressure that tennis players almost never face (hostile, noisy crowds, the chance of getting injured by a dirty opponent, horrible calls by referees without a challenge, etc.), so I am not suggesting that other sports aren’t mentally demanding.

However, with team sports, a lot of the stress athletes experience is hidden from the fans by substitutions, time outs, or team mates who bail out the player who has made an error. In addition, with in-game coaching, players have a small, well-defined role to play on the team in any given situation, which relieves them of the stress of determining and then adjusting strategy and tactics. Tennis players bear all these pressures by themselves.

When we see devastating errors in team sports when the game is on the line - a missed field goal, free throw or penalty kick, a hanging curve ball or a dropped ball - they represent only a tiny fraction of the total game, and probably a very rare occurrence in the individual player’s career. With tennis, players are put in these situations every game, set and match.


https://www.quora.com/Why-is-competitive-tennis-mentally-very-hard/answer/Lon-Shapiro

 

[heninfan99]

This post would be a good fit for the adult league section.

It's a lot tougher than baseball and basketball, that's for sure.

 

[Deleted member 120290]

The good thing is that your opponent faces the same exact challenges.

If you think tennis is tough, try boxing. One mistake in tennis, it's 0 - 15. One mistake in boxing, you are unconscious on your back.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

...One mistake in boxing, you are unconscious on your back.

yup, been there...

 

[atp2015]

The good thing is that your opponent faces the same exact challenges.

If you think tennis is tough, try boxing. One mistake in tennis, it's 0 - 15. One mistake in boxing, you are unconscious on your back.

You have a point - but my bad, the question really was " Why is it mentally hard ?" Boxing is physically hard, but once you are unconscious in a ring, mentally you are in total peace and nothing to worry about

 

[2HBH-DTL]

tennis is the most mentally challenging sport in the world IMO. there is so much strategy and planning that goes into constructing points and the match as a whole. it's a physical chess match. it can drive a normally sane person insane.

 

[Dartagnan64]

I think NFL QB is the most mentally challenging athletic endeavor. Trying to analyze a defense, make adjustments, communicate those adjustments, handle a ball with 4-6 250-300 lb men coming at you and throw it on a dime at the same time. That's more challenging than tennis point construction. That's why only 15 people in the world are even decent at it.

I'd also say race car driving is pretty mentally tough as well. The focus and stamina needed to drive at those speeds with other guys mere feet away from you is pretty intense.

But tennis is right up there for sure, especially in the slams where its best of 5 sets.

 

[atp2015]

I think NFL QB is the most mentally challenging athletic endeavor. Trying to analyze a defense, make adjustments, communicate those adjustments, handle a ball with 4-6 250-300 lb men coming at you and throw it on a dime at the same time. That's more challenging than tennis point construction. That's why only 15 people in the world are even decent at it.

I'd also say race car driving is pretty mentally tough as well. The focus and stamina needed to drive at those speeds with other guys mere feet away from you is pretty intense.

But tennis is right up there for sure, especially in the slams where its best of 5 sets.

What about the fact that NFL QBs are surrounded by a team and coaching for each and every play? The planning and what to do (pass, rush etc) is decided by the team of coaches and not the player most of the time??

 

[LeeD]

