Ireland is still waiting to find her answer to Borg, Connors, McEnroe...Ok, OK, I am showing my age.
Tennis Ireland remains ever hopeful! Every year Park Tennis coaching is carried out for those aged between 6 to 17 and this year it kicks in again.
A Tennis Coaching programme takes place this Summer at various venues around the country.
Hourly classes are divided according to age and standard.
This is a low cost programme subsidised by various sponsors.
The only cost is a small once off registration fee - and that's it.. All equipment supplied, racquets and balls - Free T-shirts for all.
Get going and enjoy this fun programme with your friends while learning tennis. Dates and times vary according to locations but are mostly during July or August. The full 2008 Timetable
According to John McEnroe a Tennis legend
Tennis does have a stuffy image.
That's not just in the UK but everywhere, even the United States.
But I can tell you tennis is one of the best all round games that I've been lucky enough to be part of.
It combines a lot of strategy and the mental part of the sport is huge because you're out there by yourself.
It can be difficult being on your own, I know this myself.
When you lose you feel really naked out there and it's difficult to accept it but that's part of the process.
Tennis is one of the most difficult sports to learn, but when you do master it, it's so enjoyable because things happen without you even thinking.
You can win points in lots of different ways and be totally creative on the court too.
People talk about attitude and in the UK it seems very important to be a good loser.
While in America you are taught to win at any cost. I personally feel that somewhere in the middle of that would be ideal.
I always say that the greatest match I was ever part of was the 1980 Wimbledon final which I lost to Bjorn Borg.
Even though it sounds corny, I felt like I came out of that match a winner.
My respect level among players and fans went up by 20 or 50 times more and that's the match people always ask me about.
It's a lot harder to go out and fail or lose than to try at all. I give automatic respect to people who are willing to get themselves out there.
You should take great pride in giving 100 per cent effort.
Maybe you don't always win but you'll be amazed that a lot of good things will happen.
Never give up!
History of Tennis
Tennis originated in the United Kingdom in the late 19th century as "lawn tennis" and had heavy connections to the ancient game of real tennis. After its creation, tennis spread throughout the upper-class English-speaking population before spreading around the world. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all ages. The sport can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including people in wheelchairs. In the United States, there is a collegiate circuit organized by the National Collegiate Athletics Association.
Except for the adoption of the tie-breaker in the 1970s, its rules have remained remarkably unchanged since the 1890s. A recent addition to tennis has been the adoption of "instant replay" technology coupled with a point challenge system which allows a player to challenge the official call of a point.
Modern day industry
By the start of the 21st century tennis had become a multi-billion pound industry and one of the most widely played sports in the world.
The International Tennis Federation which governs the game has 198 National Associations - more than most international sporting federations.
Member nations include countries from every continent such as Australia, Brazil, China, France and Mali.
The professional tour has four major tournaments; the Australian Open which starts in January, the French Open which starts in May, Wimbledon which starts in June and the US Open which starts in August.
Top male players can earn up to $4m a year on the men's ATP Tour.
Women's tennis is also big business - America's Venus Williams earnt $2.5m in prize money alone in 2001 competing on the WTA Tour.
The best players can also compete for their countries in the Davis Cup for men and Fed Cup for women.
Davis cup was named after American tennis player Dwight Filley Davis and was first played between the USA and Great Britain in 1900.
The Fed Cup began in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ITF.
Both are now global competitions involving nearly 140 countries for Davis Cup and nearly 100 for Fed Cup.
Courtesy of Wikipedia and BBC Sports.
Links
Park Tennis
Tennis Ireland |
