Tennis

Rally, serve, and outlast an opponent in a game for any age.

Tennis

Rally, serve, and outlast an opponent in a game for any age.

Essentials~$230

DifficultyModerate

Time / session1–3 hr

WhereOutdoors · At a venue

SpaceOpen area

Weather-dependent

Full cost breakdown →

When a rally actually clicks, with clean contact and the ball landing where you meant it, there's nothing else like it.

Getting there is humbling: you'll spray balls into the net and the fence for ages before timing and footwork come together.

It's as much a chess match against an opponent as a workout, and the frustration of losing a point you should have won is part of why you keep coming back.

Fit

Is this for you?

Honest tradeoffs before you spend money or clear space.

You'll enjoy this if

A rally clicking with clean contact is unlike anything for you.
Like a chess match against an opponent that doubles as cardio.
Spray balls into the net for ages to earn the timing.

Not for you if

Losing a point you should have won would eat at you.
Need a court and a willing partner you don't have.
The agility and footwork demands are more than you want.

Tends to suitThe AthleteThe Connector

Gear

The full kit

The essentials run about $230 — you don't need it all to start. Each project lists only what it uses, and the first is often free. Links open Amazon (affiliate tag).

Tennis Racket

Babolat Boost Drive

~$119Buy

Tennis Shoes

Nike Court Lite 3 Tennis Shoes

~$111Buy

Guides

Buying guide

Not sure which to get? These break down the choices, with tested picks from budget to premium.

Best Beginner Tennis Racket (2026): 3 Picks for Every Budget

The right beginner racket is the one that forgives your mishits while you learn to find the sweet spot. That means a lighter frame, a bigger head, and an open string pattern — here are three that get it right, from a no-brainer first racket to one you can grow into for years.

Start here

How to start Tennis

A step-by-step path from your first attempt to work you're proud of. Tick as you go, saved on this device.

Get on court

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your next step

Book a court and hit for an hour

Grab a friend and a public court, which is usually free to use. Half your first hour goes to fetching balls out of the net and off the fence, and that's true for absolutely everyone.

Find a court near you

Playing on hard courts? Get proper tennis shoes

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Get on court

Book a court and hit for an hour — Grab a friend and a public court, which is usually free to use. Half your first hour goes to fetching balls out of the net and off the fence, and that's true for absolutely everyone.
Shake hands with the grip and meet the ball out front — Hold the handle like a handshake for the eastern forehand grip, then take the racket back early and strike the ball around waist height in front of your hip. Let it drift behind you and you'll shank it off the frame.
Keep a rally going ten balls in a row — The moment tennis clicks. Forget hitting hard and aim for the middle of the court; a rally you can actually sustain is worth far more than one big shot you can't repeat.
Get a racket that fits your hand — Borrowed rackets are usually the wrong grip size and too heavy to swing freely, which quietly wrecks your technique. A light, forgiving beginner frame in the right grip size changes how cleanly the ball leaves the strings.

Groove your strokes

Hit a forehand with low-to-high topspin — Brush up the back of the ball so it dips down into the court instead of flying long. A flat, hard swing sails past the baseline; topspin is the thing that lets you swing freely and still keep it in.
Pick a one or two-handed backhand and stop switching — Two hands for stability or one for reach, either is fine, just commit to one and stop switching. The backhand is the wing beginners run around, and the day you stop hiding it your whole game opens up.
Split-step as your opponent strikes the ball — A small hop that lands just as they make contact, so you're already balanced to move either way. It looks like nothing and it's the footwork behind every good player, the gap between gliding to the ball and lunging at it.
Land a full-motion serve in the box — Toss it up and a little in front, then reach up and out like you're throwing the racket head at the ball. Get a calm second serve landing reliably before you chase a big first one, because double faults just hand over free points.

Play the points

Learn the scoring and keep score through a full game — It goes 15, 30, 40, then deuce, and you change ends after the odd games. It reads like nonsense on paper and clicks after a single afternoon of actually keeping score in a real game.
Win a point by working your opponent out of position — Now you're trying to win the point, not just keep it alive. Aim into the open court and make your opponent run, and when you get pulled wide, a deep ball back down the middle buys you time to recover.
Play a full set to six games — Your first real test of legs and nerve. You'll tighten up around 4-4 and start just pushing the ball safe, and learning to keep swinging through that squeeze is the actual skill.
Win a match against someone at your level — The payoff, and closing it out is its own separate skill. The nerves on match point never fully go away; you just learn to trust the swing you've grooved and go through with it.

Join the club

Add slice and a lob to your rallies — Not every ball has to be a topspin drive. A low, floaty slice and a deep lob change the pace and drag your opponent around the court, and variety frustrates people far more than raw power does.
Play a set of doubles — A completely different game, all about poaching at the net and covering for your partner. It's the most social tennis there is and the version most people happily play for the rest of their lives.
Take a lesson to fix one thing — A coach spots in ten minutes what you can't see yourself, usually something small in your grip or footwork. One targeted lesson beats months of quietly grooving the same flaw.
Play your first match in a league or ladder — Organized matches against a rotating set of strangers who all keep score for real. You'll probably lose early and it'll sting, but a ladder always gives you someone a rung or two above to chase, and you'll want to be back out there almost immediately.

Read

Tennis guides

How to Hit a Tennis Forehand (Grip, Swing, and Follow-Through)

The forehand is the first stroke to build in tennis and the shot you will hit most. Get the grip, the low-to-high swing, and the contact point right, and everything else follows. Here is how to hit a solid forehand.

Gear guides