At San Luis Obispo High School, fall sports are a very big deal. There is always a lot of talk about football. Many students think it’s the most well known and attended sport in the season. Football tends to overshadow many other sports in the fall. Tennis being one of those sports.

  Tennis is an activity most people find easy to play. This is thought because it is a low contact sport. Tennis requires a lot of mental strength which is why it’s so simple to interpret the lack of physical activity as “easy”. Technique is another big part of playing tennis effectively, but all of the little things like timing and footwork really matter in the long run.

  “It’s overall helped me with other sports such as archery, and in general with mental toughness and being able and being able to work and lead a team as well as take on challenges individually,” said junior tennis player Claire Hughes.

  Tennis helps students in other sports and aspects of life which is one of the reasons why tennis players think it is so important.

  “During the season I play six days a week for two-ish hours and off season I play about three to four hours a day, six or seven days a week,” said sophomore tennis player Alex Caprau. 

  The amount of dedication to this sport is very impressive. Tennis players need constant practice and training just like any other sports such as football.

  For the most part, this sport is fairly underrated. Many people don’t understand the effort and ability it takes to play tennis and succeed. All of the difficulty isn’t usually what comes to mind.

  “Rackets and white clothes,” said sophomore Ipek Karagozlu. 

  Those are the more typical thoughts that people who are not invested in the sport have. 

  While tennis currently does not have the recognition it deserves, one day people will realize the kind of commitment it takes to pull this sport off.