# How do you start playing tennis as an adult? Canonical: https://zestasy.com/wiki/starting-tennis/ Section: Zestasy Wiki > Movement · Updated: 2026-10-14 · Publisher: Zestasy *Zestasy Wiki: our reference answers. Checked for facts and sources; less curated than the magazine.* Book a few adult group lessons or a beginner course at a local club, which is the quickest way to learn the basic strokes and meet people at your level. Borrow a racket or buy a mid-priced, mid-weight one, wear ordinary trainers with flat soles, and once you can rally a little, find a hitting partner through the club, a social session or a friend who is equally new. Tennis has the most glamorous wardrobe in sport and a reputation for being difficult to start. Both are a little overstated. Adults pick up tennis all the time, and the early stages, chasing balls around and occasionally hitting a glorious forehand, are tremendous fun. ## Lessons or social play? **Start with lessons.** Tennis has a few technical basics, the grip, the swing, how to move to the ball, that are far easier to learn from a coach than to work out alone. Bad habits are easy to pick up and slow to shed. - **Group lessons for adult beginners** are sociable, affordable and full of people as uncertain as you are. Many clubs and public courts run them. - **Private lessons** progress faster and suit people who want attention on one particular stroke, but cost more. - **A beginner course** of a few weeks gives you a structure and a group to play with afterwards. Once you can keep a rally going, **social play** takes over: club social sessions, round-robins, mix-ins and friendly doubles. This is where tennis becomes a habit, because it is where the friends are. ## Rackets and kit - **Borrow first.** Most clubs and coaches lend rackets for early sessions. - **When you buy,** a mid-weight, mid-priced racket with a reasonably large head is forgiving for beginners. Ask the coach or a specialist shop to check the grip size suits your hand. - **Shoes matter more than the racket.** Tennis involves lots of sideways movement. Court shoes are designed for that; at the start, trainers with flat, non-marking soles will do. Running shoes are built for forward movement and can feel unstable side to side. - **Balls:** new balls bounce better and make learning easier. Some coaches use softer, slower balls for beginners, which give you more time. - **Clothes:** anything comfortable you can move in. Check the club's dress code; a few still have one. ## Finding a hitting partner - **Your lesson group** is the obvious place: you already know each other's level. - **Club social sessions** pair you with people of similar standard. - **Online club boards and apps** help you find partners and book courts. - **A friend who is also starting** is ideal. Learning together is half the fun, and nobody minds fetching balls. - **Doubles** is a great format for new adult players, with less running, more chat and more laughter. ## Your first sessions - **Warm up gently,** including a few easy rallies; see our guide to [a good warm-up](https://zestasy.com/wiki/do-you-need-a-warm-up/). - **Keep it short.** An hour is plenty at first. - **Aim for rallies, not winners.** Hitting the ball back over the net five times in a row is a lovely achievement at the start. - **Play on smaller courts** or from the service line if full-court rallies feel impossible. Many coaches start adults this way. - **Don't keep score** for the first weeks unless you enjoy it. ## Tennis, padel or pickleball? If tennis feels like a big leap, two of its cousins are often quicker to pick up. Our guides to [padel](https://zestasy.com/movement/what-is-padel/) and [pickleball](https://zestasy.com/wiki/what-is-pickleball/) explain how each one works. Both are friendly ways to fall in love with racket sports, and many players happily do more than one. ## Being an adult beginner The hardest part of starting tennis as an adult is often the feeling that everyone else learned as a child. Plenty did not. Most clubs have members who started in their thirties, fifties or seventies. Tell the coach you are a beginner, be patient with your forehand, and enjoy every shot that lands in. Our guide to [trying a new sport as an adult](https://zestasy.com/movement/trying-a-new-sport-as-an-adult/) covers the nerves. ## FAQ ### Am I too old to start tennis? No. People start at every age. Choose a coach who teaches adult beginners, start gently, and if you have any health concerns, check with your doctor before taking up a new sport. ### How long before I can play a proper game? It varies, but many adult beginners can enjoy friendly rallies within a few lessons and simple games not long after. Doubles helps. ### Do I need to join a club? Not necessarily. Many public courts can be booked by the hour and some run lessons. A club adds coaching, partners and a social life. ### Is tennis hard on the body? It involves a lot of starting, stopping and changing direction. Warm up, choose shoes made for it, and build up the length of your sessions gradually. ## Related - [Do you need to be fit before you try a new sport?](https://zestasy.com/movement/trying-a-new-sport-as-an-adult/) - [What is padel, and why is everyone playing it?](https://zestasy.com/movement/what-is-padel/) - [What is pickleball?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/what-is-pickleball/) - [How do you join an adult sports team as a beginner?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/joining-an-adult-team/) - [How do you get back into a sport you played years ago?](https://zestasy.com/movement/getting-back-into-sport-after-years/) - [All Movement answers in the Wiki](https://zestasy.com/wiki/#movement)