It’s a sport that has players described as elegant (think Federer), and one with those described as ferocious (think McEnroe).
Add powerful (like Serena Williams) to those images and it leaves no doubt that what is being described is the game is tennis.
Enjoyed throughout the world, tennis is a sport that has great appeal for people for many different reasons, said Nikola Jovic, a certified coach with Tennis NWT, during a Saturday evening practice session at the Fieldhouse.
“It is the kind of sport that does not require too much from you,” Jovic said of the gear requirements — shoes, a tennis racquet and tennis balls — needed to play the game.
“You can always find somebody who will play a game of tennis with you.
“You don’t have to be a top player,” he added. “Even if you are a first-time player, you are going to find somebody who may also be a beginner and who will enjoy it.”
Although tennis is definitely a summertime game — and one that evokes thoughts of warm sunshine, tennis shorts and sun visors — inside the Fieldhouse during the dark and cold evening outside, the lulling sound of tennis balls volleying back and forth through the air could be heard throughout the otherwise quiet, cavernous building.
Jovic was helping a small but enthusiastic group of women tennis players practise their finesse on the indoor court.
Tennis balls were scattered across the floor of the playing field, as one by one and in teams, they practised their serves, volleys, backhands and swings to gain both confidence and expertise in their technique.
“It is so good to have these classes in the wintertime because you then have an opportunity to practise tennis inside,” Jovic said of the preparation for the warmer weather and outside tennis courts — something especially important because of the short summer season in the North.
He said tennis is quite a popular sport in Yellowknife and the Yellowknife Tennis Club has a full range of games, clinics, tournaments and social events, such as barbeques throughout the summer season, often starting in late May and running until the end of August. He said they also provide coaching in area schools in the spring for students.
“And every summer, we bring a coach in from down south,” he said. “It is really popular with lots of players all summer and we really enjoy it. We have lots of tournaments for ladies, men and kids and we have classes for different levels of players. We have some really good players, some beginners,” Jovic said of the wide range of people who enjoy the sport for various reasons.
Aside from the relative ease with which one can get started in the game in terms of equipment, Jovic said some of that appeal can be attributed to the fact that tennis is not a contact sport, therefore people suffer fewer injuries than they might in other athletic endeavours.
“It’s a really nice sport, especially for people who don’t like to have contact.”
It is also a sport that people become fans of by watching it on television.
“Right now, the Australian Open Men’s tournament is on,” he said at the time. Novak Djokovic went on to win that major tournament.
And despite being aired during the very early hours of the morning in North America, Jovic said, no doubt, he would be watching it.
”Whoever watches tennis, enjoys it. You watch it all the time!”