30-Love: Leagues of Their Own

From individuals to organizations, weekend warriors to professional players, minute observations to big-picture ideas, tennis has been top of mind across the board over the past two years.

“I feel like this is the tennis boom part two,” says Trey Waltke, general manager of the Malibu Racquet Club in southern California. “Everyone is talking tennis. Everyone is playing. People are rediscovering how great tennis is.”

Tennis shouldn’t rest on its laurels; the first boom didn’t last forever. But this is as good of an opportunity to reflect on what the sport has gotten right, during a time when so much has gone wrong.

Over the next few weeks, we'll do just that, with a series of stories—30-Love—that highlights 30 things worth celebrating about the New American Tennis Boom. Look for past articles on the left side of each page.—Ed McGrogan

Tennis can largely be an individual endeavor. For many, having the proceedings rest entirely on your shoulders is one of the sport’s attractions. But it can also feel a little isolating, even for the most hardened competitors. Sometimes you want to share the burden, and some laughs, which is the beauty of being on a team in league play.

It was a blessing that tennis was widely available during the most difficult stages of the pandemic, but it severely curtailed group matches. COVID-19 limited interaction to a racquet tap and a masked dash to the car. Now that leagues are back, and resembling pre-pandemic numbers, we can again appreciate more of the social and less of the distancing.

Wins and losses come and go, but nothing beats the camaraderie forged by competing with fellow travelers. Whether vying for a section title or simply broadening a tennis circle, teams and leagues offer another scenic avenue to enjoy the game.