1. Tennis has no coaching. Aside from certain moments on the Women’s tour, there are no coaches watching the game who can correct your errors, calm you down, or make in-game adjustments to your opponent. Even in boxing, you get coaching after every round.
2. Tennis has no substitutions. There are no teammates to bail you out when you get tight and make mistakes. This is one of the biggest reasons why it can be so difficult to regain an optimal level of play when something goes wrong. It might take an average player two or three games to recover when they get tight or lose concentration. In that time span, a set or match can be lost.
3. Tennis has no time outs (except for rain delays, bath room breaks, or injury treatment). You can’t simply remove yourself from the match for as long as it takes to recover physically or emotionally.
4. Tennis has no time limit. In most sports, there is a clock which determines who wins, regardless of how even the contest is. The team with a lead can play to run out the clock just by taking more time to play or adopting a more conservative strategy. In tennis, you have to win the last point of the last game of the last set. If you change your game in any way to conserve a lead, it may reduce your effectiveness and allow your opponent to outplay you and overcome the deficit. With no time limit, endurance becomes an issue, leading to #5.
5. Tennis is physically demanding. A tough closely contested match can take two to three hours. Tennis players are doing a series of small sprints, lunges and changes of directions and can run up to three miles during a five set match (which is more than NBA players run): Intensity of tennis match play. As athletes become fatigued, it’s much hard to maintain concentration and mental toughness. (Soccer is incredibly demanding, too, as players run an average of seven miles per game.)
6. Tennis requires precise fine motor skills. While the same can be said for golf and billiards, tennis players have to hit the ball go over the net and inside the line, without setting up their opponent for an easy winner, all while running more than basketball players (see #5). At a professional level, players hit between 16 and 21 shots per service game, which would be around 500 shots during a close three set match, of which there would be about 135 serves (which requires explosive energy). Each one of these shots can either win or lose the point, so that’s a lot of pressure filled events. The most ball-dominant NBA player this season, Russell Westbrook, averaged just over 34 shots per game that counted (missed shot while getting fouled don’t count, unless you make the shot). The average professional soccer player will touch the ball 60–120 time a game, but will only take a handful of shots on goal.
7. Tennis has a large set of complex techniques. Tennis players have to learn a much larger number of unique shots than most sports: the serve, serve returns (they’re not the exactly the same as the regular groundstrokes) backhand, forehand, volleys, drop shots, lobs and overheads. In addition, they have to execute ground strokes from every position on the court against balls coming at different heights, speeds and spins. This requires a high level of focus and concentration at all times, which is a part of the mental game.
8. Tennis requires constant decision making. This is one of the most difficult mental parts of the sport. There is no fixed objective, like a goal net, a basket, or the end zone. In tennis, your opponent’s actions and choices affect your decisions, and vice versa. By changing speed, spin and direction, your opponent tries to put you into an uncomfortable position when you set up to hit each shot. Even if you hit an excellent shot, if your opponent anticipates it, they can not only return it, but hit a winner. An opponent can change styles or tendencies throughout a match which forces you to recognize and adjust accordingly.
9. Tennis requires constant control over adrenaline and emotions. In many athletic situations (rushing the passer, going after a rebound, running the field on a break), players exert all-out effort and are aided when they are pumped up physically and emotionally. In tennis, this is a recipe for disaster, as the use of maximum physical force or emotional intensity makes players either get tight or overhit badly. Maintaining the right level of calmness and adrenaline is another mental challenge.

Every competitive sport requires tremendous mental toughness. There are many different forms of pressure that tennis players almost never face (hostile, noisy crowds, the chance of getting injured by a dirty opponent, horrible calls by referees without a challenge, etc.), so I am not suggesting that other sports aren’t mentally demanding.

However, with team sports, a lot of the stress athletes experience is hidden from the fans by substitutions, time outs, or team mates who bail out the player who has made an error. In addition, with in-game coaching, players have a small, well-defined role to play on the team in any given situation, which relieves them of the stress of determining and then adjusting strategy and tactics. Tennis players bear all these pressures by themselves.

When we see devastating errors in team sports when the game is on the line - a missed field goal, free throw or penalty kick, a hanging curve ball or a dropped ball - they represent only a tiny fraction of the total game, and probably a very rare occurrence in the individual player’s career. With tennis, players are put in these situations every game, set and match.


https://www.quora.com/Why-is-competitive-tennis-mentally-very-hard/answer/Lon-Shapiro

Ever try surfing in a competition?

 

[OnTheLine]

I thoroughly agree with most of your points.
I believe that martial arts sparring comes close as well. No coaching at all. the only constant is the lack of a constant. Add the incredibly physically taxing (particularly 3 minute rounds!) and couple it with getting physically hurt (a kick to the head/body even with padding hurts!)

 

[Dartagnan64]

What about the fact that NFL QBs are surrounded by a team and coaching for each and every play? The planning and what to do (pass, throw etc) is decided by the team of coaches and not the player most of the time??

They get a play called in. But they have to decide in an instant whether that play is right for the defense. They have to do it both pre-snap and post snap. Post snap they have to make the decision with angry 300 lb people coming at you. Imagine Federer trying to serve while 4 300lb linemen rush at him.

 

[GuyClinch]

Tennis is pretty light at the low level though. Especially doubles - they don't call it a country club sport for nothing. Let's be honest here.

High level players are basically playing a different game.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Tennis is pretty light at the low level though. Especially doubles - they don't call it a country club sport for nothing. Let's be honest here.

