The Ageless Sport of Tennis

I originally wrote this in March of 2004--

Yesterday I played tennis, doubles, with three other men. One was in his early 60’s, another 74, and the last one 77. I was thinking this wouldn’t be the best tennis to participate in since I was a youngish 43 and probably mistakenly think that I have more in common with Andre Agassi than I do these guys. I was wrong.

Art the youngest of the three called me and told me that he had some “good players” to play some doubles with. He mentioned something about a “guy who’s almost 78 who has a son who is ranked in Southern California in the 45’s [age group], but he can still really play.”

I said “sure” and agreed to meet them at 10 a.m. at the courts down the block from my house. I thought that the ‘father and son’ would probably take on the 60 year old and I and it would be fun.

Even though John (the 77 year old man) might have a 45-year-old son who is a very good player, that son wasn’t there. Instead I got a 74-year-old partner (Skip) and we played against Art and John.

For those of you who know the game of tennis you would think that being the person at the net with your partner serving you could “poach” (cut across the net to intercept the opponents return) a lot. You would think. I mean it makes sense that guys in their 60’s and 70’s who grew up learning to play in the 1940’s and 50’s with wood racquets would not hit with great topspin and power. They grew up during a time where the words “power” and “tennis” went about as well together as “Hummer” and “good gas mileage.”

The first time I served to John (who is about 5’ 6”) my partner didn’t poach and intercept an easy, soft return. When I served to John he sliced the ball back toward me so deftly that it forced me off the court completely and almost into a light pole that is about 6 feet off the court. I couldn’t successfully return his shot and we lost the point.

I found that this would be the rule rather than the exception for our tennis that morning. What the trio of elder players lacked in power, they more than made up for it in consistency, angles, touch and placement.

There was one player though that double faulted the most and missed more volleys than all the other players. No, not the 77 year old as you might think. It was I, the youngster of the group, with the most hair.

I guess that brings me to the moral of this little tennis anecdote. Now I could say something about aging like it’s never too late to accomplish something in life. Like how the guy who started McDonalds was 52 at the time, or how Colonel Sanders got his start at age 65. Or even how Jack LaLanne at age 89 still wakes up at 5 a.m. every day, lift weights and swims for two hours. But nah, for me the lesson is much simpler; do not serve to a 77-year-old players backhand, lest he make you look foolish.
Jack LaLanne, looking like Bono in shades, celebrating his 90th back in October 2004