May 24, 2026, 3:45 pm | Read time: 9 minutes
It actually sounded like a pretty good idea. My friend and I had just moved further out of the city center, suddenly had more greenery around us, and thought: Why not tennis? A sport you can do together, outdoors in the fresh air, maybe capturing that “a bit elegant, a bit ‘Old Money Summer'” feeling. In my mind, the whole thing seemed much more relaxed than it ended up being.
Romantic Notion vs. Reality
We had already made a first attempt during a vacation in Turkey, but with only moderate success. It mainly involved us barely hitting the ball and eventually giving up in frustration. Still, this romanticized notion of tennis stuck in our minds. So we found a club nearby and booked a trial lesson. No commitment, just to see how it goes.
The club itself looked exactly like you’d imagine a tennis club: well-maintained courts, a calm atmosphere, people in white outfits who looked like they’d never misjudged a ball in their lives. I, on the other hand, felt after just a few minutes that my entire body awareness was suddenly working against me.
The Moment My Friend Suddenly Became Roger Federer
Our coach Michelle greeted us warmly and suggested we start off easy. For a warm-up, we were to balance the tennis ball on the racket and run two laps around the court. In my mind, this was a harmless beginner’s exercise. Something you do briefly before the actual sport begins.
Then my friend took off.
And suddenly I felt like I was secretly dating a former tennis player. The ball stayed glued to his racket as he casually made his rounds. In contrast, my balance lasted about three seconds. Then the ball fell. Picked it up again. Tried again. Fell again.
It’s fascinating how quickly a bad mood can arise when your own idea suddenly works much better for your partner than for you.
Michelle remained calm and immediately said that this was completely normal. I nodded understandingly, but internally my ego had already started to have a minor breakdown.
I Held the Tennis Racket Like a Badminton Racket – and That’s Exactly How My Shots Looked
After the warm-up, we moved on to the first real shots. Forehand, backhand, small rallies. Michelle explained the basics to us with remarkable calm and patience. Especially for beginners, it’s less about power and more about technique, she said. The movement should be relaxed, fluid, not tense. You don’t have to “smash” the ball, but learn to guide it cleanly. And that’s where my personal problem began.
More precisely: The ball and I had massive problems.
Within the first few minutes, Michelle noticed that I was holding the tennis racket completely wrong. Like a badminton racket – and unfortunately, that’s exactly how my shots looked. Far too loose from the wrist, too playful, lacking stability. Instead of controlled tennis movements, my arm was doing its own thing somewhere between dance choreography and a casual badminton tournament.
Michelle corrected me seemingly every minute.
“Not from the wrist.”
“Arm more stable.”
“The movement more from bottom to top.”
“Stay relaxed – but not too relaxed.”
Meanwhile, everything seemed to work for my friend right away. He hit the balls cleanly, got them over the net, and even looked relaxed doing it. I, on the other hand, sometimes couldn’t even judge the distance to the ball correctly. You always think tennis is mainly about hitting the ball. In reality, a big part is about being in the right position to hit the ball in the first place.
You’re constantly moving. Small steps to the left, back again, forward, backward. Even between shots, your body remains tense. After the first running exercises, I could already feel my back starting to stiffen.
Tennis Looks Elegant – Until the Ball Almost Hits the Coach in the Face
Then came one of my personal highlights of the lesson. Michelle played a ball to me, I swung – and hit it so uncontrollably that the ball almost flew right into her face. She ducked at the last moment, while I just opened my mouth and muttered a weak “Oh, sorry!” God, that was embarrassing.
Of course, my friend immediately laughed.
I would have preferred to sign off right then and there.
Why Tennis Is Much More Technical Than It Looks from the Outside
The truly surprising thing about this tennis trial lesson was how technical this sport actually is. From the outside, tennis often seems intuitive. See the ball, hit it, done. In reality, it’s constantly about posture, body tension, and timing.
Michelle repeatedly explained how important the correct stroke movement is. The arm shouldn’t tense up, the movement should come from the shoulder and upper body, not just the wrist. Beginners, in particular, tend to hold the racket too tightly or hit only with the arm. Just like I was doing the whole time.
