Game Set Match: Play 🎾

Good morning 🎾 This is Andrew's Apples, the health email that also covers running, golf, sex, and - today - tennis. My dear friend of over 20 years, Grant (aka "Veez"), is here to talk tennis. He played in college and has been published writing on the subject. Dude loves the game, for real. He's a G, so enjoy...

As the final weekend of Wimbledon 2022 has arrived, there’s probably no better time to talk tennis than right here, right now. Tennis was my primary source of competition as a kid, and it’s been my primary source of exercise as an adult. Whether you’re a casual player, avid spectator, or passive observer, tennis can give you something. Here’s an imperfect ode to the perfect game. My tennis Apples, fuzzy and yellow.

1. 🗣 Crazy talk. In the heat of a match, a player can often feel like they’re Tom Hanks in Castaway - alone on an island, malnourished, and having full conversations with a ball. In his autobiography, Andre Agassi describes how tennis players frequently talk to themselves like “lunatics in a public square…conducting Lincoln-Douglas debates with their alter egos.” Make no mistake, tennis brings out the psychopath in everyone. Perhaps no other sport challenges you mentally as much as tennis; managing your demons solo is part of the game. Even a golfer has their caddy to lean on. But there’s a method to the madness. Playing enough tennis can breed a habit of positive self-talk. And if we can channel our inner chatter in a healthy way, there’s a lesson to be taken beyond the court. Celebrate the small wins: making your bed, getting to the gym, or rebooting the app after your Hinge date ghosts you. Momentum will set in. Vamosss!

2. 🚪 Entry granted. In his blog and podcasts, Tyler Cowen encourages his audience to look for “entry points,” or subject matter that can be a springboard to other learnings. For example, geeking out on wine can offer insight into geography and agriculture. Passion for the former becomes a lesson on the latter. Following the world of tennis opens doors to explore areas like statistics, psychology (see above), corporate feuding, fashion, semantics, and more. These days, following Naomi Osaka inevitably sparks conversations about mental health in sports. And it’s difficult to love (or hate) Novak Djokovic without being somewhat fluent in international vaccination policies. Whether you worship tennis or kneel at the altar of another sport, it’s likely an entry point into other realms.

3. 🤠 A game of the people.  In the US, tennis often has an aura of elitism. It’s known as a country club sport, championed by the upper class. Friends, I’m here to tell you that tennis is for the people! What other sport boasts as many public venues? Within 5 miles of my home in Pittsburgh, there are roughly 30 public tennis courts. Equipment costs aside, it’s free to play to your heart’s content. Enter the US Open: a grounds pass costs as little as 30 bucks and grants access to the sweat-splash zone of any tennis titan. Across the pond at Rolland Garros, my buddy Adam noted that tennis looks a lot more egalitarian over there. Let’s be more like the French.

4. 💪 Try, try again. In 1979, Vitas Gerulaitas of Lithuania defeated American and World No. 2 Jimmy Connors in the final men’s tournament of the year. Taken on its own, the result might appear unremarkable, but Vitas had lost to Jimmy previously 16 matches in a row. After the win, Vitas announced, “Let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas 17 times in a row!” Vitas, my guy! Allow this anecdote to demonstrate how a failure on the court can lead us to rethink our strategy, manifest confidence, and become resilient enough to get the W.

How about them Aces? Hit him with any comments or questions. We love hearing from yinz.

Your friends,

Grant🎾 (& Andrew🍎)

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