High level players are basically playing a different game.

High level athletes in all sports are playing a different game from rec players. That's why I always think its ludicrous coaching to suggest a rec player watch slo mo videos of pros and try to copy them. That's like telling a rec basketball player to watch slo mo videos of Lebron James and copy him.

 

[atp2015]

They get a play called in. But they have to decide in an instant whether that play is right for the defense. They have to do it both pre-snap and post snap. Post snap they have to make the decision with angry 300 lb people coming at you. Imagine Federer trying to serve while 4 300lb linemen rush at him.

If you were to imagine Federer trying to serve while 4 300lb linemen rush at him, you will also have to imagine 4 300lb guards and tackles protecting him and equally strong center providing additional cover.
Nice try looking at just one side of the coin though....

 

[atp2015]

Tennis is pretty light at the low level though. Especially doubles - they don't call it a country club sport for nothing. Let's be honest here.

High level players are basically playing a different game.

Isn't there rec level football and pro level separately? Do they mix it up unlike in tennis?

 

[GuyClinch]

Isn't there rec level football and pro level separately? Do they mix it up unlike in tennis?

They mix it up alot more - because they are team games. For example if you play pickup hoops - which in theory could be 'easier' its in fact a much tougher game because you are going against a mix of athletes.

Some could be quite excellent - either athleticially or just very good at basketball. Recreational tennis OTOH is chock full of either non-athletes or people who have not developed skill yet.

So in the real world experience tennis is not nearly as tough, IMHO. I could play 3 sets of tennis against some overweight banker vs. play some pick up hoops game in NYC. I know which games I think are tougher..

Now you might say well that's just because you are matched up better in tennis - you could play Federer and you would be destroyed. Of course - but I wouldn't feel its particularly tough since like 80% of Fed's regular shots would be winners against me..

Don't get me wrong - at the pro level tennis is an incredibly tough sport. But it got its country club reputation for good reason. Play some older guy down at the club isn't really tough.

 

[Shroud]

Imho hockey has to be up there too. It has most all the elements though there is coaching. And it has elements of boxing too and skating as well as fine motor skills. And the physical punishment.

 

[movdqa]

tennis is the most mentally challenging sport in the world IMO. there is so much strategy and planning that goes into constructing points and the match as a whole. it's a physical chess match. it can drive a normally sane person insane.

I played amateur chess when I was younger and tennis felt a lot like chess over they years.

I think that table tennis is more mentally demanding than tennis though. Your reaction time has to be a lot faster in table tennis compared to tennis and the spin of the other guy's paddle has a huge influence on how the ball comes off your paddle, unlike with tennis. So you have to really concentrate on the incoming spin and pace to adjust the angle of your paddle to counteract the incoming spin. Tennis is far more physical than table tennis though.

 

[2HBH-DTL]

I think that table tennis is more mentally demanding than tennis though.

I'm not sure I would call it more mentally demanding that tennis though. In higher stressed situations, it's more common for a stroke in tennis aka the serve, forehand, backhand, volley, etc to break down than a ping pong stroke since they're so compact. How many times do you see high level ping pong players fault their serve? I would agree that you need greater reflexes and greater focus at times in ping pong due to a short table and high speed balls coming in.

 

[GuyClinch]

Imho hockey has to be up there too. It has most all the elements though there is coaching. And it has elements of boxing too and skating as well as fine motor skills. And the physical punishment.

No easy sports when there is money involved. I don' t know much about being a jockey - and I still bet that's not easy.

Singles tennis is a bit more self-reliant then many sports - but even compared to racquet sports I don't think its toughest for rec players. Rec Squash is a much tougher sport, IMHO. Alot of very quick stop and go footwork - very long rallies. Much tougher on endurance at the rec level..

But the thing is its like that even for mediocre squash players. A mediocre rec doubles player - come on now - you could fall asleep out there and still win a point or two.

Ping Pong is easy at the casual play level - but can't say how it is at the pro level. Those guys really seem to move around alot at the pro level and play pretty far back.

Going back to tennis - for regular guys I suppose it depends on the player. But when matched against equal players its not always that tough. Toughest is a grinder type of guy..

 

[movdqa]

I'm not sure I would call it more mentally demanding that tennis though. In higher stressed situations, it's more common for a stroke in tennis aka the serve, forehand, backhand, volley, etc to break down than a ping pong stroke since they're so compact. How many times do you see high level ping pong players fault their serve? I would agree that you need greater reflexes and greater focus at times in ping pong due to a short table and high speed balls coming in.

