Regular readers of this blog might remember my intermittent frustration with trying to play tennis in New York City. While my irritation has mostly been mild and related to either bureaucracy or the low number of available courts, I have also been struck by a few comments that “well, tennis is a rich person’s game”. In Australia, tennis is not regarded as the province of the wealthy – at least, not as far as I’m aware. Perhaps I’m so privileged that my privilege has become invisible to me with respect to the game.
I was delighted to see Venus Williams win Wimbledon today. The Williams sisters have encouraged a lot of young people to pick up a tennis racquet; children who might otherwise have never considered it something that they could pursue.
In my own white middle-class fashion I continue to pursue tennis, most recently being a game yesterday in Central Park with my friend Lara (above left). But I have to say that the effort involved in finding people to play, at a suitable time for all, at a place that is convenient for all, and at a reasonable price, is often too much. Perhaps tennis is only a rich person’s game in New York, after all.
