The market was already tough on museums before the COVID-19 situation fully set in.
But with the coronavirus pandemic, it's quaran-time to check out the tennis world's own venerable nook of history and heritage—online. The International Tennis Hall of Fame, in Newport, Rhode Island, boasts a fine trio of digital exhibits, each with a fantastic virtual self-tour and user experience.G
Given a many states' advisories to stay home, it's a time you can worship at the altar of or become a home-workout influencer yourself, marvel at Kristie Ahn's TikTok prowess, and lay into these entertaining-meets-educational experiences:
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Start with *Smash Hits*, the ITHF salute to all the battle axes sending the ball over a net on various surfaces, on various continents, over the decades and centuries. As this writer put it in originally reviewing the collection, Smash Hits makes for "delightful historic images and information" depicting "incremental to incredible innovations."
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Chase that with *Tins, Cans, and Cartons*, a look at the marketing and manufacturing behind various tennis-ball containers over years. Writing about it at launch time, we said "all the senses work together more than we know" in this "colorful, arty" exhibit.
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Wrap this triumvirate tour with *Courting Fashion*, arguably the truest crowd-pleaser of this three-set experience. Of this finale, actually the first to appear online, we wrote, "No matter what corner of the world one's own wardrobe resides in, all are welcome to view this exhaustive, curated closet of tennis fashion, and from the comfort of home, be that Compton or Copenhagen."
Of course, that's hardly all the sport of a lifetime has to offer as its own hall of fame. In this #TennisAtHome season we're in for the foreseeable future, the ITHF takes a cue from current events and offers some tips on how to improve your serve from your house, among other ways to get better while staying put. At least in some ways, the game remains on.