This is my second time musing on the sport of tennis, a passion I have outside of the office. (Read our initial post here). As I spent a lot of time playing over the summer months, I thought I’d revisit the subject with some added musings.
For me, I adore the social component of tennis. I love the sound of the ball popping and hitting something really hard. I love the smell of a new can of balls! When I was a kid, I took a couple of lessons and re-learned a few years ago. It’s been the best hobby ever!
I find myself playing a few times a week with friends — and my new son in law is an amazing pro with the best color commentary! I love my coach — I go with a neighbor once a week to have a semi-private lesson and it’s been the greatest thing for my brain. And then I try to go to a Saturday workout each week. 105 is the best game ever. A close second is live ball. Goodness, I love it.
I actually think playing tennis is the best thing I can do for my brain — get out and move — and clear my head . I don’t mind sitting on the sofa, either, watching tennis! It’s all a good break from thinking about floorplans and design problem solving. I also think it’s a reminder how much nature can charge my batteries. I do believe nature charges everyone’s battery. I recently heard that burn out for creatives can happen when everything we do is for posting or money. The best way to get OUT of a burn out, is to do creative things for FUN. I think tennis (and sport in general) is a creative endeavor because your brain is constantly working between the technical aspect and the choice of shots – it’s always next play, next play. The very definition of creating.
As my last post detailed, I have spent time planning for a tennis pavilion project while, in conjunction, have been reflecting on some of my favorite courts in the world.
I think the concept of a recessed court — one that you step down into so that the side fences don’t feel so tall — makes for a lovely residential court. Privacy is such a treat and it does change the feeling within the court. Lowering the grade of the court will emphasize any views - as it plays with perspective and creates a “bowl” out of the court. It’s also so neat to enclose in a pleached hedge of some kind. When you’re thinking about putting in a hard court, it’s really great to do what you can to marry it to the landscape… So personally I prefer the Wimbledon color lines over the US Open color lines.
Size wise, it’s really important to consider the depth of the court if you want to have lots of friends come play. The deeper the space behind the baseline, the more people who can come play live ball!
But truly, it’s nice to have depth behind the baseline for your deep, hard hitting shots… and that’s actually an issue at Roland Garros with the depth behind the baseline and the sponsor placards. Google it!
Now, it’s time to get back on the court!
