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Tennis Talk: Serena and Haas Stir the Pot

By THERESA RAPOLTI-SABATINO | NIE Educational Consultant

In the world of sports, tennis is a game often associated with wealth, country clubs and Ivy League universities. Tennis was once the game of choice for socialites, along with golf and polo. Privileged people, those who could afford club memberships, sports equipment, and proper clothes, were a small segment of the population ranked as either royalty or upper class citizens. Times are changing, however, and this is evident in recent tennis events. An article published in The Daytona Beach News-Journal recently highlights some of these changing trends.

In the recent U.S. Open match, Tommy Haas intended to play in a sleeveless shirt and was reminded that proper tennis attire was required. Haas changed his shirt to the traditional short sleeved, collared, polo-style shirt and began the match. Other tennis professionals, such as Serena Williams and Anna Kournikova, seem to have a less traditional dress code required of them. Williams and Kournikova have both played publicly in tennis attire that would most likely be rejected at our local country clubs and school tennis matches. The exact reason for the discrepancy (difference) in requirements is unknown, but the status of tennis is changing.

Tennis is no longer a game restricted to the elite upper class population but is now professionally and publicly open to any player who wants to take on the challenge. It could be said that tennis has moved from the Hamptons (an upscale area in New York State) to Holly Hill, which could be considered an average American city. This lessening of restrictions in tennis regarding social class, trendy clothing and expensive memberships has brought tennis to the people. Everyone can have the opportunity to learn to play regardless of finances. Local Police Athletic Leagues (PALs)and YMCAs, for example, offer programs at a minimal charge and will often waive (set aside) charges as well as provide playing equipment. The goal of programs such as these is to allow everyone the opportunity to participate in tennis if they want to, without having to belong to any "special" social class or group.

By bringing the sport of tennis to the general public, programs such as those provided by PAL or the YMCA have opened up new worlds, adventures and opportunities for youth (or anyone) in average communities. Students who want to play tennis but may not have available funds can learn to excel in the sport if they wish. Tennis scholarships are often provided for talented players, thus offering an excellent college education as well as the possibility to become professional players as their skills develop. Additionally, if students choose tennis as the sport they want to pursue, there are opportunities for sponsorships by equipment producers, for travel and to meet people from diverse backgrounds.

Tennis is not only fun to play but can also help you reach your personal goals. Having a family that is wealthy or royalty is no longer a necessity. Next time the opportunity to play tennis becomes available, think about giving it a try. You could become the next Serena Williams or Haas, representing your own home town.

Try these interesting activities using the Daytona Beach News-Journal

1. Scan the News-Journal for local tennis events. Ask your teacher if you can write a report on the details of an event, such as who is playing, where the match is taking place and who the resulting winner of the match is. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.1.2.1, LA.A.1.2.4, LA.A.2.2.1, LA.A.2.2.5, LA.B.1.2.1, LA.B.1.2.3)

2. Ask a teacher or parent if you can share, through a presentation to your class, about the information you gathered while using the Daytona Beach News-Journal as your resource. This activity would be an excellent follow-up from activity #1 and may encourage your classmates to become interested in tennis. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.5, LA.C.3.2.1, LA.C.3.2.3, LA.C.3.2.5)

3. Scan the News-Journal for the local upcoming tennis events and record the information. Inform your parents, caregivers or teacher about the times and locations of local events. Ask if they would take you to a tennis match or arrange for you to watch a match. Write a report to share with your class or family about the event you observed. ( Sunshine State Standards: LA.B.1.2.1, LA.B.1.2.3, LA.B.2.2.3, LA.C.3.2.1, LA.C.3.2.3)

4. Scan the News-Journal for pictures of tennis players and titles about the game of tennis. Make a creative collage with the pictures and titles as well as coloring or drawing to accent your collage. Making a collage is fun and relaxing because you do it any way you want. There is no right or wrong way. While making a collage, however, you are learning at the same time because you are reading names, titles, using research skills to locate the pictures and practicing creative art design when you decide on the layout for your collage. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.1.2.1, LA.A.2.2.8, VA.A.1.2.1, VA.B.1.2.1)

5. Take some time to think about your experiences with tennis, such as watching a match on television, taking lessons or whatever exposure you have had to the game. Review News-Journal articles and pictures you found during some of the other activities listed. If this is the only activity you are doing, then research, read and look at a few articles and pictures from the News-Journal. Consider your own opinion about some of the changes taking place in the sport of tennis. Take this opportunity to write an editorial about whether or not you think these changes are positive or negative for the sport as well as for players. Submit your editorial to a local newspaper to see if it gets published. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.1.2.1, LA.A.2.2.5, LA.B.2.2.6, LA.C.3.2.1, LA.C.3.2.5)

A copy of Florida's Sunshine State Standards can be found at intech2000.miamisci.org/.

Check out these links to learn more

The search engine, YAHOO, has a tennis website with all of the latest news. Go to http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=tennis to check out the information here. While visiting this website, look up the history of tennis.

"USA Today" is another location for current tennis information. Go to http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/digest.htm and click some of the interesting tennis links for current tennis news and headlines.

One of the most comprehensive (thorough) websites for all sporting events is ESPN. Go to http://espn.go.com/tennis/index.html for tennis sport news from the specialists. You can find schedules, rankings, players, message boards and all current tennis headlines.

Sports Line, sponsored by CBS, stays current with the game of tennis as well as other sports. Go to http://www.sportsline.com/u/tennis/index.html and look for scoreboards, rankings, schedules, earnings, players and U.S Open information. Log on to get information about your favorite player.

The International Tennis Federation at www.itftennis.com is devoted to the game of tennis and has great topic choices. It offers information about tennis around the world, tips on playing tennis while using a wheel chair, information about players and specific rules and regulations about the game. Check out this site to see if there are different rules and ways to keep score for players using wheelchairs and players who do not use wheelchairs.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal NIE Program, published September 16, 2002

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