When I play someone that isn't experienced, I often hit a slice, top, sidespin one way and then sidespin the other way. The ball then hits the other paddle and it ends on their side of the table, well over the table, off to my left and off to my right. You need the mental focus to read the cues of how the other player is putting spin on the ball and that takes some effort.

There is a much, much higher friction effect with a ping-pong ball on a paddle than there is with a tennis ball and the racquet strings.

You can't do anywhere near as much with a serve in table tennis compared to tennis if you're talking about power because of the physics of the game. That's why you see so much feint used instead.

 

[movdqa]

Singles tennis is a bit more self-reliant then many sports - but even compared to racquet sports I don't think its toughest for rec players. Rec Squash is a much tougher sport, IMHO. Alot of very quick stop and go footwork - very long rallies. Much tougher on endurance at the rec level..

But the thing is its like that even for mediocre squash players. A mediocre rec doubles player - come on now - you could fall asleep out there and still win a point or two.

You don't see a lot of really overweight squash players. They'd spend too much time running into the walls.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Ever try surfing in a competition?

I'd have a hard time *standing* on a surfboard let alone actually surfing let alone surfing in a competition!

 

[LeeD]

I surfed for about 25 year's, seriously. In 1969, after 8 bad surfing contests, finally won a Santa Cruz Open, 1A, 2A, 3A, and qualified for the finals of 4A after several rounds in that division. Came in 2nd to Joey Thomas, beat 5 other 4A's because the surf actually had power and size for a change. I'm an Ocean Beach (San Francisco) surfer, so used to more power and size than most contest surfer's. I entered 3 other 4A contests, including the San Francisco ASP, but never did well because I never came through in the clutch.
If you read that new surfing book Barbarian Days, you'll see me mentioned a few times, but not for contest surfing, which is abstract and hardly normal, but for big wave riding in San Francisco. I've been mentioned in Matt Warshaw's Mavericks book, as well as in New Yorker Magazine, besides a reference mention in Surfing California.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

Ever try surfing in a competition?

Surfing is brutal.

Takes a lot of balls especially in big waves.

Having been through the washing machine (of small 4-5ft waves in shallow break) after taking a dive,... can't imagine the shape you gotta be in, to ride the big waves (and survive a fall).... especially the ones the Laird is riding.

One mistake and you possibly die.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LeeD]

Funny thing about Laird...
His uncle, Billy, was a famous Hanalei Bay big wave surfer, but not necessarily Laird.
Laird did hang around Oahu in the '80's to establish some big wave credence, but never stood out or was even average at Wiamea, Sunset, or Pipeline. That's why he went into windsurfing, paddleboarding, foil boarding, SUP,Tow-In, and all those alternative water sports....which he actually excelled at...but not big wave surfing. He IS one of the SUP big wave pioneers, and certainly among the top TOW-IN surfer's in the world, but regular paddle in surfing, not so great. I think he rode one of the biggest ever filmed waves at Teahopoo, both towed in and also SUP paddle in.
I surfed quite a few days at Pipe and Sunset with him also in the water. At Pipe, Lopez and Russell dominated, and at Sunset, Ho, Kaniapuni, and Thompson got most of the good waves. I surfed Pipe about 70 days, Sunset maybe only 50, but several on days when the channel was closing out, so only a handful of guys dared to paddle out.
The guy I think is absolutely tops in big wave surfing, and most experts would agree should be in the top 5, is Derrick Doerner. I"ve seen him out at Revelations by himself, in over 30' breaking North Shore surf, and actually enjoy himself. This on a day Wiamea was totally closing out, Sunset and Pipe also, and the only breaks you could surf was NE of Velzyland, using the channel there to get outside. Revs is located halfway between Velzyland and Turtle Bay Hilton, and only breaks at 28+ feet on an outer reef.
We watched from Comstock, up the hill using binoculars.

 

[LeeD]

Now if I can only learn how to play tennis.......

 

[GuyClinch]

Surfing is brutal.

Surfing is so hard - it seems dumb. Snowboarding is like twice the fun with 1/100 the effort. Tennis seems almost like torture at the highest levels with the 5 set matches and long tournaments and such.. So really it depends. But the average rec guy - your league playing 3.5 - is not that tough. We had a thread about drinking beer DURING the match.. Come on now..

