Margie Patton cradled her baby grandson, Leo, gently in her arms on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. Just hours before, the 55-year-old had been huffing and puffing and slugging tennis balls across a net trying to get the best of her opponents.
Patton and thousands of older adults in and around metro Atlanta find competition and camaraderie on the courts as part of the United States Tennis Association’s Senior Leagues. USTA offers league matches as well as state and sectional championships at 18+, 40+, 55+ and 65+.
On Tuesdays, Patton is on the court for her senior day league and she’s back hitting balls and running around the tennis court on Thursday nights for her 55-and-Over league.
“I really enjoy the competition at my level,” said Patton, who has been playing tennis since she was 35. “The senior leagues offer me the chance to play against people at my level, people with comparable abilities.”
But if you think tennis at this age is any less competitive, you’d be wrong. Patton and her teammates are in it to win it. They just got back from a state championship tournament in Columbus, playing against other seniors from across Georgia. The team was a tiebreak away from the semifinals.
“It was hot,” Patton said. “But we had a good time and the tennis was really good.”
League play takes place in and around Atlanta. But if you advance to the state championships, you have to travel to places like Columbus or Macon, or Rome for the weekend.
For some, like Patton and her girlfriends, it’s a hilarious road trip with some tennis thrown in.
“Those trips are really really fun,” Patton said. “It’s not often that we all get to hang out together for a whole weekend. We’re all the same age and we’re out of town together. It’s a road trip. You stay in a hotel together, you eat out, have a couple drinks. It’s so much fun.”
Another grandmother who transitions easily from snuggling a baby to blasting serves and overheads is Kelly Roberts. Like Patton, 53-year-old Roberts might be found enjoying her new baby granddaughter one day, and the next day hitting drop shots and slices at a court in Canton or Cartersville.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
She plays against other players in her age range and enjoys how competitive tennis is.
“The players on my teams and who we play against range from 40 to 70,” Roberts said. “I’ve played out of Canton and Cartersville, and we play against lots of teams in the metro Atlanta area especially when we travel to state tournaments.”
One thing she appreciates about the senior leagues is that often matches are played on clay courts as opposed to the more common hard-concrete courts.
“The clay is a lot softer and easier on your body, your joints, especially your knees,” she said. “I wish all the senior league matches were on clay.”
Roberts likes the level of competition in the senior leagues and said in many cases the tennis is tougher when it’s against players who have decades of experience under their belt.
She’s been playing with many of the same women for more than 20 years, always joining the same teams season after season and developing a bond that goes beyond an ordinary friendship.
“Tennis at the senior level enriches me,” she said. “It’s not just the exercise and cardio, which are obviously great at my age. But the social aspect is important to me. You get to travel. It’s hard for you to get all your friends in one place. But I get that at least once a week for a scheduled league match and I look forward to that.”
USTA offers senior leagues at a variety of skill levels, from novice players to seasoned experts. And there are hundreds of senior teams to join in the metro Atlanta area.
“I’d encourage anyone who thinks they might enjoy tennis at this age to give it a try,” Roberts said. “You don’t have to be a pro. You don’t have to be an amazing tennis player. Find a team at whatever level you are comfortable playing and you’ll have the time of your life. It’s given me so much. I’d love for other people to find that enjoyment as well.”
For additional information about the USTA’s senior leagues visit online at georgia.usta.com/leagues/adult_55_over_and_65_over_leagues.
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