I am not a tennis fan. There I said it. I’ll watch it if it’s on, but I’m not exactly rearranging my day around a match or pretending I understand every single rule. And yet here I am writing a blog post about tennis as someone who wouldn’t exactly call herself a tennis fan. But there’s something about Wimbledon season that changes everything, right?
It gets to the end of June and something switches in my brain. Suddenly I really care about tennis. The matches. The outfits. The atmosphere. The strawberries. Like, literally everything about it.
So, what is it about Wimbledon season that turns everyone, even the least committed sports person in the world (i.e. me!) into a tennis fan?
Let’s find out.
The Wimbledon Effect
Wimbledon season is very much part of British summer culture. Like barbecues, sunburn, Pimm’s, festivals, and picnics, it’s a part of every good British summer.
We know we can’t rely on the weather. Who knows what it’ll do during those summer months. Rain, wind, hail, or actual sunshine if we’re really lucky. But that doesn’t put us off. Because if we’ve got Wimbledon on the telly, a glass of Pimm’s in one hand, and a burger in the other, we’re happy.
Even non-sports fans get involved when it’s Wimbledon. You might not understand the scoring, whose side you’re on, how to pronounce the player’s names, or what that young kid’s doing running across the court between serves. But that doesn’t matter. Because Wimbledon is a great British tradition. A collective national obsession if you like. And so, for two weeks of the year, we all become tennis fans.
We eat strawberries by the skip load (about 38.4 tonnes of them to be exact). We buy cute tennis clothing because hey, if we can’t play tennis very well, we can at least look the part. And if we can get away with it, we put our out of office on and let the kids eat their dinner in front of the TV.
That’s the Wimbledon effect.
The Nostalgia Factor
Who else remembers tennis from PE lessons at school?
It was the fancy sport. The la-di-dah one. The one where you could choose to use the worn out, wooden handled, school tennis rackets, or you could beg your parents to buy you a really cool graphite racket from the local sports shop.
Yep, I totally did that. And God, did I feel the biz.
Picture the scene… 15 year old me, in my navy tennis skirt and gym knicks, white polo neck and tennis shoes, clutching a stunning yellow and purple tennis racket. I had all the gear, and absolutely zero idea.
But you couldn’t knock my enthusiasm.
In my head, I was gonna be the next Steffi Graf. Surely looking this good meant I’d be a natural tennis player. I mean, all you had to do was hit a ball across a net. How hard could it be?
Well… turns out, I’m not the most co-ordinated person in the world. I am also the kind of person that doesn’t particularly enjoy a ball hurtling towards her face, nor do I have any natural racket skills. Which has been further evidenced as an adult by my beach bat and ball and ping pong performances, both of which leave a lot to be desired.
But that’s the thing about tennis. Even if you’re not very good at it, it still has this way of making you want to have a go. And every Wimbledon season, that little spark comes back. A tiny glimmer, that maybe, just maybe, I could be a tennis player after all.
Why Tennis?
Why tennis, then? What is it specifically about tennis that gets us so excited and invested in the sport?
For me, it’s a whole bunch of things. It’s the outfits, the lush vibrancy of the green courts, the atmosphere. It’s a vibe.
Tennis has always had a certain style about it. Even when I was at school, half the appeal was looking the part. I genuinely believed my yellow and purple tennis racket was going to transform me into the next Wimbledon champion. Sadly, it turns out a decent backhand requires slightly more than a colourful racket and teenage confidence.
But that’s part of the magic. Tennis isn’t just a sport. It’s a feeling. It’s confidence. It’s energy. It’s stepping onto a court and convincing yourself you’ve got this, even when there’s every chance you’ll completely miss the ball.
And let’s be honest, Wimbledon season has a way of inspiring us to embrace that feeling. Suddenly we’re reaching for sporty outfits, considering a trip to the local courts and browsing things like tennis shorts because, if we’re going to channel our inner tennis player, we may as well do it properly.
The beauty of tennis fashion is that it combines comfort and performance with effortless style. Whether you’re playing a competitive match, having a knockabout with friends or simply embracing the Wimbledon spirit from the sidelines, the right kit can help you feel confident, comfortable and ready for action.
Game, Set, and Match
Every year, Wimbledon season follows exactly the same pattern. I’ll watch one incredible rally and suddenly become convinced that tennis is my sport. Not only that, but I’m pretty sure I’ve been missing out all these years and should immediately take up weekly lessons.
For approximately 72 hours, I become that person.
I start wondering whether there are any tennis courts near me. I briefly consider whether my old racket is still lurking somewhere in my parents’ loft. I browse tennis clothing online. I picture myself effortlessly gliding across a court, returning serves with the grace and precision of a seasoned professional.
Then reality brings me back down to earth with a bump. Usually in the form of me attempting some kind of sporty activity and being reminded that enthusiasm and ability are, unfortunately, two very different things. But that’s OK.
Because Wimbledon isn’t really about turning us all into professional tennis players. It’s about inspiring us. It’s about tradition, nostalgia, summer afternoons and believing, if only for a couple of weeks, we could be a little bit more active, a little bit more confident and a little bit more adventurous.
And perhaps that’s the real magic of Wimbledon season. For two weeks every summer, it turns ordinary people into tennis fans. Even the ones who swore they weren’t interested in tennis in the first place.
*post in collaboration with adidas
Author Bio
Becky Stafferton is a full-time content creator, web publisher, and blog strategy coach. She is also one half of the Bex & Ben duo who help small business owners take control of their websites and content within their OWN IT Membership.
She continually strives to promote a realistic, sustainable and positive image of how to lead a healthy life. When she’s not writing she can be found running through muddy puddles, talking in funny voices to her dogs, and renovating her house in the forest.
