Summer is just around the corner, and it’s arguably the best time of year for sport. Along with the Ashes taking place in the UK, Wimbledon is always the quintessential event of British summertime. Last year, the Isle of Wight had an incredible bout of tennis fever, and it looks set to happen again.
French Open a Great Way to Start Getting Inspired
One way to start getting excited about the tennis season in the UK is to get invested in the French Open. That happens slightly earlier than Wimbledon and gives a great indication of who could prevail in the UK grand slam.
Bettors spend a lot of time assessing the various entrants, with the Men’s French Open tennis odds giving a good signal of who could be the ones to watch at Wimbledon. Some of the big names were missing this year, with Rafael Nadal out for the first time in 14 years through injury. However, Novak Djokovic was still there, with odds of 21/10 to win when the tournament was at the semi-final stage.
The French Open at Roland Garros takes place on clay, which is not commonly found in the UK. Most of the games here are played on grass or concrete courts, which have a slightly different effect on the speed of the ball. Some players are great on clay but not so strong on grass, and vice versa. Still, watching the players battling away in the hot sun on the clay courts can inspire people to start dusting off their tennis rackets in preparation for summer.
2022 Witnessed Inaugural Cowes Tennis Tournament
The Isle of Wight may not be famous for its love of tennis, but that could be set to change in the future. There’s clearly more interest in tennis here than ever before, and this was highlighted by last year’s first ever Cowes tennis tournament.
The competition was played on the Aitken Courts at Northwood House and Park over the summer bank holiday weekend. There were 20 participants in total, and the four-hour event attracted spectators from far and wide. Mohammed Alsheikh won last year’s event and the competition itself raised money to maintain the tennis courts. Thanks to the overwhelming interest, it’s likely that this competition will return. Indeed, other tennis court owners on the island could be tempted to host something similar.
Time for More Investment in Tennis on Isle of Wight
Some would say it’s high time that more investment was made into tennis on the Isle of Wight. There has never been a successful professional player from the region, and the tennis culture hasn’t been that strong here until recently. With few British stars competing at the top of the game, it’s time for things to change and the Isle of Wight could attempt to lead the way.
There are numerous tennis clubs on the island, including the Brighstone Lawn Tennis Club and the Isle of Wight Sports Club. Places like these could be doing more to promote tennis courses and foster greater development in the sport.
It’s set to be another great summer of sport, and people on the Isle of Wight can get caught up in the festivities by taking part as well. With more tennis tournaments taking place on the island, it could help encourage more players to take up the sport in the future.
