30 August 2019

The spirit of friendly, competitive tennis!

Tony Foreman

Tony joined his very first Local Tennis League in 2009. Three leagues, 32 rounds and 155 matches later, he is still going strong

Around 1989, my assistant asked me if I would like to play tennis at Lincolns Inn after we finished overtime. One thing led to another and soon we were playing every Sunday. After a while, we played tennis and then went to work. Eventually, we just met up on Sunday mornings for tennis. We must have played almost every week for ten years

Then I joined a Club and my first Coach (Matt) had an incredible ability to make things fun. We'd play for points towards the end of the lesson and it always seemed that I was on the brink of winning

I started playing in the Parks Leagues around 2009 and have never looked back. The leagues are like a Club and I regularly bump into people that I have played in the past. A number of venues in and around Beckenham and Crystal Palace now feel like home. I have made several really good long term friends.

I like the mixture of competitiveness and sporting spirit. We often congratulate one another on an exceptionally good shot. I also like the feeling that I am in the match and might prevail (with just a bit more effort). The actual result is less important. What matters is that I am giving my opponent a run for his (or her) money.

The next round in Crystal Palace begins on 26 September (click here to join) and the next round of the Bromley Tennis for Free League begins on 19 September, click here to join.