Rafael Nadal once said: “Tennis is, more than most sports, a sport of the mind.”
This quote from one of the greatest players of the game perfectly describes the sport. Since it isn’t a team sport, there is no one to share the pressure with, no one to pass the ball to. You are all alone out there on the court. Mental fortitude is required and this is what separates the best from the rest.
Take some of the greats of tennis to understand the intricacies of this sport. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal – collectively known as the Big Three. Their accomplishments speak for themselves: Nadal and Djokovic have won 85 titles between them while Federer has won an astonishing 103 titles. While he may be the most iconic, I would say Djokovic is the greatest since he holds the most records.
Tennis before the era of the Big Three and after is a different game – which goes to show just how much impact a single player can have on the entire sport. Not only did they make the sport more popular but also changed how the game was played. Before their era, tennis was basically serve and volley: a player would serve (overhead) to start and then go up to the net to volley the receiver’s return.
However, the Big Three reinvented the game, playing from the baseline (far end) of the court. Not only was this more entertaining to watch, but there was also more variety in the game being played. These three have also produced some of the greatest matches of tennis ever played, and still do to this day. Some sports have a once in a generation player that changes the game. Basketball had Jordan, boxing had Ali, and in the case of tennis there are three such players playing at the same time – and we are lucky to have lived and still be living through their era. However, this era is soon coming to a close. And because of the high standards that have been set, people have a lot of expectations from the next generation of tennis players.
Because of these high standards, tennis has also in a way become a more global and equitable sport. It still lacks the global popularity of football or cricket, which is one of the reasons behind why there is not a lot of tennis culture in Pakistan, even though the country is full of talent and raw potential. Without government support and a proper, professional tennis board, there are very few opportunities for budding tennis players in the country.
Pakistan is far, far away from doing right by young tennis players here. There is such little participation from the government, and a complete lack of facilities. Take any country in Europe and you will see that there are excellent academies and a proper system in place by which players have a route to turn pro depending on their skills, talents, and hard work.
There is nothing of the sort in Pakistan. If you want to go pro being in Pakistan, you will have to do this of your own accord. This is why Aisam ul Haq has been the only Pakistani pro tennis player to ever compete in any major tournaments overseas.
Tennis must be promoted on a government level. There is a lot going for it. Tennis obviously has its health benefits too. Bjorn Borg, a tennis legend, had a resting heart rate of 35 beats per minute! For comparison, a normal resting heart rate for adult ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. Tennis players have to play a best of five sets: each set being first to 6 games, and these matches can go up to as long as 5 hours. So, yes tennis is a physically demanding sport, more so than football or cricket or any other team game and has produced one of the fittest athletes on the planet.
All in all, tennis is one of the most entertaining sports out there and definitely a great sport to play yourself. I do hope that it gets the recognition it deserves from the government.