 

[Todd Hicks]

1. Tennis has no coaching. Aside from certain moments on the Women’s tour, there are no coaches watching the game who can correct your errors, calm you down, or make in-game adjustments to your opponent. Even in boxing, you get coaching after every round.
2. Tennis has no substitutions. There are no teammates to bail you out when you get tight and make mistakes. This is one of the biggest reasons why it can be so difficult to regain an optimal level of play when something goes wrong. It might take an average player two or three games to recover when they get tight or lose concentration. In that time span, a set or match can be lost.
3. Tennis has no time outs (except for rain delays, bath room breaks, or injury treatment). You can’t simply remove yourself from the match for as long as it takes to recover physically or emotionally.
4. Tennis has no time limit. In most sports, there is a clock which determines who wins, regardless of how even the contest is. The team with a lead can play to run out the clock just by taking more time to play or adopting a more conservative strategy. In tennis, you have to win the last point of the last game of the last set. If you change your game in any way to conserve a lead, it may reduce your effectiveness and allow your opponent to outplay you and overcome the deficit. With no time limit, endurance becomes an issue, leading to #5.
5. Tennis is physically demanding. A tough closely contested match can take two to three hours. Tennis players are doing a series of small sprints, lunges and changes of directions and can run up to three miles during a five set match (which is more than NBA players run): Intensity of tennis match play. As athletes become fatigued, it’s much hard to maintain concentration and mental toughness. (Soccer is incredibly demanding, too, as players run an average of seven miles per game.)
6. Tennis requires precise fine motor skills. While the same can be said for golf and billiards, tennis players have to hit the ball go over the net and inside the line, without setting up their opponent for an easy winner, all while running more than basketball players (see #5). At a professional level, players hit between 16 and 21 shots per service game, which would be around 500 shots during a close three set match, of which there would be about 135 serves (which requires explosive energy). Each one of these shots can either win or lose the point, so that’s a lot of pressure filled events. The most ball-dominant NBA player this season, Russell Westbrook, averaged just over 34 shots per game that counted (missed shot while getting fouled don’t count, unless you make the shot). The average professional soccer player will touch the ball 60–120 time a game, but will only take a handful of shots on goal.
7. Tennis has a large set of complex techniques. Tennis players have to learn a much larger number of unique shots than most sports: the serve, serve returns (they’re not the exactly the same as the regular groundstrokes) backhand, forehand, volleys, drop shots, lobs and overheads. In addition, they have to execute ground strokes from every position on the court against balls coming at different heights, speeds and spins. This requires a high level of focus and concentration at all times, which is a part of the mental game.
8. Tennis requires constant decision making. This is one of the most difficult mental parts of the sport. There is no fixed objective, like a goal net, a basket, or the end zone. In tennis, your opponent’s actions and choices affect your decisions, and vice versa. By changing speed, spin and direction, your opponent tries to put you into an uncomfortable position when you set up to hit each shot. Even if you hit an excellent shot, if your opponent anticipates it, they can not only return it, but hit a winner. An opponent can change styles or tendencies throughout a match which forces you to recognize and adjust accordingly.
9. Tennis requires constant control over adrenaline and emotions. In many athletic situations (rushing the passer, going after a rebound, running the field on a break), players exert all-out effort and are aided when they are pumped up physically and emotionally. In tennis, this is a recipe for disaster, as the use of maximum physical force or emotional intensity makes players either get tight or overhit badly. Maintaining the right level of calmness and adrenaline is another mental challenge.

Every competitive sport requires tremendous mental toughness. There are many different forms of pressure that tennis players almost never face (hostile, noisy crowds, the chance of getting injured by a dirty opponent, horrible calls by referees without a challenge, etc.), so I am not suggesting that other sports aren’t mentally demanding.

However, with team sports, a lot of the stress athletes experience is hidden from the fans by substitutions, time outs, or team mates who bail out the player who has made an error. In addition, with in-game coaching, players have a small, well-defined role to play on the team in any given situation, which relieves them of the stress of determining and then adjusting strategy and tactics. Tennis players bear all these pressures by themselves.

