Introduction to net working
In the run up to the biggest event in the UAE’s tennis calendar, Michelle Byrne gets some one-on-one coaching on court.
If you’re over five years old, forget about becoming a pro. In the tennis world you’re not worth your Wimbledon whites if you didn’t begin practicing serves and volleys for eight hours a day by the time you started school – which of course you never did start because you were shipped off to a sporting academy to hone your precocious prowess. That’s life, though – most of us aren’t going to become astronauts or ballerinas either. But if you’re in the market for some adult-sized action and a whole lot of competitive fun, look no further than your local court. And if you really don’t know your ass from your tennis elbow, book a lesson with an expert.
After more than 20 years of teaching tennis in Dubai, Clark Francis of CF Tennis says the sport is amazing exercise: ‘It gets you running around, it works you out aerobically, builds muscles and gets you outside in the sunshine,’ he says. He may have something of a vested interest, though, given that his name is scrawled on tennis schools across the city. But is tennis genuinely for everyone? ‘Some people take longer to learn than others that’s for sure,’ he admits. ‘I’ve had one chap who couldn’t even hit the ball for his first five lessons, but now he plays beautifully. Most people only need a few lessons to teach them the basic techniques so they can go off and play with friends.’ While he has taught players ranging from toddlers not long out of their nappies to septuagenarians with a spring in their step, Clark says ‘Once you’re over a certain age you know that you aren’t going to reach the top of the game, but that doesn’t matter, it’s about having fun and getting fit at the same time.’
So never having as much as held a tennis racket in my life I entered the end court at the Aviation Club in trepidation, and was met by the enthusiastic smile of Vijay Das, Pakistani tennis champion and patient coach at CF Tennis, for my 45 minutes of individual attention.
Thankfully there is no running laps around the court to warm up in the midday sun and we went straight onto the basics – how to hold a racket. Despite having watched Agassi and co. on court over the years, my grip was all wrong. And your grip matters – a lot, apparently. A little handholding later and we were ready to move onto the serious business of the forehand stroke and then on to tackling the trickier backhand manoeuvre: with the same mirroring technique and hands on positioning required before repeating the action of swinging you’re the racket around with two hands, slicing through the air and meeting the ball perfectly with the sweet spot of the racket.
At times it seemed like the ever enthusiastic Vijay was perhaps more used to instructing younger beginners. I was very softly reprimanded for failing to understand (albeit simple) commands and was encouraged to run after the ball with almost parental levels of encouragement.
After a small game hitting the ball back and forth over the net to one another, it was time to call it a day. Without having touched on the rules, how to serve or how to score points against an opponent it was clear that I’d need to book a few more lessons, never mind spend hours practicing the strokes, before I could play a game, set or match, but a satisfying ache in my muscles the next day told me I’d done something good for my body.
An individual lesson costs from Dhs130 for non-members or Dhs120 for members at CF Tennis (04 282 4540/050 624 0162) at the Aviation Club and the Grand Hyatt hotel or from Dhs475 for non-members and Dhs550 for a course of five lessons. And while it is the biggest tennis school in town, it’s not the only place to practice your top spin or get tips on serving the perfect ace.
Zeeshan Ali, coach to the UAE’s number one tennis player, offers group activities and individual lessons at the Ritz Carlton hotel (04 399 4000), Dubai Marina. Prices for non-members start at Dhs180 for a private or Dhs120 for a semi-private lesson at the club.
A less expensive option takes place at Dubai Marine Beach Resort and Spa (04 346 1111), where private lessons with head coach Marc starts at Dhs110 for members of the public.
While Super Sports Services (04 399 4826/050 657 5021) at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi costs just Dhs80 for a half-hour private lesson or Dhs45 for a group of four to six players of similar ability to have a 30 minute lesson together. All include hire of equipment.
Play getting cancelled due to rain is happily a highly unlikely scenario in this city so take advantage of the fresh air, perfect spring weather and don your whites now before tennis fever hits town February 20 and getting a space on court becomes impossible.