Tennis entails three basic components – a ball, racket and court. It has a long and rich history dating back to ancient Greece and Rome.
Socially, tennis can encourage individuals to become more physically active while being an intensely competitive sport requiring significant physical exertion and coordination.
Eastern Europe and the Balkans
Europe has a rich legacy of producing tennis champions. Many current countries were once part of the Soviet Union, leaving its mark through culture and historical traditions that helped mold today’s top players such as Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova. Europe also offers plenty of historic tournaments that attract an active fan base.
Eastern Europe and the Balkans hold an interesting place in global tennis culture. Here, lingering tensions from history – along with modern political realities – still shape people’s identities and motivation, but sports are an unparalleled platform for unifying people; none more so than tennis itself.
Sport serves both regional unity and individual advancement. During the Cold War, young people used football as a way to break free from rigid national identities and find that there was more in common with fellow citizens of their own nation than the political leaders or neighbors had led them to believe. Now with its revival back into regional society, soccer offers another tool for social bonding and personal advancement.
Not only has tennis been an enjoyable activity that transcends borders, but it has also fostered new talent in a region which has faced hardship and achieved success despite this. Substance abuse often creates resilient individuals; and this can be seen through players like Djokovic’s performance on court.
Shakespeare famously asked, “Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet?” In Djokovic’s case, this question can only be answered in the affirmative; his presence serves as an unifying force among otherwise fractured regions – unifying Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo Montenegro as well as former Yugoslav states through shared suffering and defiance.
Detractors of Djokovic may point to his use of the shushing gesture as evidence of his egotism, yet he remains one of the most beloved figures in a region where many have lost touch with reality and returned to tribalism. From playing tennis or standing up for their identity rights, Balkans need role models – and Djokovic could become that figure with their support as home fans rally behind him.
South America
Latin America covers an area larger than that of the United States and includes Spanish-speaking nations such as Argentina, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Colombia Venezuela and Guyana (a former overseas department of France). While most South American nations are republics with democratic governments, they also possess a long history of authoritarian rule from oligarchies to dictatorships.
South American tennis has endured despite recent economic turmoil, yet remains vibrant and flourishing. Guillermo Vilas of Argentina stands as the most successful Latin American male player during the Open Era with four Grand Slam titles to his name; other prominent Latin American tennis players include Gustavo Kuerten from Brazil, Thomaz Bellucci from Argentina and Chilean Marcelo Rios.
South Americans feel an affinity with tennis as it was born here; Latin American variant known as pau santo in Portuguese-speaking countries was developed over 500 years ago and features two teams of three or five people playing against each other on a 300-foot court with 15-pound rackets called bombos to launch heavy bouncing balls over the net and across its centerline.
Pau santo became so widespread in 1369 that Charles V enacted laws to outlaw it in Paris. But its popularity endured throughout Europe and was introduced into England during Cromwellian asceticism’s dominance of amusements during the Commonwealth period; quickly becoming popular with royalty, upper classes, and Shakespeare himself who referenced it six times!
Tennis has long been an expression of national pride in Latin Americas and remains an enjoyable leisure activity among both middle class and lower class citizens alike. Recently, however, its increasing popularity in this region is evidenced by more private tennis clubs being formed due to Latin American success on international circuits.
Africa
Africa is experiencing a quiet revolution that goes well beyond grand stadiums and international competitions, where it’s typically depicted. Young people from communities all across Africa are realizing that tennis courts provide more than recreational spaces; they offer opportunities for success and are gateways to better futures.
As is true with most modern sports, tennis was brought into South Africa via colonialism. But unlike cricket (dominated by English South Africans and false notions of equality), rugby and soccer (Afrikaner nationalism and white resilience in response to international criticism of Apartheid), and boxing (mass participation, fame, and class mobility), tennis quickly adopted an exclusive white image which endures today.
Africans living in cities often found it challenging to access courts for regular play due to high costs associated with buying and maintaining equipment as well as court fees, coaching fees and other related expenses.
Furthermore, tennis was dominated by a handful of wealthy individuals who used their financial means to monopolize its resources and thus limit participation by those wanting to play. This was made easier through sugar industry sponsorship of tennis events and media heavily aligned with corporate interests that dedicated print space and airtime exclusively for white players’ games.
Even under such limitations, tennis continued to draw black players; community-based tennis clubs led to the establishment of a national coloured association (SACOS). Through Samaai’s initiative several of his friends became professionally active players and administrators within this sport; eventually taking an interracial squad overseas tour for its inaugural tour.
Africa boasts several world-class players today, such as Wimbledon semi-finalist Kgothatso Montjane from South Africa and two-time Grand Slam champion Lucas Sithole – both hailing from their respective nations. Additionally, numerous sustainable and inclusive tennis programs for people with disabilities provide individuals with skills necessary to excel at sports that otherwise they might never have experienced.
Asia
According to the International Tennis Federation, Asia boasts over 33 million tennis players and accounts for 37.9% of world participation numbers; China accounts for 22.5%. This can be partially explained by high-profile Chinese tennis players such as Li Na, Zheng Jie and Yan Zi winning Grand Slam titles and their subsequent popularity within their own nation.
Tennis participation among Chinese adolescents remains relatively low compared to other sports; nonetheless, increasing numbers of youths are taking up tennis as a hobby and sometimes it even turns into a lifelong passion for the game.
At the core of this study lies its goal: to investigate how adolescents perceive and interpret tennis participation as a recreational activity. A semi-structured interview was then conducted with 14 adolescents (7 females and 7 males) from mainland China who have been playing tennis between three to ten years and live within reach of one of three research sites located throughout this nation using maximum variation sampling methods for recruitment from local tennis clubs located throughout various geographic regions of China.
Interview results indicated that most participants viewed tennis as a recreational activity that can help them unwind from daily stresses, relieve tension, and meet new people. Tennis was also seen by adolescents as a way to alleviate academic pressure at school.
Further findings were that participants held very positive views of their coaches; most saw them as important sources of guidance in developing their tennis skills. Furthermore, interviewees expressed great appreciation for having access to competitions and training opportunities offered through their tennis club.
Li Na was seen by participants as an embodiment of modern sports celebrityship and an example of Chinese women athletes that exhibit independence, individualism, and neoliberal professionalism in tennis. Li Na represents China as an emerging power while simultaneously projecting this image abroad. She therefore acts as cultural ambassador who projects its image of peaceful growth across global communities.