Why do people think that tennis is a game of nerds and the unathletic?

Question

I get mad when people think of tennis to be slow and for geeks and unathletic people, when in reality it might be one of the most fast paced games, you constantly have to be alert, fast, and have good technique. Some people think this of tennis, because the players dont look like athletes-but they've probably never seen the pros who are usually built like athletes, and condition just as hard. why doesnt tennis get the same respect such as football and basketball(by the way i like both these sports too). Tennis probably requires more athletisism than basebll, but that gets more respect over it. A note to everyone: those skinny players you might see on your tennis team ,if they're playing slow, and not ver well conditioned theyre probably not very good, but there are others who are.

Answer 1

No, i think Tennis is a very athletic sport, but it is boring to watch. But I never felt the people who played were geeks.

Answer 2

Here's one theory I've heard from a few people and thought it was interesting, and has created a fair amount of controversy"

Tennis has, until recently, been an upper class sport (back when it was first invented, the aristocracy played, and more recently, it was considered a country club sport), which meant it was unavailable to the majority of the people in the world. In response, people who didn't have the resources to play tennis labeled it unathletic and glorified the sports they played (e.g. football). So, because of tennis' long history, these stereotypes have been strongly implanted in many families through the generations. And because tennis has only recently been exposed through the media, a lot of the stereotypes are still in place.

Answer 3

Well I was a unathletic nerd who played tennis up through high school, then later on at the club level, and now still an occasional doubles matches. But maybe I was just the stereotype!

Answer 4

I've never heard people say that before. I think those who comment that tennis players are skinny and unathletic have not watched tennis since the days of John McEnroe. Everyone's well conditioned these days.

Answer 5

Probably becuase tennis, back in the day, was viewed as a highly classed and very charming sport. Everything about tennis is very different than it was .....oh say.....20, 30, 50 years ago. The apparel such as shoes, pants and a top or shirt. They didn't wear tennis shoes back then. It was more like dress shoes. The game, becuase of the apparel, was most likely quite slower than it is today. I think the sport evolved from a friendly game in your Sunday best to an aggressive, cut throat, all out competitive, fast paced sport that forces you to put on your sweat gear and leave your sunday best at home. :)

Believe it or not, I was one of those people who thought tennis was for "gay boys and sissies". It was my athletic director in high school that challenged me to try it. Ummm, that was before he made the comment that I couldn't do it and that I would fail. :( :) I'm glad he made the challenge...... even though I was ready to smash his face in.

Answer 6

Well, you basically answered your own question...

So...
"because the players dont look like athletes-but they've probably never seen the pros who are usually built like athletes, and condition just as hard. why doesnt tennis get the same respect such as football and basketball(by the way i like both these sports too). Tennis probably requires more athletisism than basebll, but that gets more respect over it. A note to everyone: those skinny players you might see on your tennis team ,if they're playing slow, and not ver well conditioned theyre probably not very good, but there are others who are."

Answer 7

i play all those steriotype athletic endurance sports and tennis stacks up just as well if not better than all the others. Tennis is so mentally demanding and there are so many little things that can play on your mind. The stamina and concentration needed to rise to the top is i belive much more difficult to attain than many other team sports. The difference between an amatuer and pro in tennis isnt skill level, rather the ability to absorb pressure in the most difficult situations and then rebound....... the biggest difference with tennis and most other sports is that how many points you score doesnt matter one bit, its WHEN you win them

Answer 8

Ok, here's the deal. I'm a sophomore in high school and I play on my school's Varsity Tennis, JV basketball, and JV soccer teams. Whenever ppl ask me what sports i play, i always say tennis first and they automatically assume that im a nerd or something but then i say i play basketball and soccer too. I think ppl think its for geeks because to play tennis, you have to be mentally strong. you have to be hella smart. tennis is NOT for unathletic ppl though. there ARE some geeks and nonathletic ppl on my team, but they SUCK. they suck so much that my coach wont even let me play with them. (oh yeah, im the number 2 singles player on my team.)

Answer 9

i didnt know people thought this way about tennis but the main reason for its comparitively less popularity is the fact that it is an individual game ,its a game where u mainly play for urself not ur country.if u see, the games that enjoy crazy popularity are team games and where playing for the country is involved.but tennis is more of an individual game.also its a really physically demanding game with matches stretching to 5 hours and it is u who gotta be alert all the time not like football or cricket where the person with the ball is the one who gotta play.people with such thinking about tennis are just plain ignorant.

Answer 10

Tennis is anything but nonathletic. It's so athletic that by the time you are 30, you are considered over the hill in the pros. That's how physically demanding it really is. The only people who knock tennis have either never played it competitively or simply suck at it.