Tennis makes you healthier, happier, smarter, slimmer

The question isn't "Why play tennis?" Instead, it's more like "Why not?"

Doctors write that playing tennis makes a person healthier, happier, smarter and slimmer — never mind the fact it's fun.

Which accounts for the fact that on a national level there are more tennis players today, roughly 25.1 million nationwide, than in years past.

And, it explains why player participation in Utah is up.

"Our (United States Tennis Association) membership is higher than it's been in more than 10 years. We have more adult leagues entered this year than ever before. Tennis interest is up, especially among adults," reported Linda Vincent, director of the Utah Tennis Association.

Consensus is, however, that Utah's tennis courts could be busier. There's room to play, and when all the benefits tennis offers are weighed, it's reason enough to pick up a racket and tennis balls.

Those virtues include, writes Dr. Jack L. Groppel on the USTA website:

People who participate in tennis three hours per week cut their risk of death in half from any cause.

Tennis players score higher in vigor, optimism and self-esteem, and lower in depression, anger, confusion, anxiety and tension than other athletes and nonathletes.

Since tennis requires alertness and tactical thinking, it may generate new connections between nerves and the brain.

Tennis outperforms golf, inline skating and most other sports in developing positive personality characteristics.

And, competitive tennis burns more calories than aerobics, inline skating or cycling.

He also writes that tennis helps, among other things, to increase speed, leg strength, agility, bone strength and density, flexibility and eye-hand coordination.

Tennis is, on the surface, a pretty simple game: The object being to hit the tennis ball over a three-foot-high net onto the opponent's side of the court and hope it doesn't come back.

Delivery comes in the form of swinging a racket in a forehand, backhand, overhead, drop shot or a well-placed service.

All those skills, said Debbie Robb, director of Liberty Park Tennis, can be taught to anyone, "starting at age three on up into the senior years."

In 2008, the USTA introduced a new program it called "QuickStart Tennis" for kids ages 10 and under. It is being used today in many of the tennis programs here in Utah.

Studies found young children faced challenges hitting with adult rackets, playing on adult courts and hitting over nets that in some cases are taller than the player.

The QuickStart teaching method involves using smaller rackets, hitting low-compression tennis balls, hitting over a lower net and playing on just a small section of a full-size court.