The Tennis Personality

Most tennis players have ulterior motives for playing tennis. Some want the exercise, others like the competition, and many just want to socialize. Are you guilty of setting up matches with players not at your level just so you can say you've played them? Have you ever canceled a scheduled game because you just don't have anything to wear? Did you get a sub when you found out who would be in your foursome?

It's easy to spot the typical tennis personality because they generally fall into one of several categories ranging from the competitor to the socialite, all coming together on a tennis court. Here are some of the most common tennis personalities you will ever run across on the courts, and what to do when you see one.

The Women

• Social Suzie
  She carries more than one calendar with her at all times, and has social doubles games scheduled for every day of the week, months ahead of time. She knows everyone at all the local clubs, and spends hours on the phone each week organizing her schedule. A catastrophic event would have to occur for her to cancel one of her games, but she has been known to slip up and double-book herself once or twice. For this player, it's not at all about tennis, but who you know and who knows you, no matter how bad your game is.
  
• Fashionable Fran
  Frannie would never be caught dead playing tennis in a shorts and a t-shirt, even if it's just practice. She spends more time shopping than playing tennis, and always shows up in the latest designer fashion. The proper tennis attire for her is always a tennis skirt or tennis dress, color coordinated with matching socks that have little tennis racquets on them. For non-tennis functions, such as a casual dinner with friends, she can be seen arriving in her warm-up outfit or wearing the sweater with gold tennis balls on it.
  
• Junior Janet
  Beware of juniors, post-juniors, high school players or anyone who played tennis when they were a kid because these players can play. Juniors get the fundamentals down at such a young age that they rarely forget how to hit a forehand, kind of like riding a bike. These players show up at the court with one racquet, no cover, looking sloppy with one shoe untied, but do not take them for granted. They will beat you 0 and 0, then ask if you want to go a third because they're just getting warmed up.
  
  The copyright of the article The Tennis Personality in Tennis is owned by Sandra Eggers. Permission to republish The Tennis Personality in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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