After several repetitions, I could really feel how my movements became more and more tense. The more I thought about doing everything right, the worse it suddenly worked. Maybe my head was the problem. From my past on stage, I had learned: Stillness is death. Even worse are mistakes that you keep repeating.
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The Problem Wasn’t Hitting the Ball Anymore – It Was Controlling It
What became really frustrating after about 40 minutes was that I suddenly actually hit the balls quite well. The real problem was that I had absolutely no control over where they flew.
For Me, It Looked More Like Controlled Chaos
One ball flew way too high. The next suddenly far to the right. Then another with surprisingly much force straight out of bounds. In between, there were actually good shots over the net – and that made it almost more frustrating.
Because I suddenly realized: It wasn’t that I wasn’t hitting the ball. It was that I couldn’t control it. Out of about 50 balls, maybe five went cleanly where they were supposed to.
Michelle remained remarkably calm. She kept telling me not to stress, to relax, and not to try to control every shot with force. That’s exactly what often happens to beginners: You get frantic, want to do everything right at once – and end up completely tense.
How I Put Pressure on Myself
The more I thought about how to hold the racket, how my shoulder was positioned, how I moved my arm, and when I hit the ball, the less it suddenly worked automatically. My head wanted to force the perfect shot, while my body was already overwhelmed.
The tricky part: In between, there were always these brief moments when suddenly everything worked. A clean contact point, a smooth movement, the ball flies controlled over the net – and you immediately think: Ah, now I’ve got it. Until the next ball suddenly sails somewhere toward the fence.
The Problem with Praise – and My Ego
Eventually, however, there was this small moment of triumph. I got several balls cleanly over the net. Not too high, not completely off, but actually controlled. Michelle immediately nodded approvingly and said: “Exactly like that.”
For about three seconds, I felt like someone who might actually have a talent for tennis. Then with the next ball, I practically hit nothing again.
I just sighed dryly and immediately said: “You can’t praise me. As soon as someone praises me, suddenly nothing works anymore.”
Michelle had to laugh. Unfortunately, so did my friend.
And yet, that was probably the most important moment of the lesson. Because I slowly understood that tennis has a lot to do with relaxation. As soon as you tense up or observe yourself too much, suddenly nothing works anymore.
The Tennis Racket Suddenly Gets Heavier and Heavier
What I completely underestimated was the physical strain. After about an hour, my right arm felt like I had been moving furniture with it. The racket got heavier by the minute. At the same time, my back tensed up completely, especially in the shoulder blade and neck area.
And that actually makes sense: Especially beginners often strain their shoulder, forearm, and back muscles extremely in tennis because many movements are not yet automated. Add to that the constant rotational movements in the upper body, quick changes of direction, and the constant body tension. You never really stand still.
I particularly noticed this at the end of the lesson. At some point, I realized that I couldn’t even hold the racket loosely anymore. My right arm became increasingly heavier, the movements slower and less precise. I still feel it today – especially when lifting my arm.
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At the end of the lesson, Michelle said something that I had actually known internally for a while: My friend and I simply weren’t on the same level at the moment. For starters, it would probably be more sensible to train separately.
He just grinned, put his arm around my shoulder, and said casually: “Oh, she learns quickly.”
I, on the other hand, had come to accept that I first needed to learn the absolute basics. How to hold the racket correctly. How to hit cleanly. How to move to the ball without completely losing orientation. Honestly, that was probably the most important realization of this lesson. Because tennis forces you to be a beginner. To endure mistakes. To let yourself be corrected. Not to be good right away. And to keep going anyway.
My Conclusion: Tennis Trains Not Only the Body but Also Humility
My first tennis trial lesson was much more exhausting, technical, and emotional than expected. I learned that tennis is much less relaxing when you’re actually on the court – and a tennis racket can suddenly become really heavy after an hour.
But above all, I realized how much your own mind plays a role in tennis. The more pressure I put on myself to finally get the perfect shot, the worse I suddenly became. As soon as I started to control every movement, nothing seemed to work anymore. Perhaps the hardest part of a first tennis lesson is enduring not being good right away.
Despite frustration, sore muscles, and a slightly bruised ego, I would still go back. Not to be the best on the court – but because, in the end, it’s really just about having fun and continuing to play.