When we see devastating errors in team sports when the game is on the line - a missed field goal, free throw or penalty kick, a hanging curve ball or a dropped ball - they represent only a tiny fraction of the total game, and probably a very rare occurrence in the individual player’s career. With tennis, players are put in these situations every game, set and match.


https://www.quora.com/Why-is-competitive-tennis-mentally-very-hard/answer/Lon-Shapiro

One of the neat things about tennis is you're on your own and must rely on strategy and making adjustments besides having the talent and using proper technique.

 

[Limpinhitter]

I think NFL QB is the most mentally challenging athletic endeavor. Trying to analyze a defense, make adjustments, communicate those adjustments, handle a ball with 4-6 250-300 lb men coming at you and throw it on a dime at the same time. That's more challenging than tennis point construction. That's why only 15 people in the world are even decent at it.

I'd also say race car driving is pretty mentally tough as well. The focus and stamina needed to drive at those speeds with other guys mere feet away from you is pretty intense.

But tennis is right up there for sure, especially in the slams where its best of 5 sets.

Vinny Testaverde!

 

[mbm0912]

Surfing is so hard - it seems dumb. Snowboarding is like twice the fun with 1/100 the effort. Tennis seems almost like torture at the highest levels with the 5 set matches and long tournaments and such.. So really it depends. But the average rec guy - your league playing 3.5 - is not that tough. We had a thread about drinking beer DURING the match.. Come on now..

disagree, surfing is way more fun than snowboarding. Actually in ways like tennis too...unless you learn fairly early, you're gonna pretty much be a kook..

 

[sureshs]

Tennis is a nice sport for the risk-averse athletically-challenged individual.

 

[GuyClinch]

Tennis is a nice sport for the risk-averse athletically-challenged individual.

I don't often agree with Sureshs. But yes - at the lower levels its pretty much chock full of these guys. So much so that people kind of forget that good athletes can play tennis.

The great thing about tennis for these guys is that I think more then most sports they can realistically play you can improve your athleticism. You also have a whole gender of less athletic types you can play against as a guy.

Yes in theory I could you know play one on one hoops with some woman - but it would be grossly unfair. In tennis size differences aren't neutralized but you can't body your opponent.
Also you can play older athletes and not feel again that you are basically cheating. I'd never play a 60 year old dude in hoops when I was 20. It would just be an athletic beat down..

In tennis - well maybe that 60 year old has a fighting chance if you don't know how to play tennis yet..

 

[OnTheLine]

I think that if you consider that tennis has no natural barriers to 100% of the population of basically able-bodied humans, it is unlike other sports in that regard. (don't be nit-picky here, yes there are some people in wheelchairs in that division, some without arms even, not talking about the outliers)

We play by essentially the same rules, the same physical space (court), equipment, etc. as those playing the sport at the very highest level.
We play from age 8 to 88 still with the same rules as the pros.

That cannot be said about other major sports that are garnering a lot of the comments :
American Football .... even in middle school a huge population of the able-bodied cannot actually play this sport. There is no such thing as full contact pads, etc. football for post college adults. Only way to play for the majority of the regular adult population is highly modified rules e.g. flag football, no kicking, no field goals, etc. etc.
Soccer .... adult leagues start disappearing at an age cut off of around 50. Or they are playing on modified short fields with modified goal size, with modified rules (lengths of matches)
Basketball.... many adult leagues move to half court matches ... highly modified from what is played at college or pro level

For a physical sport, this is one of the few that people of all ages can actually play without modification .... That doesn't mean it is necessarily The Hardest, but it does make it somewhat unique in that fact.

You may scoff at the overweight banker at the country club hitting moonballs on a sunday aftrnoon after brunch at the club .... but you must agree that he is actually playing Tennis. Same rules, same court, same equipment. Other sports need to be so heavily modified to allow for a greater range of people to play them that they cease to be the same sport.

Tennis remains tennis from 8 to 88 with some different degrees of skill and athleticism.

 

[mcs1970]

This post would be a good fit for the adult league section.

It's a lot tougher than baseball and basketball, that's for sure.

Different advantages/disadvantages. In Basketball you can benefit by playing off with better teammates. However, you also have to be in top notch shape and unless there's a defensive breakdown, you have to move precisely against another fleet footed athletic giant who is doing his best hand to hand combat to stop you. The precision required to negotiate an opponent right in your face and stop on a dime to make shots is not something a Tennis player has to negotiate with. I've seen kids who literally couldn't handle that part of it (having an opponent right in their face) and then looking totally different on a Tennis court, just because they didn't have to worry about that part.

