Tennis. A game of skill, speed and accuracy. A game of the body, but also of the mind, where tactical brilliance can be the difference between success and failure.
It’s a game that attracts millions of supporters across the world. Supporters who are mesmerised by the bouncing back and forth of a yellow ball, hooked on the suspense of where it will finally land and marvelling at the obscure angles crafted out of one mere racquet. As a lifelong tennis addict who has enjoyed reviews similar to the Gazette Review to remain in great form to enjoy the sport, there are two things I am sure of in this sport: it demands precision, and it demands excellence in all aspects of a player’s game. From peak physical fitness to enable lightning fast sprints across a 27ft-wide baseline to razor sharp minds that have the ability to read body language in seconds, pre-empting every move an opponent makes. It is a sport that is unique for its capacity to change a straightforward match up of opponents into a thrilling marathon of mental and physical destruction within the space of a few shots – sound thrilling? We know it does, click here to find out more information about getting started in this frenetic game.
However, despite all this, and the attention the game enjoys on the world stage, the popularity of the sport has not translated down into substantial grassroots development in Ireland, as it has in other sports. This is something both Men’s Captain of Dublin University Lawn Tennis Club (DULTC) Bill Jennings and committee member Philip McGuinness reluctantly admit. Sitting down with The University Times to give an insight into the club, McGuinness articulated that “tennis in Ireland is not that popular”, partially because it is “perceived as an elite game that isn’t accessible, also maybe because it’s an individual sport”. He alluded to the fact that there are “quite a few international members in the club, which suggests that tennis comparatively speaking” is much more popular across the globe, especially with our neighbouring European countries. So what does one of Trinity’s most successful clubs do to tackle these perceptions? Well, as Jennings and McGuinness both pointed out, firstly they see it as an opportunity to try and get their message out there that this is an exciting sport, an accessible sport and one that should not be so quickly dismissed.
Tackling these perceptions on a campus already saturated with prominent sports such as rugby, soccer and Gaelic football is a challenge. But it is a challenge the new faces of DULTC committee are ready to take on. Jennings is passionate and committed to this. It’s one of his main goals for the club over the duration of the season, to increase inclusivity of existing members, encourage new members to join and all whilst ensuring Trinity maintain their dominance on the national stage, after one of their most successful seasons last year. With a huge push across a range of social media forums, bigger and more regular social events are ensuring that tennis is gaining ground on campus.
There’s a message sounding loud and clear from a club that remains relatively underrated despite its national success in the game. There is a level and place for everyone in the sport. Tennis is a game that deserves more credit and more coverage than it often receives.
Keeping the ball in the park
Nestled behind the Graduates Memorial Building (GMB) lies the home of DULTC. It’s an area you would not easily stray onto unless you were looking for it. However, that does not mean it is a quiet spot on campus – far from it. On most days, irrespective of the weather, if you headed over to Botany Bay you’d find various members of the tennis club hitting a ball around for a few hours. With 270 official members and 70 regular players, the commitment of this core group of players rivals that of any larger, more prominent team on campus. Although the club has set training hours for the three divisions – beginners, intermediate and advanced – most of the advanced players play more than three or four times a week.
The courts of Botany Bay are rarely empty. Whilst this is partially attributed to the encouragement players are given to maintain fitness levels and the sharpness of the skills outside of club training, it also comes down to the passion many of the players have for the sport. There is a real love for the game amongst the players. As Jennings points out, many of the players are in regular contact with each other, organising their next practise session purely because they want to play. This sort of passion is refreshing. It creates healthy rivalries and ensures the club as a whole stays focused on maintaining their success.
This may give the image that DULTC is just all about winning. While that is undoubtedly incredibly important to them, serious competition is only one aspect of their campaign in Trinity. This year’s committee are keen for the team to be seen as inclusive and expansive, in an attempt to encourage more attention on the sport. In promoting this ideology, players are encouraged to see the courts not only as a space to compete and improve but also to socialise. Speaking to The University Times by email, beginner player Lisa Jones said: “The coaches are great and keep us involved all the time. I’m only new to tennis, but I love getting out onto the courts to exercise and get a break from studying. It’s a real outlet for me from the stress of college work!” There is a genuine sense of friendship between players of all levels in the club, from advanced to beginners, and with this atmosphere, DULTC’s success is surely only set to continue.
Coaching
This camaraderie comes partially from the coaching set up in the club. While the advanced players are under the watchful eye of Mark Carpenter, one of Ireland’s foremost national players and a PhD student at Trinity, the vast majority of training with beginners and intermediates is run by the committee members themselves. As Michael Clarkson, a tennis sports scholar, pointed out by email: “We’ve had a really successful two years, and it’s down to the committee’s hard work. Bill Jennings and Marie-Louise O’Callaghan, our men and women’s captains, have done great work this year.” This peer-driven teaching means advanced, older players impart knowledge and advice to players at a lower level. Relating to a teacher as someone you see having been in your position and then having improved is, as McGuinness points out, one of the best ways to learn. It is what he argues helped him make the jump from intermediate to advanced earlier this year.
However, DULTC of course could not have reached the success they have over the last few seasons without outside help. As previously mentioned, Mark Carpenter has been vital. As Jennings points out “he is brilliant for motivation, he sees things we don’t”, with McGuinness adding that “he is instrumental in terms of motivation, coaching yourself can sometimes lead to a stagnation in development”.
Success of the club
For being a relatively understated team on campus in terms of their coverage, DULTC certainly hold their own in terms of silverware. Last year was one of the most successful seasons for the club, as the men became the 2016 intervarsities champions in March, with the women nearly delivering a similar result after reaching the finals. This was ultimately down to the “incredible strength and depth the club had last year”, which Kevin Wylde and Jennings both pointed out when I spoke to them in person. From the start of the season last year, Jennings could see DULTC were going to have a good year – winning the Floodlit League was confirmation his predictions were correct. When talking to The University Times, Jennings looked bemused when recalling how last year, for advanced training sessions, more than 12 to 15 capable players would regularly turn out to practise, and some would have to be turned away due to a lack of facilities.
With the main competition coming from Dublin City University (DCU) and University College Dublin (UCD) throughout the year, both of whom have much better training facilities, Trinity showed their talent by triumphing and taking the title as the best university team in Ireland at the 2016 intervarsities. It was such an impressive achievement it even caught the radar of international tennis star Andy Murray, who congratulated the club on Twitter. Achieving national success was not enough to satisfy the club, however, who had an extremely successfully international campaign, placing fourth in the European Invitational College Championships in Monte Carlo.
Looking forward
So how is this season shaping up? Well, with the loss of key players, replicating the success of last year may be more difficult for the club, but it is certainly not unlikely. The women in particular have taken a pretty hard hit losing many core members who were instrumental to last year’s success. Yet both captains remain positive. The club, as Jennings made clear, still has formidable national players, players who have the ability to retain the titles won last year and possibly go on to win more. Jennings pointed to individuals such as newcomer Declan Gardiner and sports scholar Michael Clarkson to show there is talent in the club that still makes Trinity a force on the national and international circuit. “Talent comes in waves”, as Jennings said, and right now is somewhat of a lull after a great high, but the club is certainly not in a bad place.
It’s at transitional times like these that the vision that DULTC have for this year becomes so vital. As women’s captain Marie Louise O’Callaghan commented in an email to The University Times, “there’s still lots more to come from the tennis club this year…membership had increased significantly”, and “the club is going from strength to strength”. By expanding the audience they reach out to, O’Callaghan sees encouraging participation and developing the base of the club as priorities: “Incorporating a more inclusive intermediate and beginner training and social program” will be an investment in the future.
