There’s nothing worse in the world of sport than sitting down with a group of friends and family to watch a sport that you have no idea about. With everyone talking sport-jargon at every turn, it can be a confusing and, at points, frustrating time. Certain sports such as tennis can seem simple on the surface, but some very subtle things during the game can easily go over the heads of newcomers to the sport. Understanding what everyone in the room is talking about is essential if you’re going to truly enjoy yourself when watching with others.
To further assist you with this, here are five tips that will help you while watching tennis.
Learn About The Game
Your first step is to actually have some idea as to how the game is played. You can use plenty of online resources to get to grips with tennis if you don’t want to bother your friends by asking them to explain every two minutes during the match. Of course, many fans of particular sports will enjoy imparting their wisdom with you, and this can be a great way to socialize as well as learn a thing or two. Just make sure that you don’t try to ask questions during play, as you might make them miss a great shot. Try to learn about the basics, such as the different types of shots and the way scoring works, for example. You should also consider keeping up to date with major tennis news, such as the retirement announcement of tennis legend Serena Williams. Once you understand how the game is played and have an idea of what’s happening in the world of tennis, you’ll instantly start to enjoy watching much more.
Know who is playing
As well as understanding how the game is played, it’s important to remember that the game is largely about the players. This includes any history they have, any competitions they’ve won, and their playstyles, alongside any personal hurdles they’re overcoming – such as losing major tournaments or getting over an injury. There are many players out there to learn about but starting with some of the more popular players may be worthwhile, as you’ll get to see them play much more. For the men, you should learn about players like Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, to name a few. And for the women you could learn about Iga Swiatek, Maria Sakkari, and Paula Badosa, among many others.
Make things more interesting
As with most sports, if you’re still struggling to get invested in the game you could try to make things more interesting by having a more vested interest in the match. Placing bets on a tennis match may look confusing at first, so it’s best to get to grips with the game – as mentioned above – before you start putting down money on a game. It’s also possible to circumvent any personal blocks you may have placed on your betting, such as GamStop, which essentially links many gambling sites you might use, preventing you from betting on any of them for a set period of time. You sadly cannot remove this block, either, but you can find a number of non-Gamstop casino sites and betting sites that will allow you to avoid this block so you can place a bet to make the tennis match you’re watching a bit more important to you.
Watch the ball
One thing that many viewers will do when watching a tennis match is to focus solely on the players. While watching their swing and positioning is important at times, it’s almost always better to focus on the ball itself. At the end of the day, you can eventually get a good idea as to how hard a player is going to hit each ball based on the pace of the game, the players on the court, and a number of other factors. Nonetheless, the chances are you’re not going to know exactly where they’re planning to send each ball. And this is where the fun comes in. Some of the most exciting, nail-biting moments happen while you’re keeping an eye on the ball and where it lands, whereas if you’re sitting watching the players themselves you might miss a perfect shot.
Choose someone to support
Any sport is going to be a much more enjoyable experience when you have some skin in the game. While placing a bet can do this, developing an attachment to a particular player can be much better. When the player you support wins a match, it can bring you feelings of elation – similar to winning yourself. It’s best to choose a player that is regularly qualifying for big tournaments such as the U.S Open Grand Slam, which sees many favorites on the provisional entry list. It will also be the last Grand Slam – and likely last tournament of any kind – for Serena Williams before she retires, signaling it as a major historic event for the sport. Supporting a player who often ends up on a tournament entry list by either winning three rounds in the qualifying stage or being ranked in the top 104 will allow you to watch them play some high-stakes matches much more often.
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