Baseball...I've never played, but any sport that is okay with throwing a rock 100 mph at one's head just because you unknowingly broke one of the many unwritten rules of the sport, is something I'd stay far away from.

 

[snvplayer]

If you were to imagine Federer trying to serve while 4 300lb linemen rush at him, you will also have to imagine 4 300lb guards and tackles protecting him and equally strong center providing additional cover.
Nice try looking at just one side of the coin though....

Well, QB has a team of big men protecting him, he has got to constantly move around to position himself in safety, be aware and dodge anyone coming at him, and find an open man to throw the ball at.

It's a bit of apples and oranges...

 

[snvplayer]

At professional level, I think the unique difficulty with tennis is that the conditions change every week and even day. The balls are different, the surfaces are different, and the weather can change (i guess it's the same with golf and soccer to a certain extent). And, in team sports, if you made it to the top level (NBA, MLS, or Premier League), a lot of logistics are taken care by the team. In tennis, you are kind of on your own until you can afford your own coach, fitness trainer, etc.

 

[mcs1970]

At professional level, I think the unique difficulty with tennis is that the conditions change every week and even day. The balls are different, the surfaces are different, and the weather can change (i guess it's the same with golf and soccer to a certain extent). And, in team sports, if you made it to the top level (NBA, MLS, or Premier League), a lot of logistics are taken care by the team. In tennis, you are kind of on your own until you can afford your own coach, fitness trainer, etc.

Again different advantages/disadvantages. At the top level every sport is difficult. In a sport like basketball you're playing different defenders with different schemes thrown against you. In Tennis you negotiate a different thing with the elements and styles of play as you mention. Logistics...yes agreed...the team takes care of it, but for the top pros, I doubt logistics handling is a big deal.

At a younger age, in Tennis, you control your own destiny by your play. I've seen in basketball where the roles/responsibilities are not equitably handed out. Kids who can play better languish on the benches. Kids who are good shooters don't get the ball because the coach's son is a ball hog and has no vision. Lots of kids lose interest and quit due to that.

What someone wrote a few weeks ago is applicable to most sports. The more good you get at it, the more you realize how bad you really are. From the outside looking in every sport that one doesn't play at a high level looks easier than the other.

 

[LeeD]

disagree, surfing is way more fun than snowboarding. Actually in ways like tennis too...unless you learn fairly early, you're gonna pretty much be a kook..

As you probably know, Gerry Lopez gave up surfing for snowboarding and moved to Oregon.
Lots of my surfer friends snowboard, but some still ski.
Me, gave up surfing for windsurfing, and still both snowboard and ski, depending on who I"m with and the snow conditions.
Didn't you see the Walt Disney movie "Johnny Tsunami"? Kid was a pure surfer, found out his granddad, who also was a famous surfer, snowboarded like really good.

 

[GuyClinch]

You may scoff at the overweight banker at the country club hitting moonballs on a sunday aftrnoon after brunch at the club .... but you must agree that he is actually playing Tennis. Same rules, same court, same equipment. Other sports need to be so heavily modified to allow for a greater range of people to play them that they cease to be the same sport.

No one is scoffing at anyone here. It's all in your head. It's just that rec tennis is far from the hardest sport.. <g> It's a very fun sport though - that's why I play. If I wanted something tough I'd go with MMA..

 

[maximus]

Its a fun sport, more than anything else. I dont know about tennis being tough. Perhaps we ask too much from ourselves durig matches. it should just be all about having fun out there.

 

[atp2015]

Its a fun sport, more than anything else. I dont know about tennis being tough. Perhaps we ask too much from ourselves durig matches. it should just be all about having fun out there.

Mentally tough or not is relevant only if you care to win. There are lot more physically demanding soprts, tennis is about mental part and physical endurance mixed in.
For hit and gigle, and fun play the mental part is not an issue.

 

[GuyClinch]

Its a fun sport, more than anything else. I dont know about tennis being tough. Perhaps we ask too much from ourselves durig matches. it should just be all about having fun out there.

This. The crux of the problem for some rec players is that they over think it and get way to stressed out there. Its good to have a strategy - come up with a plan - and adapt that plan to whatever opponents you face. But this idea that its grindingly difficult on the mental side at the rec level is making things more difficult then they are, IMHO.